Retired #18: Michael Hurley šŸ» - Staying on in a coaching and player welfare role! - 3/10

18 - Hurley.jpg

Contract Status: Retired
Last Game Played: Currently in the side
Injury Status: Comes back from injury to play his final game for the club this weekend - 18/8
2022
He's back! Playing a half in the VFL this weekend - 15/7
Joins main training in the next couple of weeks! - 15/6

Had a calf setback, now running again - 28/4

Wants to play a half in the VFL in the next couple of weeks - 30/3

Joined main training? - 3/3
Ahead of schedule, doing some big running loads - 16/2
Progressing well, R1 'too soon' to return, no time frame - 11/1
On track for playing return around Round 6 - 12/3

2021
Ahead of schedule, running soon - 15/12
Hip replacement surgery - 10/10
Placed on the inactive list, will not play in 2021 - 31/5
Hopes to play the last 6 weeks of the season if not sooner - 26/4
At the club daily doing 1-2 hours of exercise for recovery - 23/3
On the mend - 19/3
Apparently using the hot/cold pools at the club, progress? - 5/3
Limping on crutches with an IV at the preseason game - 25/2
Discharged, recuperating at home... again. No time frame on return - 17/2
Apparently back in hospital - 15/2
Discharged from hospital, recuperating at home. No timeframe - 9/2
In hospital with an infected leg - 4/2

My Boy Draft 2022: Claim here
 
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Nah. I doubt it. You canā€™t objectively say he is the best player in the competition in his position. Saad the only one in contention for a spot.

Hurley is right in contention to fill one of the three talls in defence for the AA team - Tall defenders have hardly been a stand out feature in 2019.
 
He got soundly beaten by an impressive Kennedy. All defenders have their bad days. Silvagni would get shat on regularly and made heaps of mistakes. Rance has been embarrassed many times in the past few years. But Kennedy was just too good. Hooker may have been a better matchup.

Think they got the initial match ups right - It was a case of Kennedy playing above his recent form and Hurley not matching his recent form - In saying that the move of Hurley and Ambrose could have been done earlier.
 
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Doesn't change the fact that he's had another moment where he should have touched it through for a point and was too slow a few times to get it on boot.

He's a good player, not a great player. He's being paid as a superstar and has a reputation that exceeds actual output. He does not have a standout attribute and he gets by on his competitiveness and experience. Not a great overhead mark, inconsistent defending key forwards and not a great kick and too slow to move it forward.

We already have a dour battler in Ambrose whose good at locking down key forwards. Hooker who is a great intercept mark and getting paid a huge amount also.

We somehow need to get games into BZT, Francis, Ridley. We've got Mitch Brown as a break glass in case of emergency type of guy on pretty much minimum coin. Our backline is not reliant on him to be effective. Hooker and Ambrose are the two keys at this stage.

The state of our list requires us to make some bold moves. Richmond would never have won a flag without losing Deledio and getting Prestia, Caddy, Nankervis. He was their best player at the time and they were a much better side when he left because they got more quality in.

We are too investing our players.... Hurley, Lucas, Stanton, etc, etc. All probably gone past their used by date at the club but kept on too long. Geelong is a great example. Bye bye, Chappy, Kelly, Enright, SJ, etc, etc and guess what, the rebuild is now complete again and challenging for flag.

Meanwhile at Essendon....

I understand your sentiments and what you are suggesting, but to say he has been poor is a little over the top. He would comfortably be in our top 10 B&F right now.
 

donlav99

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Needs a stint in the 2s. I know I will cop crap for this however. He cannot mark, he cannot kick, he cannot tackle, he cannot run, he cannot for god sakes put his arms up to man the mark whilst opposition is shooting for goal. He lacks desperation on the goal line and shys away from all contact altogether. His performance is glossed over by cheap uncontested 98/111 marks and sideways kicks. All he is good for is booting the ball as far as possible and making it somebody elseā€™s problem. Not to mention 6 tackles for the year. We gave him an overpriced long term deal and this is the end result. Rant over.

At the start of the year, i would have thought you were crazy... as ive watched him this year, i'm tending to agree with this.

His lackadaisical 45m kicks down the line and his up and under snaps from the slightest bit of pressure are doing my head in.
 
He has easily been one of our best performed players this year. One terrible game doesnā€™t change that.

The short memories here are off the charts.
I'd argue he's been one of our best over the past decade just quietly. Even Hirdy and Lloyd had bad games.
 

DapperJong

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Rezzzz

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This is not about last week. This has been on going for a good 2-3 years. In this stat basis business he has gotten away with it for far too long with uncontested marks and disposal. Just watch him manning the mark when someone is shooting for goal. He doesnā€™t even raise his arms. He cannot mark overhead, only uncontested cheapies. His kicking is terrible, either a wayward bomb down the line or sideways kicks and for the life of me I canā€™t remember the last time he tackled. Hurley was my favourite player before the saga but for a man on $800k, Iā€™m not sure if he is good enough to run around in the VFL in another side. He needs to go up forward to save his career just like he belted Hawthorn ten years ago. Some will say he canā€™t play up forward because he canā€™t mark or kick and his wrists are fckd, which is exactly my point.
 
He cannot mark overhead, only uncontested cheapies. His kicking is terrible,

Obviously havenā€™t watched much this year. His overhead marking has improved a lot last two seasons.
 
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This is not about last week. This has been on going for a good 2-3 years. In this stat basis business he has gotten away with it for far too long with uncontested marks and disposal. Just watch him manning the mark when someone is shooting for goal. He doesnā€™t even raise his arms. He cannot mark overhead, only uncontested cheapies. His kicking is terrible, either a wayward bomb down the line or sideways kicks and for the life of me I canā€™t remember the last time he tackled. Hurley was my favourite player before the saga but for a man on $800k, Iā€™m not sure if he is good enough to run around in the VFL in another side. He needs to go up forward to save his career just like he belted Hawthorn ten years ago. Some will say he canā€™t play up forward because he canā€™t mark or kick and his wrists are fckd, which is exactly my point.

The only time he struggles is when the back six is under constant pressure because his team mates up the field don't apply pressure.
 

DapperJong

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This is not about last week. This has been on going for a good 2-3 years. In this stat basis business he has gotten away with it for far too long with uncontested marks and disposal. Just watch him manning the mark when someone is shooting for goal. He doesnā€™t even raise his arms. He cannot mark overhead, only uncontested cheapies. His kicking is terrible, either a wayward bomb down the line or sideways kicks and for the life of me I canā€™t remember the last time he tackled. Hurley was my favourite player before the saga but for a man on $800k, Iā€™m not sure if he is good enough to run around in the VFL in another side. He needs to go up forward to save his career just like he belted Hawthorn ten years ago. Some will say he canā€™t play up forward because he canā€™t mark or kick and his wrists are fckd, which is exactly my point.

This is an absolute mess of a post, regardless of what you think Hurley.
 
Sep 22, 2011
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This is not about last week. This has been on going for a good 2-3 years. In this stat basis business he has gotten away with it for far too long with uncontested marks and disposal. Just watch him manning the mark when someone is shooting for goal. He doesnā€™t even raise his arms. He cannot mark overhead, only uncontested cheapies. His kicking is terrible, either a wayward bomb down the line or sideways kicks and for the life of me I canā€™t remember the last time he tackled. Hurley was my favourite player before the saga but for a man on $800k, Iā€™m not sure if he is good enough to run around in the VFL in another side. He needs to go up forward to save his career just like he belted Hawthorn ten years ago. Some will say he canā€™t play up forward because he canā€™t mark or kick and his wrists are fckd, which is exactly my point.

Bahahaha

A good two to three years. So since 2016-2017.

He was All Aust in 2017 mate. And in 2015. Both times the only key back in the side with Rance. And he didnā€™t play in 2016, in case youā€™ve forgotten. He was one of the very, very best in his position in the league, and he hasnā€™t lost a lot since.
 
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