I’ll give you Chappy. I think you’re reaching on Cooney.
Anyway, poor Bobcat has done a hammy, so his replacement will be very interesting once again.
I hate talking about list changes regarding guys still busting there gut for us and I apologise in advance if I propose delisting your favourites…
Predicted end of 2017 List Changes
Delist
Morgan
Hocking
J. Merrett
Bird
Eades (rookie) technically already gone
Long (rookie)
Retire
Kelly
= 5 main list changes. 2 rookie changes
Finishing 8th means draft picks
11, 29, 47, 65, 83
Who Stays (Questionable)
Howlett (depth) - potential to delist and re-rookie
Brown (depth)
McKernan (Rookie)
Zaharakis won’t be let go through Free Agency. Essendon would not accept pick 30 as compensation for a goal kicking mid in his 20’s.
Stanton, Goddard and Watson to stay on.
Trade / Free Agency possibilities
Myers (unlikely)
Brown (unlikely)
Trade Targets by position and priority
1- Midfielder
In order of preference
Ollie Wines (good value / quality ratio)
Josh Kelly (absolute gun, expensive)
Dylan Shiel (absolute gun, will be expensive, a bit short)
Fyfe (will be overly expensive)
Jacob Hopper (very short, strong ball winner but not the big body we are looking for in a perfect world)
Will Setterfield (Tall GWS mid who will be starved of opportunity, Essendon already laid groundwork)
Matthew Kennedy (high GWS draft pick who is a competitive midfielder with the ability to play forward)
Dustin Martin (too expensive and overhyped, personal issues)
Matt Crouch (steady inside mid without being a world beater)
Sebastian Ross (same as above)
Jack Billings (outside player, Essendon Fan, talented, but not a need)
Rockliff (quality player with character question marks, injury history and age against him)
Mathieson (young bull with questionable disposal, cheap to acquire)
2- Ruck
In order of preference
Mark Blicavs (athletic ruck / midfielder)
Todd Goldstein (north needing to rebuild - big investment for an older player)
Majak Daw (developing player who can play as an athletic ruck)
Mason Cox (developing player who can play fwd as well)
Zac Smith (strong tap ruck men with injury history - very similar to Leuenberger)
Billy Longer (very little exposed form)
3- Key Forward
Josh Schache (developing fwd - large cost)
Jack Darling (plays tall, could come at a good price)
Sam Reid (injury prone, tall athletic, lead up forward)
There are very little tall fwd options that are get table or are of interest.
If I was going to go hard at the trade table and happy to spend coin I would target GWS mids and try and double up.
So… I would trade:
Essendon receive
GWS 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks for 2017 (effectively downgraded picks)
Josh Kelly & one of Will Setterfield / Jacob Hopper / Matthew Kennedy
GWS receive
Essendon 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks for 2017 (2nd - 4th rnds effectively upgraded)
Essendon 1st rnd pick 2018
Mitch Brown as depth key back (an area of weakness for GWS) or Michael Hartley. If Michael Hartley is thrown in then we need to get one of Will Setterfield or Jacob Hopper in the deal (not Kennedy) and / or a more favourable swap of draft picks.
So Kelly is an all class midfield and Setterfield would become the big bodied mid we are looking for.
Future midfield would be super talented and consist of:
- Heppell
- Merrett
- Parish
- McGrath
- Setterfield
- Kelly
If we could get this by letting go of draft picks and Hartley we would play Hooker back and go for Premierships now. Then back this midfield to win games with Daniher, Francis, a mediocre ruck, midsize Fwds Begley, Langford, Laverde and small fast fwd line.
Future Best 22 - 2019 and beyond (no trades or draft picks)
Gleeson. Hartley. Hurley.
McKenna. Ambrose. McGrath.
Followers
Bellchambers. Parish. Merrett.
Colyer. Heppell. McDonald-Tipungwuti.
Laverde. Daniher. Langford.
Francis. Hooker. Fantasia.
Interchange- Begley. Ridley. Mutch. Green.
Elite Talent / Potential Top 50 players in the AFL
Merrett - already there
Parish - I think will inevitably hit this level but I would like him to tidy up his kicking
Heppell - already there
McGrath - will be elite. No question. Contested beast, elite pace, elite decision maker, game breaker.
Francis - could be elite, could be useless. So much unknown with what he could deliver. Needs to become a fwd if we want him to be an elite player. Could he be a more consistent Stringer style of player… Or a bigger more versatile Darling… Or a bigger Gunston… Or a crappy 3rd tall defender like McPhee.
Daniher - is getting close. Come 2018 I think he will reach this top 50.
Fantasia - he is ■■■■■■ close.
High Talent / Potential Top 100 players in the AFL
Laverde - a long way from this but has great leading / marking ability and a lot of power.
Langford - a long way from this but his size, movement, hands and kicking could make him an extremely good inside midfielder who can go forward and be very dangerous.
Hooker
McDonald-Tipungwuti - with ball in hand he is immense. Could develop Rioli style impact but without being able to mark above his head.
Hurley
Ambrose - I think is almost our number 1 key position defender. Will be by 2018.
I expect Hooker and Hurley to be strong performers that will decline in output by 2019 onward.
3 Likes
Liking the traction gained on the Setterfield move in a couple years to Essendon. Obviously we don’t want to go full FARK Carlton mode by acquiring 20 gws players but maybe target a couple. GWS, and GC to an extent, are a goldmine to poach young talent. They have an abundance of reserve players who were top 15 draft picks in their respective years. They cannot retain all that talent unless the tam takes ridiculous paycuts. I am aware we got Edwards and Ayelett for peanuts but I don’t recall them being high draft picks for GWS.
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How is Shiel short at 182 while Hopper is very short at 186? I realise that’s a weird nitpick for such a long post, but here we are.
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A mate of mine is mates with a player agent and my mate said that his mate said that Dodoro has been in Fyfe’s ear for at least 18months.
I’d expect that is true of every club. But my mate was lid off about it. Personally I put it down to too many beers talking.
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I thought Jobe got 2 yrs?
Blitz is going early on the crazy trade scenarios this year
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Yep, I already consider him a Bomber.
Will be quite surprised if he isn’t running around in the red and black in 2019.
I’d absolutely do a Hawthorn and sell the farm to have Setterfield and Brodie come home for 2019. That pretty much sorts our midfield out for 5+ years.
I’d think Fletch Junior is being given consideration when list planning as well.
Thought this height was mid 170’s. Clearly I’m wrong. Doesn’t seem to play that tall…
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You’ll be waiting a while, I’m afraid.
Or it has at least been made a little harder to move him.
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Curse you Red Baron.
As much as that might not be great for EFC, I’m still glad that has happened.
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Great for the club,
If you’re against seeing teams fold, I guess you’d see it as a good thing.
Bold and impressive (in getting it done!) move by Brisbane.
When does Fanta contract end, thought he talked about going back to SA
Just re-signed for two more years. 
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more teams need to fold. GC being one of them. Bad news for all.
Disagree. The extra teams brought in more TV money and if the game is to survive we have to expand north. Stick by the teams now in the Comp.
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18 teams is unsustainable.
Any actual evidence of that? Or just a belief? Because TV was certainly willing to pay a load for an extra game a week.
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Theres 6 teams a season that are unwatchable.
talent is too diluted. should’ve folded some in debt melbourne clubs and create new teams in these markets.
I’m not saying qld and nsw don’t need ot be developed. I’m saying theres too many ■■■■ teams in the afl.
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