Midfield Woes: Instant fix

When’s fogdog bringing out his ‘don’t make plans for 2018’ thread?! I want to hear that we’re a big chance of luring a young inside mid gun. Wines, Setterfield, etc.

4 Likes

We are taking a lot more risks, and taking the game on a hell of a lot more. More risk means more
Turnovers. I’d rather see this then the stale footy we used to see. The more this team plays together the less it will happen. Only experience in playing together in game situations can teach this.

Once each player learns how and where each other run there will be less handballs to players under pressure. That’s just one example.

2 Likes

We have 2 very important games coming up. It will be very interesting to see how the game plan holds up against two sides currently sitting around us on the ladder.

1 Like
The concerning trends among Essendon’s top on-ballers — and how mosquito fleet can fix them

Ben Water-worth
May 8, 2017 11:43pm
BEN WATERWORTH@bjwaterworth
Source: FOX SPORTS

THEY’RE the big names that should be inspiring their Essendon teammates to perform at their best.

Instead, several of the Bombers’ best on-ballers are well down on their usual high standards.

They’re in desperate need of rescuing — and the club’s exciting brigade of small forwards loom as the perfection solution, following its loss to Fremantle at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.

According to Champion Data, Essendon has had the worst-performed midfield group in the competition so far this season.

Purely in the midfield zone — that is, between the two 50m arcs — the Bombers are ranked 18th for contested possessions (-13.7), 18th for clearances (-6.6) and 17th for inside 50s (-11.9).

And those poor team numbers and rankings are reflected in the outputs of the club’s best on-ballers.

No Bomber midfielder this season is rated ‘elite’. Veteran Brendon Goddard is the highest-ranked player at ‘above average’, thanks to his ability to work to take marks and good balance between inside and outside ball.

But the Bombers’ six next best midfielders all sit between ‘poor’ and ‘average’.

— Average: Zach Merrett and Dyson Heppell

— Below Average: Jobe Watson and Travis Colyer

— Poor: David Zaharakis and Darcy Parish.

Merrett, who has been dubbed a Brownlow Medal chance, is perhaps the biggest surprise of that group, as his ability to win the ball in first-class. But the 21-year-old’s ranking drops as he’s predominantly an outside player, with a contested possession rate of just 29.5 per cent (poor) and an average contested possession count of 9.3 (below average).

While acknowledging the recent tight schedule for the Bombers, Fox Footy analyst David King said the Bombers’ midfielder haven’t had the legs to run out games in recent weeks.

“That’s the biggest problem for them at the moment. They’re just stopping, there is no doubt about that,” King told On The Couch.

The dual premiership Kangaroo then questioned Essendon coach John Worsfold’s decision to play the same players around the stoppages.

Essendon skipper Dyson Heppell is carrying a big burden.

King said he’d love to see some of the Bombers’ mosquito fleet, such as Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Orazio Fantasia, spend more time at centre bounces and stoppages to ease the burden.

“I just wonder what’s happening to the rotation in there,” King said.

“Are they using (McDonald-Tipungwuti) enough, are they giving him a run through there? Fantasia was an elite junior as a midfielder, are they giving him enough exposure? (Kyle) Langford’s numbers have really dropped away — 42 per cent midfield last year, 17 per cent this year.

“I just wonder if there’s an opportunity for those quicker guys that can maybe run the game out — and if they can’t carry the bulk of the load, at least a small percentage to give those tiring players legs a bit of a rest, because Heppell looks like he’s going up and down on the spot at times throughout the last three to four weeks.”

“What about a look at (Andrew) McGrath? Get him from the half-back line, get him in there and give him a look. He hasn’t been in for a centre bounce yet. I’d just love to see what he could do.

“They’re not thinking about winning flags this year, I don’t think. Why not get some exposure?”

Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy agreed: “They’ve got to get some more depth and they’ve got to get some more run. They did rest a number of players (against Fremantle), but they haven’t got enough rotations through there at the moment.”

2 Likes

It’s spot on. We’ve been killed in the middle all year

2 Likes

2 Likes

we haven’t got a midfielder so far this season,who is consistently getting over 30 possessions, opposition are only tagging Merrett . they know that Jobe Watson Dyson Heppell David Zacharias are not damaging enough, it doesn’t matter now the season is over, it’s just a matter of where will we finish, last or second last and ,what player we will drafting

An inside mid with pace with our 1st pick.

The stats are enough, did we have to listen the David “I was actually not that good as a player” King give his crappy analysis as well? Actually Williams had a few things to say about King and Co.

Anyway, I think even without the stats we all pretty much know are midfield sucks, it isn’t rocket science.

It’s exactly why McGrath & McKenna need to be moved into the midfield ASAP.

1 Like

What is failing to be recognized in the article is the fact is we have been rotating the mosquito fleet through there.

Has worked in some cases. Other times not so. Perhaps as they have tired as not used to midfield minutes being asked of them.

What all other teams have is a strong core midfield with at least a few elite players, that is then being supported by role playing lesser lights who are all contributing. Our main midfielders are often only going at a level other teams lesser lights are. And we also don’t have dominant half back flankers which are crucial and press up the wings/overlap.

Even a team like Blues who have trash on their list have these 5 who are all playing starring roles:

*Murphy, Cripps, Gibbs - Simpson/Docherty

People can bleat and moan about sending Hooker back but all our problems are in midfield.

As we have seen when our midfield is on top/ at least breaking even and getting ball to our fwds we are very dangerous down there.

People can also bleat and moan about Worsfold not being up to it. He has the worst performed midfield group in the comp. Its the cattle.

And as such we are seeing too many opposition inside 50’s, and being scored against too easily.


Zaka and Parish are not actually capable outside mids it seems, last year they were the ones getting the ball out to others like Stokes & Cooney.

Colyer has never been known as a major ball winner, more an impact player getting small fwd like numbers. Stanton is a shadow of his former self.

Watson in particular and Heppell are not winning enough inside ball or able to spread enough from contest.

Zerrett can’t do it all. And gets sat on now, whereas last year Zaka was one getting tagged.

We have very little in reserve and that which we do playing well are more inside type mids again.

And when our team is fatigued the problems become worse. We look good when fresh and energized. Hard to be that way in slog of AFL season, especially off short breaks.

Tough times for the year ahead

6 Likes

Although I agree with a lot of what you are saying, I feel that this was by design and would have been planned at the start of the year and we are sticking to that path.

Woosha is testing the team to see who wants to be a part of it going forward and who he can turn to when the going gets tough.

We know that players like Merrett and Parish can play midfield and will get better as they become more experienced, what Woosha also knows now is when the heats on he cant rely on Stanton or Zaka to lift the team for him when its required!

At the end of the year when he sits down with players and discusses how they performed this year Woosha will be the one holding all the cards! Form is going to determine how they negotiate their contracts but more importantly what part they play in the team going forward.

I would be incredibly disappointed if next year we do the same thing as some of the previous coaches have done and play players that haven’t earned a spot. I get the feeling that Woosha is not as sentimental as others and I expect from round 1 next year we will see a far more settled lineup and one that is going to be building towards finals.

We have the talent on the list we just need to see out this transitional period.

1 Like

Spot on. We have near on the worst midfield in the game and I’ve said if before, we have zerrett and Goddard holding us up through there, Heppell is working into it. Beyond them three, the talent falls off the cliff, or some guys are just in not great form

1 Like

Who was the last big name mid-fielder Essendon lured from another club? Prismall from Geelong or Heffernan from Melbourne?

The pressure is on the recruiters to match these achievements for 2018.

Disclaimer: Goddard classified as not a true mid-fielder, but as a utility/halfback.

2 Likes

It’s funny, but I’m not sure the problem is as big as we think it is.

For whatever reason the players are being given roles that are often more about teaching them to improve their game then it is about getting the best performance in any particular game.

I feel as if Zerrett for example could easily improve his contested to uncontested ratio, but it isn’t his role.

I reckon Parish is an exceptional inside mid talent, but is an average outside mid talent.

Watson and Heppell are doing ok in there, but are dead by the end of a game.

Myers is in the backline. Bird hasn’t been played at all.

It’s just a strange year so far. I find it difficult to really put my finger on why.

6 Likes

I honestly think too much is being left to too few in there in recent times. Higher rotation is the answer for this season IMO. I’d love to see Walla, Orazio, McGrath, Myers & even Bird given a go through there. It seems it’s left to Heppell, Jobe, Goddard, Parish a lot of the time. When Langford was struggling prior to being dropped, he was being used mainly as a hit up forward when IMO he showed great signs as a mid last season but struggled to see much time this year. I’d at least like to see higher rotations tried in the immediate future. It will no doubt help with the fatigue we seem to suffer late in the game & even late in quarters. The only reason I can see that the coaches may be reluctant to use the above through the middle would be that it weakens out potency & ability to lock the ball in our forward half but lets face it, that’s not happening much certainly late in matches anyway.

1 Like

Just FYI Speedy, … (if this wasn’t a spell check bork) the actual term is lesser “lights”.

1 Like

We had the worst midfield in the league last year. We added in Watson, Stanton, Heppell and Colyer, but the reality is that we’ve only got limited benefit so far from some of those, they’ve all been up and down (or just down), and their impact on the inside and disposal efficiency has varied widely. Howlett has played and been of limited value, Hocking and Myers have not been selected in the midfield.

Parish has probably been a little down on last year, and Zaha is down on his best from 2016 but up from his tagged worst. Bird hasn’t been played, and Langford is not in the side.

How do we improve it? Well firstly, longer term we did draft strongly for the midfield last year. So it may not be all doom and gloom, especially if our 2014 recruits (Langford/Laverde) can help out. Of course, draftees aren’t guaranteed to come on.

I posted elsewhere that I think Fantasia needs to spend more time there. Yes, I’m aware its robbing Peter to pay Paul, and I’m aware I’ve scoffed elsewhere moving Hooker back when he’s on target to be a 40 goal forward. However, if the forward line can’t get supply, they can’t kick goals. And Fantasia kicked goals when in the midfield last year. So hopefully the drop off isn’t terrible if he shifted.

McGrath into the midfield at some time, Myers in, and hopefully a youngster stepping up (Mutch, Langford) could all improve things. I would be tempted to try McKenna on the wing, except we also need to figure out what the hell we’re doing down back in a post Kelly/Bags world. Gleeson and Dea’s poor form there in 2016 has not helped planning. McGrath is almost certainly a long term midfielder, so is only a stop-gap down back.

If you really wanted an immediate burst? One of Myers/Bird into the middle, Zerrett more inside, Parish more inside, and push Fantasia onto the wing.

6 Likes

I’m not sure what we should be doing, it’s a real worry.

We have too many players that are one dimensional and a few players that are being played out of their skill set for learning (Parish, Hocking in the twos in the HBF). It’s created a real problem I’m not sure what we can do. Mutch and Clarke are becoming more important to our future by the week.

Watson will never be the same again. Stanton is as good as gone. Hocking can’t get a game, Bird too.

I’m getting to the stage were I think we need to bite the bullet and starting rebuilding the midfield for the future the rest of the year.

3 Likes

I’d say the balance of the team is wrong.

Kelly, Dea, Bags, Gleeson, McKenna and then add Myers into defence, that is 6 small to medium defenders. Do we really need that many of that player type in the team at once? Shouldn’t we reduce that so the true mids have more rotations and less loads?

Add to that, how often are our mids resting forward? All the talk preseason of jobe resting forward I’ve not seen it once.

I don’t think we’re playing enough true mids and we’re wearing down those we have.