Nah, take Zerret out of the midfield and we would not have even made the 8
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Would it be worth our while to look at a Clay Smith type? Hunts the pill and player, laid something like 36 tackles in 2016 finals
Letâs avoid guys with more than two knee recos
Yeah.
We need more bang average players who canât kick and arenât very fast.
No thanks.
Oâbrien as in nick? as in nob? as in moose? captain of our vfl team? whos got 5 tackles in his last 5 vfl games?
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To be fair, we do have a fair few slow blokes who are retiring or will be delisted this year. Thereâs room for a few more!
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Ok i will play
Assuming no saga
Hirdy still coach
Probably win a final in 2013 or 2014
List
B: Baguley Hooker Carlisle
Hb: Hibberd Hurley Gleeson
C: Goddard Cripps Zaharakis
Hf: Fantasia McGovern Stewart
F: Tippa Daniher Gresham
R: Ryder Heppell Watson
int: Zerrett Weller McKenna, Begley
Emg Bonner, Hocking McKernan
Still would have got Begley and fantasia due to inside info - no McGrath, Parish or Francis, langford or laverde or 1 in place of Weller
2013 Pick 11 - Patrick Cripps, fantasia, Zerrett
Pick 31 Possibly some spud
Still trade Crameri to dogs cause of cash
2014 lets say we won a final and finish 6th.
So picks 12+30
12 Weller
30 Mitch McGovern dodo loves talls
2015 say finish 4th
So pick 17 & 36
17 Jade gresham
36 Riley Bonner
Rookie Tippa
2016
Say we finish second
So picks 20 + 40
Ridley +Begley
Is that a premiership side???maybe
cripps would make a helluva difference.
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It would be so so so much easier if we just played this farkin gamed on paper.
I agree.
Then maybe our players wouldnât slip over so much.
But we would probably still lose Cale out injured for the finals due to a paper cut.
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Weâd take a blotter to a Swans game.
(and maybeâŚa matchâŚ)
Essendon Bombers to launch âaggressiveâ assault on trade and free agency, says CEO Xavier Campbell
Anthony Colangelo
Essendon are planning to launch their biggest assault on the trade and free agency period in recent memory as Bombers CEO Xavier Campbell declared the club must find ways to âraise the barâ in 2018.
Speaking after the Bombers 65-point loss to Sydney in Saturdayâs elimination final, Campbell told Fairfax Media that Essendon was in the best position they had been in a long time to improve their list via an âaggressiveâ trade and free agency strategy.
âWe have predominantly been a draft and develop team, with the odd exception of getting Brendon Goddard as a free agent,â Campbell said.
"We now have a greater flexibility with the way we have been able to manage our salary cap so that we can be a little more aggressive at the trade and free agency table.
"The process will be led by player availability, but it is something [list manager] Adrian Dodoro and [GM of football] Rob Kerr will drive.
âThere will be a lot of discussions happening, because we want to improve our list.â
Fairfax Media understands that Essendon are one of a few clubs who are keen on luring Western Bulldogs forward Jake Stringer away from the Whitten Oval.
Stringer, 23, has been linked with a move away from the Western Bulldogs after struggling for form and consistency in 2017.
Campbell would not comment on particular players, but said any talent the club targeted âhad to align with our list strategyâ.
"We made finals which is a really significant achievement based on where we came from, but for 2018 the bar lifts again. We have to find improvement for next year.
âWe certainly want to find ways to enhance our list and we will be really aggressive in doing that.â
The Bombers havenât landed a âbig fishâ style trade or free agent - save for Brendon Goddard in 2013 - in many years.
Aside from youthful draftees, the club have recently brought in seasoned players (Paul Chapman, James Kelly, Adam Cooney), or those less heralded such as Matthew Leuenberger.
The Bombers CEO said he sensed there would be a âmore activeâ trade and free agency period across the AFL this year, and âfeels more than ever that players who want to move clubs can create opportunities to do soâ.
Essendon began the elimination final against Sydney in a positive fashion but were obliterated in the second quarter, scoring only two goals as Sydney racked up 10.
The Bombersâ CEO conceded his side âdidnât play their bestâ but was full of praise for the Swans, a team he said Essendon could learn from.
âThey are an exceptional football side and one of the competitionâs benchmarks,â Campbell said. âOne of the things we have to take from the loss is the learning about what it takes to be a really great and consistent football team and Sydney have been that for a very long time.â
Meanwhile Essendon remain confident of winning an AFLW licence when the expansion clubs will be announced in Grand Final week.
The Bombers presented their bid to AFL executives in late July, and Campbell encouraged âthe commission and the AFL executive to be bold in their ambition for the AFLWâ.
âWe feel like we have put forward a really compelling bid and application,â he said. "We have tried to create points of difference that leverage the key assets we have through our Next Generation Academy, and also in the north west region of Melbourne.
"Thatâs a really fast growing space and we feel like we can tap into that to leverage talent from the area as well as a significant link with our remote indigenous communities which we have had for many years. That link is really important to the fabric of the club.
âWhat we can bring - above and beyond having a really big supporter base who have clearly stated they want an AFLW team sooner rather than later - is an outstanding outcome for the AFLW competition.â
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âbiggest assault on the trade and free agency period in recent memoryâ and âwe can be a little more aggressive at the trade and free agency tableâ.
Which is it - biggest assault or a little more aggressive?
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After those words we had better get someone.
The key question is how good is their memory.
Sadly, itâs both: if we were even a smidgeon more aggressive it would be our biggest assault in years.
But will X have to send out a twitter apologising for tacit criticism of our trading?
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I was thinking the same thing, âlittle bit aggressiveâ doesnât fill me with confidence.
It makes me think weâre a great chance at picking up a few delisted free agents.
Hopefully not from Clubs with a losing culture!
Jonathan Simpkin & Sam Grimley?
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Yes, the were superstars wernât they.
X never said âour biggest assaultâ that was from the author of the article. But either way, we must go out there and make a real go of getting some talent into the club. Iâd be disappointed if we didnât trade out first pick this year to get something done, Iâd also be happy if we looked at trading our future picks too. There is that flexibility now. So long as we identify correctly what we need and the players who will address those needsâŚ
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