AFL Player #35: Matt Guelfi - Out for <insert weeks> with a calf strain - 18/3

[Lore]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2024
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 23, DERO

 

[JDavey]

Might have one of the most bland highlight reels you could see. He doesnt show pace, explosovness or strength. Has a good boot when he gets a chance to kick and above average hands.

Easy to see why he was overlooked, players without x-factor are undervalued. But he does have perseverance, and maybe most importantly his upside can come from just getting his body into an AFL one where he does find that extra attribute to take him up a peg. Seems like a great pick given we missed Worpel

 

[Highly Evolved]

Welcome!

 

[naraku]

So at 20 I would hope Matt can be there abouts for Rd 1.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

So if he becomes good and signs a multi year deal worth lots, he'll be a wealfy Guelfi.

I'm here all day.

 

[Haychh]

http://m.essendonfc.com.au/video/2017-11-24/btv-draft-matt-guelfi-highlights

I like the boy! Looks like a no fuss, old school footballer... That leg as well though

On CPH1607 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Capt Hindsight]

http://m.essendonfc.com.au/video/2017-11-24/btv-draft-matt-guelfi-highlights

I like the boy! Looks like a no fuss, old school footballer... That leg as well though

Yeah does everything solid.
Good replacement for Hocking, Bird and Howlett.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

He's the one that will make it out of the three imo

 

[Beerfish]

i think he should be made captain

This is only natural given he's a West Australian.

 

[Lore]

Same age group as Parish and Franga I think, hopefully he gets in with Francis and they help anchor each other to Essendon.

The other two draftees we got tonight are friends from back home in SA apparently so this guy is sort of the odd one out.

 

[Rack Watts]

Howlett with another level of potential?

 

[Howard Moon]

Looked like Merv got his way on two of three picks, this one seemed an ok m8 you have convinced me from jackets

 

[Yoda_]

Weird that a player with his set of attributes lasted to 76 in the third draft he nominated for.

There is a lot to like about inside mids with his running power.

We haven't recruited a lot of Western Australians in recent years.

Might have one of the most bland highlight reels you could see. He doesnt show pace, explosovness or strength. Has a good boot when he gets a chance to kick and above average hands.

Easy to see why he was overlooked, players without x-factor are undervalued. But he does have perseverance, and maybe most importantly his upside can come from just getting his body into an AFL one where he does find that extra attribute to take him up a peg. Seems like a great pick given we missed Worpel

Good honest player who does everything well (enough now).

 

[ant555]

Like the pick but lets not put the cart in front of the horse. Seems like the right sort of player to pick at this stage but he is a late pick
and late picks have a larger failure rate for a reason. Looks like a decent prospect although right now I think he is a bit lightly framed to play his best spot as an inside midfielder. Not seeing him smashing the door down for round 1 myself. Think he will need a season to build some size (3 or 4 kg)

 

[Vindicater]

Like the pick but lets not put the cart in front of the horse. Seems like the right sort of player to pick at this stage but he is a late pick
and late picks have a larger failure rate for a reason. Looks like a decent prospect although right now I think he is a bit lightly framed to play his best spot as an inside midfielder. Not seeing him smashing the door down for round 1 myself. Think he will need a season to build some size (3 or 4 kg)

None of our picks are playing round 1. People get way too excited on draft day.

We had three picks after 45 in a s**t draft.

Hopefully one of them makes it. That will be a successful draft.

 

[Yoda_]

None of our picks are playing round 1. People get way too excited on draft day.

We had three picks after 45 in a s**t draft.

Hopefully one of them makes it. That will be a successful draft.

People will get caught up in the fact he is 20 and not a fresh faced 18 year old.

 

[citizen-erased]

None of our picks are playing round 1. People get way too excited on draft day.

We had three picks after 45 in a s**t draft.

Hopefully one of them makes it. That will be a successful draft.

Smith, Stringer and Saad added
Langford is very close
Francis is looking in ripping condition

None are making the 22 anytime soon methinks.
Had we taken Miller, i would think there was a sneaky chance Hooker would go back, Hartley would come out and we'd trial him at FF.
Has the weight, size and pace to come in. And with Joey, Stewart, Stringer, he's not gonna get the best defender straight away.

 

[Blind Turn]

We need a lockdown small defender. Could he develop into that role? His kicking looks to be a strength which would be an asset coming out of the defensive arc.

 

[Runk]

Mr Utility. Like that. Although have we just replaced Hocking and Bobcat with a younger version? We'll see.

 

[Squall]

Good luck to Matt. Picking him from the wafl surprised we didn't get Haiden Schloithe instead that is Afl ready and won the sandover medal for the wafl.

 

[yodellinhank]

People will get caught up in the fact he is 20 and not a fresh faced 18 year old.

Younger than Langford

 

[Fin ice Smuggler]

Might have one of the most bland highlight reels you could see. He doesnt show pace, explosovness or strength. Has a good boot when he gets a chance to kick and above average hands.

Easy to see why he was overlooked, players without x-factor are undervalued. But he does have perseverance, and maybe most importantly his upside can come from just getting his body into an AFL one where he does find that extra attribute to take him up a peg. Seems like a great pick given we missed Worpel

I love this, you are 100 % right. People tend to compare draftees to superstars.

Let’s hope the kid (he’s only 20) gets a crack at seniors and carved out a Ben Howlett like career. A Ben howlett with longer kicking range would be handy.

 

[Harlequin Dream]

Picking up a 20 year old in the 5th round is smart. When his initial 2 year contract is up he will be 22 and you will have a very good idea if he can make it or not.

 

[bombreys]

A good honest footballer.

As someone said above, doesn’t have a lot of flash or X-factor that seems to be mandatory now, but this kid can play footy.

As far as pure midfielders go, we don’t have too many. You don’t want all your midfielders being combo forwards/backs.

Really like this pick.

 

[WEEVZ]

We need a lockdown small defender. Could he develop into that role? His kicking looks to be a strength which would be an asset coming out of the defensive arc.

McNiece.

 

[MightyDons4]

Given that Guelfi is the pick I’m happy about and I have spoken quite highly of him in the past I figured I may as well write a few words on him.

Matt first caught my eye in the 2016 u18 Championships where he represented Western Australia as a 19 year old. He and Sam Powell-Pepper were the only ones to bring physicality to the WA midfield as they ended up winning 2 games from 4 played. During that time Guelfi managed to showcase his attributes and flaws. Getting the bad stuff out of the way first, he tired a lot towards the end of games and was probably a strong reason as to why he was overlooked last year. He also didn’t have a dominant game, which isn’t a great sign for a overager, nor is he a big accumulator. Guelfi is also on the lighter side for inside mids, so someone at the club should definitely hook him up with a bench and some dumbbells for Christmas. What he did show was that he was an aggressive midfielder with some nice tricks. First of all, he’s a ‘first possession’ type mid, meaning he is very comfortable and winning the ball off the tap and then distributing to a teammate. We really lack this at Essendon, so he really fills a need there. He’s also a really aggressive but fair player and hunts the ball at every opportunity, which is a trait I rate extremely highly for inside mids. However, this is pretty stock standard for inside mids, but now Guelfi starts to get interesting. He has some serious power in his legs, which allows him to break tackles thus buying him some time when moving through traffic. This power is also evident when he played up forward for Claremont as his overhead marking and leap made him a hard match up, where he managed 20 goals in 19 games off a forward flank. Without doubt Guelfi’s biggest strength in my mind is his right boot. Without exaggerating at all, he’s a 60m kick. Take a moment to read that again. He’s also pretty accurate with it too. Although he does have the propensity to go by foot instead of hand in tight so will need to work on that. Guelfi is also very much a team orientated player. He’s the type to block and shepherd for teammates and work hard defensively, which is also something we lack in our midfield. He also seems to fit our agenda of recruiting versatile players, although this versatility has probably cost him some consistency in his junior days. He’s a mid that can rotate forward in my eyes and can be a solid role player at the top level. I think that pretty much covers my thoughts on him.

After being burnt by Morgan a couple of years back hopefully Guelfi can be the player I know he is capable of. I back him in.