Not controversial at all. Perfectly valid. Rozee/Hately/duursma etc could give us another 10 year midfield impact.
But we still lost to the good teams?
Caught up with a couple of my siblings for a semi-regular brunch this morning in Moonee Ponds.
One of them is heavily involved with Aberfeldie in the EDFL - squeezed our brunch in between being at Windy Hill for the day (Abers U19 were a mile up in their GF and the seniors take on Keilor at 2 pm; will be Courtney Johns last game).
Here is what he has heard/been told directly:
- Joe Daniher was ready to come back and play the round after we played Hawthorn. With the loss to the Hawks, the club told him it’s very unlikely we’ll play finals so just get yourself ready for a big pre-season. This info came direct from a Daniher family member to my sibling.
- According to one of the long-term EFC supporting families: Gaff will be in Essendon colours next year. My sibling didn’t hear anything from anyone else so couldn’t corroborate.
- Don’t expect to see Nick Hind in our VFL team next year: has three AFL clubs chasing him. Don’t know if we are one of them.
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Without looking, west coast, Geelong, gws, port where there abouts as where Norf.
What’s your argument.
For me, the attraction of trading out the top 10 pick for an established elite player is that we wouldn’t have to wait 2-4 years for a Rozee or Hately to develop in which time some of our current elite players will have tapered off in performance; bringing in a Shiel, a Gaff or a Wingard instantly improves our team and put us into genuine top 4 contention.
However, if taking a top 10 draft pick, in a bumper year, is your fall back position, you can’t really lose either way.
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Don’t mind us taking the cautious approach with JD. Sensible by the club
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Geez I ■■■■■■ hope so
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Good luck to the lad. Deserves his chance
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I think my realistic dream would be Gaff and next year’s first for Setterfield.
Keep this year’s pick.
Very happy if we get Coniglio, Shiel or Wingard, but Gaff’s ball use and Setterfield’s upside potential would be great.
How good is it being a potential destination though.
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Yep. Realistically, next year is still development - with Parish, Langford and a fitter Stringer playing more extraction minutes in the midfield - wouldn’t trade a pick 8 or 9 just yet to try cover a deficiency that might look so bad next year. See which of Conig, Setterfield, Parker is still available next year when the price might not be as high as they enter free agency.
Of course. And that position makes sense too.
It all comes down to cost/benefit. Gaff as a FA offers clearly the best bang-for-your-buck.
I don’t view Shiel as a game changing player. He’d be an incremental improvement, another cog in the emerging Zerrett/Smith/Langford/Parish/Hep rotation. Which is certainly worth having. But I won’t be spewing if we miss him.
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Can’t believe people are already jumping off Shiel. The guy is a massive talent who had a quiet game last night.
He is the man for us
He will improve us in the midfield big time
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I largely agree with your post though I think Shiel hasnt shown to be a better performer to Heppel.
Shiel is the kind of player that will get you to the finals.
He is not the kind of player you could rely on to deliver a big September.
If we got Shiel (and I want him, but not for too much) I will laugh at the inevitable blitz meltdown at his poor defensive efforts, 2 way running and defensive actions. Watch it happen…
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I’m saying we still weren’t top 4 quality, I reckon we’re a mediocre team that got on a good run but still not good enough to compete with the best.
Still a good sized gap between us and Richmond, Collingwood did us over and so did Hawthorn. West Coast was a good win but they were missing their twin towers up forward and Geelong are about as mentally shabby as anyone whe nthey’re off, North/Port didn’t make finals and were middle of the road like us.
I’m not saying we can’t make the jump up next year I’m just saying the second half of the year didn’t prove anything we didn’t already know, that we can beat anyone on our day but still can’t do it consistently.
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When do we switch to manic depressive side of our character and start stressing that we will lose 2 key players to rival clubs due to that prick connors?
With the midfield we have now we are barely a top 8 side. We need quality reinforcements.
Shiel is a quality player and our midfield needs quality players
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I’m a huge fan of Shiel, reckon he provides that consistency of effort that we really need and would help reduce the down games this club has regulary. His inside work and contested possession work would put him as our best inside player, that alone makes him utterly invaluable. Not to mention the support players like Heppell and Zerrett would get from it, he’d be invaluable not just as a player but as the roll on effect for the rest of the team. Words can’t describe how much I want him.
He doesn’t get as much outside ball as other elite mids can and do granted, hence he doesn’t regulary get 30 possession games or didn’t have as many this year, but fck we’re pulling at straws if we don’t want a elite inside player because he can’t get as much outside ball. He’s a gun who I’m sure as half an eye elsewhere.
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100% agree and have shared this with my mates all year. Hence why we need more talent. Any of Gaff, Shiel, Setterfield etc must make us better. However marginal Shiel’s addition to the team is, his addition by extension will make i us a better side. It’s time to break the shackles with the likes of Myers, and Colyer. Imagine Shiel comes in for Myers, Gaff comes in for Colyer. Now that my friends is something worth trading for. I’ll leave it to the better judges whether it’s this years pick or next years, but for those in the know that believe Gaff and Shiel are attainable then bring on 2019.
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I think you’ll be disappointed. He provides lots of effort to win the ball and defend inside a box. Once the ball is out he is a liability.
well said
Would those who doubt Shiel rather have him or Myers in the side?
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All he needs to bring is his inside ability, that is what we lack the most. Once we get it on the outside we have quality to use the ball.
The obvious adjunct to this argument isn’t who, but rather what would you give?
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