- Dec 14, 2008
- 19,839
- 32,313
- AFL Club
- Essendon
Off the back of the excellent afl.com versus series and the enjoyable past player threads on here ive decided to try and do a verses series of Essendon players.
Some will be inter-generational, some will be team mates, some will be not share positions but hopefully they all provoke thought. I know its difficult to compare and rate players from different eras but hopefully it creates some discussion. I dont have a great record for researching history, alot of my analysis comes from memories so feel free to correct me if wrong on some points.
So let the fights begin!
First on the card, smokin' Joe Misiti vs Jobe Watson
Tale of the tape;
Joe Misiti stands at 186 cm, and played at a weight of 89 kgs
Jobe Watson stands at an imposing 190 cm and plays at 94kgs
Early years;
Misiti was raised in the Essendon zone in East Keilor, he grew up supporting Essendon as a kid. He was spotted playing as a junior by recruiters but doubts were had about his ‘lazy’ training standards and weight management. Nevertheless he made it as far as the Essendon u19s team also winning its best and fairest. The zone system was abolished in favour of a draft system meaning all clubs had to cut their lists but we were able to keep 10 of these players. Misiti was the last player kept, having to convince Sheedy that his attitude was good enough, something Sheedy doubted. He debuted late in 1992, I recall this kid with funny hair running amock late in a game getting double figure handball numbers in the last quarter. He went on to win the reserves premiership paving the way for the juggernaut we now know as the Baby bombers of 93.
Watson grew up in the spotlight being the son of a former club champion; we can still remember a young Jobe running through the banner as a kid during his dads 300th game. Jobe went to school at Xavier then was recruited as a father son pick at number 40 in the 2002 draft. Due to his size Sheedy originally trained Watson as a forward but was changed to a midfielder due to his poor kicking for goal. Like Misiti, early days Jobe was criticised for his training standards and weight issues, so much so that Sheedy banished him from the side, later saying he was a whisker away from being cut. This style of tough love reportedly caused friction between the Watson family and Sheedy. It’s up for debate whether Sheedy used this tactic to turn Watson into a footballer or if he genuinely believed he would not make the grade.
Strengths and weaknesses;
Misiti at his best was a prolific midfielder, a genuine centre man. He was quite slow by AFL standards but he had a great football brain and an innate ability to pick the right handball in traffic. He was quite elusive, not in the sense of sidestepping opponents to break away from traffic, but more in the sense of finding space where there was none, to dispose of the ball either by hand or by foot. His kick lacked penetration but was generally accurate but his creative handball and positioning was his overwhelming strength.
Watsons strengths are his contested ball winning ability, decision making in traffic and creative handball. His positioning is also first class. As time has gone on he has worked on his kicking to become reliable but as a rule his main weaknesses like Misiti have always been a lack of pace and kicking ability. His tackling is (now) ferocious and uncompromising.
Career;
Misiti burst onto the scene in the season of 93 with the rest of the baby bombers collecting a bulk of possessions in the midfield and generally making the team tick along. He however suffered a premiership hangover, gained weight and let his standard slip over the following few years. It was not uncommon to see him at the Grand hotel smoking and having a good time. He was in and out of the side for a little while before having a ‘moment’ post 1995 season and becoming re dedicated to the game. He became a consistent member of the side through the late nineties coming top 5 in the best and fairest a few times. He was an integral part of the all-conquering sides of the late 90s, early 00s and if I might say, probably underrated and overshadowed by the teams superstars. He may have been club champion at any other club but the one he was playing in. He played 236 games averaging a tick under 22 possessions a game over his career kicking 98 goals. Misiti is a dual premiership player.
Watson has been a slow burn type of player who took a while to get his career going. Once a fairly one dimensional player who had a good handball in traffic he has worked desperately hard on his game to the point he has become elite in most facets. It has been said he sought out the advice of Greg Williams one pre-season, in my opinion he never looked back from this point. His handball went from creative to damaging, he began to choose correct options by foot, hold the ball in traffic until the right option presented itself rather the the first option and generally hurting the opposition with every single involvement in the game. He found the ability to rest forward and kick goals which is another string to his bow. But the crowning glory has been leadership, He has become the game’s best leader especially over a very difficult time for our club. Jobe has played 193 games and kicked 107 goals averaging a tick over 24 possessions a game, he is a 3 time club champion, two time all Australian and has won the league’s highest individual honour.
Verdict;
On paper this seems a simple victory to Watson but it’s not as easy as that. Both players originally played a similar style of game and I think both players were on a similar early trajectory, Misiti out performed Watson early but they both suffered from the same weight issues and poor training perception. It was at a fork in the road that Watson chose to work his absolute socks off to become the game’s best player while Misiti was possibly happy being one of the lads in a great team. Watson may well not have the most talent of any player but the work he has put in has made him a great.
Misiti wins the first two rounds before they trade punches until the 6th – at which point Watson take control of the fight and wins by knockout in the 8th.
Love to hear your thoughts, memories, opinions, clips of this battle and these two players in general.
If the verses series goes will the second fight on the card will be;
Sean Wellman vs Cale Hooker.
Some will be inter-generational, some will be team mates, some will be not share positions but hopefully they all provoke thought. I know its difficult to compare and rate players from different eras but hopefully it creates some discussion. I dont have a great record for researching history, alot of my analysis comes from memories so feel free to correct me if wrong on some points.
So let the fights begin!
First on the card, smokin' Joe Misiti vs Jobe Watson
Tale of the tape;
Joe Misiti stands at 186 cm, and played at a weight of 89 kgs
Jobe Watson stands at an imposing 190 cm and plays at 94kgs
Early years;
Misiti was raised in the Essendon zone in East Keilor, he grew up supporting Essendon as a kid. He was spotted playing as a junior by recruiters but doubts were had about his ‘lazy’ training standards and weight management. Nevertheless he made it as far as the Essendon u19s team also winning its best and fairest. The zone system was abolished in favour of a draft system meaning all clubs had to cut their lists but we were able to keep 10 of these players. Misiti was the last player kept, having to convince Sheedy that his attitude was good enough, something Sheedy doubted. He debuted late in 1992, I recall this kid with funny hair running amock late in a game getting double figure handball numbers in the last quarter. He went on to win the reserves premiership paving the way for the juggernaut we now know as the Baby bombers of 93.
Watson grew up in the spotlight being the son of a former club champion; we can still remember a young Jobe running through the banner as a kid during his dads 300th game. Jobe went to school at Xavier then was recruited as a father son pick at number 40 in the 2002 draft. Due to his size Sheedy originally trained Watson as a forward but was changed to a midfielder due to his poor kicking for goal. Like Misiti, early days Jobe was criticised for his training standards and weight issues, so much so that Sheedy banished him from the side, later saying he was a whisker away from being cut. This style of tough love reportedly caused friction between the Watson family and Sheedy. It’s up for debate whether Sheedy used this tactic to turn Watson into a footballer or if he genuinely believed he would not make the grade.
Strengths and weaknesses;
Misiti at his best was a prolific midfielder, a genuine centre man. He was quite slow by AFL standards but he had a great football brain and an innate ability to pick the right handball in traffic. He was quite elusive, not in the sense of sidestepping opponents to break away from traffic, but more in the sense of finding space where there was none, to dispose of the ball either by hand or by foot. His kick lacked penetration but was generally accurate but his creative handball and positioning was his overwhelming strength.
Watsons strengths are his contested ball winning ability, decision making in traffic and creative handball. His positioning is also first class. As time has gone on he has worked on his kicking to become reliable but as a rule his main weaknesses like Misiti have always been a lack of pace and kicking ability. His tackling is (now) ferocious and uncompromising.
Career;
Misiti burst onto the scene in the season of 93 with the rest of the baby bombers collecting a bulk of possessions in the midfield and generally making the team tick along. He however suffered a premiership hangover, gained weight and let his standard slip over the following few years. It was not uncommon to see him at the Grand hotel smoking and having a good time. He was in and out of the side for a little while before having a ‘moment’ post 1995 season and becoming re dedicated to the game. He became a consistent member of the side through the late nineties coming top 5 in the best and fairest a few times. He was an integral part of the all-conquering sides of the late 90s, early 00s and if I might say, probably underrated and overshadowed by the teams superstars. He may have been club champion at any other club but the one he was playing in. He played 236 games averaging a tick under 22 possessions a game over his career kicking 98 goals. Misiti is a dual premiership player.
Watson has been a slow burn type of player who took a while to get his career going. Once a fairly one dimensional player who had a good handball in traffic he has worked desperately hard on his game to the point he has become elite in most facets. It has been said he sought out the advice of Greg Williams one pre-season, in my opinion he never looked back from this point. His handball went from creative to damaging, he began to choose correct options by foot, hold the ball in traffic until the right option presented itself rather the the first option and generally hurting the opposition with every single involvement in the game. He found the ability to rest forward and kick goals which is another string to his bow. But the crowning glory has been leadership, He has become the game’s best leader especially over a very difficult time for our club. Jobe has played 193 games and kicked 107 goals averaging a tick over 24 possessions a game, he is a 3 time club champion, two time all Australian and has won the league’s highest individual honour.
Verdict;
On paper this seems a simple victory to Watson but it’s not as easy as that. Both players originally played a similar style of game and I think both players were on a similar early trajectory, Misiti out performed Watson early but they both suffered from the same weight issues and poor training perception. It was at a fork in the road that Watson chose to work his absolute socks off to become the game’s best player while Misiti was possibly happy being one of the lads in a great team. Watson may well not have the most talent of any player but the work he has put in has made him a great.
Misiti wins the first two rounds before they trade punches until the 6th – at which point Watson take control of the fight and wins by knockout in the 8th.
Love to hear your thoughts, memories, opinions, clips of this battle and these two players in general.
If the verses series goes will the second fight on the card will be;
Sean Wellman vs Cale Hooker.
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