Team Mgmt. 2018 Best 22

[Jade]

Our list depth is beginning to get that look about it...

That look of a team up the pointy end who 'cant fit em all in' and other teams come in to poach promising more opportunities

Now's when your buy in culture needs to kick in.

 

[Jade]

It is exceedingly difficult to do a best 22 at the moment, great place to be in.

I remember doing one ~2011 and finding myself putting players in to it that I didn't particularly rate, but they filled a positional need.

Now, I'm looking at players I've left out, convinced that I have to somehow find a spot for them because they can't possibly be outside the best 22...

 

[Jade]

I doubt we'll see much of the first, second and even third year players from now unless they are exceptional.

Precisely.

I really rate guys such as Begley, Ridley - but the reality is they will struggle to push players out of the seniors.

One exception, I think Kobe Mutch is a red hot chance to be playing seniors for most of the year.

 

[Jade]

#2018Best22yaco

 

[eDPS]

#2018Best22yaco

Where is your best 22 Jado

 

[Jade]

Where is your best 22 Jado

Geez, changes daily I reckon.

Here's today's crack at it:

FB: Gleeson - Ambrose -Baguley
HB: McKenna - Hurley - Saad
MI: Merrett - Parish -McGrath
RU: Bellchambers - Heppell - Zaharakis
HF: Stringer - Daniher - Smith
FF: Walla - Hooker - Fantasia
Int: Langford - Stewart - Goddard - Laverde

Which means I've left out:

Colyer, Myers, Dea, Hartley, Brown, Leuenberger, Begley, Mutch, Ridley, Green, Francis, Guelfi...

What a position to be in.

 

[revival_mode]

Geez, changes daily I reckon.

Here's today's crack at it:

FB: Gleeson - Ambrose -Baguley
HB: McKenna - Hurley - Saad
MI: Merrett - Parish -McGrath
RU: Bellchambers - Heppell - Zaharakis
HF: Stringer - Daniher - Smith
FF: Walla - Hooker - Fantasia
Int: Langford - Stewart - Goddard - Laverde

Which means I've left out:

Colyer, Myers, Dea, Hartley, Brown, Leuenberger, Begley, Mutch, Ridley, Green, Francis, Guelfi...

What a position to be in.

yeah this pretty much exactly what i would have put down. looking bloody good imo

 

[bombreys]

Precisely.

I really rate guys such as Begley, Ridley - but the reality is they will struggle to push players out of the seniors.

One exception, I think Kobe Mutch is a red hot chance to be playing seniors for most of the year.

I personally think, at least to start the season, that Begley should be in the side ahead of both Laverde and Langford.

He was really made to earn his spot last year and looked to work a fair bit harder than Lav/Langers.

 

[eDPS]

I personally think, at least to start the season, that Begley should be in the side ahead of both Laverde and Langford.

He was really made to earn his spot last year and looked to work a fair bit harder than Lav/Langers.

Laverde worked extremely hard to even get back when he did after his injury and Langford was playing as a midfielder which is why Begley as a forward got first dibs. To say Langford and Laverde didn't work hard seems rather insulting.

 

[Charlie Payne]

That forwardline looks very strong, my only issue with your assessment is Ambrose, we look better when he is in the side and before his injury he was our best defender so for mine he is in the starting 22.

Indeed. But for whom as he is not the quickest guy around! And Hartley is a sensational kick/pass and great ball killer with his punching it often 30m our way. If the reports about Francis coming back super fit and cut are true, these are the only 2 that could be displaced. Or maybe Greeny on the bench but his pressure up forward is top class.

Glad I am not a selector.

 

[Bombermania]

Indeed. But for whom as he is not the quickest guy around! And Hartley is a sensational kick/pass and great ball killer with his punching it often 30m our way. If the reports about Francis coming back super fit and cut are true, these are the only 2 that could be displaced. Or maybe Greeny on the bench but his pressure up forward is top class.

Glad I am not a selector.

Out of Hurley, Hartley, Ambrose, Francis, Glesson, Saad & McKenna, I think it might be Glesson that misses out unless Saad, McKenna or even Francis move up to the wing.

Like you I'm glad I'm not a selector

 

[eth-dog]

Out of Hurley, Hartley, Ambrose, Francis, Glesson, Saad & McKenna, I think it might be Glesson that misses out unless Saad, McKenna or even Francis move up to the wing.

Like you I'm glad I'm not a selector

You do realize most teams select 7 defenders in a team, right? Gleeson was also best afield in our last match.

 

[Bombermania]

You do realize most teams select 7 defenders in a team, right? Gleeson was also best afield in our last match.

I differently like having Glesson in the side.

 

[JayDon]

Based on aerobic capacity and strength/size, could Ambrose get a run in the middle?
Big bodied and can stop big players. Just a thought.
Plenty of defenders...maybe?

 

[onthemove77]

Based on aerobic capacity and strength/size, could Ambrose get a run in the middle?
Big bodied and can stop big players. Just a thought.
Plenty of defenders...maybe?

ambrose doesn't have the ability to play midfield jaydon, could possibly play a shut down role / tagging, but I don't think it will happen, he's similar to Langford has great aerobic capacity but not a genuine mid

 

[Bomberbuzz1]

We must play 7 defenders while McGrath, Goddard and if required Hooker also rolling through defence.
I'd choose Hurley Hartley Ambrose Gleeson Saad McKenna and a toss up for multiple reasons either Baguely or Francis.
Not sure if Mutch could play off half back but I think a youngster (Redman or Ridley) could steal a few games playing out of defence.
I also think 3 of Hartley, Hurley, Ambrose or Francis will always play. Mostly due to midfield(entries allowed).

We must play 5 forwards, Daniher Hooker Stewart Fantasia and Walla are my first 5 choice forwards. Which leads to 10 players mid/forward positions with one being Bellchambers as ruck. My expectations in order for the leftover 9 spots: Heppell Zerrett Zaharakis Goddard Stringer Smith McGrath Parish.
I can't choose on the last spot, Langford Begley Laverde Myers Mutch Colyer?

 

[eth-dog]

Based on aerobic capacity and strength/size, could Ambrose get a run in the middle?
Big bodied and can stop big players. Just a thought.
Plenty of defenders...maybe?

I'd love it if it were possible but simply doesn't have the footy nous.

 

[calyam]

Based on aerobic capacity and strength/size, could Ambrose get a run in the middle?
Big bodied and can stop big players. Just a thought.
Plenty of defenders...maybe?

The traditional tagger role seems to have disappeared. Particularly the tagger who isn't also damaging.

If it was 10 years ago then Ambrose could absolutely play a shutdown role on a big-bodied midfielder. But he is a very ordinary offensive player. If you stuck him in the midfield he'd still struggle to find much of the ball and offensively it'd be like playing a man down.

 

[yaco55]

My take is that we need around 3 players from that group of 1st to 4th years to be best 22 players by the end of 2018 if we are to be serious contenders.

 

[Mad Bomber Sean]

Geez, changes daily I reckon.

Here's today's crack at it:

FB: Gleeson - Ambrose -Baguley
HB: McKenna - Hurley - Saad
MI: Merrett - Parish -McGrath
RU: Bellchambers - Heppell - Zaharakis
HF: Stringer - Daniher - Smith
FF: Walla - Hooker - Fantasia
Int: Langford - Stewart - Goddard - Laverde

Which means I've left out:

Colyer, Myers, Dea, Hartley, Brown, Leuenberger, Begley, Mutch, Ridley, Green, Francis, Guelfi...

What a position to be in.

I like your side Jade, however I would prefer Begley is in the side ahead of Laverde & Langford and by a country mile..

These two have had the fortune of playing an extra two years in lesser Bomber sides and have been to be frank underwhelming and vastly less convincing than Begley has been in a short time.

I feel that Begley although two years younger with his fierce appetite for the contest, his sure hands, agility, natural aggression, size & hunger ultimately make him honestly a much more convincing player than either of Langford or Laverde. The pressure of AFL hasn’t seemed to effect his game the way it has Langford & Laverde. Maybe he is just exceptional.


Begleys foot skills IMO are up there with the best in our team. His field kicking sublime and his goal kicking very good. You can expect he kicks at least a goal or two for us every game if he plays across half forward. Whilst I don’t mind Langford’s kicking, Lav’s kicking I remember to be less accurate this season and often rushed. I would prefer he actually pass the ball rather than shoot for goal. Lav will used to be an excellent kick in his TAC days on both sides. I hope he discovers this kicking again.


This was massively evident when he exploded onto the TAC scene consistently kicking bags of goals. (16 in first 4 games ) - He kicked 27 goals over 15 games and set up many others - he also played about half these games predominantly as a pure mid.

Working extremely hard on his running game - a knock on him early, he has run and run and run for the past few years. Blessed by few injuries he has managed to lose a bit of weight. His fitness levels are probably similar to the other guys, perhaps Langford is a little ahead in this area but only marginally.

Laverde still needs to convince me he belongs at AFL level. He has the body, but his confidence is so lacking which is huge contrast to his TAC days. I am yet to see him impose himself and show me that he should be there.

It’s a mental game for sure. I feel like he probably has the talent. Perhaps he needs to find one role & stick to it.

He’s almost the opposite to Gleeson who lacks the body but not the confidence. Gleeson often courageously throws himself at the ball in contests, backing himself against the bigger opponent and often winning out. Lav should back himself more and show us what he can do or risk becoming just another unwhelming flanker who is in & out of the side.

I hope he gets a stretch of games towards the back end of the season
but he needs to earn them.

Once he 200% over his injury i see his best position as a wingman or high forward half forward.

The problem is that he can’t break into our fwd line even if Hooker plays in defence with Stringer & Begley ( rotate both through middle & fwd ) and Langford & Stewart across Hf ahead of him. Perhaps the wing is his spot.

To me he doesn’t have the required aggression or thirst to be an extractor plus he is of uncertain quality below the knees imo.

Langford seems a odd midfielder. I personally reckon he should use his natural marking ability and focus on his kicking game to become a Blake Caravelle clone. Blake Carracella was a gun. Kyle was one of the best marks in the TAC averaging about 8ish marks per game! Get your kicking right and he can become a very serviceable player. That’s where I would play him.

Not enough aggression to be a top flight mid for me. That said he has surprised me with some of the things he has done on the footy field. If he can harden up some more he should command a spot every week


Back to Begley.


With the retirement of Watson, Hocking, Bird Howlett etc we are dependent on Myers & Heppell and an ageing Goddard for first possession. Myers is ok but slow and injury prone. Heppell, well he is the Captain and Goddard is needed across the backline to direct play.
In any case these guys need help.

Essendon needs midfielders with a penchant for the contest and a body that can stand up to the weight of pack.

Begley and Stringer are the ones to most likely to fill these roles. Debate here is not Stringer but Begley and why he is sensibly ahead of Laverde and Langford.

With his fitness growing Begley seems like a Christian Petracca type a natural explosive midfielder with his size, tree trucks legs & his weight. When he played in the TAC in the middle - bustling work around the stoppages was his forte.
Winning the first possession and dishing it off to a team mate or busting the pack open and bursting out into the open with ball in hand. His one step kicking is also very impressive from the pack.This is his future he is built for it.

So it’s pretty transparent I rank Begley ahead of Langford & Laverde. But I would also prefer by mid season to see Francis in the side over Gleeson. Or perhaps Gleeson and play in Bagleys position? Not sure about that.
Finally This is either going to be Goddards last or 2nd last year at this level. . before the season’s over, given I expect he will take a few games off similar to other older players - rested in two/ three game blocks ( at most ) to provide an opportunity for a Ridley or Mutch to step up. Or allow Lavervde to step in. He is supposed to be a Goddard clone in a versatility sense anyway so it might work well. This would be a great way to manage the list.

 

[Jade]

I like your side Jade, however I would prefer Begley is in the side ahead of Laverde & Langford and by a country mile..

These two have had the fortune of playing an extra two years in lesser Bomber sides and have been to be frank underwhelming and vastly less convincing than Begley has been in a short time.

I feel that Begley although two years younger with his fierce appetite for the contest, his sure hands, agility, natural aggression, size & hunger ultimately make him honestly a much more convincing player than either of Langford or Laverde. The pressure of AFL hasn’t seemed to effect his game the way it has Langford & Laverde. Maybe he is just exceptional.


Begleys foot skills IMO are up there with the best in our team. His field kicking sublime and his goal kicking very good. You can expect he kicks at least a goal or two for us every game if he plays across half forward. Whilst I don’t mind Langford’s kicking, Lav’s kicking I remember to be less accurate this season and often rushed. I would prefer he actually pass the ball rather than shoot for goal. Lav will used to be an excellent kick in his TAC days on both sides. I hope he discovers this kicking again.


This was massively evident when he exploded onto the TAC scene consistently kicking bags of goals. (16 in first 4 games ) - He kicked 27 goals over 15 games and set up many others - he also played about half these games predominantly as a pure mid.

Working extremely hard on his running game - a knock on him early, he has run and run and run for the past few years. Blessed by few injuries he has managed to lose a bit of weight. His fitness levels are probably similar to the other guys, perhaps Langford is a little ahead in this area but only marginally.

Laverde still needs to convince me he belongs at AFL level. He has the body, but his confidence is so lacking which is huge contrast to his TAC days. I am yet to see him impose himself and show me that he should be there.

It’s a mental game for sure. I feel like he probably has the talent. Perhaps he needs to find one role & stick to it.

He’s almost the opposite to Gleeson who lacks the body but not the confidence. Gleeson often courageously throws himself at the ball in contests, backing himself against the bigger opponent and often winning out. Lav should back himself more and show us what he can do or risk becoming just another unwhelming flanker who is in & out of the side.

I hope he gets a stretch of games towards the back end of the season
but he needs to earn them.

Once he 200% over his injury i see his best position as a wingman or high forward half forward.

The problem is that he can’t break into our fwd line even if Hooker plays in defence with Stringer & Begley ( rotate both through middle & fwd ) and Langford & Stewart across Hf ahead of him. Perhaps the wing is his spot.

To me he doesn’t have the required aggression or thirst to be an extractor plus he is of uncertain quality below the knees imo.

Langford seems a odd midfielder. I personally reckon he should use his natural marking ability and focus on his kicking game to become a Blake Caravelle clone. Blake Carracella was a gun. Kyle was one of the best marks in the TAC averaging about 8ish marks per game! Get your kicking right and he can become a very serviceable player. That’s where I would play him.

Not enough aggression to be a top flight mid for me. That said he has surprised me with some of the things he has done on the footy field. If he can harden up some more he should command a spot every week


Back to Begley.


With the retirement of Watson, Hocking, Bird Howlett etc we are dependent on Myers & Heppell and an ageing Goddard for first possession. Myers is ok but slow and injury prone. Heppell, well he is the Captain and Goddard is needed across the backline to direct play.
In any case these guys need help.

Essendon needs midfielders with a penchant for the contest and a body that can stand up to the weight of pack.

Begley and Stringer are the ones to most likely to fill these roles. Debate here is not Stringer but Begley and why he is sensibly ahead of Laverde and Langford.

With his fitness growing Begley seems like a Christian Petracca type a natural explosive midfielder with his size, tree trucks legs & his weight. When he played in the TAC in the middle - bustling work around the stoppages was his forte.
Winning the first possession and dishing it off to a team mate or busting the pack open and bursting out into the open with ball in hand. His one step kicking is also very impressive from the pack.This is his future he is built for it.

So it’s pretty transparent I rank Begley ahead of Langford & Laverde. But I would also prefer by mid season to see Francis in the side over Gleeson. Or perhaps Gleeson and play in Bagleys position? Not sure about that.
Finally This is either going to be Goddards last or 2nd last year at this level. . before the season’s over, given I expect he will take a few games off similar to other older players - rested in two/ three game blocks ( at most ) to provide an opportunity for a Ridley or Mutch to step up. Or allow Lavervde to step in. He is supposed to be a Goddard clone in a versatility sense anyway so it might work well. This would be a great way to manage the list.

I love you, Mad Bomber Sean

 

[Charlie Payne]

I like your side Jade, however I would prefer Begley is in the side ahead of Laverde & Langford and by a country mile..

These two have had the fortune of playing an extra two years in lesser Bomber sides and have been to be frank underwhelming and vastly less convincing than Begley has been in a short time.

I feel that Begley although two years younger with his fierce appetite for the contest, his sure hands, agility, natural aggression, size & hunger ultimately make him honestly a much more convincing player than either of Langford or Laverde. The pressure of AFL hasn’t seemed to effect his game the way it has Langford & Laverde. Maybe he is just exceptional.


Begleys foot skills IMO are up there with the best in our team. His field kicking sublime and his goal kicking very good. You can expect he kicks at least a goal or two for us every game if he plays across half forward. Whilst I don’t mind Langford’s kicking, Lav’s kicking I remember to be less accurate this season and often rushed. I would prefer he actually pass the ball rather than shoot for goal. Lav will used to be an excellent kick in his TAC days on both sides. I hope he discovers this kicking again.


This was massively evident when he exploded onto the TAC scene consistently kicking bags of goals. (16 in first 4 games ) - He kicked 27 goals over 15 games and set up many others - he also played about half these games predominantly as a pure mid.

Working extremely hard on his running game - a knock on him early, he has run and run and run for the past few years. Blessed by few injuries he has managed to lose a bit of weight. His fitness levels are probably similar to the other guys, perhaps Langford is a little ahead in this area but only marginally.

Laverde still needs to convince me he belongs at AFL level. He has the body, but his confidence is so lacking which is huge contrast to his TAC days. I am yet to see him impose himself and show me that he should be there.

It’s a mental game for sure. I feel like he probably has the talent. Perhaps he needs to find one role & stick to it.

He’s almost the opposite to Gleeson who lacks the body but not the confidence. Gleeson often courageously throws himself at the ball in contests, backing himself against the bigger opponent and often winning out. Lav should back himself more and show us what he can do or risk becoming just another unwhelming flanker who is in & out of the side.

I hope he gets a stretch of games towards the back end of the season
but he needs to earn them.

Once he 200% over his injury i see his best position as a wingman or high forward half forward.

The problem is that he can’t break into our fwd line even if Hooker plays in defence with Stringer & Begley ( rotate both through middle & fwd ) and Langford & Stewart across Hf ahead of him. Perhaps the wing is his spot.

To me he doesn’t have the required aggression or thirst to be an extractor plus he is of uncertain quality below the knees imo.

Langford seems a odd midfielder. I personally reckon he should use his natural marking ability and focus on his kicking game to become a Blake Caravelle clone. Blake Carracella was a gun. Kyle was one of the best marks in the TAC averaging about 8ish marks per game! Get your kicking right and he can become a very serviceable player. That’s where I would play him.

Not enough aggression to be a top flight mid for me. That said he has surprised me with some of the things he has done on the footy field. If he can harden up some more he should command a spot every week


Back to Begley.


With the retirement of Watson, Hocking, Bird Howlett etc we are dependent on Myers & Heppell and an ageing Goddard for first possession. Myers is ok but slow and injury prone. Heppell, well he is the Captain and Goddard is needed across the backline to direct play.
In any case these guys need help.

Essendon needs midfielders with a penchant for the contest and a body that can stand up to the weight of pack.

Begley and Stringer are the ones to most likely to fill these roles. Debate here is not Stringer but Begley and why he is sensibly ahead of Laverde and Langford.

With his fitness growing Begley seems like a Christian Petracca type a natural explosive midfielder with his size, tree trucks legs & his weight. When he played in the TAC in the middle - bustling work around the stoppages was his forte.
Winning the first possession and dishing it off to a team mate or busting the pack open and bursting out into the open with ball in hand. His one step kicking is also very impressive from the pack.This is his future he is built for it.

So it’s pretty transparent I rank Begley ahead of Langford & Laverde. But I would also prefer by mid season to see Francis in the side over Gleeson. Or perhaps Gleeson and play in Bagleys position? Not sure about that.
Finally This is either going to be Goddards last or 2nd last year at this level. . before the season’s over, given I expect he will take a few games off similar to other older players - rested in two/ three game blocks ( at most ) to provide an opportunity for a Ridley or Mutch to step up. Or allow Lavervde to step in. He is supposed to be a Goddard clone in a versatility sense anyway so it might work well. This would be a great way to manage the list.

Brilliant article sir. ;-)

 

[eDPS]

I like your side Jade, however I would prefer Begley is in the side ahead of Laverde & Langford and by a country mile..

These two have had the fortune of playing an extra two years in lesser Bomber sides and have been to be frank underwhelming and vastly less convincing than Begley has been in a short time.

I feel that Begley although two years younger with his fierce appetite for the contest, his sure hands, agility, natural aggression, size & hunger ultimately make him honestly a much more convincing player than either of Langford or Laverde. The pressure of AFL hasn’t seemed to effect his game the way it has Langford & Laverde. Maybe he is just exceptional.


Begleys foot skills IMO are up there with the best in our team. His field kicking sublime and his goal kicking very good. You can expect he kicks at least a goal or two for us every game if he plays across half forward. Whilst I don’t mind Langford’s kicking, Lav’s kicking I remember to be less accurate this season and often rushed. I would prefer he actually pass the ball rather than shoot for goal. Lav will used to be an excellent kick in his TAC days on both sides. I hope he discovers this kicking again.


This was massively evident when he exploded onto the TAC scene consistently kicking bags of goals. (16 in first 4 games ) - He kicked 27 goals over 15 games and set up many others - he also played about half these games predominantly as a pure mid.

Working extremely hard on his running game - a knock on him early, he has run and run and run for the past few years. Blessed by few injuries he has managed to lose a bit of weight. His fitness levels are probably similar to the other guys, perhaps Langford is a little ahead in this area but only marginally.

Laverde still needs to convince me he belongs at AFL level. He has the body, but his confidence is so lacking which is huge contrast to his TAC days. I am yet to see him impose himself and show me that he should be there.

It’s a mental game for sure. I feel like he probably has the talent. Perhaps he needs to find one role & stick to it.

He’s almost the opposite to Gleeson who lacks the body but not the confidence. Gleeson often courageously throws himself at the ball in contests, backing himself against the bigger opponent and often winning out. Lav should back himself more and show us what he can do or risk becoming just another unwhelming flanker who is in & out of the side.

I hope he gets a stretch of games towards the back end of the season
but he needs to earn them.

Once he 200% over his injury i see his best position as a wingman or high forward half forward.

The problem is that he can’t break into our fwd line even if Hooker plays in defence with Stringer & Begley ( rotate both through middle & fwd ) and Langford & Stewart across Hf ahead of him. Perhaps the wing is his spot.

To me he doesn’t have the required aggression or thirst to be an extractor plus he is of uncertain quality below the knees imo.

Langford seems a odd midfielder. I personally reckon he should use his natural marking ability and focus on his kicking game to become a Blake Caravelle clone. Blake Carracella was a gun. Kyle was one of the best marks in the TAC averaging about 8ish marks per game! Get your kicking right and he can become a very serviceable player. That’s where I would play him.

Not enough aggression to be a top flight mid for me. That said he has surprised me with some of the things he has done on the footy field. If he can harden up some more he should command a spot every week


Back to Begley.


With the retirement of Watson, Hocking, Bird Howlett etc we are dependent on Myers & Heppell and an ageing Goddard for first possession. Myers is ok but slow and injury prone. Heppell, well he is the Captain and Goddard is needed across the backline to direct play.
In any case these guys need help.

Essendon needs midfielders with a penchant for the contest and a body that can stand up to the weight of pack.

Begley and Stringer are the ones to most likely to fill these roles. Debate here is not Stringer but Begley and why he is sensibly ahead of Laverde and Langford.

With his fitness growing Begley seems like a Christian Petracca type a natural explosive midfielder with his size, tree trucks legs & his weight. When he played in the TAC in the middle - bustling work around the stoppages was his forte.
Winning the first possession and dishing it off to a team mate or busting the pack open and bursting out into the open with ball in hand. His one step kicking is also very impressive from the pack.This is his future he is built for it.

So it’s pretty transparent I rank Begley ahead of Langford & Laverde. But I would also prefer by mid season to see Francis in the side over Gleeson. Or perhaps Gleeson and play in Bagleys position? Not sure about that.
Finally This is either going to be Goddards last or 2nd last year at this level. . before the season’s over, given I expect he will take a few games off similar to other older players - rested in two/ three game blocks ( at most ) to provide an opportunity for a Ridley or Mutch to step up. Or allow Lavervde to step in. He is supposed to be a Goddard clone in a versatility sense anyway so it might work well. This would be a great way to manage the list.

That's all well and good and I rate Begley as much as anyone but your being extremely harsh on Laverde here, anyone would be underwhelming with the injuries he has had and I couldn't think of many young players performing as well a she did in his first few weeks back from injury. I think he was rushed to the senior side too early and if he had continued to play VFL im sure everyone would be screaming for him to be in the AFL side for 2018. In the VFL Laverde kicked 9 goals from 3 games, Begley doubled that with 5 times the amount of VFL games, to say Begley is comfortably ahead of him is just plain wrong imo.

 

[Mad Bomber Sean]

That's all well and good and I rate Begley as much as anyone but your being extremely harsh on Laverde here, anyone would be underwhelming with the injuries he has had and I couldn't think of many young players performing as well a she did in his first few weeks back from injury. I think he was rushed to the senior side too early and if he had continued to play VFL im sure everyone would be screaming for him to be in the AFL side for 2018. In the VFL Laverde kicked 9 goals from 3 games, Begley doubled that with 5 times the amount of VFL games, to say Begley is comfortably ahead of him is just plain wrong imo.

Sure am being harsh. I admit that. A gentle approach never won an afl flag though.

Lav will get his chance though.

The position I was arguing is why
Begley was in before Laverde or Langford in Jades team.

Not whether Laverde shouldn’t play AFL for Essendon.

After a long think I feel ultimately Begley is ahead of Laverde because Essendon primarily need what he can deliver as a bustling contested first posession mid more than what Lav can deliver as a half forward or utility at this stage.

Our recent drafting was very interesting ( we didn’t target bull midfielders ) and I took it as a nod to this idea.

I rate Laverde though - I honestly do. If his development continues he should be able to take Goddards spot in the next few years or take up a role on the wing which I think he should play for at least two years.

Anyway assuming few injuries he is likely to be in the side in the later part of the season but not at Begleys expense.

What ever happens, he needs a run of at least 5 games to settle in and find the pace of the game, something I felt he was behind this year.

 

[eDPS]

Sure am being harsh. I admit that. A gentle approach never won an afl flag though.

Lav will get his chance though.

The position I was arguing is why
Begley was in before Laverde or Langford in Jades team.

Not whether Laverde shouldn’t play AFL for Essendon.

After a long think I feel ultimately Begley is ahead of Laverde because Essendon primarily need what he can deliver as a bustling contested first posession mid more than what Lav can deliver as a half forward or utility at this stage.

Our recent drafting was very interesting ( we didn’t target bull midfielders ) and I took it as a nod to this idea.

I rate Laverde though - I honestly do. If his development continues he should be able to take Goddards spot in the next few years or take up a role on the wing which I think he should play for at least two years.

Anyway assuming few injuries he is likely to be in the side in the later part of the season but not at Begleys expense.

What ever happens, he needs a run of at least 5 games to settle in and find the pace of the game, something I felt he was behind this year.

Just on this, Begley has had very little exposure with this role in the VFL, I think that will be his long term position but I don't think he is in the frame for that role at AFL level yet. If anything id expect Laverde or Begley to play the role that Parish did this year playing mostly forward with stints in the middle and on the wing and if that's the role either is expected id have Laverde ahead purely on his exposed form and age. Id prefer to give Laverde first dibs because of his injuries to see how he goes with a fair run at it and if he doesn't do well he can easily be replaced with Begley. No harm in playing Begley as a pure mid at VFL level for the first 8 weeks I don't think we lose out at all in that situation we give Begley handy exposure to the midfield role which should be a competitive spot with Clarke and Mutch set to play more time in the middle at that level. Hopefully all 3 put heaps of pressure on guys like Langford and Laverde to perform and we will truly find out more about those 2 if they stay injury free and get a few early senior games.