News Captain to be named at December 21 open Training Session.

[Call Me Cake]

Last is Hille. If I'm not wrong he did captain the team in the absence of Lloyd a few seasons ago and did a decent job. He's like a mix of McVeigh and Watson and could be seen as the perfect fit. The only thing going against him is his knee and if he can fully recover from it. I'd love it for him to be captain. No homo.

Excellent observations mate and I agree, the only thing stopping Hille is his knee. But I think his previous efforts and accomplishments far outweigh a little bump in his step to recovery. I think the smart guys at Essendon are able to see past that and make the right decision either way.

One thing I like about Hille is that, before he became the mature man he is now, he was able to have captain experience back in 2006, for pretty much the whole entire season. This is why I think he is able to deal with the 'pressures' of being a captain (despite his knee) because he's already endured it before. Thus, even with the recovery, Hille seems to be the type of guy that can separate the two successfully.

Another thing going for him is his aggressive take on the footy. The man is a tank and he's got the Jonathan Brown presence in him, the way he towers over most. This is something you want in a leader, someone who isn't afraid to stick it to the opposition and lift the team he works hard for in the process. He's a very intelligent man as well, and he knows the inside and out's of our successful club. If he does not get the gig, it is purely because of his injury over anything else IMO.

 

[Beerfish]

I totally agree with most of what has been said in the last few posts. I'd love to see Hille get the job and his knee is the only fly in the ointment. What would happen if (Coleman forbid) he was to have "problems"? It would leave us without our newly appointed captain. It would be a gutsy decision to make and whilst I'd be thrilled if he did get the job despite this (we're a gutsy club afterall) I'd be surprised.

Watson I love as a player and echo the sentiments posted thus far but I just have doubts about something. To try and describe what it is would probably open me up to howls of derision but consider this.. Until this year I would have thought Spike was the best candidate for the job. Great player, gutsy, a bit of mongrel, bleeds for the club etc, etc. I can't help but think that if he got the captaincy it would be exactly what he needs to pull himself together, refocus and get back to being the Spike that we all know and love. I remember when he started playing for us and was a funny looking kid with a stupid hairdo. It didn't take long for the hairdo to disappear and the real Spike to come to the fore. I think he has every quality a leader needs and actually having the responsibility of the captaincy will be enough to make him think about everything before he does it.

So at the end of the day I'm hoping Hille, McVeigh and Watson in that order. Whatever the decision though, we've got three outstanding candidates and any one of them would have my full support.

 

[white_noise]

I'm thinking it's going to be Watson. There is no real doubt in my mind.

However would be great to see McVeigh. Despite his minor Muck ups in 09 I think he bleeds red and black more then any other bomber!

 

[Rustin Cohle]

I hope it's Jobe Watson. I really like the way he plays. Either way, I'm sure Essendon will appoint the right person for the club. Hille wouldn't be a bad option also.

 

[theboxmike]

I would love Hille to get it Totally deserves it imo, though i'm sure i wont be disappointed anyway whoever gets it.

 

[George Washington]

 

[teak]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/watson-will-captain-dons-one-day-lloyd-20091212-kppn.html

MATTHEW Lloyd has declared midfielder Jobe Watson the barometer of the new-look Essendon, but has stopped short of anointing him a certainty to be the club's next captain.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/watson-will-captain-dons-one-day-lloyd-20091212-kppn.html

Talks about the main candidates for captain. Interesting read.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

He's just warming up the microphone as we speak.

 

[Beerfish]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/watson-will-captain-dons-one-day-lloyd-20091212-kppn.html

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/watson-will-captain-dons-one-day-lloyd-20091212-kppn.html

Talks about the main candidates for captain. Interesting read.

It also talks about Welsh recently re-signing following a "contract dispute".

Since when is a negotiation automatically a dispute?

ffs

 

[Skeeta Olly]

Watson I love as a player and echo the sentiments posted thus far but I just have doubts about something. To try and describe what it is would probably open me up to howls of derision but consider this..

I'd like to hear your views because I think I may have some doubts as well about him.

 

[Beerfish]

Well.. it's not that I don't think he could handle the responsibility but then again in our last game he was captain and barely touched it while we copped an absolute flogging. I'm not blaming him for it but a captain should be able to take it up a notch and create that spark that a team needs.

I don't doubt his intelligence or his eloquence nor do I doubt the respect he more than likely commands from the rest of the team but he doesn't really seem to have that mongrel factor and he doesn't really seem to be the kind of player that might put some kind of fear into the opposition the way Hille and McVeigh can.

Having said all that and like I said before, I think we have three outstanding candidates and I'd support any one of them all the way once the decision was made but in a three horse race I'd just probably have Hille and Spike ahead of Jobe right now.

 

[Skeeta Olly]

Fair call.

I think the problem is it's hard for him to take it up a notch noticeably due to the role he plays. Although, it seems that he's training really well, so maybe this is the season where we see him burst out. He also needs some mongrel about him. McVeigh and Hille wouldn't hesitate in getting right into the action (fights), but it's something I can't see Watson doing that. It's not that I want him to king hit someone, but if a player goes down, get in there and make a statement.

For what it's worth, I didn't think Lloyd should have been captain, although this judgement could be because he was never able to get back to his best after that hamstring.

 

[Beerfish]

For what it's worth, I didn't think Lloyd should have been captain, although this judgement could be because he was never able to get back to his best after that hamstring.

I agree.

It can also be difficult to lead a team from the forward 50 too.. not that it can't be done obviously.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Lloyd was a better captain than Hird, at least from what I've read re discipline and culture.

 

[teak]

It also talks about Welsh recently re-signing following a "contract dispute".

Since when is a negotiation automatically a dispute?

ffs

Yer, when have the media ever sensationalised anything, or made something out of nothing!
But there are many people that swallow what ever the media tells them, and I think we need to learn to take what the credible media outlets claim with a grain of salt. The thing is that anything to do with Essendon, be it good or bad [in particular bad], sells papers. This is why they continue to blow things out of proportion. It is going to be hell when Gold Coast start to poach players. There will be about 40 articles a day claiming that Player X is leaving Popular Team Y to move to the Gold Coast for Sum Z. Just look at the Gary Ablett bs, and how much the media has extrapolated. and the GC are still two and a half years away.

 

[Beerfish]

Lloyd was a better captain than Hird, at least from what I've read re discipline and culture.

Really?

That's interesting. I wouldn't have thought so.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Really?

That's interesting. I wouldn't have thought so.

Hird was more laid back whereas Lloyd was more strict especially at training.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

Not sure Hird was quite 'laid-back' behind closed doors something tells me. Inspirational captain, rate him above Lloyd in the 'captaining' stakes for sure.

Wasn't trying to bring Lloyd down a peg at all by that statement, terrific goal-kicker and was a good leader himself no doubt. Hird was just a legend, there's not many around. Was terrific in setting up set-plays at centre bounces, plus getting over to struggling players and giving them words of advice throughout a match. Lloyd found them two things hard to do being at FF naturally.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Not sure Hird was quite 'laid-back' behind closed doors something tells me. Inspirational captain, rate him above Lloyd in the 'captaining' stakes for sure.

Wasn't trying to bring Lloyd down a peg at all by that statement, terrific goal-kicker and was a good leader himself no doubt. Hird was just a legend, there's not many around. Was terrific in setting up set-plays at centre bounces, plus getting over to struggling players and giving them words of advice throughout a match. Lloyd found them two things hard to do being at FF naturally.

The impression I got from Sheedy's autobiography was that the McVeigh incident this year would have been less of an issue under Sheedy and Hird.

 

[DaSawx]

Damn my job and it's normal hours

 

[Boucks09]

Lloyd was a better captain than Hird, at least from what I've read re discipline and culture.

Spot on. I've heard that from numerous sources in the club. Hird was a little 'aloof' off the field, where as Lloyd was more switched on. Would surprise many to hear this.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

Spot on. I've heard that from numerous sources in the club. Hird was a little 'aloof' off the field...

Care to name one?

I've heard quite the opposite. He did like his time off the field, but when required wasn't scared to tell that players what was what, and how things needed to be done.

 

[Kong]

Care to name one?

I'm fairly certain Lloyd himself said this.

He wouldn't risk disrespecting a club great if it didn't have any truth to it, you wouldn't think.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

I'm fairly certain Lloyd himself said this.

He probably did; he needs to make a few harsh calls to get himself in the media spotlight though.

Whether it is true or not, nobody will probably ever know besides the great man himself (Jimbob).

 

[Giggidy Giggidy]

Spot on. I've heard that from numerous sources in the club. Hird was a little 'aloof' off the field, where as Lloyd was more switched on. Would surprise many to hear this.

They definitely had differing leadership styles, doesn't mean one was necessarily better than the other though. Individual players would naturally respond better to one, others vice-versa. Perhaps certain players who have struggled under Lloydy may have flourished under Hirdy?

Hirdy discussed in his book "Reading the play" the differences in leadership technique, and whilst he respected the way Lloyd went about it there were various aspects that he didn't agree with, or didn't see the point of. For instance, Hird never saw the point of the whole idea of punishing players for not wearing X coloured socks to training, etc... that various leaders have adopted for unity, as he never saw it as relevant to performance and as a bit of a waste of time and effort, but Lloydy was all over this sort of stuff.

Hirdy also discussed the need to be able to balance being a captain and an individual player. He had to take a stand sometimes to focus on his own game so that wouldn't suffer, which in turn allowed his on-field efforts to inspire, indirectly improving his success as a captain. Perhaps Lloydy couldn't quite find this balance through getting too involved in all the small aspects of captaincy (such as coloured socks) and whilst this assisted from a team/club discipline point of view, may have lead to deficiencies elsewhere.