Opinion Essendon Round 1 Starting Midfield

[Browne Eye]

Since there's a bit of conjecture on the board lately about the quality and make up of our midfielder, it'd be interesting to see how everyone expects our starting midfield to look.

For mine, it's:

C: Stanton Watson Zaharakis
R: Bellchambers Goddard Myers

If you want to include a couple of bench midfielders, that's fine.

 

[The Prosecutor]

Nailed it.

 

[Browne Eye]

Nailed it.

I thought so.


Where it gets tricky is including a couple of midfielders on the bench or in a rotation position. That's where things get harder.

Could be any two or three of:

O'Brien, Melksham, Heppell, Browne, Kavanagh, Hocking, Howlett, Lovett-Murrary.

 

[Jade]

Wait; we get your midfield PLUS Heppell, Browne, Melksham, Winderlich, Hocking, Howlett, Kavanagh, O'Brien??

 

[Bombers36]

Id have Heppell instead of Myers - not saying Myers is not capable - just think Hepps will get more time in the midfield. For me;-


T.Bell Goddard Heppell
Zakka Watson Stanton

 

[Keystone agony]

Tbell Zaka Goddard
Heppell - Watson - stanton

 

[eth-dog]

Stanton-Watson-Heppell
T-Bell-Goddard-Howlett

Zaka HFF, Myers, Browne, Melksham bench

 

[Whispering_Jack]

For me Zacka was flying when playing on a wing from the c. bounce and spreading if we get a centre clearance. I think he is best suited to starting on a wing at the c bounce.

R) T. Bell., Goddard, Myers
C) Zacka, Watson, Stanton

Rotating through would be Hepp (from HBF), Melksham (from HFF and bench), Hocking when Goddard or Watson are resting as the bigger clearance body.

I see O'Brien, Browne, Kavanagh all coming in and out of the side on form and injuries (hopefully more form related and not injuries related)

 

[Yoda_]

Not sure we are paying Goddard $750,000 to sit him outside on a wing! Would prefer to see him in the guts, or off half back (where he has played his best football)

EDIT: Where is the love for Howlett? People laughed when I suggested he may miss out on starting in the centre square but now are not naming him.

 

[Whispering_Jack]

Not sure we are paying Goddard $750,000 to sit him outside on a wing! Would prefer to see him in the guts, or off half back (where he has played his best football)

EDIT: Where is the love for Howlett? People laughed when I suggested he may miss out on starting in the centre square but now are not naming him.

I don't think anyone has suggested a wing for Goddard, everyone is saying C, R or RR. As for how much we are paying, I firmly believe he is worth paying overs for when it comes to leadership. He might only be worth $500k but paying 50% extra for the skills he brings when it comes to leading a team is massive. He was touted as a st. kilda captain (partly to try to keep him there admittedly, bit still) and his leadership has already been talked about by anyone who has been asked about him at the Bombers.

 

[Yoda_]

I don't think anyone has suggested a wing for Goddard, everyone is saying C, R or RR. As for how much we are paying, I firmly believe he is worth paying overs for when it comes to leadership. He might only be worth $500k but paying 50% extra for the skills he brings when it comes to leading a team is massive. He was touted as a st. kilda captain (partly to try to keep him there admittedly, bit still) and his leadership has already been talked about by anyone who has been asked about him at the Bombers.

my bad, thought it was the centre line, lol..

 

[eth-dog]

Not sure we are paying Goddard $750,000 to sit him outside on a wing! Would prefer to see him in the guts, or off half back (where he has played his best football)

EDIT: Where is the love for Howlett? People laughed when I suggested he may miss out on starting in the centre square but now are not naming him.

re-read my post mate

 

[Yoda_]

re-read my post mate

One of 4 to include Benny.H

 

[Keystone agony]

We also cant expect Zaka to become an elite footballer by sitting him on a flank. Theres a reason why Griffen, Deledio, Thomas, Beams, Dangerfield all became elite footballers.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

or off half back (where he has played his best football)

According to aussierulesrules he played his best footy in the midfield.

Goddard certainly didn't play his best footy when he was consistently at HB, or anything like it. He spent the great majority of the 2009 and 2010 (by far his best seasons- including his epic GF, of course) playing in and around the midfield and again most of last season was spent there as well.

In fact, he would have spent more time across HF than across HB last season, which he confirmed himself in a recent article (it was one of the reasons he cited for wanting to go to Essendon- he wanted to return to playing mostly midfield). Yet almost everyone (including most who follow St Kilda, it would seem) just assumes that he was playing across HB again last season, as many did for 2009/2010 as well, which is a hell of a long way from the truth. (Our back 6 this year was generally Fisher, Simpkin, Geary, Dempster, Gwilt (when he returned from his knee reco- Blake was playing in his spot most of the time before that) and Gram, with Gilbert the one in there the next most and in 2009/2010 it was Dawson, Fisher, Gwilt, Blake, Gilbert, Baker, Dempster, Raph Clarke, Geary and one or two others who were playing down back almost the whole time they were in the team, with Gram and Goddard spending the odd short spells there, but both playing mostly midfield, after having both been moved there from the backline. About the only times BJ was required across HB in those two years was when we were struggling and that didn't happen all that often, especially in 2009, when we won 19 in a row).

He spent most of his career up to the end of 2008 across HB and then in 2011 when it was realised how much he was struggling he was moved back there for the remainder of that season, but apart from that he had by far and away his best seasons (2009/2010) playing the great majority of the time in the midfield.

He has of course played some terrific footy across HB and in the spells he had there in 2009 and 2010 he was dominant, but not more so than he was when playing in the midfield in those years. It's probably the easiest position on the field to play though, so someone with his size and attributes ought to be able to play there with ease, which he generally does, when he's fit and in any sort of form.

 

[Zach Package]

flank means bugger all today, it's essentially a wing.
for me its

Foll Belch Watson Howlett
C Stanton Goddard Myers

With heppell starting off the back of the square, melksham/zakka off the front, and Hocking/Browne/Kav and whoever else making up the bench.

reasoning is simple, Watson is a deity and Goddard is a more than handy sidekick. Howlett to be that solid blocker, annoyer, tagger/scragger at the centre bounce (hocking the better pure tagger, but howlett the better all round player atm).

It all means little around the ground, but we've got a decent cluster of blokes following the ball when you add stanton, myers, zaka, heppell, melksham, hocking, browne and kav to the above.

 

[Keystone agony]

I like the idea of using Heppell as that so called "extra" eg: off the back of the square. Also starting on a forward flank and rotating into the midfield and than drifting back. Or only starting with 5 forwards and having Heppell as that "extra" off the square again.

As much a flankers can push up to run off the wing which many do or run in at the front of the centre square. As soon as the ball is kicked or released before he or anyone else from the wings, front of the square can get in there than it becomes a difficult task getting the pill esepecially when you have a pure defender sitting on your tail who only wants to shut him out of the game where as onball midfielders generally just worry about finding the pill more so than shutting players out unless tagging like Raines, Carrazzo or Crowley ect

Lets say his our forward flank. We know Hurley + JoeD/Gumbyu for talls so thats 3 spots filled. A genuine small forward is required Jetta/Davey makes 4. Our resting ruck gets it to 5 and Crameri is IMO our first picked forward taking it to 6. Wheres Winderlich sit if fully fit?

 

[aussierulesrules]

According to aussierulesrules he played his best footy in the midfield.

No doubt about that whatsoever. Last season his best games were when he was given specific games in the guts, against Boyd when we played WB and against I think it might have been Swan, when we played Collingwood. He also played the other of his best 3 games of the season against Geelong, when he also spent much of that match in the guts. All those 3 games were late in the season, too, so that augurs well for him going into this year.

You can see how he went in each individual game of 2009 and 2010, when he spent the great majority of his time playing in the midfield, down near the bottom of this page: http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/players/B/Brendon_Goddard.html

 

[Little Birdy]

Not in Round 1, but I think we may see Hibberd float thru' the midfield once in a while during the season.

 

[daffo]

Heard Hird say that Heppell will get more time through the middle this year but will still play a bit across half back.
Myers (if fit) should get a fair bit more game time.

 

[half time raffle]

All about balance, i wouldn't think you would get three of of Watson/Goddard/Myers/Hocking in the centre square at the same time, too slow on the spread. I think the starting combination of Watson (clearance specialist and the fastest hands going around right in the centre of the contest), Goddard (elite foot skills and habit of sitting a little behind the ball sweeping) and Zaharakis (burst pace and able to get forward of the contets in space) is the right starting mix. From there i think either Howlett or Hocking comes in for Watson, Myers in the Goddard role and either of Heppell, Melksham or Winderlich in Zaharakis' role.

 

[eth-dog]

All about balance, i wouldn't think you would get three of of Watson/Goddard/Myers/Hocking in the centre square at the same time, too slow on the spread. I think the starting combination of Watson (clearance specialist and the fastest hands going around right in the centre of the contest), Goddard (elite foot skills and habit of sitting a little behind the ball sweeping) and Zaharakis (burst pace and able to get forward of the contets in space) is the right starting mix. From there i think either Howlett or Hocking comes in for Watson, Myers in the Goddard role and either of Heppell, Melksham or Winderlich in Zaharakis' role.

I think you mean Howlett, not Goddard

 

[rines]

Tbell Watson Stanton
Zaka Hepp Goddard

with Howlett, Kav, Hocking, Myers, Melksham all viable..

Now see who wants to say we have no midfield options.. WOWEE I'm excited!

 

[Yoda_]

Is Goddard quick? I would like to see us add some genuine speed to our rotations. Apart from Myers who showed glimpses last year, we really do lack some genuine leg speed. Howlett has a handy turn but none above the norm. I would like to see us add some real dash to our side, here's hoping we can see some games from the next tier of 'dashers' in Colyer, Dalgleish, Merret and the new kids, Gleeson, Ashby and Hams.

 

[daz17]

Is Goddard quick? I would like to see us add some genuine speed to our rotations. Apart from Myers who showed glimpses last year, we really do lack some genuine leg speed. Howlett has a handy turn but none above the norm. I would like to see us add some real dash to our side, here's hoping we can see some games from the next tier of 'dashers' in Colyer, Dalgleish, Merret and the new kids, Gleeson, Ashby and Hams.

I hope Colyer plays well this year. Dalgleish is so exciting, hope he can find the confidence to break the lines in the VFL.