Past #21: Alex Morgan - delisted end '18 - not re-listed - 2 games/0 goals - thanks Morgs

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Apr 26, 2008
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Let the de-Essendonification begin.
 
Top 30 draft pick for stuff all. Worth a look etc.
 

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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...t/news-story/10bd48e024643d61ad2f93ad4d881fb5

ALEX Morgan is quick.

But when the fastest player at this year’s draft combine vanished from the AFL pathway last year, clubs thought he’d disappeared for good.

Morgan played nine TAC Cup games in 2013, but his enjoyment of the game waned and so did his desire to front up at Oakleigh Chargers.

On a pre-season camp early last year, the penny dropped.

So, the rebounding defender decided he would man up and stand up in front of his teammates before training to announce he had quit.

“They were probably thinking, ‘Who’s this hot shot trying to retire after nine games’,” Morgan said.

“But I just felt like I owed it to them. A month leading up to the camp I’d recognised I wasn’t enjoying it as much and if you’re staying there because you think you’re forced to, you’re kidding yourself and being a bit selfish — taking someone else’s spot in the team. For me it was a hard call, but the right call.”

And it wasn’t a call Morgan made lightly.

Before he transferred to play in Division 4 of the Eastern Football League he sought advice from his parents, then-Chargers coach Justin Wenke, former talent boss Mark Smart and welfare manager Jim Honey.

By the end of Forest Hill’s season, Morgan had returned from hamstring setbacks and was in the team.

He was playing senior football, but the drop in standard — and speed — was as big as some of the blokes he was competing against.

Eight of his old Chargers mates, including Darcy Moore and Jordan De Goey, were drafted following their premiership season. Then the backflip came.

Finally, Morgan wanted his shot at the big time.

It was a decision harder to execute than walking away, the second-year university student scared people would think he was returning for the wrong reasons.

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Alex Morgan shows off his skills in his street in Mt Waveley. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

So Morgan penned an email to Smart formalising his request, the TAC Cup approved and allowed Morgan to play as a 19-year-old.

By mid-season, Geelong sent recruiter Michael McMahon to his house for an interview.

Less than a year after trotting around with local plodders, Morgan’s AFL dream was tangible.

“It was a bit exciting, but it was a bit scary as well,” Morgan said of the Cats visit.

“I’m pretty sure I polished everything and made sure nothing was dirty. I just wanted to make a good impression and obviously and you just want to present your best self.”

Morgan knew the inevitable question was coming: Will you walk away again?

Morgan could have bluffed. But that’s not his style.

“People want to hear that the reason I left is school or academic-based, but I tell recruiters honestly,” he said.

“ People develop at different times and for me this is the first year I’ve recognised that I really do want to play AFL.

“Once I had a sniff of it, I really wanted it.”

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Morgan takes part in this year’s draft combine. Picture: Hamish Blair

Fremantle has been watching closely and Melbourne recently emerged as a suitor, likely to consider Morgan at pick 46.

The Chargers now believe he could be their first player picked at Tuesday’s national draft and Champion Data rated Morgan’s Vic Metro games elite for contested possessions, intercept possessions and SuperCoach points.

Morgan returned from a torn hamstring to play in this year’s grand final and new talent boss Craig Notman said after a cold start he was the “catalyst” for the premiership, drifting forward to take a clean mark and kick a clutch goal.

“He’s a terrific kid,” Notman said.

“He’s like a 21-year-old in a maturity sense, but like a 17-year-old in a footy sense because he missed last year and a chunk of this year.”

Then came draft combine.

Off a limited preparation, Morgan registered the quickest 20m sprint time and finished second in the agility and vertical jumping tests.

“I didn’t think I was that fast, but I looked up at the scoreboard and everyone started clapping,” he said.

“My strengths are my decision-making mixed in with my speed and skills.

“I think I have the ability to kind of slow down play and pick the best option when other people would panic.”

But when Morgan returned to the same Oakleigh surroundings but with different people did he think he would make it?

“Well, I didn’t want to come back and let them down by being a failure, so hard work was a non-negotiable,” he said.

“But I’ve played championships, played at Etihad and am testing at combine with some of my best mates. If you’d told me that 12 months ago I probably would’ve said you were spewing.”
 
Michael McMahon involved aye, there's a link.
 
I am not sure what went on behind the scenes during trade week. I see a couple of Nth posters on the EFC board say they believe he asked for a trade to Nth during trade week and we knocked it back. I don't know, but I would have thought we would have been happy with any reasonable offer, given we have now delisted him at his own request, after he knocked back a 1yr contract offfer from us.
I would have thought the right thing to do would have been to trade for him, if North were interested in him, and we hadn't delisted him at that point. His trade worth was probably pretty low, although he could be compared with Harley Balic who wanted to leave Freo and was traded to Melbourne for pick 66 (both were drafted in 2015 Balic at pick 38 Morgan at pick 29, both have had injury problems and haven't shown their best, although Balic at least played a handful of senior games at Freo)
In any event, I don't begrudge North doing what was expedient for them, and I certainly don't have any ill feeling towards Morgan for taking what he thinks is a better opportunity at North.
I hope that North would see it as a gesture of goodwill by Essendon to delist him and make him available as a DFA, eventhough we wanted to retain him, and that North might take that into consideration in future trade dealing between the two clubs.
Good luck with him, he has some unfulfilled potential.
 
60sbomber said:
I am not sure what went on behind the scenes during trade week. I see a couple of Nth posters on the EFC board say they believe he asked for a trade to Nth during trade week and we knocked it back. I don't know, but I would have thought we would have been happy with any reasonable offer, given we have now delisted him at his own request, after he knocked back a 1yr contract offfer from us.
I would have thought the right thing to do would have been to trade for him, if North were interested in him, and we hadn't delisted him at that point. His trade worth was probably pretty low, although he could be compared with Harley Balic who wanted to leave Freo and was traded to Melbourne for pick 66 (both were drafted in 2015 Balic at pick 38 Morgan at pick 29, both have had injury problems and haven't shown their best, although Balic at least played a handful of senior games at Freo)
In any event, I don't begrudge North doing what was expedient for them, and I certainly don't have any ill feeling towards Morgan for taking what he thinks is a better opportunity at North.
I hope that North would see it as a gesture of goodwill by Essendon to delist him and make him available as a DFA, eventhough we wanted to retain him, and that North might take that into consideration in future trade dealing between the two clubs.
Good luck with him, he has some unfulfilled potential.
Click to expand...

I think you'll probably see this a lot with players 30-44 on a list. We may be doing something similar with Lindsay, presumably to give him a shot.
 

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60sbomber said:
I hope that North would see it as a gesture of goodwill by Essendon to delist him and make him available as a DFA, eventhough we wanted to retain him, and that North might take that into consideration in future trade dealing between the two clubs.
Click to expand...

iu
 
A gesture of goodwill from *, :p,

to quote Spud (We hate *)
 
Alex Morgan =The Ashlee
 

This is the only clip I can see of Morgan playing this year, he's number 25. Its only a highlights package and he only has 3 involvements, 2 of which are within the first 30 seconds. He does kick a nice goal from outside 50 early on, and goes back hard with the flight soon after. From all reports he had 17 touches and was one of his side's better players.
 
DFA, costs nothing, so Happy to take the punt.

However it's another injury prone speedster we're taking a punt on, need to lock down one that can run out a year.
 
DarkPhoenix said:
DFA, costs nothing, so Happy to take the punt.

However it's another injury prone speedster we're taking a punt on, need to lock down one that can run out a year.
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I know......but............why delist fish then? It doesn't add up.
 
Snake_Baker said:
I know......but............why delist fish then? It doesn't add up.
Click to expand...
Fishy lost his pace with his injury and with it some of his kicking accuracy, and as he himself admitted he wasn't hard enough at the ball.

2 Completely different players though, wouldn't really compare them too much.
 
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