As elite as Merritt is our most valuable player at the moment would have to be Nick Martin. I was lucky enough to witness an intra club match in February. To me he was best on ground and was simply everywhere. When the going gets tough Martin is often the one who gets us through. He is simply tireless.
Also looking at the Essendon list, where are the tough and strong players who would run through brick walls and crawl over hot coals for success? Where is the Roger Merrett, Dean Wallis, Billy Duckworth, Shane Heard, Dean Solomon and Johnson boys?
@@TimBawden-jb6lt Today I watched an old interview with Jason Winderlich. He talked about his first game in 2003 and how at the start an opposition player tried to rough him up, with the result being that Paul Barnard walked over and told the player ‘touch him again and I will bash you’. Jason said that he was left alone for the rest of the day. That Essendon team was feared, looked after its own and was successful.
@JohnBolton-z5f it was a great era for the club. I've thought for a long time the boys needed to get out there with some attitude. I think the execs have tried to push the nice guy image too much - nice guys finish last. I saw an interview with Pat Voss when he was drafted, he said he enjoyed hurting people in tackles! Need to find another Vossy or ten. Merry Christmas. Hope Santa drops some testicles at the Hangar 😉
Hobbs in for Shiel it’s just he’s getting old. And keep in mind Hobbs was a first round pick so he really should be getting game time week in week out at this stage. Plus I’ve always fancied him because when you look out our midfield and I see so many players even out of the midfield that can play shiels role for us and better. Whereas Hobbs has a point of difference being that he is very defensive minded and a fantastic tackle and provides some much needed grit. Because right now it just seems like it’s Merrett or bust. Other then that I think the teams pretty accurate and well structured.
@@gettinhungrig8806 he’s still young and he was tearing up the vfl for weeks and then when he finally got a chance to prove himself he was the sub. He’s a first round pick we just need to get games into him.
Hobbs seemed to be a bit slow with decision making once he got the ball. He hesitated and got taken holding a lot. Doesn't seem too ideal for an inside mid, but hopefully he has been developing this - I'd love to see him firing!
I like Nick Martin on the wing. Would probably chuck Alhawli in the 23 maybe at the expense of Gresham. Even though the usual suspects have written us off for 2025, I'm still looking forward to seeing the new lads have a go and quietly optimistic about being thereabouts come the end of season. Up the Dons ✊️
@Dan262626 I fully agree. I thought there was too much position shuffling last season too, building on field chemistry between players takes repetition.
Redman's role diminished as a consequence of ball magnet Nick Martin's move to the half back. Martin should be back on the wing which would allow Redman to flourish again in my view.
On paper we have a good team if we can keep them on the field. Reid and Duursma are worries with previous injuries. On your selections Durham in 18 and Parish on bench. Guelfi in Gresham out. Tsatas 22 Shiel 23. Develop the youth. El Hawli has promise. Let's see who really wants to crack the 23 when the 2's play.
We paid a lot of money for Gresham so by virtue of that he will probably play the start of the year. But if he doesn't show something I think we might have to swing the axe.
Our Half Forwards,Forwards and Ruckmen are the main reasons we are not a top tier team and the fact a lot of our draft picks from the last 5/6 seasons have not developed into good AFL players. I think once again this season we will struggle to make top 8 unfortunately. I also question the choices our recruitment managers made bringing in players such as Setterfield,Grieshham,Wright,Shiels etc… We spent big money on these lads..
Obviously we are all banking on a fit Reid to correct the Centre Half Back problem.Other than that, my issue with your best team is it is the same side that could not make the finals last year.And everyone is playing in the same positions.I believe if we are to have any success the selectors need to be creative.Make some positional changes and try a few new numbers in the line up.If we stay with the same, we can't expect the result to be any different
@@petermcculloch4933 I mentioned that quite a bit in the video. I’m very much a “horses for courses” person in regards to selection. For example I don’t think we should just pick Peter Wright automatically (especially in the wet), I think we need to be more flexible with Langford etc. And of course reward good form in the 2’s.
Yeah Durham will be there for sure. I clarified that in the video, where the starting 18 is really meaningless with the interchange rotations nowadays.
@@Prodigy97cast1 I think Wright will come out (I mention he shouldn’t be an automatic selection). Forward line needs to be a bit smaller and more unpredictable.
Andrew McGrath could be better than he is ! A champion Canadian schoolboy athlete, he has taken his kicking style from the NFL kickers: always high and slow. He was captain of my Alma Mater but could only manage to be vice-captain of the Aussie Rules team. His school teammates knew his shortcoming !
I really think this way too tall. 2 rucks, Peter wright, Harry jones, Nate caddy and Kyle Langford? What we’ve lacked in our front half is pressure, pressure, pressure! You want more chaos goals, well pressure creates chaos. It also restricts opposition ball movement - which is more important than chaos goals imo. Too often we watch team waltz out of our forward line under no pressure. Guelfi needs to be in for one of those talls. And maybe even another pressure player (not really sure who, although I’ve heard alwyn jnr is having a good preseason - but I’m yet to be sold. A player like unwin would be perfect, but as first year player I an unconvinced that is the right option). I also think el-Hawli will crack the side too. Probably in shiels spot.
@@JamesBrown-p2g5k thanks for your comment. I agree with this and I addressed it somewhat indicating that I don’t think Wright should be an automatic selection and there should also be some consideration to playing Langford away from the forward line due to his versatility.
Yes way too many useless tall players was a very poor choice by management their not fast enough to play a high pressure contested game and many times last season they looked so lost at sea.
Interesting team! Harrison Jones, at least at this stage of his career, is a third forward and would be better off on a flank. In contrast, Nate Caddy is a more natural centre half forward, albeit still very raw. Kyle Langford is a lead up forward and should be played, alongside Peter Wright, out of the goal square. Isaac Kako is massively overrated! The recruitment of Jade Gresham was a mistake. Enough said! Nick Bryan is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. He dominates VFL games without really influencing the results. Nick seems to have the raw material and skill, but not the know-how. If he was mentored by, say, Simon Madden or Paul Salmon, he may in time come close to their level as-a forward / ruckman. If not, he seems destined to be yet another unfulfilled talent. Sam Durham has the hardness and ball winning skill to be played either in the centre or as a ruck rover. The sleeping giant of the club is Kaine Baldwin, who if he is able to actually get back on the list may well become a future captain of Essendon. Unfortunately, and sadly, whilst Brad Scott is coach, Essendon is destined to be unsuccessful and to waste the talent within the club. Also remember the destruction he wrought on the North Melbourne list on his way out.
Isaac kako is overrated without having played a single game? Goldstein is Nick Bryan’s ruck coach. Plain and simple, Bryan doesn’t need to be a ruck/forward he just needs to be a Ruck. Baldwin is our future captain after playing a total of about 10 games in 4 seasons? Brad Scott wrought destruction on North? The same Brad Scott that took North to prelims with a mediocre list?
@Manwithoutplans In respect of Kako, the draft fiasco underlines my point. A few years ago, the Davey twins were meant to solve Essendon’s small forward problem and now it is supposedly Kako. He will be lucky to debut next year. If Bryan remains only a ruck, he will continue to be in and out of the side. A team cannot play two rucks, with one sitting on the bench or wandering around the forward line doing little for half a game. At the moment, he is just an unfulfilled talent. Kaine Baldwin was the best sixteen year old in the country. Since then he has been injury riddled. Big men take longer to develop, especially when they have missed so much junior football. How about you judge my comment in another two years time? As for Brad Scott, after ten years with North, his best ladder position at the end of the regular season was six. He left North mid-way through 2019, having hollowed out their list, and in the following years North has finished 12, 17, 18, 18, 17 and 17. He now wants eight years to develop Essendon. The last Essendon coach not to take them to the finals in their first two years was Bill Stephen’s almost fifty years ago! He was sacked soon after.
At the end of James Hird’s first season with Essendon, having not played a game, the club voted 4 to 2 to de-list him. Kevin Sheedy refused to do so and the rest is history. Like James, Kaine is a natural leader.
With McGrath Essendon will never win finals next time they play just watch him and him alone and you might agree one thing he is good at is talking that doesn’t win games
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
As elite as Merritt is our most valuable player at the moment would have to be Nick Martin. I was lucky enough to witness an intra club match in February. To me he was best on ground and was simply everywhere. When the going gets tough Martin is often the one who gets us through. He is simply tireless.
Yep, if he’s not an A grader already he is on the cusp. We just need to play him wing or forward of Center permanently
Also looking at the Essendon list, where are the tough and strong players who would run through brick walls and crawl over hot coals for success? Where is the Roger Merrett, Dean Wallis, Billy Duckworth, Shane Heard, Dean Solomon and Johnson boys?
I agree. I think we've got them on our list, they just need to find their inner mongrel. Plenty of glimpses of it last year, just no consistency.
@@TimBawden-jb6lt Today I watched an old interview with Jason Winderlich. He talked about his first game in 2003 and how at the start an opposition player tried to rough him up, with the result being that Paul Barnard walked over and told the player ‘touch him again and I will bash you’. Jason said that he was left alone for the rest of the day. That Essendon team was feared, looked after its own and was successful.
@JohnBolton-z5f it was a great era for the club. I've thought for a long time the boys needed to get out there with some attitude. I think the execs have tried to push the nice guy image too much - nice guys finish last. I saw an interview with Pat Voss when he was drafted, he said he enjoyed hurting people in tackles! Need to find another Vossy or ten.
Merry Christmas.
Hope Santa drops some testicles at the Hangar 😉
@@JohnBolton-z5ftrue but, you have to build that it doesn’t just happen in a year!
@@FluffyKing43 Players are either tough and uncompromising or they are not. It is neither an issue of consistency or teaching.
The bonus with Draper is he can create chaos which will be more valuable with some of the recruits we have that will capitalise on it.
He creates chaos and "IS" chaos. I'm still not sure if he is an asset or a liability
Hobbs in for Shiel it’s just he’s getting old. And keep in mind Hobbs was a first round pick so he really should be getting game time week in week out at this stage. Plus I’ve always fancied him because when you look out our midfield and I see so many players even out of the midfield that can play shiels role for us and better. Whereas Hobbs has a point of difference being that he is very defensive minded and a fantastic tackle and provides some much needed grit. Because right now it just seems like it’s Merrett or bust. Other then that I think the teams pretty accurate and well structured.
I have Hobbs in for Perko! Archie got way more o many chances before he was dropped.
Hobbs was useless last season
@@gettinhungrig8806 he’s still young and he was tearing up the vfl for weeks and then when he finally got a chance to prove himself he was the sub. He’s a first round pick we just need to get games into him.
@ he was injured for 2/3 of it!
Hobbs seemed to be a bit slow with decision making once he got the ball. He hesitated and got taken holding a lot. Doesn't seem too ideal for an inside mid, but hopefully he has been developing this - I'd love to see him firing!
I like Nick Martin on the wing. Would probably chuck Alhawli in the 23 maybe at the expense of Gresham.
Even though the usual suspects have written us off for 2025, I'm still looking forward to seeing the new lads have a go and quietly optimistic about being thereabouts come the end of season.
Up the Dons ✊️
Agreed. We need to debut more kids.
@Dan262626 I fully agree. I thought there was too much position shuffling last season too, building on field chemistry between players takes repetition.
I reckon we through Peter write down back if he is shit again this year
Unfortunately I think he is one-position player
@@Dan262626 than loose him I think
Redman's role diminished as a consequence of ball magnet Nick Martin's move to the half back. Martin should be back on the wing which would allow Redman to flourish again in my view.
@@markwethereld8943 yeah I don’t want to see Martin in the backline at all next year.
On paper we have a good team if we can keep them on the field.
Reid and Duursma are worries with previous injuries.
On your selections Durham in 18 and Parish on bench. Guelfi in Gresham out.
Tsatas 22 Shiel 23.
Develop the youth.
El Hawli has promise.
Let's see who really wants to crack the 23 when the 2's play.
We have reasonable depth. I think we need 2 more A-graders to be a genuine top team.
We paid a lot of money for Gresham so by virtue of that he will probably play the start of the year. But if he doesn't show something I think we might have to swing the axe.
Our Half Forwards,Forwards and Ruckmen are the main reasons we are not a top tier team and the fact a lot of our draft picks from the last 5/6 seasons have not developed into good AFL players. I think once again this season we will struggle to make top 8 unfortunately.
I also question the choices our recruitment managers made bringing in players such as Setterfield,Grieshham,Wright,Shiels etc… We spent big money on these lads..
Development has been our biggest issue.
Obviously we are all banking on a fit Reid to correct the Centre Half Back problem.Other than that, my issue with your best team is it is the same side that could not make the finals last year.And everyone is playing in the same positions.I believe if we are to have any success the selectors need to be creative.Make some positional changes and try a few new numbers in the line up.If we stay with the same, we can't expect the result to be any different
@@petermcculloch4933 I mentioned that quite a bit in the video. I’m very much a “horses for courses” person in regards to selection. For example I don’t think we should just pick Peter Wright automatically (especially in the wet), I think we need to be more flexible with Langford etc. And of course reward good form in the 2’s.
merry Christmas no wonder we can’t win games when the higher ups can’t say merry Christmas . Say good by every one.
Yep, us and Richmond were the only clubs that used the term: “happy holidays” instead of merry Xmas, which was pathetic from us.
The only disagreement is Durham ! He must be around the 1st Bounce down of each game !
Yeah Durham will be there for sure. I clarified that in the video, where the starting 18 is really meaningless with the interchange rotations nowadays.
One of draper, wright or bryan will have to come out. Most likely Wright.
El Hawli and Prior will play.
@@Prodigy97cast1 I think Wright will come out (I mention he shouldn’t be an automatic selection). Forward line needs to be a bit smaller and more unpredictable.
Jaxson prior instead of archi Perkins
Prior will play as a small in the backline if selected.
Prior will play as a small in the backline if selected.
Prior will play as a small in the backline if selected.
@@Dan262626 watch him go
Andrew McGrath could be better than he is ! A champion Canadian schoolboy athlete, he has taken his kicking style from the NFL kickers: always high and slow. He was captain of my Alma Mater but could only manage to be vice-captain of the Aussie Rules team. His school teammates knew his shortcoming !
I really think this way too tall. 2 rucks, Peter wright, Harry jones, Nate caddy and Kyle Langford?
What we’ve lacked in our front half is pressure, pressure, pressure! You want more chaos goals, well pressure creates chaos. It also restricts opposition ball movement - which is more important than chaos goals imo. Too often we watch team waltz out of our forward line under no pressure. Guelfi needs to be in for one of those talls. And maybe even another pressure player (not really sure who, although I’ve heard alwyn jnr is having a good preseason - but I’m yet to be sold. A player like unwin would be perfect, but as first year player I an unconvinced that is the right option).
I also think el-Hawli will crack the side too. Probably in shiels spot.
@@JamesBrown-p2g5k thanks for your comment. I agree with this and I addressed it somewhat indicating that I don’t think Wright should be an automatic selection and there should also be some consideration to playing Langford away from the forward line due to his versatility.
Yes way too many useless tall players was a very poor choice by management their not fast enough to play a high pressure contested game and many times last season they looked so lost at sea.
Geelong next 😁
Way too tall got to play Draper and Bryan or one of them with wright can’t play all 3
Hobbs or El Hawli for Tsatas
Bring back fat Tippa to swan around like a good sort after another fn loss. That's about the standard. Absolute rabble of a club.
Good content but that music has got to go.
It'll go next video
Cuz, trade draper. His painting is on the side of a building in essendon...how good do think Bryan is...big call. Hell no
GOOD SIDE only player missing is GUELFI
Yes I think I erred not putting Guelfi in.
I'd put Guelfi ahead of Gresham any day. Shame he's injures and will miss most of the preseason.
Please lose the music. Too distracting and it's not good tbh.
I didn’t even hear it!
Interesting team! Harrison Jones, at least at this stage of his career, is a third forward and would be better off on a flank. In contrast, Nate Caddy is a more natural centre half forward, albeit still very raw. Kyle Langford is a lead up forward and should be played, alongside Peter Wright, out of the goal square. Isaac Kako is massively overrated! The recruitment of Jade Gresham was a mistake. Enough said! Nick Bryan is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. He dominates VFL games without really influencing the results. Nick seems to have the raw material and skill, but not the know-how. If he was mentored by, say, Simon Madden or Paul Salmon, he may in time come close to their level as-a forward / ruckman. If not, he seems destined to be yet another unfulfilled talent. Sam Durham has the hardness and ball winning skill to be played either in the centre or as a ruck rover. The sleeping giant of the club is Kaine Baldwin, who if he is able to actually get back on the list may well become a future captain of Essendon. Unfortunately, and sadly, whilst Brad Scott is coach, Essendon is destined to be unsuccessful and to waste the talent within the club. Also remember the destruction he wrought on the North Melbourne list on his way out.
You should put in a resume for the coaching job.
Isaac kako is overrated without having played a single game?
Goldstein is Nick Bryan’s ruck coach. Plain and simple, Bryan doesn’t need to be a ruck/forward he just needs to be a Ruck.
Baldwin is our future captain after playing a total of about 10 games in 4 seasons?
Brad Scott wrought destruction on North? The same Brad Scott that took North to prelims with a mediocre list?
@Manwithoutplans In respect of Kako, the draft fiasco underlines my point. A few years ago, the Davey twins were meant to solve Essendon’s small forward problem and now it is supposedly Kako. He will be lucky to debut next year. If Bryan remains only a ruck, he will continue to be in and out of the side. A team cannot play two rucks, with one sitting on the bench or wandering around the forward line doing little for half a game. At the moment, he is just an unfulfilled talent. Kaine Baldwin was the best sixteen year old in the country. Since then he has been injury riddled. Big men take longer to develop, especially when they have missed so much junior football. How about you judge my comment in another two years time? As for Brad Scott, after ten years with North, his best ladder position at the end of the regular season was six. He left North mid-way through 2019, having hollowed out their list, and in the following years North has finished 12, 17, 18, 18, 17 and 17. He now wants eight years to develop Essendon. The last Essendon coach not to take them to the finals in their first two years was Bill Stephen’s almost fifty years ago! He was sacked soon after.
@@JohnBolton-z5f seriously buddy put in a resume for the coaching job or shut it
At the end of James Hird’s first season with Essendon, having not played a game, the club voted 4 to 2 to de-list him. Kevin Sheedy refused to do so and the rest is history. Like James, Kaine is a natural leader.
But he's a range 😂
Vfl side
Speak into the mic thanks
Play more kids.
agree, hopefully we debut more than the two we did last year
Brad Scott gets the last spot. He should have been traded.
With McGrath Essendon will never win finals next time they play just watch him and him alone and you might agree one thing he is good at is talking that doesn’t win games
Ill informed comment. Keeps the backline together