Team Mgmt. 2024 Midfield

[faible]

Also just needs to be smarter.
Kicking the ball off the ground straight to their outnumber with our mids losing all contain is his biggest weakness and something that should be fixable.

He does things that suggests using his brain might be a big ask

 

[Mercurial89]

He does things that suggests using his brain might be a big ask

We are sticking with him so I'm hopeful it's something he can improve on.

 

[Rick Ross]

Not sure that wanting Sam to be more consistent around the ground and take a few more marks is unhinged.
Not many doubt his physicality and that his tap work is okay but he still only runs out 70% of games . Is very up and down with his marking and he is often half a step behind what the other ruck is doing.
He may be our best option but going forward he has to find a new level

Seems fairly reasonable to me.

If you go back to the post crows game or after a cheeky pod comment about Doggies threads there was a few unhinged releases of frustration.

 

[ghostdog]

Also just needs to be smarter.
Kicking the ball off the ground straight to their outnumber with our mids losing all contain is his biggest weakness and something that should be fixable.

I reckon that's a hangover of the Richmond-Rutten 'get the ball forward at all costs' days. In combo with Draper's soccer reflexes it's a bit of a perfect storm.

 

[ghostdog]

Draper/Bryan combo is the future with Draper playing forward instead of Wright.

Bryan to ruck 70% and Draper to go ballistic for 30% in the middle.

Draper to take forward fifty ruck contests.

He hardly takes uncontested marks. We trust that he'll take contested ones in the heat of the goal square? That's confidence.

 

[Vindicater]

He hardly takes uncontested marks. We trust that he'll take contested ones in the heat of the goal square? That's confidence.

Peter Wright doesn't either. At least Draper brings it to ground.

 

[Yoda_]

The guys we bring in moving forward must be cleaner with ball in hand. If not, they must be elite decision makers. We are not getting enough productivity out of our national draftee mids. We have lucked it with Durham (mid season), Martin (pre season) but for us to take the next step, kicking must be prioritised. Setterfield (adequate), Shiel (adequate), Hobbs (passable), Tsatas (horrible) are stuck in the twos for a reason. Would be nice if we had another young mid we were developing. This off season would be nice to add another

 

[Zach Package]

Strength of the side was when we were sending Caldwell, Perkins, Hobbs and Durham into the midfield as the second wave behind Setterfield, Parish and Merrett.

That’s when we looked our best and most imposing. With everyone on deck you probably rejig the pecking order a little bit but that’s a nice pack of midfielders. Not withstanding Tsatas and Shiel who is in exile.

Unfortunately only 4 of them are playing at the moment and Perkins just flat out isn’t ready to be apart of the first wave in.

 

[Godzke]

Centre Clearances / CBAs

Stringer 14.7%
Caldwell 14.1%
Durham 10.6%
Merrett 10.5%
Perkins 8.8%
Setterfield 8.6%
Parish 6.6%
(source wheeloratings)

Surprised Parish that low

 

[Rick Ross]

Centre Clearances / CBAs

Stringer 14.7%
Caldwell 14.1%
Durham 10.6%
Merrett 10.5%
Perkins 8.8%
Setterfield 8.6%
Parish 6.6%
(source wheeloratings)

Surprised Parish that low

Is this totals over year so it reflects Parish, Setterfield missing games?

 

[Godzke]

Is this totals over year so it reflects Parish, Setterfield missing games?

It doesn't matter. Missing games affects the numerator and denominator simultaneously.

 

[Rick Ross]

It doesn't matter. Missing games affects the numerator and denominator simultaneously.

Ahhh, maths.

 

[Yoda_]

I cant remember a more proven, deeper Essendon midfield over the last couple of years.

(Bryan) Merret, Parish, Caldwell

(Draper), Shiel, Durham, Stringer/Gresham/anyone else

still not big but depth in numbers proved crucial today

 

[Petrify]

Posted this on reddit but here's a comparison of our last CB vs Adelaide & Freo


Beautiful tap work from Draper both times.

Also CBA's from this week.


Massive change with Stringer going from 72% to 0% and Caldwell + Shiel getting those CBA's, moving from 34% to 67% and 57% respectively.

 

[FootyGuru]

FOX Footy

“It blew teams apart ... No time to set up, no time to defend.”

www.facebook.com

 

[Bunk Moreland]

We have the 2024 forward incarnation thread, the midfield mix is and has been the biggest worry for us for so long.

I think we bat deep enough, its just the attitude change we need from senior players and the improved development from the guys under tiers 1 and 2 that sees this group finally develop and compete with the best consistently week in week out.

Jye Caldwell the biggest difference in 2023 as he went from bit parts role player in the middle to a starter when called upon. Not only did he show an ability to negate but when asked to be more offensively minded he turned it on in a stretch (rounds 10-16).

With Hobbs improving, Tsatas largely unsighted, the addition of Duursma allowing Durham or Martin to possibly play midfield time and who knows what comes of Archie in season 4.

We likely play the same group of 3 starters - Parish, Merrett, Setterfield
Then rotate through - Shiel, Caldwell, Stringer
Continue to develop - Hobbs, Perkins, Tsatas

Who knows what comes with these guys, potential midfield minutes perhaps - Martin, Durham, Redman? McGrath?




This is my biggest watch this year to see how the dynamic of this group clicks and what changes as we have been monstered for so long.

Really interesting to read back Yoda_

Caldwell and Durham the huge bolters

I don’t think anybody really saw it coming.

Our CBAs as posted in the Hobbs thread:

Zach Merrett (23) 521
Sam Durham (22) 305
Jye Caldwell (23) 300
Darcy Parish (12) 212
Jake Stringer (23) 204
Archie Perkins (18) 178
Dylan Shiel (9) 137
Will Setterfield (4) 70
Ben Hobbs (12) 21
Nic Martin (23) 11
Jade Gresham (22) 6
Elijah Tsatas (7) 0

The top three are the clear first choice midfield.

(I’ve excluded rucks here)

What of Parish?

I went to the top sides (below) and a couple of things standout:

- We have a HUGE drop off after Merrett, with more of a spread

- Even at the top sides, there’s not a heap of opportunity beyond the first rotation. Everybody after that is largely pinch hitting. I don’t know what this says about Tsatas and Hobbs. They are midfielders who we literally don’t have midfield spots for.

Lachie Neale (26) 630
Josh Dunkley (27) 609
Hugh McCluggage (27) 449
Cam Rayner (27) 167
Jarrod Berry (27) 155
Will Ashcroft (13) 122
Zac Bailey (22) 83
Jarryd Lyons (3) 29
Dayne Zorko (27) 12
Deven Robertson (2) 9
James Tunstill (4) 7
Bruce Reville (12) 5

Isaac Heeney (24) 495
James Rowbottom (24) 489
Chad Warner (25) 452
Errol Gulden (26) 266
Taylor Adams (19) 154
Tom Papley (21) 95
Luke Parker (10) 95
Justin McInerney (20) 83
James Jordon (26) 49
Callum Mills (7) 19
Caiden Cleary (5) 7
Oliver Florent (26) 4
Braeden Campbell (23) 3