Mercuri Misiti etc

[Blummers32]

@eckorock

@Blummers32

For memory, our CBAs were…

Misiti and JJ were our mids. JJ more inside mid, Misiti was more outside mid.
Heffernan was used as the run-with tagger.
Hird split his time between midfield and forward as needed.
Blumfield and Caracalla were forwards with the odd run through the wing and midfield.
Rama took one wing and Long took the other wing.

Solomon was a back man. Never played through the middle.
Mercuri was a half forward flanker with the odd run through the middle.

What made our transition from the backline to the forward line was the ability of Barnes to not get caught up in the pack and be able to leak out to the wing where there was space.

So Mark Johnson was strictly speaking a small defender not a mid?
Like Andy McGrath role?

Yep.
Mark Johnson and Damien Hardwick took the two opposition small forwards.
Solly took a medium sized forward. At times Barnard took this spot (although after the 2000 GF, he was more of a forward).
Wallis took one of the tall forwards.
Fletch and Wellman would decide who’d take the other and who would help rebound from our backline.

Our midfield seemed dominant, but it did get beaten in centre bounce clearances a fair bit for memory. And we were fine with that because we knew we’d win a majority of the 50/50s when it came in and be able to hurt them on the rebound with Barnes leaking out to the wing and punishing the opposition ruckman.

Solly didn’t play midfield until he came back from his knee injury (for memory).
Mark Johnson played midfield in Sheedy’s last year.
Both were more as negating midfielders though as neither to kick well enough to be a midfielder.

You have to remember, the game was very different back then. No forward press, no flooding into the backline, no ‘all players within 70m of the footy’, no rotating midfielders and no rotating of bench players. It was a game where everything was about creating space for a forward to lead into. Now it’s more about getting the ball into your forward line and giving your small forwards the opportunity to put pressure on the opposition and snag goals that way. Obviously, if you have a leading forward with space, you honour it, but the midfielder doesn’t have the time and space to deliver the kick like they did back then and defensive structures mean there the space there once was to lead in to.

[Jetster]

Can someone post a clip of smokin Joe’s goal to seal 2001 prelim against dorks, I’m not techy enough to know how.

[jonovdp]

The balance between the players who were tough, and players who were skilful was what made this team stand out.

That was often the key ingredient of every Essendon premiership in my time. Ie. The Sheedy era

[tinhillterror]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but good old Number 10 Darren Bewick was the icing on top. Could link up through the midfield, take a shot from 50m on the run, or play deep forward.

[Quark]

2001 Prelim Smokin Joe Misiti crucial goal from 50m

Great call from Bruce too.

[wimmera1]

While wiki says Bewick retired after 2000, my foggy memory recalls him saying he would have played on at base salary if given the option.

Which may have been rose-coloured and retrospective thinking from him, but would have seemed…a pretty good idea…

[Finding_Nino]

And we get dibs on his kid imagine if he’s just a good or better then the old man oh my

[James98]

Watch them change the rules and him ending up at Sydney

[tinhillterror]

@Finding_Nino

And we get dibs on his kid imagine if he just a good or better then the old man oh my

Legit, does he have a decent kid coming through?

(I’m the least interested in footy I’ve ever been, but ■■■■ like this can make it worthwhile)

[Finding_Nino]

From all reports yeah potential future number 1 pick

Tweet last year from Ed

[Finding_Nino]

If that happens we march to AFL house and protest haha

[jonovdp]

Sheedy’s mantra was that if your gonna be a fringe player in his team, you better be tough.

[theDJR]

@James98

Watch them change the rules and him ending up at Tassie

Fixed. You better hope that the upcoming Tassie government refuse to build the new stadium, thus allowing the AFL to back out.

[theDJR]

@Finding_Nino

From all reports yeah potential future number 1 pick

Tweet last year from Ed

Context: he’s not a forward.

[Crazy_Bomber]

@Jetster

Can someone post a clip of smokin Joe’s goal to seal 2001 prelim against dorks, I’m not techy enough to know how.

Wasn’t the sealer, this was the sealer a few mins later.

Barnard goal sinks Hawthorn 2001 Prelim Essendon

[somo84]

He won the league bnf. And the goal kicking.

…from 8 games?

[Jetster]

Thanks, I was sitting in the top deck right behind it, was an elderly hawk supporter next to me, one of the nicest blokes I ever met and wished us luck in the granny.

[Jetster]

Oh I genuinely don’t remember the barny goal, honestly thought Joe’s was the last for the game. I need to visit the know your getting old thread.

[stander2]

@tinhillterror

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but good old Number 10 Darren Bewick was the icing on top.

Always played better in Number 8

[eckorock]

@jonovdp

@eckorock

nuggety types of Mercuri

Maybe it’s my faulty memory, but I remember Mercuri being muscly and short (aka nuggety).

Because I think players of that era were generally shorter and had more muscle, as strength was more relevant then, whereas now it’s more about running endurance.

Same with Premier League now eg Phil Foden or Mo Salah look super thin, nothing like players from back then 99-2000 like Giggs , Scholes, Robbie Fowler etc

The 2000s AFL players seemed like WWE size compared to today. (In my memory at least)