AFL Player #15: Jayden Laverde

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2025
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 7, Nuggs Bunny

 

[andleanback]

Severely undersized. We desperately need Reid.

 

[eth-dog]

That bs I think. Laverde 193, Ridley is 195, zerk 195 and lobb 197. So ridley could have moved onto lobb if laverde truly was to small. We had a player kick 7 and didnt back zerk or ridley to make any difference. Zerk to taberner, ridley to lobb? laverder intercept play on the meduim. If zerk isnt rated to make the change I think we cut out losses and play reid for rest of the year. Did enough in the VFL to show signs of his class and maybe be the key defender we lack.

Lobb is 205...

 

[Yoda_]

May be a tad early but three years will be a killer for the list. Another Devon Smith

5

Devon Smith

Age

30

Ht

176cm

Wt

78kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.8

5star

K

11.1

4star

HB

7.8

5star

M

3.3

3star

T

5.3

5star

G

0.9

4star

D

16.3

4star

K

9.1

4star

HB

7.1

4star

M

2.3

2star

T

5.0

5star

G

0.6

4star

D

15.6

4star

K

9.2

4star

HB

6.4

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

4.0

5star

G

0.2

3star

re signed for two years error by list management.

Signed to the end of 2025 which means Cox (23), Reid (23), Brand/Eyre (22), McBride (24) will be stuck behind Lav for a key defender spot for the next few years.

Two years I could fathom but three for him was a bit of a reach imho.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Severely undersized. We desperately need Reid.

Reid probably isn't up to taking on mature KPFs just yet either tbh

 

[andleanback]

Reid probably isn't up to taking on mature KPFs just yet either tbh

I’m talking about we need Reid to become that guy, don’t expect him to be it straight away.

 

[eth-dog]

Reid probably isn't up to taking on mature KPFs just yet either tbh

Might as well blood him though.

 

[nipst@r]

Lav should be the third KPD.

We need to develop Cox & Reid to be the key pillars in defence.

I think ideally our backline is Reid, ridley, laverde, mcgrath, Kelly?, redman. Cox? Im not sure he's best position but I think throw him around a bit like we did paddy ryder? Reminds of skinny, skilful athlete we dont know what to do with yet. Ryder had some rough nights as a chb but it helped turn him into a pretty good footy player. Cox wont be a ruckman but bit of time at chb might turn him into a real weapon elsewhere in time.

 

[nipst@r]

I’m talking about we need Reid to become that guy, don’t expect him to be it straight away.

And zerk or stewart arent that guy atm either.

Lobb is 205...

My bad. Zerk and Ridley are the same height though so still could have made the change, id say ridley is more athletic and would have done alright.

 

[ghostdog]

They’re not ready that’s why they’re in the seconds. Where were you last season when he was having a good year? Name the seven who should be picked in front of him?

Who did we have developed and ready to step into the role post Hooker and Hurley? None that I can account for.

 

[AnGus BurgerFries]

Signed to the end of 2025 which means Cox (23), Reid (23), Brand/Eyre (22), McBride (24) will be stuck behind Lav for a key defender spot for the next few years.

Two years I could fathom but three for him was a bit of a reach imho.

Reid is the next great white hope, hope he is fit soon. Brand and Eyre have yet to show enough to warrant any seniors discussion (hardly their fault at this point) and McBride has shown he could be amazing and/or a bag of spuds. Has cox played a minute of proper backline at the club yet? None of them are stuck anywhere atm.

If in the second/third year Lav is depth, that's great news for the club. Wouldn't be on huge coin?

 

[Yoda_]

Reid is the next great white hope, hope he is fit soon. Brand and Eyre have yet to show enough to warrant any seniors discussion (hardly their fault at this point) and McBride has shown he could be amazing and/or a bag of spuds. Has cox played a minute of proper backline at the club yet? None of them are stuck anywhere atm.

If in the second/third year Lav is depth, that's great news for the club. Wouldn't be on huge coin?

Hopefully that front loaded contract is on the money (full pun intended) and Lav isn't a lock for a KPD spot in 2025.

 

[Schnitzengruben]

One of his poorer games for the club.

 

[brutus76]

Not a defender

 

[Donakebab]

Fair shake, the bloke is undersized playing on a mountain and our s**t trucks up the field gave him no help whatsoever. Rough to blame the defenders.

 

[Loonerty]

Not a defender

How the * is this opinion becoming prevalent lmao.

 

[mike14]

Didn't have a great day, but all our defenders were on a hiding to nothing with the lack of support/pressure coming from up the field. He's undersized to play on the really big guys, but is good for the 2nd tall forward if we can limit supply in some way.

Despite him not being great, we are missing Stewart more than people would like to admit

 

[bacon buster]

Barely the remotest concern with our side at the moment. He’s been more than serviceable holding down a key position when our pressure up the field is AFL standard

 

[TheGrizz]

Not a defender

Lolwut

Did you just completely forget last year?

 

[Lore]

Seems the Dons on Radio catch-up podcast thing has a different stream this year. Few interviews from last week that I hadn't seen.

Laverde on SEN.


Talks about what it's like to play undersized, and the craft he has to use to play to his strengths. Example was Daniher the other week who he can't compete with in the air so he'd try to work him under the ball a bit more.

 

[bacon buster]

This thread has gone stupid. Does anyone know how tall Stephen May is? Jeremy McGovern

20

Jeremy Mcgovern

Age

32

Ht

197cm

Wt

97kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.7

4star

K

10.1

4star

HB

4.6

3star

M

6.8

5star

T

1.5

3star

MG

238.7

4star

D

12.4

3star

K

8.6

3star

HB

3.8

3star

M

6.4

5star

T

2.0

3star

MG

183.4

3star

D

11.0

3star

K

8.8

4star

HB

2.2

2star

M

7.2

5star

T

1.4

4star

? You don’t need to be 205cm tall to play well on a 205cm tall forward

You do, however, need AFL standard pressure up the field. We don’t have that at the moment. You could play whoever you wanted at FB at the moment and it would be a struggle for them.

 

[nipst@r]

This thread has gone stupid. Does anyone know how tall Stephen May is? Jeremy McGovern? You don’t need to be 205cm tall to play well on a 205cm tall forward

You do, however, need AFL standard pressure up the field. We don’t have that at the moment. You could play whoever you wanted at FB at the moment and it would be a struggle for them.

I think was hung out to dry by coaching staff and midfield on the weekend. He had a bad day/game but keeping him on Taberner was unfair and bad coaching. We had Ridley, zerk or even cox who should have been given a crack. Had a good year last year and hasn't been our worst this year.

 

[BrunoV]

This thread has gone stupid. Does anyone know how tall Stephen May is? Jeremy McGovern? You don’t need to be 205cm tall to play well on a 205cm tall forward

You do, however, need AFL standard pressure up the field. We don’t have that at the moment. You could play whoever you wanted at FB at the moment and it would be a struggle for them.

True.

However, May is massive man when you combine his 193cm with shoulders that look 1m wide and a big barrel chest. McGovern is the same. They're different beasts.

At 191cm, at the absolute most, he's not 193cm, Laverde is a conventional flanker sized player with explosive power that enables him to play tall.

For what its worth, May would not have done anything against Taberner on those leads. McGovern wouldn't even have tried (and would probably be plugging the hole from the front).

 

[ant555]

True.

However, May is massive man when you combine his 193cm with shoulders that look 1m wide and a big barrel chest. McGovern is the same. They're different beasts.

At 191cm, at the absolute most, he's not 193cm, Laverde is a conventional flanker sized player with explosive power that enables him to play tall.

For what its worth, May would not have done anything against Taberner on those leads. McGovern wouldn't even have tried (and would probably be plugging the hole from the front).

The total lack of pressure we put on them through the middle it would have taken a hybrid Fletcher / Scarlett / Silvangi to have kept him to 3 goals.

 

[Lore]

Subbed out due to a knee issue, no structural damage, test for this week

Defender Jayden Laverde

15

Jayden Laverde

Age

28

Ht

193cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.8

3star

K

6.3

2star

HB

5.4

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.8

4star

MG

152.8

2star

D

8.8

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

3.8

3star

M

3.3

3star

T

2.5

3star

MG

116.5

2star

D

11.2

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

5.8

4star

M

3.2

4star

T

3.6

5star

MG

141.2

3star

is giving himself every chance to be available for Sunday’s crunch game against the Western Bulldogs.

Laverde suffered a knock to his knee early in the Dons’ Anzac Day clash, which forced the 26-year-old to be subbed out of the game at three-quarter time.

Head of high performance Sean Murphy said Laverde was a test, but the early signs were promising for the highly valued defender to take his place in the best 22.

“‘Jaydos’ (Laverde) copped that heavy knock to the knee,” Murphy told Essendon’s Liberty Financial Performance Update.

“It got worse across the game and we subbed him out. He came in today still pretty swollen and sore, but he was cleared of any structural damage which was pleasing.

“He’ll be a test for this week, but all things are looking pretty positive.”

Injury news: Laverde a test, Hurley building after minor setback

The latest on Jayden Laverde, Michael Hurley, Harrison Jones and Tex Wanganeen.

www.essendonfc.com.au

 

[owen87]

True.

However, May is massive man when you combine his 193cm with shoulders that look 1m wide and a big barrel chest. McGovern is the same. They're different beasts.

At 191cm, at the absolute most, he's not 193cm, Laverde is a conventional flanker sized player with explosive power that enables him to play tall.

For what its worth, May would not have done anything against Taberner on those leads. McGovern wouldn't even have tried (and would probably be plugging the hole from the front).

I would 100% have not said May was 'only' 193cm if I hadn't read this, he looks significantly larger on-field than that.