Traded #30: Brandon Zerk-Thatcher - 🚨 traded to the Pear, thanks for your service

[Lore]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2023
My Boy Draft 2023: Pick 8, 84859300

 

[hotkorma]

THON MAKER

 

[DERO]

View attachment 440079 Welcome to Essendon, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.

I'm not sure why we've drafted a tall defender, but I trust Dodo.

Also, longest neck ever.

McKernan needs to be in this conversation.

 

[ant555]

Yeah not saying you are knocking him just stating his numbers aren't that bad for his position

Guilty of not looking at his stats page.
His name and the fact he was 196cm meant you sort of kept a half an eye on him during the champ series.
Apart from Champ series games and the SANFL reserves GF I had watched a couple of other SANFL games he was in and they must not have been
his better games as he only stood out enough to mention a few things in my notes.
One thing I did write down was I liked his marking ability Given he can find the ball more than I have seen him do then development wise he is in front of where i thought he was.

 

[ant555]

Maybe so, but Mutch plays outside, and Langford, Begley and Clarke are still unproven in an inside role. Parish I believe can but he's undersized, as is McGrath, so it's not that clear at all. A KPD isn't as immediate a need as inside mids are, especially now we have Stringer and the option of sending Hooker back (not that I'd want to).

They can not simply invent a star inside midfielder to go at pick 66 in the draft. Lets not dance around the it, yes we need an inside midfielder but we do not need an average one. We need a high class one who can win the ball. For us this year it did not fall that way. The inside guns went before what was our first pick anyway. Geelong took the best over age inside midfielder well before our pick.
Would sooner see what we have getting a look in than picking a lower class inside player that will never be long term. Even if we did pick an inside player chances would be high that they would not have an impact next year or the year after from pick 66. What we could pick out of a stronger crop next season with our first pick is most likely to be better and even ready to play before pick 66 midfielder.

 

[Yoda_]

Maybe so, but Mutch plays outside, and Langford, Begley and Clarke are still unproven in an inside role. Parish I believe can but he's undersized, as is McGrath, so it's not that clear at all. A KPD isn't as immediate a need as inside mids are, especially now we have Stringer and the option of sending Hooker back (not that I'd want to).

Mutch plays inside/outside
Parish plays predominantly inside but was used outside this year due to personal
Langford was used in this role in every game I saw of his (VFL and AFL level)
Clarke was 80% inside mid at VFL level.
Begley began playing midfield at VFL level as the year went on.

fwiw, the club has stated they see Stringer playing midfield minutes. The dogs lack of KPF meant he was used in a role he wasn't designed for. Smith has shown a capacity to play midfield in his early days at GWS. The big ones im looking forward to is McKenna, Langford, Mutch and Andy McGrath being given more time up the ground.

 

[Mootsy]

Very good skills and Rance. I don’t follow.

Riiiight....

 

[Runk]

View attachment 440079 Welcome to Essendon, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.

I'm not sure why we've drafted a tall defender, but I trust Dodo.

Also, longest neck ever.

Jeez!! That neck is giraffe like.

 

[Lawyered]

 

[carnthedons]

Riiiight....

Rance can scrag, spoil and knows when to come off his man. He’s not what I would term a skilled player (footskills are limited etc)

 

[citizen-erased]

Mutch plays inside/outside
Parish plays predominantly inside but was used outside this year due to personal
Langford was used in this role in every game I saw of his (VFL and AFL level)
Clarke was 80% inside mid at VFL level.
Begley began playing midfield at VFL level as the year went on.

fwiw, the club has stated they see Stringer playing midfield minutes. The dogs lack of KPF meant he was used in a role he wasn't designed for. Smith has shown a capacity to play midfield in his early days at GWS. The big ones im looking forward to is McKenna, Langford, Mutch and Andy McGrath being given more time up the ground.

Add to that Smith is pretty tough and hard at it. Has posted a lot of games where he's racked up high tackle numbers.
Gotta weigh up he was in a team with a star studded and balanced midfield. its not surprising he was used 50/50 mid/fwd. Early days though he was a stand out as an 18/19yo willing to go toe to toe with AFL bodies.

 

[BrunoV]

You could say he is. Probably a bit quicker/more mobile than Gregory and has a much better leap but yes similar in that he needs development body wise and would need to improve his ball winning in the back half from what he did in the champ series.

Doubt that he is quicker. Gregory was pure gas.

Still BZT is clearly a decent athlete and that's going to be crucial for two of the three tall defenders going forwards. Clubs will need guys who have the ability to play small (unless they change selections based on the teams they play each week but that's not going to happen).

 

[Fin ice Smuggler]

They can not simply invent a star inside midfielder to go at pick 66 in the draft. Lets not dance around the it, yes we need an inside midfielder but we do not need an average one. We need a high class one who can win the ball. For us this year it did not fall that way. The inside guns went before what was our first pick anyway. Geelong took the best over age inside midfielder well before our pick.
Would sooner see what we have getting a look in than picking a lower class inside player that will never be long term. Even if we did pick an inside player chances would be high that they would not have an impact next year or the year after from pick 66. What we could pick out of a stronger crop next season with our first pick is most likely to be better and even ready to play before pick 66 midfielder.

Agree with this. Plus I think players such as Mutch, Francis, Begley, Langford and Laverde will be better options as senior midfielders then picks 49, 66 this year.

 

[ghostdog]

And your solution is to go with someone else unproven.

Devon Smith is a midfielder, Parish will continue to get better, McGrath and Stringer we think will run through there and Langford, Mutch and Begley with another year of physical development will all push for a spot. I said it this morning, we addressed the midfield a month ago, tonight was an opportunity to address other holes. Would also add that we actually did add a pretty decent inside midfield prospect tonight in any event.

If we'd drafted an inside mid with an earlier pick, theoretically that player or players would have more likelihood of developing into a best 22 mid for us. It's about the depth we'd have to choose from and the chance we'll find that player who will develop. Surely when you draft a pure inside midfielder you have a better chance of that player developing than transforming a forward like Langers or Begley.

Smith wants to play more midfield time but he's a natural HF and he's also undersized.
Stringer is the player we want to play more midfield but he couldn't develop the tank for it at WB where he continually finished at the back end of time trials. I hope he can turn that around after one preseason with us, but it remains to be seen.
Langford, Mutch and Begley can also play through there, but again, neither Langford or Begley have proven they can play inside.
As far as I know, Mutch is an outside mid.
Parish and McGrath are the safest bets of that lot development wise, but they're shorties as well.

The point is that if we had addressed the inside midfield needs that we have right now, earlier in the draft than our last pick, we would now have better depth to choose from. For all we know we have half a dozen Ben Howletts (soz Bobby), which is more likely than one of them being a Fyfe.

I hope we do see that development and I get your point about the demographics of the list, but to say the need for a tall defender was more 'clear and obvious' tends towards being sycophantic. As I said though, I trust Dodo as well. Maybe he has his mind set on someone in the rookie draft.

 

[ghostdog]

Mutch plays inside/outside
Parish plays predominantly inside but was used outside this year due to personal
Langford was used in this role in every game I saw of his (VFL and AFL level)
Clarke was 80% inside mid at VFL level.
Begley began playing midfield at VFL level as the year went on.

fwiw, the club has stated they see Stringer playing midfield minutes. The dogs lack of KPF meant he was used in a role he wasn't designed for. Smith has shown a capacity to play midfield in his early days at GWS. The big ones im looking forward to is McKenna, Langford, Mutch and Andy McGrath being given more time up the ground.

They can not simply invent a star inside midfielder to go at pick 66 in the draft. Lets not dance around the it, yes we need an inside midfielder but we do not need an average one. We need a high class one who can win the ball. For us this year it did not fall that way. The inside guns went before what was our first pick anyway. Geelong took the best over age inside midfielder well before our pick.
Would sooner see what we have getting a look in than picking a lower class inside player that will never be long term. Even if we did pick an inside player chances would be high that they would not have an impact next year or the year after from pick 66. What we could pick out of a stronger crop next season with our first pick is most likely to be better and even ready to play before pick 66 midfielder.

I probably just need to take everyone's word for it that there were no more inside mids, or mids who could more easily have been developed, worth taking at 66. I find it difficult to get past the notion that the more you have to choose from the more likely your chances are though. We missed Hamish Brayshaw and Dylan Moore. Interestingly, only one other tall(ish) defender was taken between 66 and 76.

 

[sameolds33]

We win "Best draftee name"

The Orazio Fantasia perpetual trophy

 

[Yoda_]

I probably just need to take everyone's word for it that there were no more inside mids, or mids who could more easily have been developed, worth taking at 66. I find it difficult to get past the notion that the more you have to choose from the more likely your chances are though. We missed Hamish Brayshaw and Dylan Moore. Interestingly, only one other tall(ish) defender was taken between 66 and 76.

You don't take an inside mid for the sake of it. If you had the choice between a gun player (best available) or a player that just fills a role (need) who would you take?

It is pretty self explanatory in hindsight but the way Jackets has drafted in recent years, i'll back him in to have done his research and bring in three quality people that we can develop.

 

[ghostdog]

You don't take an inside mid for the sake of it. If you had the choice between a gun player (best available) or a player that just fills a role (need) who would you take?

It is pretty self explanatory in hindsight but the way Jackets has drafted in recent years, i'll back him in to have done his research and bring in three quality people that we can develop.

I was talking about our second pick, Bzerk at 66, not Houlahan at 50, who it's been suggested was the best available. As you say though, I'll trust in Dodo to know more about these things than me.

 

[Bomberbuzz1]

By the time this guy hits 90kg Hurley will be retiring. I guess he's got that goin for him.
I thought we would of gone a brute key defender but can't ask for much with our choice of selections.

 

[yaco55]

If we'd drafted an inside mid with an earlier pick, theoretically that player or players would have more likelihood of developing into a best 22 mid for us. It's about the depth we'd have to choose from and the chance we'll find that player who will develop. Surely when you draft a pure inside midfielder you have a better chance of that player developing than transforming a forward like Langers or Begley.

Smith wants to play more midfield time but he's a natural HF and he's also undersized.
Stringer is the player we want to play more midfield but he couldn't develop the tank for it at WB where he continually finished at the back end of time trials. I hope he can turn that around after one preseason with us, but it remains to be seen.
Langford, Mutch and Begley can also play through there, but again, neither Langford or Begley have proven they can play inside.
As far as I know, Mutch is an outside mid.
Parish and McGrath are the safest bets of that lot development wise, but they're shorties as well.

The point is that if we had addressed the inside midfield needs that we have right now, earlier in the draft than our last pick, we would now have better depth to choose from. For all we know we have half a dozen Ben Howletts (soz Bobby), which is more likely than one of them being a Fyfe.

I hope we do see that development and I get your point about the demographics of the list, but to say the need for a tall defender was more 'clear and obvious' tends towards being sycophantic. As I said though, I trust Dodo as well. Maybe he has his mind set on someone in the rookie draft.

Inside midfielder - There are two types - A first dib's mid and a second dib's mid - First dib's mid gets the first touch/possession from a stoppage, while the second dib's midfielder often gets the clearance and the plaudits - What we need is a first dib's midfielder which is exactly the role Watson played - From the current list, Heppell definitely has these characteristics, while Langford displayed these traits in the VFL which are yet to translate to the AFL - Clarke's profile suggests he could fill this role, but he needs to play this role in the VFL - I need to see more of McGrath in the future to see if he can fill this role.

 

[yaco55]

I probably just need to take everyone's word for it that there were no more inside mids, or mids who could more easily have been developed, worth taking at 66. I find it difficult to get past the notion that the more you have to choose from the more likely your chances are though. We missed Hamish Brayshaw and Dylan Moore. Interestingly, only one other tall(ish) defender was taken between 66 and 76.

Inside mids linked with Essendonpre-draft in Worpel and Hayden went two or three picks before our selection in round 3 and 4.

 

[ghostdog]

Inside midfielder - There are two types - A first dib's mid and a second dib's mid - First dib's mid gets the first touch/possession from a stoppage, while the second dib's midfielder often gets the clearance and the plaudits - What we need is a first dib's midfielder which is exactly the role Watson played - From the current list, Heppell definitely has these characteristics, while Langford displayed these traits in the VFL which are yet to translate to the AFL - Clarke's profile suggests he could fill this role, but he needs to play this role in the VFL - I need to see more of McGrath in the future to see if he can fill this role.

Guelfi is first dibs?

 

[ghostdog]

Inside mids linked with Essendonpre-draft in Worpel and Hayden went two or three picks before our selection in round 3 and 4.

Didn't know Worpel had been linked with us, though I had seen his name bandied about. I was a bit bemused to see Hawthorn take him.

 

[yaco55]

Didn't know Worpel had been linked with us, though I had seen his name bandied about. I was a bit bemused to see Hawthorn take him.

The saddest thing was I thought Hawk's were a good chance to go for Worpel considering their list needs - I may be contrary here but I like Cassidy Parish's attributes better than Worpel - Worpel will be a first dib's mid at AFL level, though I see him lacking creativity in this role - Need to see more of Guelfi to determine if he is a first dib's mid at AFL level.

 

[Bombermania]

Mutch plays inside/outside
Parish plays predominantly inside but was used outside this year due to personal
Langford was used in this role in every game I saw of his (VFL and AFL level)
Clarke was 80% inside mid at VFL level.
Begley began playing midfield at VFL level as the year went on.

fwiw, the club has stated they see Stringer playing midfield minutes. The dogs lack of KPF meant he was used in a role he wasn't designed for. Smith has shown a capacity to play midfield in his early days at GWS. The big ones im looking forward to is McKenna, Langford, Mutch and Andy McGrath being given more time up the ground.

I agree with this and this is why Woosha has said he doesn't think we are that far away from having a strong midfield, I can see McGrath becoming a dominate mid, some of his work in close is just silk then there are the others you mention.

People forget how quickly things can change because if we went back twelve months what was everyone's beef = the forward line and that has been fixed so its quite possible in twelve months we will be like okay the midfield is fixed.

 

[citizen-erased]

The saddest thing was I thought Hawk's were a good chance to go for Worpel considering their list needs - I may be contrary here but I like Cassidy Parish's attributes better than Worpel - Worpel will be a first dib's mid at AFL level, though I see him lacking creativity in this role - Need to see more of Guelfi to determine if he is a first dib's mid at AFL level.

Given its a rookie spot, and im not that phased with our inside mid depth compared to others, i wouldn't mind seeing Cassidy join Darcy @ Essendon.
I like the sound of Krueger if he lasts til our pick because i still think we need a developing pure FF on the list for when Hooker finishes up.
But if he's gone, Parish sounds good, and we can look at whether a KPF is the best talent at our first pick next year.....or get Lynch