Yeah from memory it was originally Brand who was looked at as the top 30 pick, then Eyre jumped up late after smashing the combine.
I really like the idea of Francis playing the 3rd tall role on the oppositions best intercept defender. IMO Stringer has to roll through the fwd line from the midfield instead of being a stay-at-home target. Jones, Wright and Frang could form a formidable trio and Jones and Frang are very mobile for marking targets.
Long-term view⌠could Baldwin take 2MPâs spot at FF if Cox can play Wing/Ruck?
Our issue that needs fixing is that we lack natural crumbing smalls that get to the front of the contest - Walla is pretty good but would like Smith and Snell in particular to work on positioning for next season.
100 goals for the year and 30 hitouts per game (on 25% ruck time)
Back on topic, anyone wanting to chase King or some other established KPF this year is just wanting the club to repeat the same mistakes itâs made for years with recruitment.
How many of you idiots also want us to go to the draft this year and continue to build on what has been started this year?
We canât have both
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I meant during the year. Draft camp boosted his stocks.
I think its pretty clear that we arenât getting a KPF this year. But chasing King in 2022 makes a lot of sense if none of the current options on the list have made a leap in the next 12 months.
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I donât. Francis is simply not a strong enough marking threat nor has the workrate/goal nouse
Would rather Jones be playing that 3rd forward role, his work rate with repeat leads and marking ability mean they simply canât zone off on him.
Baldwin to be the main kpf up against the bigger stronger kpd that Jones being up against wouldnât suit.
Wright will remain fwd/ruck.
Francis wonât make it as a best 22 forward IMO. Stop gap until Baldwin bypasses him (could be as soon as over preseason) or we gain King end of next year. Will end up depth utility for either end.
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Maybe. I think there are a lot more factors as well. Basically how the rest of the list is going is also a factor. If late next year we look like weâre good enough to challenge (eg. 6th) and weâre just missing a key forward, then yes. But if we fall back and weâre 10th or 12th and there are multiple holes, then itâs highly questionable whether we should use the currency of 2 high picks (possibly more) on one player, rather than getting in multiple good young players instead.
Yeah 100%. Itâs a decision that will have to be made in 12 months based on the current needs and context that we are in. If we drop back to 12th-14th there may well be a Logan McDonald level prospect available at pick 5 and we can draft them rather than take King. I would only advocate for it if I thought it was going to push us into contention. I do think that is possible though.
Thatâs the advantage of waiting for 12 months - the club will have a lot better idea of what Baldwin, Eyre etc will look like then.
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Just on the subject of Eyre smashing the combine.
Josh Eyre
20m sprint 2.89 seconds
Running vertical leap 93cm
Jamara Ugle-Hagan
20m sprint 2.897 seconds
Running vertical leap 93cm
Eyre is as fast and jumps as high as Ugle hagan and is taller. Hes not some bum rookie we picked just because he was in our academy, he has a lot of potential.
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No-one should write Eyre off, thatâs for sure. Itâs just not often that you get a key forward taken outside of the first round that makes it beyond solid I guess.
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What happens if:
- Jones improves significantly again and kicks say 45 goals and improves
- Wright improves slightly and kicks say 35 goals and has slight improvement in the rest of his game
- the other young key forwards all show nothing at all
Iâd say thatâs still enough to avoid chasing King and we should spend our currency elsewhere
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Then he will be tracking as good as Ben King and we will be looking amazing!
If Harry Jones goes from 20 goals in 16 games this year to 45 goals next year then yeah sure. That wouldnât be a slight improvement though.
If we get 80 goals between Wright and Jones then no I wouldnât chase King. But that can be assessed at the end of next year as well.
Crameri ahead of both of them in my book.
Baldwin had moved to Queensland to attend uni before we signed him. Heâs clearly not THAT much of an SA homebody!
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Got family up there too IIRC
Also GC had intended to list him in their VFL team, which was after all clubs passed him over.
Was more just aligning to him being back training at his school gym now, school captain there etc.
sorry I stuffed up there and accidentally included the bit about wright. edited now
Ah yeah no worries, I didnât really get it. Well yeah my point still stands - If Jones kicks 45 and Wright kicks 35 with Stringer and Walla then we may not need King. But I think that would be a big if. I reckon the point is more interesting if Wright is roughly the same, and Jones goes to, say, 30 and looks like he is trending upwards. That would be an awkward spot imo - we would then need to take our ladder position into account.
Regardless next years trade period could be pretty interesting.
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Once you add in Baldwinâs 50 goals it will be an easy decision for us 
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Haha that would be sick - obviously for Essendon but also what a story if Baldwin can actually overcome his knee injuries and be a real AFL player.
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