Surely with our surplus of medium/tall defenders we could get something done. We can’t keep all of Ridley, Franga, Hartley, Ambrose, Brown, Hurley, Gleeson and Hooker. But is there anyone actually available?
Ridley and Gleeson are shorter than Goddard.
Ambrose, Hartley and Brown are limited and some will be cut this year.
Why can’t the backline be
Saad hooker Gleeson
Ridley Hurley McKenna
Francis to rotate off the bench.
I reckon that’s a very strong back 6.
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If hurley was better one on one then maybe. Can we afford to play 3 intercept players?
You probably forgot Zerk.
Realistically though, who in that group has trade currency? Hurley… who else?
I reckon one of Brown and Hartley, possibly both, will be delisted.
From this point forward, i’d want Hurley to go back to a more defensive role and let Ridley be the 3rd tall. So Hooker, Hurley and Ridley as the starting 3 “talls”.
Ambrose depth
Zerk and Francis developing and putting pressure on in the long run to become best 22.
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Hooker and Hurley have such long contracts, on good money I think, that THEY OWN ESSENDON.
We won’t be able to move these guys. I think they will be happy to play out as one club players, even if there is no premiership in their time.
And we might not want to trade them now, but if we’re floating the idea now, I reckon fans could genuinely want it, when we’re having this conversation in say late 2020.
That’s the way the game is headed. You want intercept players that can kick in the backline. Really all 6 should be like this.
you still need to be able to win one on ones
Win it with an intercept?
It’s a goodbye thing that the guys I mentioned do both.
Rance is an intercept player that doesn’t loose one on ones. It’s not either or.
It’s a fallacy Hurley can’t win one on ones.
His role has been to play loosely for us majority of year and get over to help on the main kpd. Also because we keep turning the ball over and he generally part of attacking plays can get exposed the other way.
But only need to look at what occurred in JLT2… Ambrose was getting pantsed by Hawkins.
Hurley switched to him and because he so good at reading the play/and ball in air was able to beat Hawkins continually.
Cannot believe how many have jumped off him
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It’s a bit of both.
He is playing looser, but I think a bit of that has been necessity. That final against Sydney was damn ugly for Hurley.
A 200cm fwd/ruck is not the right match up for Hurls. And to be fair that game was ugly for everyone, swans were just getting unpressured footy into our back line time and time again.
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I reckon, just from observation, Marty is at least 190.
The thing I read said Marty 191 and Goddard 193.
He can play 3rd tall but equally he is the same height as the big mids
Ah ok, thought you were going off Marty’s old height stat, which says high 180’s.
Goddard 193? Hmmm.
Yeah I’m not totally convinced they are accurate.
They won’t be worth anything in 2020. Hooker might not be worth anything at the end of this year. He’ll turn 30 during the trade period.
You can’t be serious!
Brian Lake says hi.
Hooker was utterly dominant on the weekend and if he carried that form again throughout most of year he’d just about make AA again.
We are trying to win it during the Hooker/Hurley years. Not ship them off just because Zerk/Francis/Fletch Jnr will be ready in 5yrs
It’s our 2nd tier talls that will get traded first. Hartley, Ambrose, Brown etc… for pick upgrade or other teams 2nd tier/missing out on opportunity mids or other area needs
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im trying to work out where “midfield trade targets” went all we got too many talls? huh?
fwiw I think we should play mid kids on the list now and hit the draft hard this year.
the only mid I would thus look at is a top up free agent for a couple of years if our cap allows. eg Sloane.
Sorry, I should have been clearer. I don’t want to trade them, I was just discussing their worth.
I agree we should be looking at trading one of those other guys if we can get some sort of pick upgrade or swap for a fringe mid.