All eyes will be on Stringer, who has kept a low profile since crossing from the Bulldogs
They’ve definitely kept him away from any media interviews whereas Saad & Smith have been wheeled out plenty.
Can’t understand why? Every time he speaks Abby Gilmore trots out another rehash of her story.
She has a platform now too at the HUN
1 Like
Yes obviously it’s always going to be an ex partner or ex coach/club question so why bother.
He can let his footy do the talking this year instead
1 Like
Media will get bored with Stringer once footy starts. For pre-season, their hanging out for stories.
1 Like
It will get pretty big in the lead up to our game against them
Or the baby seal that walked into a club
Based on today, I think we should wait a bit on the new contract. Meaningless JLT game or not, I saw no gameplan, no structure and no defense. If the ace up Woosha’s sleeve is throwing Daniher behind the ball, while Tippa and Green are left to contest in the air, I’m gonna start harming myself.
11 Likes
To be honest I saw the same thing. Players had no ■■■■■■■ idea. So many times we didn’t even have a forwardline to kick to, players just seem confused or not sure what to do. The amount of times a player broke free from a pack and just had nothing was ■■■■■■.
Defensively, there seemed to be some attempt at a zone, but Richmond was able to casually kick through it all day and get easy goals. So either the zone is ■■■■■■■ terrible or we have a lazy list of ■■■■■ who don’t deserve a jumper.
5 Likes
or it was the first real practice match of the season and people are getting the cobwebs out of the system. That combined with a totally new midfield group finding their way with each others games.
Hope you are right but all I saw was a repeat of the Sydney final so in otherwords not improvement.
5 Likes
Exactly.
Can’t see what the big rush is and why the club isn’t atleast waiting until the mid point of the year. If we see signs of improvement and are sitting nicely at the half way point then sign him if not it has to be seeya John
8 Likes
If he was holding out for a bigger contract he ■■■■■■ that right up. You couldn’t get rid of him quick enough tonight.
1 Like
Winning a JLT match provides zero reward. Unless bolstering fan confidence is a reward.
Showing the world our game plan IP before the home and away season would have been a loss in my opinion.
Were our best individual performers the ones who had something to prove?
If end of season trading doesn’t fix things then getting another crack at it mid year may help.
There is enough noise and chatter about this to suggest it’s going to happen. Then it’s open slather.
Free it up: Woosha backs mid-season trades
Callum Twomey
ESSENDON coach John Worsfold has backed calls to free up player movement, saying he would support a mid-season trade period being introduced to the AFL.
League chief executive Gillon McLachlan last year put the prospect of a mid-season exchange period on the agenda, saying it would give more power to the bottom clubs to turn around their fortunes quicker.
Richmond premiership coach Damien Hardwick has also long been an advocate of more player movement.
Worsfold, whose Bombers changed their trade strategy last year and brought in three seasoned players from rival clubs, said an extra avenue for changing clubs would be particularly useful for fringe players.
“I don’t mind the idea. For clubs there can be a massive benefit, and for players there can be a massive benefit as well,” Worsfold told AFL.com.au earlier this month.
"For a player who’s not getting a game at one club … they ultimately want to play, they love their clubs and want to play for the clubs they’re at, but ultimately they want to play AFL footy.
“So if there’s a window of opportunity for players, I agree with that. Then it’s up to clubs to use it to benefit their immediate position.”
Essendon had been maligned for its trading before last season, bringing in just three players from 2004-2012.
But it followed its return to the finals in 2017 by adding Western Bulldogs premiership star Jake Stringer, Greater Western Sydney’s Devon Smith and Gold Coast speedster Adam Saad to its list last trade period through a series of pick swaps.
Smith and Saad showed promising signs on Saturday despite the Bombers’ 87-point loss to Richmond in their opening JLT Community Series game, however Stringer received a head knock early in the contest and had just six disposals.
McLachlan said a mid-season trade period would allow clubs to target and recruit players to fill specific roles for the rest of the season.
“You don’t have to do the trade if you don’t want to. The reason some people don’t like it is there’s an emotive side to the trade, but there’s no difference to [it happening] at the end of the year,” he told the Road to the Draft podcast last year.
“No one likes change generally. Our clubs like it as little as anyone. I think we’ll get there on that (to have a mid-season trade period).”
However the League’s new football operations manager Steve Hocking has been less bullish about the concept, saying it would breed extra uncertainty for players throughout the year.
1 Like
yes. im sure worsfold thought to himself that he could squeeze an extra hundy thousand out of the executives of the EFC by an impressive JLT performance…
Personally, I reckon the club will base the Woosha contract decison entirely on yesterday’s result.
10 Likes
How much trade premium do you place on a trade that sends all your club information to another mid season??
Depends.
Other clubs are welcome to a Reimers type understanding of the game plan.
Only trade dumb players mid year?