Hi all, just returned home from my first ever Essendon training session. I will try to give some insights, keeping in mind that I really have nothing to compare what I saw today to.
Before I give my thoughts on a few players I will say that overall I thought it was a good session. The intensity certainly wasn’t at the level of an AFL match but I wouldn’t expect it to be. I thought we set up well defensively and the coaches were vocal with instructions about being in the right spot. Every time someone broke up a piece of play there was a loud cheer from their teammates. It’s clearly an area we have been focusing on.
Our ball movement was generally good and it was nice to see us lower our eyes and hit up a leading player on quite a few occasions. With no Wright out there they were definitely forced to be more selective with forward entries. There were still a fair share of rushed kicks to an outnumbered contest but it wasn’t too bad.
Players that stood out to me:
Durham - wow. I had heard that he was playing more on ball but he surprised me today. He has always had an outstanding attack on the footy but he now has the body to do some serious damage. I wasn’t expecting him to be so clean below his knees and excellent with his hands as I had thought of those as weaknesses for him in the past. His spread from stoppages and ability to link up was also eye catching. The only other player on our list who brings his energy to the contest is Draper but Durham is much more clean and coordinated. I’m very excited for what 2024 has in store for him after today.
Setterfield - very impressive today. Brings something different to our midfield, great defensively with so many one percenters. Can also take a mark around the ground which is a nice.
Perkins - those wanting him to be a permanent forward will be disappointed. Expect him to get his fair share of CBAs this year. He looks much more comfortable and natural playing as a midfielder compared to last year. His use going inside F50 is also great and particularly important for us with Martin moving to half back. I thought he had a good session today.
Caldwell - you have to pay attention to see the work he does but his inside work is super valuable. Really good in and under player. Also kicked a goal.
Tsatas - played a fair bit of wing and was pretty good. It’s not his natural position but he definitely knows how to link up and find the footy and is super dynamic. With regards to his kicking, anything 20-30m was ok, those short kicks seem flatter and more reliable compared to last year where he used to loop them up a lot. The issue is 40m+ where he seems to lose all control. I only recall one really bad shank when he was sprinting inside 50 to have a shot and it went OOTF. He’s borderline best 22 for mine.
Martin - less prolific compared to whats been described in previous sessions but when he did have the ball he looks very dangerous. I’m a fan of the new role and think he’s gonna set up a lot of play for us this year. We need to get the ball into his hands as much as possible.
Cox - I was impressed with his session. Good intensity and looked very assured when the ball came his way. Played a mixture of intercepting/rebounding half back and wing. At one point he got forward and kicked a nice goal. Not sure if he’ll play round 1 but I was happy with what I saw today.
Reid - don’t think he participated in match sim which disappointed me as he was probably in the top 3 players I was most excited to see. I don’t think there’s any injury concern, just managing loads and in the drills beforehand he showed some breathtaking skills for a man his size.
Ridley - played probably the first half of the sim and looked his usual self.
Langford - looks like he’ll pick up where he left off last year
Gresham - the new recruit that stood out to me the most today. It’s a real talent to be playing high half forward role and be as involved as he is. Super hard to tackle and always finds a way to get a handball out. Will rotate on ball at times as well.
Menzie - Wasn’t bad but I would like to see a bit more from him. He’s physical and applies good pressure but think he needs to find another level
Goldstein - actually Goldy might have been the new recruit that stood out to me most. I don’t care that he’s 35 he’s pretty clearly our number 1 ruck at the moment
Draper - great to see him back out there. Had a few moments where he exploded into space and looked super exciting.
Jones - took a few nice marks but was overall just not productive enough. With no Wright, Caddy or Stringer out there he should have done more. Would be playing Draper as second ruck/KPF over him come round 1 if fit.
I’m very curious who ends up playing the wing roles this year with Martin and Durham clearly being earmarked for other roles. Duursma certainly has one at this point, his defensive running is outstanding.
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