Draft Primer - Essendon

[tristo]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsId=69858

ESSENDON

Picks: 5, 23, 55, 67, 79

Departures: Tom Hislop, Courtney Johns, Jason Johnson, Andrew Lee, Mal Michael, Damien Peverill, Adam Ramanauskas, Danny Chartres (rookie), Dean Dick (rookie)

Where's the club at?

Rebuilding. The Bombers finished 12th on the ladder this year –the same position as the year before – but promised supporters a bit more with an exciting new game plan that began to pay dividends. With a young list headed by a young coach, the Bombers are building for the future, indicated further by the end of season cleanout Matthew Knights embarked on after telling some experienced Bombers their opportunities would be limited next year.

Needs:

A spate of retirements and departures over the past two years mean the Bombers could do with a handful of different players. The most glaring deficiencies are probably in the midfield and down back, with a lack of quality in the middle a continuing concern, although the pace issue has been addressed in recent seasons. The retirement of Mal Michael and the age of Dustin Fletcher mean a key back could be where the Bombers need to focus most, although another ruckman to support David Hille, Jason Laycock and the developing Tom Bellchambers could also help.

Recent drafts:

Last year, the Bombers welcomed four youngsters to Windy Hill in the NAB AFL Draft (David Myers, Tayte Pears, Darcy Daniher and Cale Hooker), while John Williams and Bellchambers arrived in the pre-season draft, and Heath Hocking was elevated from the rookie list. Rhys Magin and Jarrod Atkinson both made their debuts off the rookie list. The year before, they snared Michael in the pre-season draft, and Scott Gumbleton, Leroy Jetta, Alwyn Davey, Bachar Houli, Kyle Reimers and Hislop in the November draft.

Chance of taking recycled players:

Probably unlikely unless delisted midfielder Tom Hislop – who is still training with the club – gets another guernsey. The club also has former Crow and current Bendigo Bomber Hayden Skipworth participating in the summer sessions. The Bombers are rebuilding and are more likely to go with the youth approach than worry about experienced players.

What coach Matthew Knights says:

"Our midfield is an area that we have to continue to strengthen because we're probably not quite there with the other big clubs in the midfield. We've got to keep trying to develop and add to it. We've got pick five, and we haven't settled on our exact selection yet. We're probably down to three players, and it's just working out with our next pick at 23, what type of players are probably going to be around then.

"I think we definitely do need some different types of players at picks five and 23. Whether you go for a key player first, or a key defender or forward or a mid with your first pick is something we're still talking through, and it's probably a decision we'll make a week out from the draft. Chris Yarran is a lively forward who we think will turn into a midfielder. He's got explosive speed and he moves a little bit like Shaun Burgoyne. He's a quality player."

We say:

Essendon has a plethora of options for its No.1 pick – it just has to decide on which type of player holds priority. Do they go for a key back such as Michael Hurley, or as Knights speculated, a goal-kicking midfield option like Yarran? There's also ruckman Tyrone Vickery or midfielders Hamish Hartlett or Jack Ziebell as possibilities, and Daniel Rich may slide. None of these players are expected to last until pick 23, so the Bombers will have to choose wisely with their first pick to ensure they welcome a key element of the Bombers' future to Windy Hill.

 

[Burzum]

Nothing new really.

 

[BigE]

jetta,davey,houli,reimers was a good return in that draft, and if gumbelton can get fit excellent draft, hope we can repeat it this year

 

[Charliebrow 16]

Exactly, nothing that we didn't already know about.

 

[reincarnated]

"Chris Yarran is a lively forward who we think will turn into a midfielder. He's got explosive speed and he moves a little bit like Shaun Burgoyne. He's a quality player."

I don't know why he made a comment like that before the draft. This is something you would say after the draft when he is trying to justify why they picked him. ("who we think will turn into a midfielder")

Sounds more and more like it's going to be Yarran.

 

[dirtywhitepacker]

Sounds more and more like it's going to be Yarran.

Just like Freo are taking Hill

 

[BigE]

"Chris Yarran is a lively forward who we think will turn into a midfielder. He's got explosive speed and he moves a little bit like Shaun Burgoyne. He's a quality player."

I don't know why he made a comment like that before the draft. This is something you would say after the draft when he is trying to justify why they picked him. ("who we think will turn into a midfielder")

Sounds more and more like it's going to be Yarran.

arent jetta and davey the same types of players do we need another one???

 

[table tennis]

arent jetta and davey the same types of players do we need another one???

I think that rules Yarran out!

No one will reveal thier cards, so to name Yarran might be just trying to off set others.

 

[The_Gunny_Bomber]

"Chris Yarran is a lively forward who we think will turn into a midfielder. He's got explosive speed and he moves a little bit like Shaun Burgoyne. He's a quality player."

I don't know why he made a comment like that before the draft. This is something you would say after the draft when he is trying to justify why they picked him. ("who we think will turn into a midfielder")

Sounds more and more like it's going to be Yarran.

That is a major decoy.. I can't imagine him showing his hand that easily!

 

[Hencho]

That is a major decoy.. I can't imagine him showing his hand that easily!

Agreed! Hes probably hoping for one of the expected top 4 to slip down a notch. Not that we don't already have a plethora of choices but one more would be nice!

 

[Burzum]

That is a major decoy.. I can't imagine him showing his hand that easily!

I think clubs would be aware that we rate Yarran highly.

 

[efcboy]

i really don't think yarran wants pick 5. after the nationals i think most agreed he'd probably be a late 1st rounder. there's been a lot of hype the last month that has propped him up - he hasn't done anything to warrant this for mine.

if we want a gun midfielder then at pick 5 take the best midfielder available - form wa it could be rich, hill; from sa its hartlett; from vic its sidebottom; from tassie its mitch robinson.

yarran couldn't even get a gig in midfield in u/18s for wa - how the hell is he going to do it at afl level.

if we take key defender with pick 5 its quite simple - hurley or trengove. i'll be content with this.

hoping yarran is a decoy thrown out by knights but i don't see the point at pick 5 with the first few choices pretty much a formality anyway...

 

[bomber69]

yarran couldn't even get a gig in midfield in u/18s for wa - how the hell is he going to do it at afl level

Did you even watch any of the u/18 games? Yarran had a few short stints in the midfield (would have played longer but had ankle and hamstring complaints) and while there had more of an impact than most of his teammates.

I don't get why people are so opposed to the idea of Yarran at 5. Here is a kid who has played 13 senior games in the WAFL and kicked 39 goals for an average of 3 a game. Now its rare for a Victorian boy to average that in the TAC Cup against people his age and size let alone in a senior competition against men (and some AFL listed players might I add). Worst case scenario we get a creative half forward.

 

[loopy_cam]

Did you even watch any of the u/18 games? Yarran had a few short stints in the midfield

Yeh if you look at his highlight package you can see that there are times that he starts in the centre.

And on the draft I think that it is very likely that we will take Yarran. The way I see it he is very similar to Myers. Both are smooth movers with very good skills and both have more than one string to their bow with Myers able to move down back and Yarran in the forward line. Plus Knights was talking him up as a Shaun Burgoyne type. IMO there is alot pointing to the fact that we'll take him if we take a mid at #5.

 

[efcboy]

why take shaun burgoyne when you can have gary ablett

 

[Sigmund]

why take shaun burgoyne when you can have gary ablett

Who is the Ablett of this draft?

 

[efcboy]

Who is the Ablett of this draft?

it was a throw-away line - my point is why just draft an outside receiver/query mid when you can take a genuine midfielder with star potential? to answer your question the top three fitting this bill are hamish hartlett, daniel rich and steele sidebottom (in that order).

 

[nighthawk]

...
Worst case scenario we get a creative half forward.

You seem to be suggesting this wouldn't be such a bad thing? Have you seen our list? Getting a creative half forward truly would be the worst case scenario coming out of the draft. If Yarran did make it as a midfielder, I still have my doubts he is the best midfielder available. In the more likely situation that he stays forward we will have recruited yet another forward rather than address our needs down back and in the middle.

 

[BigE]

You seem to be suggesting this wouldn't be such a bad thing? Have you seen our list? Getting a creative half forward truly would be the worst case scenario coming out of the draft. If Yarran did make it as a midfielder, I still have my doubts he is the best midfielder available. In the more likely situation that he stays forward we will have recruited yet another forward rather than address our needs down back and in the middle.

agree totally

as i said earlier we have davey, jetta, and you can even throw monfries into the mix, we dont need another small forward

 

[Sigmund]

it was a throw-away line - my point is why just draft an outside receiver/query mid when you can take a genuine midfielder with star potential? to answer your question the top three fitting this bill are hamish hartlett, daniel rich and steele sidebottom (in that order).

No offence intended in my comment -just interested in your opinion

 

[efcboy]

No offence intended in my comment -just interested in your opinion

none taken

i will be annoyed if knights doesn't go genuine mid or key defender with pick 5.

 

[loopy_cam]

it was a throw-away line - my point is why just draft an outside receiver/query mid when you can take a genuine midfielder with star potential? to answer your question the top three fitting this bill are hamish hartlett, daniel rich and steele sidebottom (in that order).

Is Steele really a 'pure' midfielder? Now, I haven't seen him play but from what I've read he sounds to be in the same boat as Yarran in that he is only in the midfield in short stints. He said in his interview on AFL.com that he has been mostly a half back flanker this year and played as midfielder and forward last year.

What sort of player are you?
This year I’ve started to go down back a bit, so I’m a bit of a running half-back flanker. But I like to go into the midfield a bit and get amongst it. Last year I played predominately midfield and swapping up forward.

http://afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=69468

 

[efcboy]

Is Steele really a 'pure' midfielder? Now, I haven't seen him play but from what I've read he sounds to be in the same boat as Yarran in that he is only in the midfield in short stints. He said in his interview on AFL.com that he has been mostly a half back flanker this year and played as midfielder and forward last year.

http://afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=69468

steele sidebottom performed very well in the beep test for endurance at the draft camp which proved he is capable of playing mid for long durations. yarran on the other hand didn't show up in any of these tests...

if i had to make comparisons i'd say:

sidebottom - j.bartel. great endurance, solid overhead, not overly quick.

yarran - adrian mcadam. great talent but not the endurance to play mid.

hartlett - craig bradley/d.jarman. awesome talent thru midfield who could be anything.

rich - drew banfield. solid midfielder who will make an impact immediately and be a great servant for any club.

 

[Essendonfc_4_lyfe]

Steele Sidebottom

Which AFL team do you support?
The Bombers. I went there for a week (Sidebottom is a member of the AIS/AFL Academy) and that was really good.

Winner

 

[efcboy]

Steele Sidebottom



Winner

certainly wouldn't be disappointed if young steele was taken - you could guarantee he'd be a bomber for life.