Did we even really want him and even if we did, were we really ever chance once Betts went to Geelong? If we never had a chance it’s not a miss.
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LITERAL BEAR!!!
Brayden Sier is 23. Was drafted in 2015. He’s had 7 years on a list predominantly playing VFL.
Clarke is 23. Drafted in 2016. 6 years on a list predominantly playing VFL.
Constable is 22. Drafted in 2017. He’s had 5 years on a list predominantly playing VFL.
I’d choose Charlie before the other two. Far greater scope to improve and be an important piece to our midfield. I just don’t see much improvement in Sier or Clarke.
Thats fine but the age gap between them is so small its basically irrelevant. They are all young and could easily play for another 7 years.
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Maybe it’s not just down to age.
Clarke and Sier were taken in the 40s of their draft. They are unlikely to to play 7 more years after already playing a handful of years with very few senior games.
Constable was a little higher and for memory was rated in the 20s during his draft year.
In my opinion, he has far more scope for improvement than the other two.
Sier was actually drafted at 32, Constable was 36.
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I’ve seen a few comments like this. Blitzers do remember he was injured most of the year? While Sier got 7 games for the team that finished second last and Narkle was preferred to Constable……
I mean, I think Clarke only missed two or so senior games he was uninjured and available.
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3 games isn’t a massive sample size, however I was pleasantly surprised with how Clarke played, and the role he played as well. Very much a pressure forward with some midfield time, but it did work to his strengths, which is his tackling and ability to lock the ball inside F50. His skills aren’t that great, but he was very safe with the ball, didn’t do anything outside his abilities. A sign of Truck’s coaching that he was able to identify that role and have him execute it. I was genuinely disappointed he missed out on the final. It’s clearly touch and go if he gets a contract because if he was 100% in our plans he’d have been signed by now…
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Agree - Clarke is slow and can’t kick with any accuracy or penetration. Either in defence or midfield he is a liability when the opposition moves the ball because of his pace. They can create a plus one on him.
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Thinking mid season draft as well.
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Yep.
Slow as a week in quarantine.
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Again no one wanted him, he had just come off being delisted for multiple breaches and failures. It wasn’t a miss to ignore him then.
It is also not a miss now.
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I just want Constable on our list the kid will blossom wherever he lands!
Hindsight is a mugs game. If he is successful at Geelong, there is no guarantee that he/we would have had the same outcome at EFC.
If it works out then congratulate the Cats for creating an environment for him to thrive, rather than lament that we didn’t pick him up.
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Has anyone seen Brayden Sier’s Instagram posts? Interesting addition if made to our culture.
I highly doubt he will be joining us
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Seems he has been available for clubs to trade in for 2 years now, and nobody has been interested.
Thinking teams with weak midfields, perhaps Adelaide. He just has such a limited range of positions he can play.
We are so lucky to have Ants among our regular posters. This is a cracker of an analysis. Keep up the great work!!!
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Thanks! I’ll do the next one.
DEFENCE
Structurally, our system only changed a little over the year. The coaching team pretty much played 7 defenders every single game (as they did last year). Initially we played 4 talls with Ridley playing on the 4th tall. Zerk, Reid and then Stewart played on the best true tall. Early on we tried Cahill and Guelfi down back which didn’t work, and it felt like Heps did a bad turnover every second week.
Then, after Francis was unavailable, Stewart struggled defensively and Cutler came on we shifted to the structure to the one used throughout the end of the season. Lav & Ridley taking the most dangerous tallish forwards, Stewart the third tall, Cutler rebounding while Heppel, Redman and Hind picked up the smalls. And it worked.
I’m pretty happy here (now). We need to get another player IMO who can lockdown smalls, and the club’s (hopefully) delivered with Kelly. We would like to upgrade Stewart, and have Reid, Zerk, Brand and future failed tall forwards in the wings to hopefully do so. Heppell really surprised me, improving over the year, reducing clangers, improving positioning, and being more decisive with his disposal than he was in midfield. Hind was better than expected (although I thought he’d be decent to good), Lav a revelation (and uninjured!) and Redman exactly what I expected. Cutler also surprised.
We were 9th for scores against us, 9th for shots conceded per D50 entry. However, I suspect we got better as the year progressed. We only conceded one score of 100 after the bye (11 games), after doing so 5 times in the first half of the year (12 games). Once we got over the Cahill, Guelfi experiments, moved Lav and Ridley to the strongest forwards, Heppell reduced his brain fades, and found Cutler, it worked very well. We’ve strengthened this by adding in Kelly who is ranked amongst the best stoppers in the league.
A group of talls of Ridley, Lav, Stewart, Reid, Zerk, Brand and maybe Francis is very good and has lots of developing depth. No further players required here, just development. We only really need Lav & Ridley to stay fit, and one more to step up as stopper (or better) to free up Ridley. Of course, who knows how durable Lav will be from now on. Hopefully it’s a similar effect as when Hurley was shifted back.
A group of small/mediums of Heppell, Kelly, Redman, Hind and Cutler is pretty strong but has almost no depth. 5 players for four roles, nobody developing behind them as depth. With the current set many are good users of the ball, most can also actually defend. Really, the only thing we need here is depth for the small/medium backs, especially given Heppell isn’t a spring chicken (although not old). That player(s) can probably be drafted this year and next.
Really curse Brisbane matched Coleman, although if they had maybe we’d not have Bryan. I’m also sorry we tried Crauford over Lockyer. I’d be happy to ask Lockyer to train with us again. I’d also love to see if Matthew Ling is over injuries and can rediscover his original potential.
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Lockyer seems to have played a little bit of SANFL then finished the year in the Central Australian FL - country footy.
Not sure he’ll be on the radar.