Bombers 2004 squad preview

[Asgardian]

As usual, that time of year for me to do my club list previews, some you'll like, some you'll hate. Even worse though, you may be indifferent to the whole thing, okay, I can live with that, just as long as you'll do your own previews. It's all a matter of creating discussion, so have a go, let's see what you can come up with.

Matthew Allan:- If fit & in the mood, he's a good ruckman, doesn't happen often these days
Mark Alvey:- If knee comes good, he's a super addition to a midfield needing quality
Mark Bolton:- Not a star, but always versatile & useful, will earn the "team-man" tag
Kepler Bradley:- New kid, yet to see him play
Marc Bullen:- Saved spot stringing together some good games late 2003, has no fear
Tristan Cartledge:- Yet to get an AFL game
Damian Cupido:- Talented, but loses discipline & concentration, needs "Long" influence
Ricky Dyson:- New kid, yet to see him play
Dustin Fletcher:- League's best fullback, but he misses too many games through suspension
Ben Haynes:- Smallish in-your-face type, a faster Moorcroft, doesn't inspire me though
Aaron Henneman:- Utility size players cannot afford lots of injury time, he has had too much
David Hille:- Mobile ruckman, good 2nd stringer, not yet good enough to be No.1
James Hird:- Superstar who must feel betrayed by his body, no question a legend
Sam Hunt:- He looked good to me, but no 2003 games, had no BAD injuries????
Courtney Johns:- Yet to get an AFL game, Bomber fans absolutely love him
Jason Johnson:- Fantastic midfielder, needs some assistance
Mark Johnson:- Hard determined bloke, probably can't ruck though. (lol)
Jason Laycock:- Yet to get an AFL game
Matthew J. Lloyd:- Best fullforward in an era devoid of fullforwards
Scott Lucas:- Big, strong, versatile & fearless, he's a lot better than I had thought he was
Adam McPhee:- Got this one correct, had a great 2003
Mark McVeigh:- Grown in maturity in 2003, credit where it's due
Mark Mercuri:- I'm surprised he even got on the 2004 squad, will be his last year
Joe Misiti:- Still is a ball magnet, he needs to stay out of injury trouble
Justin Murphy:- Most surprising recruit, WHY? he's a dud
Jay Nash:- New kid, yet to see him play
Damien Peverill:- Performances levelled off in 2003, expect him to rebound
Adam Ramanauskas:- Like all other footy people, I wish him a full & speedy recovery
Joel Reynolds:- Another who needs to prove the OP hassles are gone
Ted Richards:- Needs to work harder, and find a new rabbit's foot
Dean Rioli:- Big on talent & stomach, light on for brains & discipline
Dean Solomon:- Love the way this guy plays, tons of aggression & fearless
Brent Stanton:- New kid, yet to see him play
Darren D. Walsh:- Only a couple of glimpses so far, need to see more before judging the lad
Jobe Watson:- Suffering under big expectations & OP, kid needs a go before we judge him
Sean Wellman:- Mr Cool, in the Ben Hart mold, big strong forwards cause the most troubles
Andrew Welsh:- Likes to play as a sweeper, does it okay, long term player on the rise
Jason Winderlich:- A bit of poise & class here, still need to see more before judging

Rookies:

Ben Cosgriff} New kid, yet to see him play
James Davies:- Big profile, but dare I say only baby steps on the outside of packs
Andrew Lovett}
Nathan Lovett-Murray} New kids, yet to see any of them play
Peter Summers}
Adrian Wilson}

The Bombers strike me as a club that aimed high in recruiting for 2004, but failed miserably, snaring only an aging "maybe" ruckman, a very disappointing aging midfielder, and a talented, but knee reco recovering midfielder. Surely no-one at the start of trade week could have said that those 3 guys were the trade targets.

In addition the Bomber stars are getting on age wise, none of it adds up to a premiership season to me.

 

[bLuEMoOsE]

Im sure Alvy and Allen were targetted b4 trade week Alvy we tried to get last year but were beaten by a dodgy fax machine, and Allen was touted as a possible recruit as early as round 20ish, Murphey was a real Surprise.

 

[Pevers-Legend]

Originally posted by bLuEMoOsE
Im sure Alvy and Allen were targetted b4 trade week Alvy we tried to get last year but were beaten by a dodgy fax machine, and Allen was touted as a possible recruit as early as round 20ish, Murphey was a real Surprise.

Agreed.


Our premiership chances hinge not on the stars but on the youngsters you stepped up last year to do so again, and another 3-4 kids not in the first 22 to push for selection.

If one of our tall kids and small kids progesses the way we want them to, then I think we could have a real crack this year.

Kids to watch our for IMO are:

Reynolds - could be our next big star
Watson - this kid has a greta football brain - the new improved Smokin Joe
Hille - still has a lot of improvement rucking wise - but his real value will be up forward where he could be a very good pinch hitter.
Winderlich - hopefully bulked up a bit - could be the next Razzamatazz
Haynes - showed signs - needs to consolidate now
Walsh - same as winderlich re bulking up. few question marks on him making it but if he does - will be a good player.

 

[marcuz]

Originally posted by Asgardian
David Hille:- Mobile ruckman, good 2nd stringer, not yet good enough to be No.1

Well he did a good impersonation of a number 1 rtuckman this year.

Justin Murphy:- Most surprising recruit, WHY? he's a dud

For a dud he has played some brilliant football. My pick for the new player at the club to have the most influence. His ability to find the footy and use it is exactly what we need.

Other than those two i feel your pretty much spot on Asgardian, Well done mate.

 

[anonymous Joe]

The Bombers strike me as a club that aimed high in recruiting for 2004, but failed miserably, snaring only an aging "maybe" ruckman, a very disappointing aging midfielder, and a talented, but knee reco recovering midfielder. Surely no-one at the start of trade week could have said that those 3 guys were the trade targets.

?

We were never interested in a big name. Couldn't afford it.

Bradley and Alvey for Jacobs is a ****en good deal.

Murphy has a lot of ability more than Mcgrath, if sheeds can motivate him it will be a good deal. There's only about two years difference between them. And Mcgrath never got a game anyway.

Pick 60 we weren't going to use, Alessio retired so we took a punt on Allan. If Allan does a Barnes it will be a ****en good deal.

 

[raskolnikov]

stating the obvious a bit Asgardian - tell us something we didn't know

 

[bLuEMoOsE]

Plus we have been told im not so sure myself, that we dont have enough strength in the forward pocket area's. Murphey is a real quality finisher who i think would do very well in a pocket. He kicked 5 goals in a game this year playing there andhe kicked all of them after half time and turned the game. Hopefully he can do it on a somewhat regular Basis

 

[Asgardian]

Originally posted by DonFan
stating the obvious a bit Asgardian - tell us something we didn't know

mmmmmm, Football players play footy in the open, in front of lots of TV cameras.

Therefore their strengths, weaknesses, habits, etc are there for all to see and judge.

All I am doing is to put my assessments of each clubs playing list in writing, to create interest, discussion, provide alternative points of view.

I'm taking the time, making the effort, all you are doing is submitting a throw away line, telling us all that you 100% agree with everything I have written.

Frankly that is crap, no-one could ever 100% agree with an assessment of an entire club list.

So your post, DonFan, tells me you are too lazy to discuss footy in depth, or you want to see your name up in lights, or you want to take a cheap shot at me, or you think I'm full of crap, but you have no idea how to express your own opinions.

As for your comment "tell us something we didn't know", I could be here for a lifetime telling you new stuff

 

[raskolnikov]

Originally posted by Asgardian
mmmmmm, Football players play footy in the open, in front of lots of TV cameras.

Therefore their strengths, weaknesses, habits, etc are there for all to see and judge.

All I am doing is to put my assessments of each clubs playing list in writing, to create interest, discussion, provide alternative points of view.

I'm taking the time, making the effort, all you are doing is submitting a throw away line, telling us all that you 100% agree with everything I have written.

Frankly that is crap, no-one could ever 100% agree with an assessment of an entire club list.

So your post, DonFan, tells me you are too lazy to discuss footy in depth, or you want to see your name up in lights, or you want to take a cheap shot at me, or you think I'm full of crap, but you have no idea how to express your own opinions.

As for your comment "tell us something we didn't know", I could be here for a lifetime telling you new stuff

zzzzz

Originally posted by Asgardian

As for your comment "tell us something we didn't know", I could be here for a lifetime telling you new stuff

I'm not interested in knowing all the different ways to masturbate.

 

[whirl]

Asgardian: I have a couple of quibbles about your ratings of various players, but they're nothing much.

The main one is your rating of our trading as a failure. We needed a ruckman, and some senior ready midfielders. We got them. All three are currently doing very nicely on the track. We didn't give up much for them (bar Jacobs and we were rewarded handsomely for that). At worst they'll provide depth in areas we sorely need depth in. At best, they could be quite valuable. I'll give you that all three are risks in different ways. It's not too bad though.

As for aiming high, well possibly that was more wishful thinking on the part of supporters. I don't think we could afford much.

 

[Pornstar]

I also think your evaluation of our trading period was harsh and doesn't show a thorough understanding of the club's situation at the time.

We made three trades. Everyone knows the Jacobs trade was daylight robbery so i won't go into that. WIN. We needed a ruck to backup Hille for 2-3 years. Someone who had already proven himself at senior level, but he also had to be willing to play for minimum wage and we didn't want to give up much to get him. We got a 28yo AA ruck playing for base wage for a late draft pick that we couldn't use anyway. The only downside is he hasn't had a decent season for a few years due to injury. I haven't come across anybody that thinks we lost on that trade. Another win.

McGrath was a 24yo rookie list promotee who never cracked a regular senior berth who wanted to leave the club. Very hard to trade a VFL player for anything significant, but we got an experienced, proven midfielder who can kick goals and play for minimum wage (crucial factor at Essendon) for him. The down side to this is he is 28 and reputedly soft (plus we hate him). Even if McGrath stayed at Essendon he still would have struggled to get a senior game, especially with the younger brigade of Watson, Winderlich, Walsh, Reynolds, Nash, etc pushing for senior selection. This trade is break even at worst. Murphy may do f*** all for us, but we basically gave up nothing for him.

That's at least 2 wins out of 3, and we addressed some critical defficiencies in the playing list.

 

[dave_27]

Needed a back up ruckmen, got a backup ruckmen. The rest do nothing more than add depth to a midfield severly in need of depth. No stars were ever targeted nor could they be afforded or r they needed.

Essendon lost nothing that will impact on their premiership fortunes and if anything have gained in it.

 

[dave_27]

Originally posted by Asgardian

In addition the Bomber stars are getting on age wise, none of it adds up to a premiership season to me.

Name the ageing stars? Hird is the only player that could have his age work against him this year from having another stellar season.

 

[go team]

Originally posted by DonFan
stating the obvious a bit Asgardian - tell us something we didn't know

maybe he's trying to get a job as a "special comments man"

 

[raskolnikov]

Originally posted by go team
maybe he's trying to get a job as a "special comments man"

SOS's job is in danger.

 

[anonymous Joe]

Re: Re: Bombers 2004 squad preview

Originally posted by dave_27
Name the ageing stars? Hird is the only player that could have his age work against him this year from having another stellar season.

Wellman? Hope he doesn't fade but wouldn't be surprised if it happened.

 

[windyhill]

Re: Re: Re: Bombers 2004 squad preview

Originally posted by anonymous Joe
Wellman? Hope he doesn't fade but wouldn't be surprised if it happened.

Each way bet ?
Very under rated Wellman. See no reason why he should be " fading " Gets better with age.

 

[Dan26]

In addition to being in his prime, Wellman also one of the most professional players at the club. He'll be at his best (not withstanding injuries) for a couple more years. The best backman at the club.

 

[anonymous Joe]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Bombers 2004 squad preview

Originally posted by windyhill
Each way bet ?
Very under rated Wellman. See no reason why he should be " fading " Gets better with age.

footballer aren't like wine, back and hamstring problems, grion problems all get worse and heal slower with age, as does a players pace.

Hope it doesn't happen but age will weary the best of them.

 

[windyhill]

Originally posted by Dan26
In addition to being in his prime, Wellman also one of the most professional players at the club. He'll be at his best (not withstanding injuries) for a couple more years. The best backman at the club.

2nd best, hahaha.
Agreed, he is in his prime.

 

[Dan26]

Originally posted by windyhill
2nd best, hahaha.
Agreed, he is in his prime.

Whose the best? Fletcher? haha

I'll concede that Fletch is the best defender, but he is not the best backman. There is a difference.

 

[marcuz]

Originally posted by Dan26
Whose the best? Fletcher? haha

I'll concede that Fletch is the best defender, but he is not the best backman. There is a difference.

I'd have Wellman third behind Fletcher and Lucas. Wellman plays his best footy between half-Back and wing.

 

[windyhill]

Originally posted by Dan26
Whose the best? Fletcher? haha

I'll concede that Fletch is the best defender, but he is not the best backman. There is a difference.

Not anther Fletch debate !
If he was able to play v port we would lose by 4-5 goals, seeing as how he is out I`m tipping 10+

 

[Dan26]

Originally posted by windyhill
Not anther Fletch debate !
If he was able to play v port we would lose by 4-5 goals, seeing as how he is out I`m tipping 10+

Look, Fletch is our equivalent of a top goalkeeper in Soccer, John. He does all the defensive things well, but for God's sake keep him out of the play. Keep him away from the ball.

Wellman is the set-up man. He might not be as good at the pure defensive things as Fletch (spoiling, marking etc), but he gives the backline cohesion.

I like what Flecth does defensively, but like a goalkeeper I don't want him anywhere near the ball. Can you imagine him on the ball? It'd be like watching a car crash. I've said it before, no football brain.

 

[windyhill]

Fletcher, very rarely chopped up, always given the best forward. Wellman, brilliant at what he does , ie, being the loose man, setting us up from down back. Very good when sent forward as well Fletcher, will get AA Fullback spot this season.