List is looking better but still missing another big inside midfielder and our Key forward depth is pretty bad.
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Two first rounders will be plenty imo anything more and dogs can get stuffed.
This is confusing logic given that you publicise how much you don’t rate draft picks and had been willing to use pick 9 to get Ginnivan….
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They wanted 2 firsts for Dunkley. JUH is a far harder player to replace.
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This will be a fairly long-winded post with quite a number of screenshots, but take a look at the below and ask yourself how many Essendon midfielders have ticks alongside all 7 of these key elements:
Merrett gets the closest but I still have reservations over him under real heat in the contest. Just about all our midfielders have at least one of, or multiple of the below traits:
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Don’t use the ball well in uncontested or contested situations.
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Are unaccountable and do not run both ways.
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Are poor decision makers.
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Do not communicate effectively with teammates, or work cohesively with teammates.
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Are not fit enough.
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Do not possess football intelligence.
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Fumble constantly.
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I got a bit depressed when I was watching us play SYDNEY this year, and thought “21yo Gulden might already be as good as Merrett. And Merrett is our best player by far. They’re similar players. Both skilful little left-footers…”
By the end of the year, there’s a case to say Gulden is better. He was solidly in the All-Australian team. He attracted more Brownlow votes.
It’s a tough competition.
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I think there’s a clear list build strategy going into Brad Scott’s second year - identify brothers and recruit the second best out of the two. 
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@All-Star_Bomber_18 please update with the news that Snelling and Voss are gone.
Hunter remains as the one not decided on. Things would have to be looking positive for him now.
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11 players gone from last season. Another big list turnover again this year.
Looking like 3 ND picks and a rookie spot open for the draft or SSP.
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Pretty ridiculous. Step 1 takes out 90% of midfielders across all teams.
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Yup, basically half of the list gone in 2 seasons. (11 players in 2023 + 10 players in 2022)
If we’re serious about improvement, then I guess this is what needs to be done.
The 4 ins so far add a bit of class to our list.
Add 3 decent ND players & you’d hope for a marked improvement in 2024.
We’ve turned over about 70% of the list since J***'s final season and that was only 3 years ago.
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By the start of next season we will have brought 29 maybe 31 new players in since the start of 2021 (including baldwin, Waterman and Durham)
We’ll be doing well if 8 of those 30 make significant contributions in the seniors. 6 have already been moved on since they arrived.
Only 1 of them has made a real splash to date (Martin).
We’ll be hoping McKay significantly improves the defence too guess.
It is hard to escape the feeling the list is treading water though, with little or no improvement at the top end of the list in terms of quality.
27 players were brought in through 2017,18 and 19.
5 are left - stringer, guelfi, Shiel, Bryan, Jones (3 are on other lists)
Good grief
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The dees finished 9th in 2017, below us by 1%
They also brought in 27 players over 2017, 18 and 19
11 remain on their list and 4 are on other lists.
Some may say there are some serious questions surrounding our recruiting team….!!!
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None of us would have had the patience to languish down the bottom of the ladder like the Dees, spunking top end draft picks till the early morn.
They have a good team because they had access to the top end for like a decade. And missed on many of those picks too, just like us.
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they had some hard years yeah. no one wants to spend a decade welded to the bottom. Everyone here would eat up 3 or 4 years at the bottom though at this point rather than having another 20 years of mid table mediocrity.
worth noting too that the dees went 9th, 5th, 17th in 2017,18, and 19
Dees botched a bunch of picks from 2010 to 2013 - but they sacked their recruiting team and have been some of the best drafters since. Only big miss with their top picks has been Weidemen.
Here’s every pick they’ve had in the top 40 over 2014 to 2019. Absolutely insane drafting record
2 - Petracca
3 - Brayshaw
40 - Neale-Bullen
4 - Oliver
9 - Weideman
29 - Spargo
31 - Fritsch
37 - Petty
27 - Sparrow
33 - Jordon
3 - Jackson
12 - Pickett
32 - Rivers
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That along with having the fitness Guru Darren Burgess in 2021 is the reason they won the flag.
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