Where are we really at?

andrewb · Post by **andrewb** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:07 am

This is the 2006 WC Premiership XVIII:

B: Adam Selwood Darren Glass David Wirrpanda
HB: Brett Jones Adam Hunter Beau Waters
C: Michael Braun Ben Cousins Andrew Embley
HF: Daniel Chick Ashley Hansen Tyson Stenglein
F: Chad Fletcher Quinten Lynch Rowan Jones
Foll: Dean Cox Chris Judd Daniel Kerr

How many '07 Dons, in their usual position, get into this team?

For me:

3 Definite starters:
Lloyd - FF for Lynch
Lucas - CHF for Hansen
Hird - HFF for Stenglein

4 Challenging for spots:
Fletcher / Mal - Glass (FB)... Both are great but Glass can play - jury out on Fletch as CHB and Hunter goes alright).
Mcphee - Jones (HBF)... Not on last season's form, though.
McVeigh - Selwood (BP)

Maybe we're not as good as we look on the training track... What thinks everyone else? We've got the spine but have we really improved enough in other areas?

gringo · Post by **gringo** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:30 am

There isn't a team in the AFL who would currently be thinking they will struggle to make the eight this year. And why wouldn't they? Everyone's fresh after the Christmas break, fit, looking forward to the year ahead. Supporters are pumped up, no longer thinking of the long, cold winter days spent watching their team being bent into compromising positions by teams from all points of the country the previous year…

As you rightly pointed out though, realistically we have three players who would walk into the West Coast team, and arguably another five or so that would be pressing for positions.

My major concern is that none of these players come from our midfield. We are still slow, unskilled, weak and inexperienced through the middle, and whilst these problems can be worked on during the off-season, we are not suddenly going to see JJ, Pev, Watson or Kepler come out and consistently hit targets by foot or chase down quick players.

I don't think we are really going to know how we'll go this year until we see what sort of improvement our younger, quicker and more skilled midfielders have made. Our spine is big bossin, but unless we see alarming amounts of improvement from the likes of Winderlich, Dyson, Nash, Watson, Dempsey, McPhee etc, we are going to struggle again.

Gatsid · Post by **Gatsid** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:52 am

But that doesn't really mean our midfield is that bad when they can't get into the WCE side. I mean how many midfielders would you take ahead of:

Cousins, Judd, Kerr, Braun and Embley

I can think of dal santo, luke power and even those two wouldn't really replace anyone except possibly Braun or Embley, but they are more on par rather than streaks ahead. Braun is very very underrated due to the players his has around him I believe. So in saying that the fact our players can't break into that midfield isn't as bad as it seems, because no body can break into that midfield.

ZRS · Post by **ZRS** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:09 pm

spot on Gatsid, no team would stack up comparing midfields to WC, and while it is good to have great individual stars, lets not forget the second best team last year are not a team of champions, but a champion team, that is what we need to emulate.

Leigh · Post by **Leigh** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:30 pm

How many Essendon Players would fit into the Sydney Swans Team?

Windy_Hill · Post by **Windy_Hill** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:34 pm

Someone on this forum keeps saying its not about how good your best 10 player are but rather your worse 10.

BenDoolan · Post by **BenDoolan** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:52 pm

Leigh wrote:How many Essendon Players would fit into the Sydney Swans Team?

Ted Richards is one.....

bomberdonnie · Post by **bomberdonnie** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:06 pm

BenDoolan wrote:
Leigh wrote:How many Essendon Players would fit into the Sydney Swans Team?
Ted Richards is one.....

andrewb · Post by **andrewb** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:19 pm

Windy_Hill wrote:Someone on this forum keeps saying its not about how good your best 10 player are but rather your worse 10.

I think in modern footy its about how good the best 18 you can get on the park are and how fit they are when they're out there. At the moment, against WC, we win 3 positions, hold our own in about 4 or 5 and lose the rest (10/11). That's rarely going to mean a win.

We need to correct that balance - and I can't wait to see how our younger guys (i.e. Stants, Monfreeeeze, CJ, Hille, Laycock, NLM, Welsh, Watson, Keps and Lovett) are ready to take the next step in this competition and become genuine stars. That will be the difference between challenging for mediocrity and challenging for a premiership.

gringo · Post by **gringo** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:20 pm

Gatsid wrote:But that doesn't really mean our midfield is that bad when they can't get into the WCE side. I mean how many midfielders would you take ahead of:

Cousins, Judd, Kerr, Braun and Embley

I can think of dal santo, luke power and even those two wouldn't really replace anyone except possibly Braun or Embley, but they are more on par rather than streaks ahead. Braun is very very underrated due to the players his has around him I believe. So in saying that the fact our players can't break into that midfield isn't as bad as it seems, because no body can break into that midfield.

That's true. WC have an amazing midfield. However, the players I mentioned - Winderlich, Dyson, Nash, Watson, Dempsey, JJ, Pev, Watson or Kepler - are going to struggle (with the possible exception of JJ) to get a run in any teams midfield.

Filthy · Post by **Filthy** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:31 pm

Ask me on 1/9/07.

DYSON#2 · Post by **DYSON#2** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:57 pm

id rather a champion team, not a team of champions. How well would they go at West Coast? would they play the same role?

Gatsid · Post by **Gatsid** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:02 pm

gringo wrote:
Gatsid wrote:But that doesn't really mean our midfield is that bad when they can't get into the WCE side. I mean how many midfielders would you take ahead of:

Cousins, Judd, Kerr, Braun and Embley

I can think of dal santo, luke power and even those two wouldn't really replace anyone except possibly Braun or Embley, but they are more on par rather than streaks ahead. Braun is very very underrated due to the players his has around him I believe. So in saying that the fact our players can't break into that midfield isn't as bad as it seems, because no body can break into that midfield.
That's true. WC have an amazing midfield. However, the players I mentioned - Winderlich, Dyson, Nash, Watson, Dempsey, JJ, Pev, Watson or Kepler - are going to struggle (with the possible exception of JJ) to get a run in any teams midfield.

That I can agree with, and I see your point. I thought you were saying that if we can't take one spot in that midfield then your midfield was crap and I was like hang on a minute thats a pretty damn hard midfield to crack into

Post by **boncer34** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:56 am

Rubbish Gringo, our blokes could fit into my local sides mid-field.

Windy_Hill · Post by **Windy_Hill** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:17 pm

Lonergan, Hislop, Houli, Monfries, Dempsey

Who kows how good these guys could be

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 8:07 pm

Windy_Hill wrote:Someone on this forum keeps saying its not about how good your best 10 player are but rather your worse 10.

I have been saying it for as long as I can remember. If Bolton, Pev and Heff are in our best 22, then we will finish last. If however they are nothign more than depth players, as in fill positions 25-28, then we will be in with a shot of the 8.

Crazyman · Post by **Crazyman** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:09 pm

Windy_Hill wrote:Lonergan, Hislop, Houli, Monfries, Dempsey

Who knows how good these guys could be

The second part is the key here...who knows...