Essendon 2009 in numbers

[kelvin_sheedy]

If you look at teams over the past few years, Hawks the exception, teams that have had good winning records are those that have had experienced sides on the park.

Basically if you put out a team with an average age of 25 and 100 games you are almost guaranteed a spot in the 8.

North, Sydney, Adelaide, Cats are examples of this. Dogs this year were very experienced as were the Pies at the start of the year.

All sides in the top 4 played finals with an average age of 25+ and 90+ games bar the Hawks.

With this in mind lets look out how our team is like in numbers at the start of next year. Team picked with experience and age in mind. Age and games in brackets.

B: NLM (26)(85) – Dustin Fletcher(33)(294) – Henry Slattery(23)(52)
HB: Courtney Dempsey(21)(10) - Patrick Ryder(21)(52) – Jay Nash(23)(41)
C: Jason Winderlich(24)(56) – Jobe Watson(24)(72) – Brent Stanton(22)(98)
HF: Alwyn Davey(24)(19) – Scott Lucas(31)(256) – Andrew Lovett(26)(66)
FF: Angus Monfries(22)(72) – Matthew Lloyd(30)(252) - Adam McPhee(26)(146)
R: David Hille(27)(144) - Mark McVeigh(28)(176) – Andrew Welsh(26)(134)
I/C From: Jason Laycock(24)(58) – Sam Lonergan(21)(20) – Kyle Reimers(20)(18) - Ricky Dyson(23)(64)

Average age - 24.7
Average games - 90

We are probably just under the sweet spot at the start of the year. Add 20 more games per player and 6 months of age then we will be around the mark with 25+ and 100+ come finals time.

Even with a few kids in there we should still have a finals age side. No excuses for next year and if we aren't good enough then so be it. The rebuilding and kids excuse won't wash.

 

[Sigmund]

Interesting post Kelvin -- clearly put some effort into that

But I look at that team and I do not see a good team. If this was our team for next year, then we are in trouble me thinks. This post for me highlights just our bad our drafting has been since 1999, and the serious lack of quality we have in the side below 30YO and above 21YO.

 

[Sigmund]

To follow my previous post - the players I am talking about are NLM, Nash (to an extent), Laycock, and of course Ricky Dyson.

Dempsey is yet to convince me of anything

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Interesting post Kelvin -- clearly put some effort into that

But I look at that team and I do not see a good team. If this was our team for next year, then we are in trouble me thinks. This post for me highlights just our bad our drafting has been since 1999, and the serious lack of quality we have in the side below 30YO and above 21YO.

Well I look at North, Adelaide and a few others and I dont' see too much in them either.

I think experience can get you a spot in the finals. It's the cream at your top end which dictates whether your a player or a pretender.

We will have the experience as of next year to be a finals player. Will we have the cream to be a serious player - no chance.

The next few years will be interesting as we'll lose some of our top end (Fletch, Lucas, Lloyd) and not gain in games and experience really.

Basically what I'm saying is that if we don't play finals next year then we'll struggle for the next 3 years unless we dig out a Judd, Franklin or Ablett Jnr.

 

[Sigmund]

Well I look at North, Adelaide and a few others and I dont' see too much in them either.

I think experience can get you a spot in the finals. It's the cream at your top end which dictates whether your a player or a pretender.

We will have the experience as of next year to be a finals player. Will we have the cream to be a serious player - no chance.

The next few years will be interesting as we'll lose some of our top end (Fletch, Lucas, Lloyd) and not gain in games and experience really.

Basically what I'm saying is that if we don't play finals next year then we'll struggle for the next 3 years unless we dig out a Judd, Franklin or Ablett Jnr.

Agree with all you have posted here Kelv


Looking at that team just tells me that we seriously lack genuine quality below the age of 30. Plenty of honest players, but as you note, not enough to get a flag. We have some likely candidates to fill this quality void (Ryder, Myers, Reimers), and those under 30 that could be put in this category (Hille, McVeigh) have really just got there from being good average players over a number of years

 

[Burzum]

OUT: Jay Nash
IN: David Myers

 

[bombersrbest05]

David Myers is the next Chris Judd

 

[Burzum]

I wish.

 

[Sigmund]

David Myers is the next Chris Judd

Settle down young man......

 

[Smyth94]

If you look at teams over the past few years, Hawks the exception, teams that have had good winning records are those that have had experienced sides on the park.

Basically if you put out a team with an average age of 25 and 100 games you are almost guaranteed a spot in the 8.

North, Sydney, Adelaide, Cats are examples of this. Dogs this year were very experienced as were the Pies at the start of the year.

All sides in the top 4 played finals with an average age of 25+ and 90+ games bar the Hawks.

With this in mind lets look out how our team is like in numbers at the start of next year. Team picked with experience and age in mind. Age and games in brackets.

B: NLM (26)(85) – Dustin Fletcher(33)(294) – Henry Slattery(23)(52)
HB: Courtney Dempsey(21)(10) - Patrick Ryder(21)(52) – Jay Nash(23)(41)
C: Jason Winderlich(24)(56) – Jobe Watson(24)(72) – Brent Stanton(22)(98)
HF: Alwyn Davey(24)(19) – Scott Lucas(31)(256) – Andrew Lovett(26)(66)
FF: Angus Monfries(22)(72) – Matthew Lloyd(30)(252) - Adam McPhee(26)(146)
R: David Hille(27)(144) - Mark McVeigh(28)(176) – Andrew Welsh(26)(134)
I/C From: Jason Laycock(24)(58) – Sam Lonergan(21)(20) – Kyle Reimers(20)(18) - Ricky Dyson(23)(64)

Average age - 24.7
Average games - 90

We are probably just under the sweet spot at the start of the year. Add 20 more games per player and 6 months of age then we will be around the mark with 25+ and 100+ come finals time.

Even with a few kids in there we should still have a finals age side. No excuses for next year and if we aren't good enough then so be it. The rebuilding and kids excuse won't wash.

Top post Kelvin

One little thing I want to add - whilst if we go purely on age then it does look like we've got enough experience to make the finals but I think the more relevant stat is games played.

Dempsey, Neagle and Gumbleton are 20/21 and all three have played ten games or less; all three would be expecting to play major roles for us next season. You can add to that group Lonergan at 21 yrs (20 games).

Slattery (23 yr); Nash (23 yr); Winderlich (24 yr); Laycock (24 yr); Davey (24 yr) have barely cracked 50 games

A large chunk of our team is light on for experience which is what makes players like Hille, McVeigh, Lloyd, Lucas, McPhee and Welsh so important to our team.

 

[bomber69]

More like Chris Judd is the next David Myers

 

[Wanna B Hird]

David Myers is the next Chris Judd

Although you might be jumping the gun a bit David Myers reminds me a hell of alot of Judd

 

[ChelseaFC]

More like Chris Judd is the next David Myers

phhht Judd wishes!

 

[bombersrbest05]

Although you might be jumping the gun a bit David Myers reminds me a hell of alot of Judd

Yeah thats kind of what I meant they look very similar in their running style height and weight, they both seem to be the same kind of player midfeilder who can play back or forward and can deliver the ball with good accuracy

 

[Enki]

Yeah thats kind of what I meant they look very similar in their running style height and weight, they both seem to be the same kind of player midfielder who can play back or forward and can deliver the ball with good accuracy

In that case a better comparison (if you can call any comparison between an A grade player and a first season player good) would probably be Hodge. Judd can't really play back or forward all that well (he's not hopeless, but he's nothing special) and Myers doesn't have that burst sprint that Judd used to regularly display at WCE.

Not to say Myers couldn't be a star in his own right, but IMO he doesn't visually look much like Judd at all, and is probably already showing (very early) signs of being far more versatile than Judd.

 

[azza_24]

David Myers will be better than Judd

 

[monfries_monster]

I can see what you are saying in your post. With our most experienced side out their, we probably should have enough experience to make finals next year. But having a look at the side that you have presented I am unsure that we have the quality. Just because a side is around the right age, does not mean they are good enough.

The best 22 this year is going to be different to what you have presented. It is going to be alot younger and young guys are going to come into the side that bring alot more quality. and we need to do that.

The kids that will be in this side hopefully will be the likes of Houli, Jetta, Myers, Gumbleton, Prismall, Pears etc and who ever we get with no. 5 for some games.

These kids coming in will bring alot more quality into our side, even though with less experience, it is a must we blood them. The side that has been presented is not good enough, but bringing this amount of quality in will give us a better chance to play finals, if not in 09 but in 2010, and then sustain it.

Hopefully we get that elite player from a number of players - Myers, Houli Gumbleton, Ryder No. 5 draft pick. And supplement them with the other players who are or will become A grade such as Watson, Stanton, Prismall, Dempsey, Monfries, Jetta etc.

 

[daffo]

Although you might be jumping the gun a bit David Myers reminds me a hell of alot of Judd

Love the kid, but he doesn't have the pace to burn like a young Judd did.