Who is our franchise player?

Football Discussion Dustin Fletcher Hangar
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Does Essendon have a match winner? A player that the commentators drool over? A player that excites the crowd whenever he goes near it? Someone who can be the face of the team?

Not necessarily our best player, but a player that does freakish things that others can’t do. Something that can turn the game.

I’ve had a good look at our list and don’t think we have that player, whereas just about every other team does:

Adelaide - Tex Walker
Brisbane - Lachie Neale
Carlton - Charlie Curnow
Collingwood - Josh Daicos
Geelong - Jeremy Cameron
Gold Coast - Touk Miller
GWS - Toby Greene
Essendon - Sam Draper??
Fremantle - Nat Fyfe
Hawthorn - Jai Newcombe
Melbourne - Christian Pertracca
North Melbourne - Nick Larkey
Port Adelaide - Zak Butters
Richmond - Dustin Martin
St Kilda - Max King
Sydney - Tom Papley
West Coast - Oscar Allen
Western Bulldogs - Marcus Bontempelli

Who have I left out? I’m sure there’s heaps I’ve got wrong!!

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Adrian dodoro

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Dyson “HEART AND SOUL” Heppell

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Unfortunately the club has put Draper on a pedestal because he has a mullet and is marketable, but I dont think he is anywhere near the hype that he deserves.

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He is a ruckman who kicked goal of the year.

He ticks a lot of the boxes noted, and as a ruckman he has his best years ahead of him. He still has to keep improving though to really be what I think of when I think “franchise player”.

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2023 pick 8

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Nate Caddy

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Would it be fair to say when Stringer first came to the club that’s what we possibly thought he’d be, but he hasn’t evolved into that player.

I agree Draper is not it, but is he the closest we’ve got?

We desperately need a Charlie Curnow or Jeremy Cameron type.

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I don’t know but I just saw Matt Taberner is on the market

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When most opposition fans think of EFC - if would be their Captain - Merrett

in the past may have been Daniher - father son / key forward etc
or walla & Heppell - with their Dreads and being marque players

who will be the next gen. HOBBS & Tsatas hope.

Draper potentially - very exciteable, goal of the year, talisman

VOSS - when he plays opposition fans will remember him.

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Walla would be the closest, but alas…

Can’t really think of anyone who lights up the stadium.

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I still think AMT is the closest to the description. And he can’t even get a game in the seniors.

Matchwinner - tick
Commentators drool over - tick
Everyone gets excited when he is near it - tick
Someone who has been the face of the team - well… he is highly marketable and a lovely human being.
Freakish - tick
Turns games - tick

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Some of those players aren’t franchise players.

Lachie Neal = Zach Merrett
Josh should be Nick Daicos
Touk Miller = Zach Merrett
Nat Fyfe is old
Tex Walker is old
Jai Newcombe is not even Zach Merrett
Tom Papley not fanchise

The players you mentioned are or were gun players, but there are really only 5 or 6 true Franchise players in the AFL. Buddy was the biggest and just retired.

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my AFL Franchise players would be

Cats - Hawkins
Tigers - Dusty
Dogs - Bont
Blues - Cripps
Dees - Petracca

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See it was his game against the Bulldogs that got me thinking about who our match winner is. He turned the game. He’s a gun.

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We need a power forward.
A big massive shlonged big balled power forward who kicks bags of goals.

This is the exact player Adrian Dodorro has avoided drafting for 20 years.

These are the players who kids want to be and who win you finals.

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No doubt he is a gun, but I wouldn’t call him a franchise player just yet.

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Charlie Cameron, Nick Daicos, Max Gawn, Marcus Bontempelli, Charlie Curnow.

They are the five that spring to me as franchise.

Ohh and Toby Greene.

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I would have Danger as Geelong’s Franchise player

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Yeah but the one difference with AMT is that umpires never “looked” to give him a free kick at any opportunity- unlike the majority of those on the original list.

I mean Charlie Curnow only has to look at the opponent to draw a free kick but Walla practically had his head ripped off and nothing.

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