Season 2018 - Essendon

It;s been reported here that he has, yes.

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I know it’s not particularly relevant looking forward along with the fact we have a dominant forward but the last 2 premiership winning teams didn’t have a traditional kpp forward.

Reiwaldt has form but didn’t play that way last year. Mobility is much more important in the modern game.

In saying that, our counter attacking, fast ball movement style may just suit one.

So in summary.

To get better we need to be better.

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I know how we all enjoy a laugh at CD’s expense …

Oh FFS!!! They should shut that mob down

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Musk must’ve used Champion Data to program SpaceX’s flight trajectory.

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Except they’re part owned by the Awful - money money money.

Gold Coast has better key forwards than us?

Oh FFS! Indeed

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All those players in the backline are excellent, but overall it needs one more strong, hard body. Baguley is strong for his size and Ambrose is a hard nut, but Hurley gets out-bodied; we need a Goddard-sized player there. In place of whom? Well, that’s a very difficult question.

We usually play a seven man backline. There’s your spot for a Goddard

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I’m generally a pessimistic prick but the more I look at the list the more I think we are near the the top of the league.
I’ve held off but this is the year I’m going to call it, Joey will be the best player in the comp by the end of the year and all across the list we are awesome.
If we get treated right by injuries this year I can’t see to many weaknesses.
Rock on 2018.

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Appalling. Our key forwards are better than North, Gold Coast, GWS and Geelong quite easily.

Should be a bannable offence to post CD stats from now on. Shambolic organisation.

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I am not worried about the backline, it is the midfield that is the unknown. If the midfield can apply more pressure and be accountable defensively the defence will be fine.

I think our backline did well for the most part in 2017, there were some exceptions but lets be clear in the modern game there is very little a defender can do when the opposition have time and space to deliver the ball inside 50.

Also we play attacking football when it does not come off the defence is exposed.

McGrath and Smith will improve this immensely

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They are just embarrassing themselves now. Most efficient forward line in the comp, 3rd highest scoring team in the comp and we barely rate a mention.

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Since when has Boak been a mid/forward?

Surely CD is taking the ■■■■ now.

My biggest problem with those rankings is there’s no explanation of what they’re intending to rank (ignoring whether or not this has that whole “last 40 AFL rounds” thing which bones our suspended players). Is it best 22? First depth? All depth? Do they use champs and TAC Cup ratings for draftees? Do they account for the difference between VFL and NEAFL quality when comparing depth players? If a team has two star tall forward starters but zero back-ups is that ranked higher or lower than 5 decent key forwards and no stars? Does a ruckman’s ability to kick goals count towards key forward ranking? Are ruck/forwards forwards or rucks? What’s the distinction between a key forward and a general forward? Or a general forward and a mid forward? Is ranking normalised against the number of opportunities the forward line had to actually score? Are the periods a swing man spends in the back line counted against his ranking as a forward?

The biggest problem CD have to my mind is that they’re obsessively secretive about how they generate their stats so it’s impossible to have a reasoned discussion about the things they say, and impossible for them to justify apparently anomalous results beyond “trust us, we’re the best at stats”.

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If its last 40 rounds and includes our 2016 year, then no wonder we’re not ranked high! You’re averaging over a great and a terrible year.

Obviously CD rig the stats so that the recognised “best players” rate the highest. Thats their sanity check.
It is probably the reason why some of the rankings seem insane.

And a kpp attack may be more effective is everyone else is following the leader in playing an intense tackling small forward style (the Wests/Tigers method).