AFL Player #15: Jayden Laverde

15 - laverde.jpg

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2025
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 7, Nuggs Bunny
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The ability to accumulate in the midfield isnt that important. Look at Richmond, more than half their midfield averaged 15 possessions or less.
Play Laverde in the guts as much as Lambert and Graham and he’d get similar numbers I have no doubt.

We have to start valuing roles rather than stats. If he can protect some of our boys it’s worth the experiment. Cause if we roll him out as a pseudo tall forward again it’ll just be wasting a spot for someone else.

Graham is a much better midfielder than Laverde will ever be. His numbers do not always look great as he is used as the blocker and does a lot of the grunt work. When he has been released from that role he can find a bit of the footy.
 

FlyingV

Club Legend
Aug 16, 2012
2,479
3,130
AFL Club
Essendon
So is this dude actually being groomed as a back pocket as some have suggested?
Seems a really average time to do that since he is the closest thing we have to a Stringer insurance policy. And to be honest we did show some really good signs forward last year from memory.
 
Apr 23, 2016
30,510
42,672
AFL Club
Essendon
So is this dude actually being groomed as a back pocket as some have suggested?
Seems a really average time to do that since he is the closest thing we have to a Stringer insurance policy. And to be honest we did show some really good signs forward last year from memory.

He'd play a HBF role if he was back I'd guess?

I'd think we've got 4 guys safely locked in to the F50;

Wright
Tipungwuti
Stringer (fitness concerns for R1 aside)
Snelling

Jones sounds like he'll get a chance, Perkins off a HFF, Smith off a HFF

Stewart NFI whether he'll play back or forward at this point.

So I can see why they might experiment with Laverde's role.

The other thing is, we're seeing a lot of the forwards training back, so I do wonder whether there's an intention for them to learn to play with a defence first mindset but play forward?
 

Towno78

Premiership Player
Nov 6, 2009
3,821
3,172
AFL Club
Essendon
So is this dude actually being groomed as a back pocket as some have suggested?
Seems a really average time to do that since he is the closest thing we have to a Stringer insurance policy. And to be honest we did show some really good signs forward last year from memory.
Meh, could easily play 3 tall forwards if Stringer is injured. Or Langford forward.

I liked the signs from him forward last year. But I think he could make an outstanding HBF. Keen to see what happens.
 

BrunoV

Brownlow Medallist
May 5, 2009
21,620
28,989
AFL Club
Essendon
Plays defence without a clue.

Spent the whole time looking for his opponent.

If plonking a player in the forward line and not expecting anything of him other than holding position is now a thing...
 
Good guy to have around if he’s genuinely capable of playing at both ends and playing above his height. He might be found wanting on reach but he’s built like a boulder.

2 years of standing under high balls while defenders careened into him while Daniher cowered in the stands set him up quite well for life in defence.
 
If he gets isolated in defense it is an issue but if we get the team defense structure right then it allows him to back himself and attack the footy coming in.
Anyone looking for us to play a one on one defender early doors will be disapointed.
 

NAB777

Club Legend
Jul 21, 2010
1,585
1,674
AFL Club
Essendon
If he gets isolated in defense it is an issue but if we get the team defense structure right then it allows him to back himself and attack the footy coming in.
Anyone looking for us to play a one on one defender early doors will be disapointed.

There's nothing scarier as a footballer being isolated in defence..

Well...plugging a hole in front of Lockett/Ablett probably was, but not so much these days.
 

BrunoV

Brownlow Medallist
May 5, 2009
21,620
28,989
AFL Club
Essendon
I only watched a replay so I got the benefit of not watching the game in the heat of the moment and just overcoming the shock of how comfortable Laverde looked in defence. It's just another in the long line of examples that demonstrate how much easier the game is in defence.

I think it was an encouraging display that could have been a good one but it was difficult to tell on TV. Rohan was off the chain in the first half and it seemed Laverde was his opponent for the lion's share of the half (though it also seemed that Rohan was benefitting from a mix-up between Laverde and Ridley not covering for each other properly). There is no doubt he lost Rohan a few times.

It's also difficult to know exactly what the instructions are when it comes to following a forward all the way to a wing. I know that Carlisle and Hooker used to just leave opponents at about the 50m arc because lung busting leading was not their thing (and, I assume, because they then get to have a go at intercepting the ball from their direct opponent who is not in a dangerous position).

Inside defensive 50 he seemed to be able to keep up with Rohan and made a couple of good spoils on hard leads. That was pleasing.

Some of his kicking has been underrated. He nailed 3 40m to 50m passes to Jones, Draper (it was the second of these passes in the first quarter) and then Ridley later in the game. I've noticed that when he is kicking the ball well a large portion of these kicks get marked by his team mates (whereas the norm for most players is that the kick is essentially for field position). His is not a classic action, the ball spin and trajectory are not pretty, but he actually weights the ball extremely well. If we persist with this experiment I expect him to become a very reliable user of the ball from half back.

It looks like he's going to get an early run in defence. It will be interesting to see how he goes. I'd prefer to see him finally get a run as a half forward but it looks like he's needed in defence and it should help the rest of his game to have to think through playing a bit more than his usual approach requires.
 
Last edited:
Back