VFL Past #65: Shaun McKernan 🐴 - Returns to the Dons

[ghostdog]

Nick Foles

Noah Gown

 

[ghostdog]

Walla Stringer Laverde
Bags McKernan Fantasia

All good. Enough mobility and agility to worry them. Maybe even swap Bags for Smith.

 

[vass44]

Smack definitely our starting full forward now Daniher out, and Id have Brown and Stringer as the other talls. Laverde and/or Langford can also spend time down there when Stringer plays in the guts. So starting 6 would be:-

Smith Brown Fanta
Stringer McKernan Tippa

Still very dangerous and some problematic match ups both tall and small for opposition


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[Bunk Moreland]

A bit stagnant? He was our best forward last year. Daniher is a long way off it at the moment, so should be running up the ground getting his mojo back. Yes Smack would make a great team with Stringer, Tippa and Fanta in the forward line with Daniher as CHF and the 6th position either Laverde or a resting mid. We could not play the resting mid if Laverde and Stringer combine to contribute enough minutes between them to be like an extra mid. Also, with Myers and Langford going forward a bit that would make a good group rotating through the forward line.

Yeah I hope people haven’t forgotten just how well he was going last year before he went down.

For the month before his injury he was pretty bloody potent.

 

[Howard Moon]

Possibly get flamed but I reckon he's better for our fwd structure than JD (not potting JD)

He does a few things Joe doseht, he leads hard at the ball carrier which creates spaces behind for the smalls, he hits the contest hard which creates chaos balls, he's also got enough X factor to make things happen.

JD hangs back alot looking for the jump over the top, and also puts himself out of contests when he falls forward.

Not saying smack is better than Joe, when Joe's on he's super! But smack has very handy attributes that help our setup

 

[Ambrosia]

Possibly get flamed but I reckon he's better for our fwd structure than JD (not potting JD)

He does a few things Joe doseht, he leads hard at the ball carrier which creates spaces behind for the smalls, he hits the contest hard which creates chaos balls, he's also got enough X factor to make things happen.

JD hangs back alot looking for the jump over the top, and also puts himself out of contests when he falls forward.

Not saying smack is better than Joe, when Joe's on he's super! But smack has very handy attributes that help our setup

Joe's plays his best footy in a more Mitch Brown role imo.

 

[Towno78]

Possibly get flamed but I reckon he's better for our fwd structure than JD (not potting JD)

He does a few things Joe doseht, he leads hard at the ball carrier which creates spaces behind for the smalls, he hits the contest hard which creates chaos balls, he's also got enough X factor to make things happen.

JD hangs back alot looking for the jump over the top, and also puts himself out of contests when he falls forward.

Not saying smack is better than Joe, when Joe's on he's super! But smack has very handy attributes that help our setup

You're absolutely right.
You will get flamed for this.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

With Stewart injured enter Lordsmack

 

[Whispering_Jack]

Possibly get flamed but I reckon he's better for our fwd structure than JD (not potting JD)

He does a few things Joe doseht, he leads hard at the ball carrier which creates spaces behind for the smalls, he hits the contest hard which creates chaos balls, he's also got enough X factor to make things happen.

JD hangs back alot looking for the jump over the top, and also puts himself out of contests when he falls forward.

Not saying smack is better than Joe, when Joe's on he's super! But smack has very handy attributes that help our setup

Joe led plenty in 2017 when he was able to move.

 

[Howard Moon]

Joe led plenty in 2017 when he was able to move.

I like him starting around 30/40 out and moving out of the 50m arch and wheeling back, like the old Richo role. The link up mark option from defence. Forces him to get on his bike rather than hang back.

Then use Smack out of the goal square.

Agreed when he was fit he was leading more but im not sure it was his preferred option still

 

[fairbump_playon]

Looking forward to another year of exhilarating highs and bewildering lows...

#smackattack19
#anotherplanet
#freekicks

 

[VelvetSledge]

I'm still hailing Lord Smack

 

[fishardansin]

Yeah I hope people haven’t forgotten just how well he was going last year before he went down.

For the month before his injury he was pretty bloody potent.

More potent than Bargarse following a pizza with extra chilli.

 

[Liberator]

Looking forward to Smack sounding his barbaric yawp over the stadium roofs this season...




(Obviously with more neck, less hair and footballs instead of vinyls)

 

[Mad Bomber Sean]

With Stewart injured enter Lordsmack

Stewart’s injury has nothing to do with Smacks inclusion.

Like Wosha, I have absolute confidence in Smack coming into the line up.

 

[Lore]

With Stewart injured enter Lordsmack

Where did they say Stewart was injured?

Watching the team selection video last night Woosha actually touched on Smack's place in the side, he is there to replace Joey and would've been stiff to miss out for Joe if Joe hadn't been injured. Woosha has confidence in him to play his role though etc.

 

[Highly Evolved]

Hope Smack cements the forward line spot as is - putting pressure on Joey to work hard.

Was fantastic prior to that injury.

 

[Vander18]

Possibly get flamed but I reckon he's better for our fwd structure than JD (not potting JD)

He does a few things Joe doseht, he leads hard at the ball carrier which creates spaces behind for the smalls, he hits the contest hard which creates chaos balls, he's also got enough X factor to make things happen.

JD hangs back alot looking for the jump over the top, and also puts himself out of contests when he falls forward.

Not saying smack is better than Joe, when Joe's on he's super! But smack has very handy attributes that help our setup

Not sure that I’d don’t agree with this.

My preferred structure has them both....Smack deep, JD roaming high and then working back. They can switch it around as well if it suits as both can play either role.

But if it’s one or the other then it seems Smack structures us up better than JD.....which should be interpreted as saying he is a better player. He isn’t.

 

[Lore]

Worsfold got asked about him at the press conference a couple of days ago too;

“(I have) absolute confidence in Shaun McKernan coming into the line-up,” Worsfold said on Friday.

“I was finding it very tough talking to Shaun a week or two ago saying, ‘you may miss out on round one’, because he’s had an outstanding pre-season and he has great leadership around the club.

“On one hand, I’m rapt for Shaun McKernan that he’s going to get to play, and with Joe we just support him through getting his body back in shape.

“Our aim has always been to make sure that Joe has the opportunity to play out a wonderful footy career, because he’s only got his best footy ahead of him.”

https://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2019-03-22/wooshas-full-faith-in-mckernan

 

[Kakkle]

Offering him a one year deal with performance based incentives to trigger a 2nd year just made too much for sense for us, huh.

 

[eth-dog]

One goal with 5 seconds left in the first two games. * him off.

 

[Beerfish]

Nah. He'll come good. Just needs more time.

 

[BrunoV]

One goal with 5 seconds left in the first two games. **** him off.

I'll back him to get his goal kicking sorted before I back Mitch Brown to resemble a key forward.

In reality McKernan was missing two sitters from being probably our best player.

 

[eth-dog]

I'll back him to get his goal kicking sorted before I back Mitch Brown to resemble a key forward.

In reality McKernan was missing two sitter from being probably our best player.

He was terrible. We gave him a 2 year deal off half a dozen good games. Lo and behold he's reverted back to the usual dogshit he was now that he has some security.

Bellchambers, Langford, Fantasia and McKenna were all better than he was and they were pretty bad.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Right in contention for most improved this year