It looked like Melksham had taken the next step with his strong finish to the 2013 season when most others around him fell badly away.
However, 2014 has seen him basically revert to the Melksham of old, albeit with much less dumb decision making.
IMO Melksham just doesn't get nearly enough of the ball and isn't damaging enough with the possessions he gets. He's not an inside mid and lacks the pace to be a line-breaking outside midfielder.
That said in his six 2014 games he hasn't been bad, but he hasn't been very good either. He's been ok, but that's about it.
Unfortunately, when you have Zaharakis, Melksham and Howlett all being good ordinary footballers, Essendon's midfield lacks punch.
After 86 games and in his fifth season, it seems likely that Melksham may have reached the extent of development as an AFL footballer - he'll never be elite, but rather servicable.
I'll get flamed here, but I reckon that if a deal could be done to get a dangerous forward, or fleet-footed outside runner, then I trade Melksham (plus a third rounder pick!!) in an instant.
Big THANK YOU to the club and to Jake Melksham for the handwritten New Years card to Humbertiño from Jake. My son wears the #17 with pride, even (slightly bizarrely) to the point of backing up to the fence when Jake’s nearby so he can be inspired by the support.
Seems the card was an extra thank you (they’d already shown us around the club and introduced us to a bunch of players) for our buying an extra membership for a Bomber family. This club is awesome.
Yeah he had a crack atleast yesterday. Seemed to have a bit more of a dip than normal.
I think w shave never been able to find the right spot for him to flourish. I just think that role looked natural for him, can use he hardness and is attacking by foot.
A good reason for hanging on to this Jake, is that I reckon his arrogance gets in his way, & the fashion plate crap is indicative of one who hasn’t quite grown up yet.
That leads me to think that his best will come when he matures a bit, which has to be just 'round the corner, … surely?
Yeah he had a crack atleast yesterday. Seemed to have a bit more of a dip than normal.
Gotta agree, he is more hbf than on baller, he is a great penetrating kick but just lazy in his approach to his disposal, too many one step kicks…easy to fix with a new coach
Melksham had a dip when he came on last week as a sub against the Crows and again this week against the Suns.
He is starting to re-discover his mojo.
Go and look at Fantasia’s fantastic goal at the start of the last quarter - it’s only made possible by Melksham superbly smothering Aaron Hall’s kick as Hall himself streams through the middle. The smothered ball ends in Fantasia’s arms who proceeds to do to the Suns what Hall was about to do us.
would rather hang on to him and hope a new coach turns him around rather than a 3rd pick.
and how does a new coach “turn him around” where 3 others haven’t been able to despite giving him constant support and games to prove he can live up to the potential we could all see in him ?
This is his 6th season now and he is no closer to being a consistently good player, let alone a good player in general.
people have to accept the fact that this is probably the best he is going to get, so the question because what he offers now, is it worth persisting with ?
I’d say no, but he’ll no doubt get another 2 or 3 years under a new coach to “live up to that potential”, to which he won’t and we’ll have given yet another player not afl standard 7 plus years on our list, while we suffer in mediocrities no mans land.
would rather hang on to him and hope a new coach turns him around rather than a 3rd pick.
and how does a new coach "turn him around" where 3 others haven't been able to despite giving him constant support and games to prove he can live up to the potential we could all see in him ?
This is his 6th season now and he is no closer to being a consistently good player, let alone a good player in general.
people have to accept the fact that this is probably the best he is going to get, so the question because what he offers now, is it worth persisting with ?
I’d say no, but he’ll no doubt get another 2 or 3 years under a new coach to “live up to that potential”, to which he won’t and we’ll have given yet another player not afl standard 7 plus years on our list, while we suffer in mediocrities no mans land.
if your weighing up the choice of a 3rd rd pick in a shallow draft or giving him one last chance with a new coach and Wada out of the way, I would take the latter.
would you take the 3rd rounder ?
what about a 2nd rd pick, would that sway your mind ?
what about a player that the coaches believe to be a better player than melk ?
what if what if what if.
If they think they can find a better player than him in any facet I don’t really care if they use pick 158.
That should be the whole point, to find BETTER players, not just keep playing the same old players hoping something changes or that we find enough replacements in 1 to 2 picks a draft.
If you’re always requiring concrete proof that a different alternative is better or right, you’ll never change.
and you need look no further than the fact we supposedly had no replace for Melk for years, that was the justification for him not being dropped. he was dropped late last year and coyler became one of our most pivotal players because they took a chance on somoene else.
Just to point out some facts. Although he has been coached by “3 coaches”, Knights was only there for his first year and Thompson was obviously part of the coaching set-up for 3 years before he was head coach. So its not like he’s had a whole heap of head coaches trying to fix him. Its mostly been the same group since the end of his first year.
Second, Colyer got in while Melksham was still in the team. Colyer played his first three games last year with Jake in the same side.
I'd like to see him given licence to go the knuckle.
The boy can handle himself, and there's a few blokes at other clubs with very punchable heads.
Sam Mitchell would be first on the list.
This! And he plays better when there’s a bit of **** and aggro about him!
You gotta be smart about it though, don’t want him rubbed out 3 of every 4 weeks
Wait till you next final, if he is still playing with us (probably about 2020) then let him knock a couple out
Why not? Every 3-4 weeks he’s ordinary then he’s promising for 1 or 2. I say use those two weeks and finish them with a bang
would rather hang on to him and hope a new coach turns him around rather than a 3rd pick.
and how does a new coach “turn him around” where 3 others haven’t been able to despite giving him constant support and games to prove he can live up to the potential we could all see in him ?
This is his 6th season now and he is no closer to being a consistently good player, let alone a good player in general.
people have to accept the fact that this is probably the best he is going to get, so the question because what he offers now, is it worth persisting with ?
I’d say no, but he’ll no doubt get another 2 or 3 years under a new coach to “live up to that potential”, to which he won’t and we’ll have given yet another player not afl standard 7 plus years on our list, while we suffer in mediocrities no mans land.
if your weighing up the choice of a 3rd rd pick in a shallow draft or giving him one last chance with a new coach and Wada out of the way, I would take the latter.
would you take the 3rd rounder ?
Given EFC’s success with later rounders and wasting first round picks, I would say yes.
We know what we are going to get with JM, and it ain’t much. Give Dodoro a chance to pick up another useful player in a late-round - or better still, a benfti special.
would rather hang on to him and hope a new coach turns him around rather than a 3rd pick.
and how does a new coach “turn him around” where 3 others haven’t been able to despite giving him constant support and games to prove he can live up to the potential we could all see in him ?
This is his 6th season now and he is no closer to being a consistently good player, let alone a good player in general.
people have to accept the fact that this is probably the best he is going to get, so the question because what he offers now, is it worth persisting with ?
I’d say no, but he’ll no doubt get another 2 or 3 years under a new coach to “live up to that potential”, to which he won’t and we’ll have given yet another player not afl standard 7 plus years on our list, while we suffer in mediocrities no mans land.
if your weighing up the choice of a 3rd rd pick in a shallow draft or giving him one last chance with a new coach and Wada out of the way, I would take the latter.
would you take the 3rd rounder ?
what about a 2nd rd pick, would that sway your mind ?
what about a player that the coaches believe to be a better player than melk ?
what if what if what if.
If they think they can find a better player than him in any facet I don’t really care if they use pick 158.
That should be the whole point, to find BETTER players, not just keep playing the same old players hoping something changes or that we find enough replacements in 1 to 2 picks a draft.
If you’re always requiring concrete proof that a different alternative is better or right, you’ll never change.
and you need look no further than the fact we supposedly had no replace for Melk for years, that was the justification for him not being dropped. he was dropped late last year and coyler became one of our most pivotal players because they took a chance on somoene else.
The question to ask is whether this guy has a role to play in our next premiership team.
I think he does, as someone mentioned, he is good at locking carnts out
In his whole career when has he ever bumped or crunched someone. He may walk and act like a tough guy, but he sure as hell doesn’t play like one.
Would rather chance our luck at a 3rd rounder and develop who we draft.
Not a chance melksham plays in our next flag imo
But people know he can box… Apparently that’s all that matters.
However, he certainly has both types of it. The it where you want him delisted and the it where you think he can win a game off his own boot. Just not seeing much of the later it this yeah (except he was alright at the start of the year from memory).
would rather hang on to him and hope a new coach turns him around rather than a 3rd pick.
and how does a new coach “turn him around” where 3 others haven’t been able to despite giving him constant support and games to prove he can live up to the potential we could all see in him ?
This is his 6th season now and he is no closer to being a consistently good player, let alone a good player in general.
people have to accept the fact that this is probably the best he is going to get, so the question because what he offers now, is it worth persisting with ?
I’d say no, but he’ll no doubt get another 2 or 3 years under a new coach to “live up to that potential”, to which he won’t and we’ll have given yet another player not afl standard 7 plus years on our list, while we suffer in mediocrities no mans land.
if your weighing up the choice of a 3rd rd pick in a shallow draft or giving him one last chance with a new coach and Wada out of the way, I would take the latter.
would you take the 3rd rounder ?
what about a 2nd rd pick, would that sway your mind ?
what about a player that the coaches believe to be a better player than melk ?
what if what if what if.
If they think they can find a better player than him in any facet I don’t really care if they use pick 158.
That should be the whole point, to find BETTER players, not just keep playing the same old players hoping something changes or that we find enough replacements in 1 to 2 picks a draft.
If you’re always requiring concrete proof that a different alternative is better or right, you’ll never change.
and you need look no further than the fact we supposedly had no replace for Melk for years, that was the justification for him not being dropped. he was dropped late last year and coyler became one of our most pivotal players because they took a chance on somoene else.
The question to ask is whether this guy has a role to play in our next premiership team.
I think he does, as someone mentioned, he is good at locking carnts out
In his whole career when has he ever bumped or crunched someone. He may walk and act like a tough guy, but he sure as hell doesn’t play like one.
Would rather chance our luck at a 3rd rounder and develop who we draft.