Good news EFC articles

Thought I would start a thread where only positive articles would get time. So to start, this is in the Hun. Enjoy.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/dyson-heppell-is-earning-a-reputation-as-a-quality-footballer-and-person-shaping-as-future-essendon-captain/story-fni5f6kv-1226986820697

Dyson Heppell is earning a reputation as a quality footballer and person, shaping as future Essendon captain

  • Jon Anderson
  • Herald Sun
  • July 12, 2014 7:05PM


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Dyson Heppell is shaping as Essendon‘s next captain. Picture: Wayne Ludbey.

IN an era where confusion reigns over the status of AFL players as role models, Essendon‘s Dyson Heppell embraces his celebrity and uses it in a positive manner wherever possible.

It‘s a far cry from Chris Judd‘s opinion that footballers aren‘t role models, a view shared by many of his contemporaries in the AFL world, and it doesn‘t make one right or better than the other. It‘s just the path they have both chosen, Heppell being the antithesis of an archetypical AFL footballer.
FLETCH‘S FUTURE IN HIS OWN HANDS: BOMBER

He has enjoyed an end of season trip to LA with the best of them but equally relished the opportunity two years ago to travel to India with the Red Dust Foundation and assist in volunteer work while exploring that part of the world.

Heppell‘s older brother Jamin, who runs a company that develops young Victorian sporting leaders into community leaders, said his brother, or “Dyse” as he calls, will take the opportunities that come his way.




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Essendon’s Dyson Heppell in India.

“He acknowledges himself as an influential character within society because of the publicity he gets. He is very conscious of the way he behaves and makes sure he gives back to the community,” said Jamin.

“He went across to India a couple of years back with the Red Dust Foundation. He was on a trip to Alice Springs to work with some indigenous kids as a family favour when he met Simon McKeon who is the founder of Red Dust. Simon invited him to India to understand that world. It was a phenomenal chance for him.”

The Heppell brothers, which include the youngest in Aaron who is playing in the VFL with Essendon and studying exercise and sports science, live together in Essendon enabling their parents Ann-Marie and Paul to be regular visitors from their Gippsland home.

Peter Francis, who has been with Gippsland Power as regional manager for 20 years and has seen the cream, players such as Brendon Goddard, Rob Murphy, Scott Pendlebury, Jarryd Roughead and Dale Thomas, rates Heppell one of his favourites.

“He‘s just a wonderful person. An unbelievable kid, really engaging from the time I met him when he was 14 in our U15s. He captained our U18 team and the game he played in the 2010 Preliminary final against red-hot favourites Oakleigh remains one of the best individual TAC Cup performances I have seen. He pulled us across the line,” said Francis, 56.




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Dyson with brother Jamin, mum Ann-Maree, dad Paul and brother Aaron before the 2010 draft on the Gold Coast. Picture: Michael Dodge

“When Adrian Dodoro from Essendon rang me about Dyson I said if you get him he will become a captain of Essendon. Right from a young age he did everything right, from his hot and colds, just so professional, I have never seen a young player so professional.”

How the shaggy-haired Leongatha lad got to Essendon at Pick 8 remains one of those draft mysteries, a similar story to Joel Selwood in the 2006 draft slipping through to 7 due to an alleged chronic knee condition that would supposedly end his career prematurely.

In Heppell‘s case the drums were beating loudly that he had Osteitis Pubis, a buzz injury of the time that crippled players through acute groin soreness. While he had hardly missed a game as a junior with Gippsland Power, at least one and maybe two clubs believed the gossip.

So Brisbane bypassed him with pick 5 and chose Jared Polec, a highly-talented running player who would return to his hometown of Adelaide three years later which cost Port Adelaide their Pick 34. And Richmond used Pick 6 on Reece Conca, an in-and-under midfielder who had produced a fine U18 Championship series.




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Dyson Heppell in action for the Gippsland Power against the Calder Cannons in the 2010 TAC Cup Grand Final.

Gold Coast then chose Josh Caddy at Pick 7, leaving the Bombers barely believing their luck that Heppell was still available. And as luck would have it the Heppell family doctor was long-serving Essendon medico Bruce Reid, who assured the Bombers‘ list manager Adrian Dodoro that there would be no long-term OP problems. Dodoro had spoken briefly with Heppell at draft camp but given up all hope when hel produced a 2.95 sec 20m speed test.

The Bombers had rated Heppell top 3 in a draft where David Swallow and Harley Bennell were picks 1 and 2. In anticipation they wouldn‘t secure Heppell, Essendon produced two prerecordings prior to the draft where they introduced Dion Prestia (Pick 9) and Shaun Atley (17) to the club‘s supporters. The idea was as soon as Dodoro said the name then the club could put the video of either Prestia or Atley on the Black and Red website, but someone hacked into their computer system and released the videos.

It was embarrassing at the time even if the club had realised the night before that Heppell was a live chance to get through to 8: “Merv Keane, James Hird and myself walked over to the caravan park on the Gold Coast where the Heppell family was staying and told Dyson we would be taking him,” recalled Dodoro.

“He was really happy as like David Zaharakis and Heath Hocking, he was a mad Essendon supporter. He was a brilliant young person then and he remains so today.”

… That is all…

Phwoar! thats as positive as it gets. love it!

Good read. Thanks, Lifetime!

Emma Quayle one on Colyer was good today also

The newspapers should just post any positive articles in here, we’re the only ones that care, the first comment under that article on the Hun site " all Essendon players should have long hair, it helps with testing"

I’ve had a gut full of all that crap, when is persecution going to end, farking tossers

Good timing for this thread; there will have to be some seriously vitriol-filled articles tomorrow to “keep things balanced”.

Found this one
 

Dynamic Dons jump into top eight after crushing soggy Pies

Nick Bowen  July 13, 2014 5:45 PM

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Zach Merrett celebrates kicking a wonderful goal during Essendon's demolition of Collingwood

ESSENDON has stormed back into the top eight with a commanding 64-point over a lacklustre Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday, a result that suddenly puts the Magpies' own finals chances in jeopardy.
 
The Bombers, who had last been in the top eight at the end of round four, set up their 16.7 (103) to 5.9 (39) win with a run of eight unanswered goals from the start of the second quarter to midway through the third term.
 
The big margin saw the Bombers climb from 10th on the ladder to seventh, leapfrogging Collingwood, who slipped from sixth to eighth, on percentage.
 
Jake Carlisle starred for the Bombers at both ends of the ground, forming a dangerous tall duo in attack with Joe Daniher and working back deep into defence to help cut off Collingwood spearhead Travis Cloke's supply.
 
 
Carlisle finished with a career-best four goals and ruled the air with an incredible 19 marks – including eight contested – in a clear best-on-ground performance.
 
The Bombers' victory sends Gold Coast tumbling out of the eight and, with skipper Gary Ablett (left shoulder) sidelined for the rest of the season, the Suns' tilt at an historic first finals series is now in serious peril.
 
The Magpies' finals hopes look healthier, but it was just five weeks ago that they were sitting fourth on the ladder and aiming for the double chance.
 
Those hopes seemed dashed now, with the Pies set to slip three games outside the top-four if, as expected, Fremantle beats Greater Western Sydney at Patersons Stadium on Sunday evening.
 
The Pies really only challenged Essendon in the first term, when they won the inside 50 count (14-10) and had more scoring shots (6-4) but butchered several chances in front of goal to go into quarter-time eight points down.
 
From there the Bombers did as they pleased, breaking the Pies' defensive lines with their run through the midfield and making them pay up forward, both in the air through Carlisle and Daniher and at ground level through Paul Chapman, Patrick Ambrose (three goals each) and Zach Merrett (two goals).
 
Essendon's defensive pressure was also outstanding, with the Dons often forcing the Pies to kick long inside their forward 50, making life tough for Cloke.
 
Brent Stanton (32 possessions and one goal) and Dyson Heppell (29 possessions) were outstanding in an Essendon midfield missing Jobe Watson and Brendon Goddard, while Cale Hooker kept Cloke goalless and Jason Winderlich was creative across half-back.
 
Steele Sidebottom was the Pies' best player (28 possessions), while Dayne Beams (23 possessions and two goals) and Scott Pendlebury (23 possessions) battled hard through the midfield, while Jack Frost was manful in defence against an avalanche of Bomber attacks.
 
 
ESSENDON            4.0   8.1   14.1   16.7 (103)
COLLINGWOOD     2.4    2.6     4.9   5.9 (39)
 
GOALS
Essendon: Carlisle 4, Ambrose 3, Chapman 3, Z Merrett 2, Stanton, Daniher, Zaharakis, Hocking,
Collingwood: Beams 2, Young, Seedsman, Lumumba
 
BEST
Essendon: Carlisle, Chapman, Stanton, Heppell, Z Merrett, Ambrose, Hooker
Collingwood: Sidebottom, Beams, Pendlebury, Williams
 
INJURIES
Essendon: Nil
Collingwood: Maxwell (left ankle)
 
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Corey Dell'Olio replaced Jason Winderlich at three-quarter time
Collingwood: Ben Kennedy replaced Clinton Young in the third quarter 
 
Reports: Nil
 
Umpires: Donlon, Margetts, Schmidt
 
Official crowd: 58,992 at the MCG

One thing about the Heppell article that caught me off guard is his 2.95 for the 20 metres.  He is such a smooth mover and so aware and clever that you rarely see him caught with the ball, but I had always pegged him as a bit slow - definitely sub 3 second.  This year, I noticed him getting to the loose ball quite well a few times, and ahead of others you'd expect to beat him, but just put it down to his ability to find the right angles to run etc.  I have definitely underestimated his foot speed!

Dyson Heppell is our answer to Scott Pendlebury.

One thing about the Heppell article that caught me off guard is his 2.95 for the 20 metres.  He is such a smooth mover and so aware and clever that you rarely see him caught with the ball, but I had always pegged him as a bit slow - definitely sub 3 second.  This year, I noticed him getting to the loose ball quite well a few times, and ahead of others you'd expect to beat him, but just put it down to his ability to find the right angles to run etc.  I have definitely underestimated his foot speed!

He is a bit like Jobe in that he is strong and quick with the first 4 steps. He gets shown up after that but he has changed his game to suit his strengths this year. G U N.

Dyson Heppell is our answer to following the tradition of having classy, selfless and respected leaders of the footy club after Hird and Watson. Lloyd was alright aswell before he became a media monkey.

Dyson Heppell is our answer to Scott Pendlebury.

Scott Pendlebury is their answer to our Dyson Heppell.