Traded #10: Aaron Francis - Traded to Sydney w. Pick 42 + Future fourth rounder for Pick 37. Thanks Frang!

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2022
Injury Status: n/a

My Boy Draft 2022: Pick 29, Mr Bultitude

 

[CBombers17]

Without inside knowledge these things usually leak, Daniher being a lazy trainer has been out there for years. Francis has had a rough run with injuries and isn't a natural endurance guy so it's always a challenge for him without continuity.

Round 1 is going to make players look worse than they are, he's never going to be a guy who runs 15km a game, but we've seen he's capable enough of playing at AFL level. Having no true KPD down there, getting hammered with i50s in the second half, and the round 1 factor means I wouldn't read too much in to it though.

They've clearly made a change to draft guys that already have the running power now, given all of Cox, Reid, Perkins & Eyre have good-elite tanks (also 2020 meant no games so they could work on it all year) but lack of continuty through pre-seasons is a big issue for young players.

Wanting to train hard, and having a body that can do the work load, are two different things. It's usually a couple of pre-seasons for guys with clear runs to build up to doing 100% of the work.

Was Daniher actually a lazy trainer? I thought he was just undisciplined off the track?

The mind dictates these outcomes more than the bodies capability. If Jobe had soft tissue injuries it was probably down to not being fit enough (i don't recall him being a natural endurance beast). Once he put in and got super fit everything turned around for him.

I good mate i played with was invited to do our 92/93 preseason (great time to be the club and yes he is an Essendon supporter). I asked after the preseason how Hirdy trained (we are all from Canberra) and he said he is ridiculous. First at training and still pumping out laps when everyone else was done. His body broke down plenty before and after that preseason but he was what he became because of his mind.

I can't help but think that Francis has untapped potential but perhaps no standout poor behaviours. Only those who are inside would really know (the feedback i was looking for here).

 

[Howard Moon]

If he wasn't a top ten pick you wouldn't bob up here every week for a pop at him.

Not sure that's totally accurate, I believe I've gone a few concurrent weeks sans a pop, was the offseason however

 

[owen87]

Was Daniher actually a lazy trainer? I thought he was just undisciplined off the track?

The mind dictates these outcomes more than the bodies capability. If Jobe had soft tissue injuries it was probably down to not being fit enough (i don't recall him being a natural endurance beast). Once he put in and got super fit everything turned around for him.

I good mate i played with was invited to do our 92/93 preseason (great time to be the club and yes he is an Essendon supporter). I asked after the preseason how Hirdy trained (we are all from Canberra) and he said he is ridiculous. First at training and still pumping out laps when everyone else was done. His body broke down plenty before and after that preseason but he was what he became because of his mind.

I can't help but think that Francis has untapped potential but perhaps no standout poor behaviours. Only those who are inside would really know (the feedback i was looking for here).

Goddard's commentary would suggest that JD was happy to do 80% of the job. He'd show up at training, do the fun stuff. When it came to boring rehab though, he wasn't keen on it.

I'm sure Francis isn't in the category of a Reiwoldt or Harvey who would train themselves in to the ground, but most players aren't in that category. Having multiple interruptions would mean having to go through a very slow build up though, over a few pre-seasons the way they nurse new draftees. It's not simply turn up and work like an animal type stuff for a guy that's seemingly injury prone.

I'd say he trains 'fine' without being obviously lazy, or obviously an animal. Most AFL players would fall in to that category though.

I'd give him a few weeks, and see how the defensive unit starts to work as a whole, before we write him off as being unfit.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

We need to just play Franga and allow him to back himself. Give him a stretch of games to build confidence. You can tell he just needs to rip one or two games apart to feel a part of it. At the moment he’s too timid and it’s anything but his natural game...

 

[JT_the_Man]

Should be playing as an interceptor rather than a key back. It’s clear he has the tools to be far more successful in that role.

 

[owen87]

We need to just play Franga and allow him to back himself. Give him a stretch of games to build confidence. You can tell he just needs to rip one or two games apart to feel a part of it. At the moment he’s too timid and it’s anything but his natural game...

His effort to come across and crash through Laverde and some Hawthorn guy to effect a spoil seemed pretty much the kind of thing we'd want to see him doing all the time.

 

[Kyptastic]

He's suffering with the absence of Hurley, Stewart and Ambrose and being asked to play outside his role. I think supporters need to cut him some slack, he's doing a lot of heavy lifting in the backline at the moment.

 

[brain taylor]

does this bloke secretly have extremely tiny feet? why's he always falling over?

 

[Here_we_come]

I’m just not seeing it with Francis. To me he seems to be a consistently unfit and mentally fragile player on the field. I’d trade him for whatever we could get for him and if there is no interest, delist.

 

[Cup_o_Jobe]

The bloke is being asked to play out of position to do a job for the team. He's being asked to do so without a pre-season preparing for the role, as it was largely thrust on to him by the injuries to Stewart, Ambrose and Hurley, and the need to swing Hooker forward. How anyone can judge him as "not being good enough" given that context is beyond me.

If he's ever given a clear shot at playing in his natural position, the one that he has shown he has all the tools to be elite in, even for just say 4-6 games, then we can judge whether he's good enough. Until then, I think we just be thankful he's willing to put his head down and guts it out in position and role wholly unfamiliar to him, for the good of the team (and clearly, he's doing enough there to still be preferred over the blokes in the magoos who actually play as KPDs, which is a worry for the BZTs of the world...)

 

[doug85]

It's 2029, we are still making excuses, he will get there, just needs to reach 100 games and settle into his game....the 7th coach change hasnt helped at all, not his fault. Once he builds a tank it'll come together.

If he wasn't a top ten pick he might have gone the way of Ariel , Jackson M and co by now.

And maybe that’s at the heart of the issue with our lack of success for two decades. Not ruthless enough with our list management.

So many list cloggers fester on our list for years before being cut. Zaharakis, TBC etc etc

 

[doug85]

If he wasn't a top ten pick you wouldn't bob up here every week for a pop at him.

Of course not, he’d be a far less valuable investment. By the same token he probably wouldn’t be staunchly defended if he was pick 47.

 

[doug85]

Harsh reality is that if you are not a self starter and need a bit of TLC this club is not the place for you. He needed to get drafted a couple of picks later by Adelaide who are notorious for structuring their whole defence around an unaccountable sweeper who can boss games.

He’d probably be an All Australian a couple of times over.

Isn’t that the case at any AFL club? Or most elite environments?

 

[katana]

If he's ever given a clear shot at playing in his natural position, the one that he has shown he has all the tools to be elite in, even for just say 4-6 games, then we can judge whether he's good enough.

that's all well and good except his "natural position" (yuck) is ridley's and will probably always be ridley's.

 

[Zach Package]

Isn’t that the case at any AFL club? Or most elite environments?

Most definitely, but some clubs are just flat out better at development than others and some guys are far more low maintenance.

Just looking at the top end of the 2015 draft Parish and Oliver make it anywhere because they find the footy for fun and have clamps for hands but Francis, Burton and Curnow had question marks about various things and probably needed to land in better situations and have a bit more luck to be successful.

Plenty of footy left for him though, not a baby but not far off it tbh.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

that's all well and good except his "natural position" (yuck) is ridley's and will probably always be ridley's.

Six defensive spots (well seven really, but anyway).

2x bigs
2x mediums
2x smalls

Job done.

Francis and Ridley can happily co exist.

 

[GUMBLETRON]

He doesn't even need to not play key position, just not on the most dangerous tall forward. That gives him licence to sag off, intercept and rebound more, impact other contests as the third man up and limits the damage of his occasional lapses - and in turn frees Ridley up more too.

 

[blitzer]

I can't believe all this 'natural position' crap. Just making up excuses for him. It ain't like we are playing him in the ruck. He's playing down back and yeah sure sometimes we force him to be accountable. Big deal.

 

[Lore]

I can't believe all this 'natural position' crap. Just making up excuses for him. It ain't like we are playing him in the ruck. He's playing down back and yeah sure sometimes we force him to be accountable. Big deal.

He might as well play in the ruck, since he's playing against blokes the size of ruckmen. If he cops Dixon this week that's 3", 15kg and 130 games of experience he's giving up before the game even starts. He's not likely to take a mark in a 1v1 against Dixon, unless he jumps on his head. He has to be able to zone off and intercept against that sort of opponent or he's wasted.

 

[yodellinhank]

Just needs to play against lesser opposition.

I remember he kicked it into a bloke standing next to him.

Zoning off and zoning out to win the premiership flag.

 

[Old man fletch]

does this bloke secretly have extremely tiny feet? why's he always falling over?

Yep, him and Walla

 

[Kyptastic]

I know Dixon kicked four and probably should have had more, but I thought Francis did ok on him. Can't recall him losing a 50/50 to Charlie and most of his shots on goal came from leads where Francis was being blocked or had no chance to stop him.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I know Dixon kicked four and probably should have had more, but I thought Francis did ok on him. Can't recall him losing a 50/50 to Charlie and most of his shots on goal came from leads where Francis was being blocked or had no chance to stop him.

Very tough for backmen when we’re getting smashed like that.

Plus he’s playing on yet another gorilla which isn’t his go.

Hard to blame too many of the defenders today.

 

[citizen-erased]

Add a quality FB and i don't mind the backline.
Ridley, Redman, Francis, Laverde, Hind + a player of Balta's make would be ideal. I hope one of Reid or Brand can do this.

 

[EnolaGay]

Aside from his slipping over, he's actually done OK in a position he's not really made for (taking the number 1 gorilla). Considering where he's come from fitness and mental health wise, he's holding it together. Whilst this season will be tough for him (until Bambrose and Stewart return), it could be the making of him.