Interesting no Taha in the squad. Injured? Cut?
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Yeah there is something that definitely not right as far culture aspect and keeping the group together. Not sure what has been cause
I know someone had posted there was a heap of disgruntled players, now gone
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Is the team stronger overall this year? Clearly given the Clubs shorter injury list it will be, more based on changes to non AFL players?
Is that kind of turnover normal for a vfl club?
Its basically a new squad. WTF
yep losing Fitzgerald and Conforti hurts because they have been here a few years, been able to watch them improve into better VFL level players plus the captain who was massimo’s mate and thought he would be out the door too.
I rate getting O’Neill and Hately, but would have been nice to Keep at least one of fitzgerald/conforti/Cootee.
2023 R.A. Freeman Medal top 10
- Patrick Voss – 157 votes
- Rhett Montgomerie – 150 votes
- Billy Cootee – 139 votes
- Nick Bryan – 123 votes
- Joel Fitzgerald – 122 votes
- Alastair Lord – 121 votes
- Tom Phillips – 119 votes
- Lewis Hayes – 115 votes
- Kaine Baldwin – 110 votes
- Tex Wanganeen – 106 votes
Essendon 2023 VFL award winners
R.A. Freeman Medal – Patrick Voss
Runner-up best & fairest – Rhett Montgomerie
Third place best & fairest – Billy Cootee
Jack Feian Best Clubman Award – Billy Cootee
Best First Year Player – Lewis Hayes
Leading goal kicker – Patrick Voss
every award winner gone bar Hayes.
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Taha is not in the Calder Cannons squad. Ryan Eyre is however
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Injured I think mate.
Thanks. Was wondering why we didn’t see him in Darwin or here. Hope he’s okay.
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VFL(W) launch was tonight.
| Guernsey No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 50 | Jackson Hately (VC) |
| 51 | Will Hoare |
| 52 | Ricky Monti |
| 53 | Jack Peris |
| 54 | Kane Loftus |
| 55 | Xavier O’Neill (C) |
| 56 | Tom Stapleton |
| 57 | Amin Naim |
| 58 | Jared Eckersley |
| 59 | Ryan Eyre |
| 60 | Ryan Brodie |
| 61 | Tom Toma |
| 62 | Mahmoud Taha |
| 63 | Luca Alessio |
| 64 | Charlie Bolmat |
| 65 | Cam Nyko |
| 66 | Will Madden |
| 67 | Malik Gordon |
| 68 | Jack Jedwab |
| 70 | Ayui Makieng |
| 71 | Lachlan Monteath |
| 72 | Maclayn Hallows |
| 73 | Matthew Foley |
| 74 | Declan Willmore |
| 75 | Jake Moorhead |
| 77 | Bailey Scott |
| 78 | Michael Kiraly |
| 79 | Oscar Duncan |
| 80 | Solomon McKay |
| 81 | Campbell Gray |
| 82 | Alex Molan |
| 83 | Oskar Smartt |
| TRAIN-ON PLAYERS | |
| 69 | Will Burke |
| 76 | James Auld |
| 86 | Jake Watts |
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Photo of every (?) player at:
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After seeing him play on Friday in the practice match, I am going to take special interest in tracking the progress of Campbell Gray (#81). Like a lot of these guys he’ll probably split his time between VFL and local footy depending on availability but I was very impressed and he’d still be only 18-20 years old I’d say.
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Taha, but we havent seen him all preseason have we?
I hope this question is invoking the royal “we”.
What position does he play?
“I” haven’t seen him this year".
but only watched the NT game. and highlights of the practice matches.
He did make his VFL debut last year for us.
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On Friday he was playing as a key defender. Which I know is probably the least exciting answer to your question right now given the make-up of our list 
.
But I can see that certainly in under 18’s for Keilor he must have played forward because he was their leading goal kicker.
He judged the ball in flight far better than those around him which helped him take a number of intercept marks and/or come across to spoil. He is also quite strongly built and seemed to stand up in the physical battles.
I have since learnt from a mate who knows him through a family connection that he is one of those kids who was a ‘small’ but then shot up considerably in a short space of time and all of a sudden he was a key position prospect. I find when this happens, these guys are often superior with their agility and ball handling skills on the deck compared to guys who have always been talls.
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Ha, you had me worried for a sec, given I was probably the only Blitzer at the NTFL game.
<< picks up paper listing of teams handed out at the game, and thankfully fails to find Taha listed there >>
He’s injured.
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