Player Watch #18: Michael Hurley

Vander18

Club Legend
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
Posts
2,269
Likes
2,718
AFL Club
Essendon
Hurley has been elite this year. Rance has shown just as good ability to shut his opponents down consistently over the past 2 years and provides just as important rebound (except for gif above us) while having Troy Chaplin as his partner instead of Hooker or Carlisle, both of whom are far superior to Chaplin.
Fair enough....I disagree FWIW....think Hurley is far superior by foot (is one of the few totally dual sided players in the comp) and has held up even after we started conceding cricket scores. Chaplin is ordinary but the Tiges play much better team defence than us across the park which affords Rance more protection than Hooker or Carlisle can as individuals. Pressure on the ball carrier is the best protection for a key back.
 
Last edited:

(Log in to remove this ad.)

dnbassador

Club Legend
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Posts
2,452
Likes
3,613
Location
Bermuda Triangle
AFL Club
Essendon
Rance seems better but he always edges his players under the ball where Hurley goes one on one and not just beats his opponent destroys them with a dead eye kick out of the backline.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Sep 2, 2008
Posts
47,084
Likes
26,117
Location
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Rance seems better but he always edges his players under the ball where Hurley goes one on one and not just beats his opponent destroys them with a dead eye kick out of the backline.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's funny how Derm pointed this out reckon clubs will now make sure Rance doesn't edge players under the ball.
 
Joined
Jan 7, 2005
Posts
59,857
Likes
61,064
Location
Down the rabbit hole
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Fatebringer
Hurley has been elite this year. Rance has shown just as good ability to shut his opponents down consistently over the past 2 years and provides just as important rebound (except for gif above us) while having Troy Chaplin as his partner instead of Hooker or Carlisle, both of whom are far superior to Chaplin.
you rate a player on who plays next to him? Christ almighty....

Ask Jesse Hogan who's bretter
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

bombreys

Club Legend
Joined
May 8, 2015
Posts
1,516
Likes
977
AFL Club
Essendon
I think he's better than Rance for two reasons -

1) both Hurley and Rance catapult towards marking contests like mad men - but Rance goes the fist majority time. Hurley often takes a pack mark and we get the ball to set up out of defence as a result.
2) again, both like to run out of defence and create attack - but most of the time Rance just bombs the ball as far as he can to a contest. Hurley pin points blokes 55m away and hits them lace out.

I'm happier with Hurley at Essendon. Richmond fans would probably say the same about Rance.

Both guns.
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Posts
42,616
Likes
63,270
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Devon Shields **** Yes
Moderator #3,417
Rance is better at shutting somebody down.
Hurley is an elite counter attacker, 50m to the chest of a teammate off either foot, and can kick goals!
So Rance is just a good run of the mill negative defender whilst Hurley is not only that but better at creating as well because he also knows how to play forward.. is how I would put it.
 

ghostdog

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Oct 18, 2008
Posts
5,084
Likes
1,787
Location
gondawanaland
AFL Club
Essendon
So Rance is just a good run of the mill negative defender whilst Hurley is not only that but better at creating as well because he also knows how to play forward.. is how I would put it.
He's an elite field kick. Love it when he has some metres on his opponent because you just know he's going to make an excellent decision and anticipate the quality of the kick. He's been one of the few pleasures to watch this season. Congrats on AA Hurls!
 

kelvin_sheedy

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
Apr 30, 2006
Posts
12,081
Likes
6,440
Location
melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Must be just me but his field kicking has not been at an elite level. He has had some bad clangers. Backed up by stats which show to 5 effective disposals at our club.

Code:
Rank    Amount    Player
1    117 @ 85.5%    Jayden Laverde
2    212 @ 83 %    Mark Baguley
3    203 @ 81.8%    James Gwilt
4    466 @ 78.1%    Michael Hibberd
5    306 @ 77.5%    Marty Gleeson
He's been great in the one on ones.
 

Summer Nights

Very stable genius
Joined
Jul 11, 2010
Posts
6,419
Likes
4,511
Location
Click Clock Wood
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Celtics, Red Sox, Oilers
Rance is better at shutting somebody down.
Hurley is an elite counter attacker, 50m to the chest of a teammate off either foot, and can kick goals!
Who is Rance better at shutting down? Hurley is a better shut-down defender and a better field kick making fewer clangers.
 
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Posts
58,348
Likes
47,448
Location
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
LFC, Demons, Melb City, Bears
Must be just me but his field kicking has not been at an elite level. He has had some bad clangers. Backed up by stats which show to 5 effective disposals at our club.

Code:
Rank    Amount    Player
1    117 @ 85.5%    Jayden Laverde
2    212 @ 83 %    Mark Baguley
3    203 @ 81.8%    James Gwilt
4    466 @ 78.1%    Michael Hibberd
5    306 @ 77.5%    Marty Gleeson
He's been great in the one on ones.
Stats are fun. Because here's our top 10.

image.jpg


So if you take out the guys who haven't played many games (Steinberg, Pears, Hocking, Fantasia) he's ranked 6th. Which when you factor in the role he plays (frequent long bombs out of the 50) is absolutely fine. Also the very next person after Gleeson, which you just happened to omit.
 

Whispering_Jack

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Jan 10, 2013
Posts
9,528
Likes
11,947
Location
Essington
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Crystal Palace FC, Tomato Atheism
Stats are fun. Because here's our top 10.

View attachment 171764

So if you take out the guys who haven't played many games (Steinberg, Pears, Hocking, Fantasia) he's ranked 6th. Which when you factor in the role he plays (frequent long bombs out of the 50) is absolutely fine. Also the very next person after Gleeson, which you just happened to omit.
I think any long kick, even to a contest, is an effective kick...
 
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Posts
58,348
Likes
47,448
Location
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
LFC, Demons, Melb City, Bears
I think any long kick, even to a contest, is an effective kick...
I dunno how it's worked out. Champion Data are more secretive than the FBI.

Also I just enjoyed Kelvin's pathetic attempt to rubbish Hurley by showing him not in the top 5 for DE, when he's 6th.
 

kelvin_sheedy

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
Apr 30, 2006
Posts
12,081
Likes
6,440
Location
melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Stats are fun. Because here's our top 10.

View attachment 171764

So if you take out the guys who haven't played many games (Steinberg, Pears, Hocking, Fantasia) he's ranked 6th. Which when you factor in the role he plays (frequent long bombs out of the 50) is absolutely fine. Also the very next person after Gleeson, which you just happened to omit.
Considering a lot of his possessions are sideways chips in defence you'd expect his efficiency to be better than that. He can only have the tag elite kick out of defence when he clears up a few of his issues.
 
Top Bottom