AFL Player # 1: Andrew "Pidge" McGrath (Vice-Captain)

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent 2024
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 13, Vindicater

 

[Mootsy]

Anyone else worried that we are stifling his development by playing him in a position that he is not ready for?

Its what essendon do well.

 

[Blind Turn]

Watched him closely a few times and he looked cooked on the chase. Blokes half his speed were pulling away from him. He’d obviously been on the move constantly prior to these blow-outs which leads me to ponder whether he has worked out how to pace himself in the midfield yet. This is all a great education for him especially taking on the likes of great exponents of repeat efforts such as Sidebum.

 

[naraku]

Please send Andrew back to HB for the rest of the season.

 

[Lore]

Please send Andrew back to HB for the rest of the season.

He's basically played there the last three weeks judging from the heat maps anyway.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Will move back to the middle once Irish returns.

 

[dnbassador]

Can’t knock him for running was a few occasions near me he was running so hard when he stopped he was on the brink of throwing up

 

[Doss]

Not convinced midfield is really the right place for him. In general I'm far from convinced that every great HBF needs to move into the midfield anyway. I like McGrath defending and setting up attacks for us off half back to be honest.

 

[Zach Package]

Not convinced midfield is really the right place for him. In general I'm far from convinced that every great HBF needs to move into the midfield anyway. I like McGrath defending and setting up attacks for us off half back to be honest.

It's your classing robbing Michael to pay Dyson scenario

 

[Donakebab]

Are people blind or am I just imagining that he's been spending the majority of the year in the backline anyway?

 

[The Prosecutor]

He's been playing defence the last few weeks.

Hell, he was one out at full back against Sidebottom for most of the second half.

 

[Doss]

Yeah, he's been playing in defence a lot. I posted that more because it seems to be an assumption that he will go into the midfield, and I'm not convinced that should be what happens.

 

[hotkorma]

Elite defensive 1 on 1. Happy for him to play back.

But then again part of me wants our best players near where the ball spends most of its time. (For us this is defence)

 

[NAB777]

The sooner this guy can run out a game in the midfield, the better.....

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Not sure he's the genuine midfielder we need.

If we plan on playing him as a mid long term then we should make him play wing/hff/fp. We want our mids to learn how to deliver the ball forward of centre.

All the best genuine mids in the league rest forward and are a goal threat. We should be teaching him how to do that and not defending like a back pocket.

 

[Loonerty]

He's only spent a bit of time in the midfield but given his output as a defender in his first season...

Could it mean chucking some mid minutes to someone like McKenna?

 

[eth-dog]

He's only spent a bit of time in the midfield but given his output as a defender in his first season...

Could it mean chucking some mid minutes to someone like McKenna?

Yes please.

 

[dnbassador]

5 games into a midfielder..... delist not gonna make it

 

[eDPS]

5 games into a midfielder..... delist not gonna make it

Should have picked Mathieson

 

[Doss]

5 games into a midfielder..... delist not gonna make it

I don't see anyone claiming anything like that. It's a discussion about where people would rather see him play, which is perfectly valid.

 

[eDPS]

Any chance of us playing him in the guts? When McKenna comes back he will go to the wing like he did early in the year but he really should be given more of a run at the centre clearances. When Zerrett or Smith aren’t in the middle we are very slow and ideally we have those 2 and McGrath all running through their at different times.

At the start of the last quarter we had Zaharakis, Heppell and Goddard starting in the centre I don’t want to see that ever again.

 

[Vander18]

I'd like to see him forward.

Tippa hasn't fired a shot this year and we need to find a way to stop the ball from pinging straight back out when we don't mark it.

Saad and MCKenna should suffice as small defenders.

 

[Old Stuckup]

We need 22 McGraths.

 

[owen87]

We need 22 McGraths.

I get that with his leap he’d be a great ruckman but surely you can’t expect him to play back pocket.

 

[yaco55]

McGrath played the first three games in the midfield - Was particularly good when he quelled B.Hill in round 2, but then got cut up by Hunter in round 3 - This seemed to rattle the selectors who played him in defence in round 4 and 5 , while he played a mixture of mid/defence in round 6.

 

[owen87]

McGrath played the first three games in the midfield - Was particularly good when he quelled B.Hill in round 2, but then got cut up by Hunter in round 3 - This seemed to rattle the selectors who played him in defence in round 4 and 5 , while he played a mixture of mid/defence in round 6.

McKenna also being suspended might have had some impact on that one.