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Even I wanted him in until then

but I've noticed a sizeable shift on people who think he is going to make it now
I think he's at best a role player at AFL level, a Neale-Bullin (however you spell his name). I think the main turn in support is acknowledging the guy gets the short end of the stick with getting a decent run at it compared to others. He played his role the last two games why do others get more leeway?
 
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Erasmus strikes me as the sort of guy who finds himself out of position frequently but it's not punished because the ball doesn't move through him generally.

You can see it in the preseason footage where I think Brodie cleared a centre bounce out the side of the stoppage with Erasmus sitting at the front of it (the back for Brodie) and just watched him run instead of closing the space up at the defensive 3 o'clock position.

He might not be too footy smart and just been bigger than his opponents, able to outwork them.
 
Usually they hold two emergencies if they expect a change.

Sounds as though JOM and Wagner last week were very close to playing and the decision was made the night before. Think one of them could’ve come in if there was an injury in the warm up. Don’t think that Erasmus is there for any more than a late unplanned change this week but I’ve been wrong plenty of times before.

Reckon they’ll pick some other player to make sub. Someone that’s clearly a better footballer than Worner. I said Clark earlier this week as a joke but Wagner would be my genuine guess.
We sure have had some surprises on sub selection this year.
Kind of against the conservative tag for JLo 🤣

Probably the main point is Worner seems to be much more highly rated by the selection team than anyone on BigFooty, so if you take that as given it seems to have been team balance that has dictated the sub (eg. too many tallish defenders, here you go Chappy).
 

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Interesting to see the turn on Erasmus on this board, I thought for sure that people would be backing him after the WAFL finals last year but it seems a lot more have jumped off him now.


Shouldn't a midfielder taken top 10 in the draft with 3 or 4 summers as a full time footballer dominate against a bunch of plumbers, carpenters, school teachers etc?

The 2 goals Erasmus kicked in the GF were pie floaters that luckily went through, against the Swans and WC he had fairly simple shots from 40m which again were horrible off the boot but missed. He kicks those goals you can mount a case like Bailey Banfield.

Has shown zero at AFL level, I'm surprised people still defend him.

The COVID drafts were tough but we got that one wrong.

Compared to Murphy Reid who is years younger but oozes class. List clogger.
 
I think he's at best a role player at AFL level, a Neale-Bullin (however you spell his name). I think the main turn in support is acknowledging the guy gets the short end of the stick with getting a decent run at it compared to others. He played his role the last two games why do others get more leeway?


I think best case scenario Erasmus becomes a Matt deBoer, Ryan Crowley type. Defensive mid or half forward where he gets little of the ball but shuts down the oppositions best player.

If he can forge a 100 game career in a defensive role from where he's at it's a win.
 
Shouldn't a midfielder taken top 10 in the draft with 3 or 4 summers as a full time footballer dominate against a bunch of plumbers, carpenters, school teachers etc?

The 2 goals Erasmus kicked in the GF were pie floaters that luckily went through, against the Swans and WC he had fairly simple shots from 40m which again were horrible off the boot but missed. He kicks those goals you can mount a case like Bailey Banfield.

Has shown zero at AFL level, I'm surprised people still defend him.

The COVID drafts were tough but we got that one wrong.

Compared to Murphy Reid who is years younger but oozes class. List clogger.
You don't have to convince me about this

I reckon I was the first on the board to jump off him, thats watching every Peel and Freo game

I'm massive on AFL attributes
 
I think best case scenario Erasmus becomes a Matt deBoer, Ryan Crowley type. Defensive mid or half forward where he gets little of the ball but shuts down the oppositions best player.

If he can forge a 100 game career in a defensive role from where he's at it's a win.
Given they seem to prefer Worner when dipping into the depth barrel, Ras reaching 100 games seems very unlikely (for Freo at least)
 
Holding Ras out of yesterdays Peel match and possibly todays as well is shocking player management
And not for the first time either.

Our player development on the general has been fairly good but we have totally balled up Ras’s

It’s doubly worse because he’s the type of player that to improve needs to be playing as much football as possible be it wafl or AFL
 
And not for the first time either.

Our player development on the general has been fairly good but we have totally balled up Ras’s

It’s doubly worse because he’s the type of player that to improve needs to be playing as much football as possible be it wafl or AFL

Hopefully he plays this week. A fresh set of legs should be a big advantage.
 
Erasmus just seems too slow for AFL. If you can't run fast, you need to be able to think quick. He doesn't seem to do either IMO. Not sure if he can improve this aspect. Murphy Reid is the opposite - he's already made a decision before his opponent knows what's happening.
 

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Differing opinions on Ras aside, I think the only way you can have this take is you don't watch rubbish teams play footy.

There are plenty of State league mids that can rack it up but have iffy disposal and no real athletic traits. Fiorini for Gold Coast would get 30+ every week in the VFL and could do the same in the AFL but he's just bland at all things AFL. Erasmus looks like he wants it badly which could be his POD but he could also just be that player that is too good for State league but not good enough for AFL.
 
There are plenty of State league mids that can rack it up but have iffy disposal and no real athletic traits. Fiorini for Gold Coast would get 30+ every week in the VFL and could do the same in the AFL but he's just bland at all things AFL. Erasmus looks like he wants it badly which could be his POD but he could also just be that player that is too good for State league but not good enough for AFL.
Using a Gold Coast player is a bad example though, they've got amazing depth. I'd say a few of their VFL players get games for AFL teams too, and Fiorini is one of them.

Ras may well be one of those types who never make the step up. Showed encouraging signs in his 2 games this year, but I'd be foolish to call him a sure thing. But even a team like Carlton with their horror depth, I think you're out of your mind if you think he don't get a game for them. They'd find a place for him somewhere. Let alone the true crappers like West Coast. That's the part specifically that I was contesting.
 
How would we feel about signing Erasmus though? If he signed a three year extension with us would we think it's a Brodie 2.0 situation without the season in the AFL side first?


No way he gets 3 years. Might get offered 2 years by the Eagles.

Freo should offer him 1 year with a games trigger for a 2nd year.
 

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Using a Gold Coast player is a bad example though, they've got amazing depth. I'd say a few of their VFL players get games for AFL teams too, and Fiorini is one of them.

Ras may well be one of those types who never make the step up. Showed encouraging signs in his 2 games this year, but I'd be foolish to call him a sure thing. But even a team like Carlton with their horror depth, I think you're out of your mind if you think he don't get a game for them. They'd find a place for him somewhere. Let alone the true crappers like West Coast. That's the part specifically that I was contesting.

I genuinely think he would only be a lock best 22 at the Eagles, lucky for him they are right next door, unlucky for him the two clubs never trade.
 
I genuinely think he would only be a lock best 22 at the Eagles, lucky for him they are right next door, unlucky for him the two clubs never trade.


Erasmus is out of contract so if the Eagles want him he'll be traded for a late pick or sign as a delisted free agent.
 
Owies was traded to WC after Carlton told him they wouldn't be offering him a contract.

Erasmus as a depth player is a lot better than we could do out of a draft pick selected around pick 50.

It's whether he will sign for low enough and match payments.

I do think he can break out, but I think he needs to be modelling his game on Matt Crouch at the Crows. Not a high bar for now. Sprint coach in off season. Bench and triceps all summer. Then he can try playing like Chad Warner.
 
Erasmus just seems too slow for AFL. If you can't run fast, you need to be able to think quick.

It might sound counter intuitive, but hear me out…

I think the biggest issue is he’s too slow for our slow game plan. To move slow, you sometimes have to think fast. Because we tend to be methodical in our movements, decision making is critical. He appears to be a step behind the game.

But put him in a fast moving game plan, and his weaknesses aren’t so obvious. He doesn’t have to think. It becomes a case of see the ball, get the ball, get it moving forward. And with free flowing movement, he can start to run and mark again like in his U18 year.

Since we’re not going to change our whole game plan for just him, I think I’d be doing the opposite of most on here. Instead of just making him an inside ball winner or trying to negate, I’d play him more forward and free him up. That’s a large part of why he got picked so early. Instead of hiding his weaknesses, play to some strengths and let him impact the contests in a different part of the ground.
 
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