Delisted 8: Ben "Goblin" Hobbs - Delisted - 20/10

[VelvetSledge]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2025
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 12, Schnitzengruben

 

[Here_we_come]

Good decision.

As frustrating as it is blowing another high draft pick, to me the delisting is just another early sign that things are finally starting to change at the club post dodoro.

In the past we would’ve overrated Hobbs and held onto him in the hope he came good. In reality, he’s a sunk cost. Better to cut the losses and move on and the club seem to view it that way as well.

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

Sad day to see your boy delisted

Might pour a glass of red, put on white flag by Dido and just let it all out I reckon

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

All the best hobgoblin.

 

[faible]

It made sense at the time, we were screaming for an inside mid and one of the better ones in the draft was available at our pick.

Unfortunately it would've been around that time where the game started changing and midfielders with inside/outside skills became the new hotness. Pretty typical of dodo to be a decade behind the current trend really

I do sometimes wonder if some of our highly rated draft picks were highly rated by precisely one high profile list manager who told anyone who'd listen that he highly rates a particular kid, which then makes it into the various power rankings.

Sometimes it’s also as simple as a kid genuinely performing to a really high level as an U18 but it not translating to the next level. Draft watchers will by and large pick the kids who’ve performed well and say ‘these guys are good’.

Job of the list manager is to identify the players that will translate to the elite level, not just the guys who perform well at U18 level. Hobbs is about the same height as Selwood and Liberatore so it’s not like a guy of that height can’t play inside mid at the level, he just didn’t have the other traits needed to make it work.

 

[eth-dog]

5.4

 

[jmoo wan]

View attachment 2461675

look like you are both right! but only one of you is technically correct! i’ll let you to workout who is who

 

[Blind Turn]

So good it was worth using twice.

Good point though. McKenna improved out of sight once we got him off the stilts.

I thought I’d lost the first attempt at that and didn’t realise it had saved it. Oh well, nevermind…

 

[andleanback]

It made sense at the time, we were screaming for an inside mid and one of the better ones in the draft was available at our pick.

Unfortunately it would've been around that time where the game started changing and midfielders with inside/outside skills became the new hotness. Pretty typical of dodo to be a decade behind the current trend really

I do sometimes wonder if some of our highly rated draft picks were highly rated by precisely one high profile list manager who told anyone who'd listen that he highly rates a particular kid, which then makes it into the various power rankings.

Did we? We had Caldwell and parish was just an all aus, merrett an all aus, and Hobbs was another small mid. It seemed like a wasted pick at the time and it turned out to be that.

 

[naraku]

With Hobbs' delisting, this now means none of our picks from just 4 years ago are on our list- Lord and McDonaugh aren't on an AFL with Hobbs a very real possibility of not making an AF Llist too.

while our rookie pick that year, hehad a good year at Freo.


2021 turned out to be such a dud of a draft for us.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

With Hobbs' delisting, this now means none of our picks from just 4 years ago are on our list- Lord and McDonaugh aren't on an AFL with Hobbs a very real possibility of not making an AF Llist too.

while our rookie pick that year, hehad a good year at Freo.


2021 turned out to be such a dud of a draft for us.

It goes well beyond 2021.

Our top 20 picks over a six year period:

2017: None
2018: None
2019: None
2020: Cox, Perkins, Reid
2021: Hobbs
2022: Tsatas

Not one hit over six years.

That sort of run completely destroys lists and clubs. It’s the main reason we’re Bottom 4 now.

It’s an enormous job to recover a list from that. I don’t envy Rosa and co.

 

[fishardansin]

Is set up to go play VFL for a season as an inside midfielder and then becomes Tasmanias meat sack for a few years to protect their talented midfielders.

West Coast supporting mate at work wants that for them this year.

 

[Call Me Cake]

It goes well beyond 2021.

Our top 20 picks over a six year period:

2017: None
2018: None
2019: None
2020: Cox, Perkins, Reid
2021: Hobbs
2022: Tsatas

Not one hit over six years.

That sort of run completely destroys lists and clubs. It’s the main reason we’re Bottom 4 now.

It’s an enormous job to recover a list from that. I don’t envy Rosa and co.

I agree with you however it's not all doom and gloom. In hindsight our honorary 1sts/2nds drafting history based on age looks like,

2018: Caldwell, Duursma
2019: Martin, Bryan
2020: Reid
2021: Durham
2022: May
2023: Caddy, Roberts
2024: Kako, Clarke
2025: #5, #6, #22, #25

If our picks were taken in said succession most would look back on that and consider it a pretty solid run.

Despite the busts we seemed to have lucked out a bit on some in the midst of it, with 11 (+ a possible 5 this year - 16 in total) worthy 1sts/2nds that have the potential to form good part of our list build going forward and that's before the mention of the 2026/2027 drafts and FA to come.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I agree with you however it's not all doom and gloom. In hindsight our honorary 1sts/2nds drafting history based on age looks like,

2018: Caldwell, Duursma
2019: Martin, Bryan
2020: Reid
2021: Durham
2022: May
2023: Caddy, Roberts
2024: Kako, Clarke
2025: #5, #6, #22, #25

If our picks were taken in said succession most would look back on that and consider it a pretty solid run.

Despite the busts we seemed to have lucked out a bit on some in the midst of it, with 11 (+ a possible 5 this year - 16 in total) worthy 1sts/2nds that have the potential to form good part of our list build going forward and that's before the mention of the 2026/2027 drafts and FA to come.

It’s kinda irrelevant though.

It shows we nailed a few trades and late picks.

That’s good. But to build a good side you have to do that and nail some top picks. Late picks are naturally a much lower hit rate, and trades cost more.

It’s a non-negotiable. You have to nail some top picks. To have absolutely none of any substance over a six year period is fatal.

 

[Lore]

I agree with you however it's not all doom and gloom. In hindsight our honorary 1sts/2nds drafting history based on age looks like,

2018: Caldwell, Duursma
2019: Martin, Bryan
2020: Reid
2021: Durham
2022: May
2023: Caddy, Roberts
2024: Kako, Clarke
2025: #5, #6, #22, #25

If our picks were taken in said succession most would look back on that and consider it a pretty solid run.

Despite the busts we seemed to have lucked out a bit on some in the midst of it, with 11 (+ a possible 5 this year - 16 in total) worthy 1sts/2nds that have the potential to form good part of our list build going forward and that's before the mention of the 2026/2027 drafts and FA to come.

Guessing you did that manually… couple of errors. this is easier:

All-Time List Build Picture for Essendon - Draftguru

www.draftguru.com.au

The secret to good drafting is getting it right the first time more often than not, but at least our age profile isn’t completely ruined.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

never doubted his effort

but he was slow and couldn't kick

hope he gets a crack elsewhere

 

[supportyourteam]

needs side step

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

never doubted his effort

but he was slow and couldn't kick

hope he gets a crack elsewhere

To me he feels like a good option for one of Eagles 4 rookie spots. A HUGE issue we have really is in our WAFL team we have no mature midfielder to lead the way. We have spoken with Macrae/Berry/Schonberg for that role and now Hobbs is delisted and to me the best option out of the 4

At Essendon it felt to me he spent too much time at half forward... which to me is his worst role you could play him at. He is too slow to play HF. As a inside midfielder only though id like to think he can still make it at AFL level.

 

[King Patty]

I would love Sam Mitchell to Rookie him, imagine him having a massimo type form improvement, plus they kind of have a midfield need, to replace Worpel. He's kind of a younger worpel, good at contest, but kicking isn't his strong point.
A former inside mid like Mitchell could show him the way. Our VFL would be worried coming up against Hustwaite and Hobbs.

 

[Zach Package]

As others have said, Caldwell and Durham went past Hobbs and Tsatas at the speed of light.

With Merrett, Parish, Caldwell, Durham… even Setterfield, McGrath and Shiel were getting midfield minutes ahead of them… the writing is on the wall.

It's fine, it is not one to lose an abundance of sleep over but I feel for him a little bit because he was never really featured at any point.

You kinda figure that your first round picks are large investments and are going to be given really good shakes because the potential return is the biggest but it was never really the case here.

Then the next year we went specialist extractor again and it has played out much the same...

 

[ghostdog]

With Hobbs' delisting, this now means none of our picks from just 4 years ago are on our list- Lord and McDonaugh aren't on an AFL with Hobbs a very real possibility of not making an AF Llist too.

while our rookie pick that year, hehad a good year at Freo.


2021 turned out to be such a dud of a draft for us.

But the coffee and conversation at the juniors games that year was * chef's kiss *

 

[Foxx]

View attachment 2461675

Yep sorry, my source bowled me a wrongun'

 

[eth-dog]

Yep sorry, my source bowled me a wrongun'

I mean, it's pretty obvious that you just looked at goal assists and thought that it was behinds dude.

 

[Lore]

I mean, it's pretty obvious that you just looked at goal assists and thought that it was behinds dude.

Have some grace eh

 

[Foxx]

I would love Sam Mitchell to Rookie him, imagine him having a massimo type form imprvoement, plus they kind of have a midfield need, to replace Worpel. He's kind of a younger worpel, good at contest, but kicking isn't his strong point.
A former inside mid like Mitchell could show him the way. Our VFL would be worried coming up against Hustwaite and Hobbs.

His kicking would never be at that level.
But I can see him improving his kicking efficiency where he would be a solid blue collar player that averages 25 disposals and a pressure and tackling machine. His kicking technique seems sound, its just his decision making.

 

[The Airing of Grievances]

West Coast supporting mate at work wants that for them this year.

Seems to make good sense. I thought WCE traded in Graham to stiffen their midfield but he didn't seem to have much impact