jmoo wan
Formally Mr Jmoo Wan
longer then that- we haven't had a decent midfield since the early 30s
Opinion The Midfield - A Reality Check
- Thread starter kelvin_sheedy
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As bomber fans we were WAY off in our assessment of the midfield, with opposition trolls far closer to the money than they ever are. Its almost astonishing how bad our midfield is when you think we moved our attention away from KPPs and Rucks for no discernible midfield payout.
well, I think we can say after a few consecutive games that obrien won't cut it.
from here we need to see what kavanagh has conclusively. probably the same for Browne. melksham I am now happy to cut at the end of the year as well.
Zmerrett, Laverde, Heppell is the best three young mids we've had in my time. if we can add another good high pick (Parish) and maybe get a player from Browne, Kavanagh and Fantasia then we have a decent unit in the centre, throwing in Myers as well.
however, this requires us to stop giving minutes to howlett, melksham, cooney and obrien.
Over to you Hird.
from here we need to see what kavanagh has conclusively. probably the same for Browne. melksham I am now happy to cut at the end of the year as well.
Zmerrett, Laverde, Heppell is the best three young mids we've had in my time. if we can add another good high pick (Parish) and maybe get a player from Browne, Kavanagh and Fantasia then we have a decent unit in the centre, throwing in Myers as well.
however, this requires us to stop giving minutes to howlett, melksham, cooney and obrien.
Over to you Hird.
- Apr 15, 2013
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I don't actually agree. It's very true that the next string of midfielders have been really disappointing this year, thinking of Kav, Dal, NOB. Plus Melksham has shown his critics to be on the money.
But on the other hand, at full strength next year with WADA behind us, i don't have an issue with
Watson
Heppell
Zaka (if he comes good again)
Colyer
Hocking
Myers
Stanton
Zach
With able back up from Jackson, Laverde, Cooney and Howlett.
We can cover for a couple of injuries there, but we are certainly a bit thin as this year has shown. We are definitely over dependent on Colyer and Zaka for speed.
I think a good ruck is what we are missing most next year, while looking further ahead, we don't have enough midfield talent coming through.
As a recruiting strategy the club has seemed to value talls more than smalls/midfielders over the last 10 or so years.
And the picks they've used on midfielders haven't really worked. Apart from Heppel and Z Merret (and perhaps Colyer) the rest are either unproven (Laverde etc), mediocre (Melksham, Zaharakis, Hocking, etc) or injury prone (Myers).
The midfield is a massive issue and has been for years. Unfortunately I can't see it changing anytime soon. I've lost faith in the club's ability to recruit and manage the list as well as the other teams and I hope something changes as a result of the review at the end of the year.
And the picks they've used on midfielders haven't really worked. Apart from Heppel and Z Merret (and perhaps Colyer) the rest are either unproven (Laverde etc), mediocre (Melksham, Zaharakis, Hocking, etc) or injury prone (Myers).
The midfield is a massive issue and has been for years. Unfortunately I can't see it changing anytime soon. I've lost faith in the club's ability to recruit and manage the list as well as the other teams and I hope something changes as a result of the review at the end of the year.
- Apr 15, 2013
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You can't equate Zaka or Hocking with Melksham
That is a shocking midfield. Parish is a must
I think Zaharakis can turn it around. I'm sure he can. Certainly has the ability.
Myers is way too injury prone. Need his left leg if nothing else.
It is going to be bad over the next few years from the looks of it.
I think Zaharakis can turn it around. I'm sure he can. Certainly has the ability.
Myers is way too injury prone. Need his left leg if nothing else.
It is going to be bad over the next few years from the looks of it.
- May 6, 2007
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I'm still pointing the finger at the guys who have games under their belt NOT guys who have played a handful of games!!
How is the impact Goddard is having on games? Ditto Howlett? Heppell?
How is the impact Goddard is having on games? Ditto Howlett? Heppell?
Goddard is doing that job fine alright
- May 6, 2007
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Is he? In terms of his actual impact on games its about 70% of what he's capable of
Nasty Penguin
Club Legend
It's a classic flow on effect. By having Jobe, Hocking, Myers out for a large part of the season, Jobe head wasn't near it prior to injuries, have forced players to play roles they haven't adapted to. Goddard is not an in and under player he's a general/patch guy. Heppell needs to get some sort of a chop out just every now and then for his own confidence. Howlett plays a good, not great, game every 5 maybe 6 games. It's that adaptability that is hurting our midfield and plenty are being found out.
Fit and healthy our midfield stacks up, just, it's that very shallow depth that is hurting right now.
No the finger pointing. t'was a joke. Get it? I bolded it? I guess not well received
Darcy Parish.
- May 6, 2007
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No the finger pointing. t'was a joke. Get it? I bolded it? I guess not well received
Apologies bud
- May 6, 2007
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It is a flow on effect. BigFooty is so obsessed with having the next Jaegar Ao'Meara or Patrick Cripps that it is very rare that these kids come into the seniors and play as a no. 1 - 4 midfielder from day dot. I agree wholeheartedly with what your saying.
Kav played arguably his best game for the club in a hiding to none from the Cats. In that side he was perhaps the 5th midfielder in line behind BJ, Zac, Hep and Stanton.
It is such a hard task for kids to be leaders from day one when they aren't even comfortable with themselves.
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Unfortunately Goddard is only decent if he's stationary at half back and delivering the ball through the middle. You can't get away with only that attribute in modern day football.
Ditto Stanton.
These guys are the half back kings and are now the main reason our midfield is bottom 4.
Heppell, still at the coalface busting his gut.
Howlett - 1 in 4 is a good game. Just can't sustain the effort.
Zaka - running in quicksand.
Rest are injured.
- May 6, 2007
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Don't make excuses for the underpeformances
Of these guys. BJ IS playing midfield minutes and has virtually done so since he arrived. Stanton plays wing and is a prime ball
mover.
I'll let you off that some of our main guys are injured (*looks at Hocking, Myers in particular).
Will Myers be back this week? was great to get Hocking back.
I think this is all we need. Hocking and Myers back plus a fit Watson means we have a great contested ball set up. Zaka, Colyer and Zerrett fit means we have some run and flair.
We need one player that can add to both. A quick contested ball winner who can use it is a superstar, obviously. Dangerfield would be a prime candidate! Laverde has the tools to become that player, but not before Watson fades.
Heppell and Stanton will be much more effective when the engine room is back and firing. Also in combination with Hocking and Myers will combine enough midfield defensive cover.
I would like to see Goddard take a step back from the midfield now and play up forward with him and Cooney rotating through the middle from the forward line.
Watson
Myers
Hocking
Heppell
Stanton
Colyer
Zaka
Goddard/Cooney
Laverde/Langford/Edwards/Fantasia
Will make for a good midfield. Pieces missing from the puzzle this year means others have struggled. Add a superstar inside/outside player to the mix and we have a very good midfield.
Browne could still be a contributer. If Melksham had have kicked on then that would have been enough with Watson, Stanton and Goddard around 30; Myers and Zaka 25 and Zerrett, Laverde, Langford and Fantasia below 20.
I'd also add Colyer to the midfield.
What's wrong with our midfield set up? It's a literal mess right now.
- Langford as an inside/defensive mid when he doesn't have a defensive bone in his body. He did his job, but what makes them think "we need to stop Cripps tonight and it's Langford that needs to do it". I want to know how we came to the conclusion that he's the standard for grunt work. Why do we have Clarke on our list? Do they understand what we mean with a big bodied mid? It doesn't mean a HF/outside mid/wingman you potatoes. Play him in his position.
- Parish as a small forward. It's the single worst decision that completely defies logic. He will leave elsewhere to play in the actual position he was drafted for.
- TBC is cooked. Proper cooked. Why can't they actually observe what he does outside of the ruck contests?
- Shiel with zero assistance from our mids while being tagged because he is our biggest body in the contest. I mean, surely Hibberd or Clarke or even Ambrose could do more to free Shiel. Shiel did as well as he could, but it's such an oversight from our coaches. Without Shiel, we're left with Merrett, McGrath and Smith. Mate. That's unacceptable.
- Our set up around stoppages is really poor.
- No inside bull to bust through contests and feed the ball to our mids. Again, I'm not asking for an A-grader. Just an honest Hocking-style workman like player who blocks, tags and feeds the ball to our mids. Even throw in a couple of turnovers. I'll take it.
- Heppell goes down and isn't replaced by anyone. We were already down one inside mid before Heppell was out of the side. Our biggest mid is Dylan Shiel. Dylan Shiel. Yes Dylan Shiel.
We've been talking about big bodied mids for so long. It really isn't a difficult part of ground to fix. All you need is a player that can use his strength to bust through packs and extract the ball. At this point, I'll even take an inside mid that doesn't really have an outside game. As long as he's able to extract the ball and feed it to our mids in space.
Merrett, Parish, McGrath and Shiel are a talented group of midfielders. We're wasting their talent.
We're always behind the ball game because we're very conservative with our team structure.
What I'd like to see:
Parish, Hibberd (until Heppell comes back) and Clarke as our inside/defensive mids.
McGrath and Shiel playing more of an inside/outside role.
Merrett playing as the outside/receiver as he's our most damaging mid in space.
Draper/Phillips to be the ruckman.
That already looks so much better. A much more balanced midfield.
So sick of seeing McGrath, Shiel and Merrett as our main sources of contested ball and clearances. That's way too easy to pick apart. Tag Shiel and watch everything collapse.
- Langford as an inside/defensive mid when he doesn't have a defensive bone in his body. He did his job, but what makes them think "we need to stop Cripps tonight and it's Langford that needs to do it". I want to know how we came to the conclusion that he's the standard for grunt work. Why do we have Clarke on our list? Do they understand what we mean with a big bodied mid? It doesn't mean a HF/outside mid/wingman you potatoes. Play him in his position.
- Parish as a small forward. It's the single worst decision that completely defies logic. He will leave elsewhere to play in the actual position he was drafted for.
- TBC is cooked. Proper cooked. Why can't they actually observe what he does outside of the ruck contests?
- Shiel with zero assistance from our mids while being tagged because he is our biggest body in the contest. I mean, surely Hibberd or Clarke or even Ambrose could do more to free Shiel. Shiel did as well as he could, but it's such an oversight from our coaches. Without Shiel, we're left with Merrett, McGrath and Smith. Mate. That's unacceptable.
- Our set up around stoppages is really poor.
- No inside bull to bust through contests and feed the ball to our mids. Again, I'm not asking for an A-grader. Just an honest Hocking-style workman like player who blocks, tags and feeds the ball to our mids. Even throw in a couple of turnovers. I'll take it.
- Heppell goes down and isn't replaced by anyone. We were already down one inside mid before Heppell was out of the side. Our biggest mid is Dylan Shiel. Dylan Shiel. Yes Dylan Shiel.
We've been talking about big bodied mids for so long. It really isn't a difficult part of ground to fix. All you need is a player that can use his strength to bust through packs and extract the ball. At this point, I'll even take an inside mid that doesn't really have an outside game. As long as he's able to extract the ball and feed it to our mids in space.
Merrett, Parish, McGrath and Shiel are a talented group of midfielders. We're wasting their talent.
We're always behind the ball game because we're very conservative with our team structure.
What I'd like to see:
Parish, Hibberd (until Heppell comes back) and Clarke as our inside/defensive mids.
McGrath and Shiel playing more of an inside/outside role.
Merrett playing as the outside/receiver as he's our most damaging mid in space.
Draper/Phillips to be the ruckman.
That already looks so much better. A much more balanced midfield.
So sick of seeing McGrath, Shiel and Merrett as our main sources of contested ball and clearances. That's way too easy to pick apart. Tag Shiel and watch everything collapse.
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MattyB3150
Team Captain
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I feel like everyone knows this except for the essendon football club themselves. Groundhog day just won't end!
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The 2015 midfield was substantially better than 2020. There's some list magic for you.
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We’re just banging our heads against the wall at this stage. Logic will be be associated with this club & nothing will ever change.
We have the talent in our playing list, just not our coaching staff unfortunately. Bad signs from
Rutten early which really worries me.
