Recruiting EFC Trade/Draft Talk II with F/A rules in OP - Billings for a fourth rounder the latest rumour

[Zach Package]

Would've thought he'd easily get to another club if he had another year like this one, and if we were to delist him.

He's an interesting one, isn't he.

Came to the club as a medium forward (a pudgy one at that, just look at the photo in his player thread), played a couple of games at AFL level and has clearly showed a knack for finding the goals, but has transformed himself into a lean, mean ball winning machine.

The optimist in me thinks that if Matt Priddis can go from dominating the state league as a ball winning mid and become a brownlow winner Nick can at least become a serviceable midfielder, he just needs the opportunity

 

[Duckworth]

How important is a quick inside midfielder?

Id go

1. Key forward
2. Quick Inside mid
3. Rookie Ruck
4. 3rd tall forward/medium.

The most important one, is the one we don't have. You have it at number 2.

 

[Big Fresh]

He's an interesting one, isn't he.

Came to the club as a medium forward (a pudgy one at that, just look at the photo in his player thread), played a couple of games at AFL level and has clearly showed a knack for finding the goals, but has transformed himself into a lean, mean ball winning machine.

The optimist in me thinks that if Matt Priddis can go from dominating the state league as a ball winning mid and become a brownlow winner Nick can at least become a serviceable midfielder, he just needs the opportunity

Does it look like he'll get that opportunity at Essendon?

 

[TheFrenchCut]

Does it look like he'll get that opportunity at Essendon?

You can never say never, what with injuries and form always changing things, but you'd have to say that NOB is a fair way down the pecking order of our inside mids at the moment. He's handy, and could potentially be quite good, but doesn't really offer anything different or better than any of Jobe, Heppell, Myers, Hocking, etc, as far as I am concerned.

 

[Zach Package]

You can never say never, what with injuries and form always changing things, but you'd have to say that NOB is a fair way down the pecking order of our inside mids at the moment. He's handy, and could potentially be quite good, but doesn't really offer anything different or better than any of Jobe, Heppell, Myers, Hocking, etc, as far as I am concerned.

His endurance base is his strength, which isn't a bad thing, but it means he doesn't really have a 'thing', like Colyer has his pace, Buddha has his biffo and tagging, Myers has his left peg.

I personally like him just as much as forward, reckon he could be pretty handy as a running, marking small, and that's potentially where he'll be able to get more of a go at it than in the midfield

 

[ghostdog]

His endurance base is his strength, which isn't a bad thing, but it means he doesn't really have a 'thing', like Colyer has his pace, Buddha has his biffo and tagging, Myers has his left peg.

I personally like him just as much as forward, reckon he could be pretty handy as a running, marking small, and that's potentially where he'll be able to get more of a go at it than in the midfield

...taking Howlett's spot? I recall NOB delivering a bullet or two inside 50...

 

[TheFrenchCut]

His endurance base is his strength, which isn't a bad thing, but it means he doesn't really have a 'thing', like Colyer has his pace, Buddha has his biffo and tagging, Myers has his left peg.

I personally like him just as much as forward, reckon he could be pretty handy as a running, marking small, and that's potentially where he'll be able to get more of a go at it than in the midfield

You're probably right, and he seems to be in that weird between existence, where in his appearances in the AFL he plays forward, whereas in the VFL he's a mid who hunts the footy. Granted though he hasn't been in the 1sts for a while.

 

[eth-dog]

O'Brien is an interesting one. I can honestly see him play 100 more games for us, or none.

 

[Phone]

i think he'll fill monfries' role next season and be an improvement on him

 

[Eleven 38]

People should stop talking about Fletcher retiring, it's just not going to happen.

 

[WEEVZ]

People should stop talking about Fletcher retiring, it's just not going to happen.

Too true, he'll probably still be playing when his oldest debuts Nah I reckon he'll retire at the end of next season (though if his body holds up he might keep going).

 

[Darealrath]

His endurance base is his strength, which isn't a bad thing, but it means he doesn't really have a 'thing', like Colyer has his pace, Buddha has his biffo and tagging, Myers has his left peg.

I personally like him just as much as forward, reckon he could be pretty handy as a running, marking small, and that's potentially where he'll be able to get more of a go at it than in the midfield

IMO his best chance is to set himself to become a tagger or run with player as he has similar attributes to Ling. Great endurance, strong, good height and knows where the goals are. Ling was also recruited as a forward.

 

[Ambrosia]

His endurance base is his strength, which isn't a bad thing, but it means he doesn't really have a 'thing', like Colyer has his pace, Buddha has his biffo and tagging, Myers has his left peg.

I personally like him just as much as forward, reckon he could be pretty handy as a running, marking small, and that's potentially where he'll be able to get more of a go at it than in the midfield

I was surprised at the start if the year when they were trialling Ambrose, Steinberg and Hardingham as third marking forwards that O'Brien wasn't given a go

 

[Keystone agony]

The most important one, is the one we don't have. You have it at number 2.

Cool

 

[Keystone agony]

Wouldnt mind seeing a Cooney, Watson and Heppell starting midfield next year.

*If Cooneys back to his 2013 form

 

[JDavey]

When will it be time for draft talk?

While I don't think its our most important need I think Goddard if he falls to us...

If he doesn't I currently like:
17. De Goey (Plays like Mundy/Ziebell - big bodied inside mid thats strong overhead and can find the sticks)
20. Garlett/Cockatoo (either one of them adds x-factor and speed and we're missing it).

 

[Yoda_]

Why would we play NOB as a midfielder at VFL level and then as a forward at AFL level?


Only at Essendon does this happen

 

[JDavey]

Why would we play NOB as a midfielder at VFL level and then as a forward at AFL level?


Only at Essendon does this happen

TBH I was a bit shocked when I found out they actually played Joe Daniher as a forward in the seconds, figured he would've been a midfielder as well.

 

[WEEVZ]

Why would we play NOB as a midfielder at VFL level and then as a forward at AFL level?


Only at Essendon does this happen

So true! As much as I wanted Jetta gone, he generally seemed to perform well in the midfield in the VFL then we go and use him as a small forward at the top level and he was hopeless more often than not.

 

[ghostdog]

Too true, he'll probably still be playing when his oldest debuts Nah I reckon he'll retire at the end of next season (though if his body holds up he might keep going).

The sad possibility is that his body doesn't hold up and he retires mid-season. It would be an unfitting anti-climax to a tale that confirms the myth of immortality. The paradox of Fletcher.

 

[yodellinhank]

Why would we play NOB as a midfielder at VFL level and then as a forward at AFL level?


Only at Essendon does this happen

An acquaintance who barracks for the swans reckons that they have their seconds run around on the ball all day and they just get as much miles into them as they can. Fit them up with a GPS and they care more about the data than they do the stats. He was telling me about it when Mitchell or the like was putting in crazy numbers, and he said something along the lines of "they don't care, they just make them run the miles for the first few years"

Obviously NEAFL is a lower standard so nobody is too concerned with the stats, but he was really stressing they develop the running with their young players. Perhaps this is the theory behind our VFL guys, not saying I agree with it but it might explain it?

 

[yaco55]

crap. You get placed on the back sheet before you run out on the park.

Shane Nelson and Aaron Black would be playing AFL otheriwse. Winning Sandovers and multiple BFs @20-22 age for a premiership side. (Westperth/Wafl).

Shorter players have always done well if they have the right attributes.

 

[yaco55]

Going to be some disappointed people who get delisted at the end of next year. Here is the list of (currently) uncontracted player at the end of 2015.

Look at that list and see 6 certainties for delisting ( as we stand now ) and possibly another 2 or 3. We will hit the draft hard in 2015.

 

[Doss]

Cats have delisted Mitch Brown, Taylor Hunt and Joel Hamling. I wonder if any of them will get a gig elsewhere?

 

[Yoda_]

Cats have delisted Mitch Brown, Taylor Hunt and Joel Hamling. I wonder if any of them will get a gig elsewhere?

Doubt it