Position 2023: Midfield Discussion

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I think the other thing with Steele is the unknown of a new coach. It’s riskier picking a player with a new coach, as their role is usually less locked in.
I don't really think there's any doubt about his role, he's the captain and leads the midfield, he's not going to be made to tag again, that'll be someone else's job if there's a tagger.
 
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I think I'll only take 2 true mid price options. For me Yeo and Ziebell are currently in my team, just feel they're the best option to generate cash and possibly be keepers or at least longer term trades. Does mean I'll miss a stepping stone to a premium which I'll need to think about but does allow me to start 11 true keepers with also the potential of Daicos, Yeo and Ziebell being keepers.
Yep, came to the same conclusion yesterday.
 
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I hear you about Fyfe, so talented but so many injuries, and his mental health battles , can't really see him not getting injured again.
Horne Francis could be a good one this year but you'd want to see some good scoring early on. Ziebell could go well again in the backline.
Ziebell interesting in that role, but 2021 he did his best scoring before Hall got going, McDonald also only played half the year. Also seems like they want to push Goater through, some reports of Sheezel getting a look in there too. Few too many mouths to feed as opposed to when it was just him and hall, could be anywhere in an 80-100 range but wouldn’t surprise me if he’s in the lower end of that range
 
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I think I'll only take 2 true mid price options. For me Yeo and Ziebell are currently in my team, just feel they're the best option to generate cash and possibly be keepers or at least longer term trades. Does mean I'll miss a stepping stone to a premium which I'll need to think about but does allow me to start 11 true keepers with also the potential of Daicos, Yeo and Ziebell being keepers.
So you're gonna pass on Hopper? I've had him in and out of my team but he could average 100 or thereabouts easily so is pretty easy to pick, plus his ownership is almost half the field.
 
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Ziebell interesting in that role, but 2021 he did his best scoring before Hall got going, McDonald also only played half the year. Also seems like they want to push Goater through, some reports of Sheezel getting a look in there too. Few too many mouths to feed as opposed to when it was just him and hall, could be anywhere in an 80-100 range but wouldn’t surprise me if he’s in the lower end of that range
I'd still take that until he could be upgraded, wouldn't trust Hall's hammies to last either with him being 32 now. Always risky taking a footy player of advanced age lol, Fyfe especially I think. I'd be spewing if I pass on Fyfe and then he turns back the clock and averages 100 or more and stays out there lol
 
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I'd still take that until he could be upgraded, wouldn't trust Hall's hammies to last either with him being 32 now. Always risky taking a footy player of advanced age lol, Fyfe especially I think. I'd be spewing if I pass on Fyfe and then he turns back the clock and averages 100 or more and stays out there lol
If it gets to a point that I don’t like any other mid pricer than hopper or yeo I’ll fill that spot with Fyfe. His high ownership has big hurt factor
 
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I think the other thing with Steele is the unknown of a new coach. It’s riskier picking a player with a new coach, as their role is usually less locked in.
I think it's almost a positive. Lyon is such a defensive minded coach. More stoppages means more chance for Steele to score. We know he's not a Laird/ Oliver/ Neale type where he needs a tonne of the footy. He's a tackling machine and hard ball magnet. As long as I see him tackling well in practice matches then he's a lock
 
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I think I'll only take 2 true mid price options. For me Yeo and Ziebell are currently in my team, just feel they're the best option to generate cash and possibly be keepers or at least longer term trades. Does mean I'll miss a stepping stone to a premium which I'll need to think about but does allow me to start 11 true keepers with also the potential of Daicos, Yeo and Ziebell being keepers.
I've been feeling the same for a while now. As enticing as the mid pricers are, they're just too expensive and they destroy structure if there's too many in there.
 
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Laird vs Oliver: The Grunundrum

I mentioned earlier that a 2nd 700k player wasn't really a necessity. Not only that but 700k is a price that's very difficult to defend. Its not like the player is likely to get much more expensive and a couple of mere mortal scores makes then far more affordable real quick. Better to start with someone who's price is going to be harder to pay down the track. So who to choose out of Oliver and Laird? I'm thinking I'll go with Oliver, but.....

I'm pretty sure that Clarry will go ok regardless of who he is roving to. But in all likelihood, he will no longer be roving to Gawn. He will instead be roving to Grundy who is an inferior tap ruckman, no ifs or buts. He'll get about the same to advantage, but you can largely forget about having it rammed down Clarry's throat all game every game. Not only that but when under pressure, Grundy has had a nasty habit of tapping to himself and following up his own ball, becoming "an extra midfielder" and getting in the way of the first dibs mid. It's great for his stats as his tap isn't sharked and if it is, he's right there with the follow up tackle and secondary bounce. Due to all of this he was one of Collingwood's better clearance mids (going around 5 per game since 2018) and getting about 20PPG from tackles since 2015.

What sort of an impact is a ruckman who plays like that going to have on a midfielder who needs a good 140PPG to defend his price adequately?

Like I said, I will probably still start with Oliver as he has the longer record of uber scoring than Laird but the Grunundrum, as well as Laird's POD value are giving me a lot of pause for thought.
 
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I think it's almost a positive. Lyon is such a defensive minded coach. More stoppages means more chance for Steele to score. We know he's not a Laird/ Oliver/ Neale type where he needs a tonne of the footy. He's a tackling machine and hard ball magnet. As long as I see him tackling well in practice matches then he's a lock
Interesting but this was Ross Lying on SEN in December. Won't believe it till I see it but sounds like they will try not to be the RTB of old.

"Lyon said he has been impressed with his assistant coaching panel, including the likes of Corey Enright, Robert Harvey, Lenny Hayes and Brendon Goddard, adding that he has allowed them to shape the club’s game-plan.“We’re training it. I stuck to my word, I threw the whiteboard to the coaches and said ‘you guys come up with what you think and then we’ll just fine tune it together’,” he said.“To be honest I thought there might have been an 80-20 – they do 80 per cent - but Corey Enright has been really impressive on the team defence side, Lenny Hayes on stoppages, Robert Harvey on the ball-use.“I’ve hardly tweaked anything. I really liked what they’ve come up with. We were a stoppage dependent team. We want to improve our turnover use because you can’t live on stoppage.“I’ve coached teams (reliant on stoppage) and it’s too easy to negate in the big games.“We like to be a go-forward team, use our run, be a pressure team."
 
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Interesting but this was Ross Lying on SEN in December. Won't believe it till I see it but sounds like they will try not to be the RTB of old.

"Lyon said he has been impressed with his assistant coaching panel, including the likes of Corey Enright, Robert Harvey, Lenny Hayes and Brendon Goddard, adding that he has allowed them to shape the club’s game-plan.“We’re training it. I stuck to my word, I threw the whiteboard to the coaches and said ‘you guys come up with what you think and then we’ll just fine tune it together’,” he said.“To be honest I thought there might have been an 80-20 – they do 80 per cent - but Corey Enright has been really impressive on the team defence side, Lenny Hayes on stoppages, Robert Harvey on the ball-use.“I’ve hardly tweaked anything. I really liked what they’ve come up with. We were a stoppage dependent team. We want to improve our turnover use because you can’t live on stoppage.“I’ve coached teams (reliant on stoppage) and it’s too easy to negate in the big games.“We like to be a go-forward team, use our run, be a pressure team."
He's Ross Lyon...
 
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Will Setterfield - $348k MID
25 years old and about to cross the 60 game 'breakout' area

One I've not seen discussed a lot at all, even in articles specifically looking at the viability of mid pricers
I think the argument can definitely made that he can be the best mid price pick of the year based on his numbers at Carlton when used predominately as a centre bounce midfielder

In 2020, Setterfield averaged 89.7, however its from rd5 onwards that is most interesting about this year.
Through the first 4 rounds he had 21% cbas for an average of 61.3. From round 5 onwards he had 53% cbas for an average of 99.2, including an average of 104 post bye
This stretch of 12 games is the last stretch of games with regular cbas that he has had

He is now playing on the same team as Merrett and Parish in match sim which would suggest he is part of the starting midfield at the dons

Currently at 1% ownership, is there any interest around here?
I don't see how hes even best 22 at the Bombers, feels a strange club for him to have ended up going to to me.

Wont start on a wing over Durham and Martin

Parish,Merrett,Shiel,Caldwell,Stringer and Perkins all clearly best 22 that will all run through the guts.
 
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I don't see how hes even best 22 at the Bombers, feels a strange club for him to have ended up going to to me.

Wont start on a wing over Durham and Martin

Parish,Merrett,Shiel,Caldwell,Stringer and Perkins all clearly best 22 that will all run through the guts.
No guarantee that Stringer or Perkins will be given any inside midfield minutes. Perkins might have gotten some in pre-season training but it's not definitive.
 
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I don't see how hes even best 22 at the Bombers, feels a strange club for him to have ended up going to to me.

Wont start on a wing over Durham and Martin

Parish,Merrett,Shiel,Caldwell,Stringer and Perkins all clearly best 22 that will all run through the guts.
Reports I’m seeing are Stringer and Caldwell have been training predominately as forwards, and recent match sims have had Setterfield in the A midfield and Perkins in the B midfield.
Gonna have to have a look at the preseason games setup but he definitely seems best 22 at this stage and one of the first centre bounce choices.
He offers the big body that their midfield has been desperate for. Merrett, Parish and Shiel are all under 6 foot, Setterfield is 6’4
 
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I don't see how hes even best 22 at the Bombers, feels a strange club for him to have ended up going to to me.

Wont start on a wing over Durham and Martin

Parish,Merrett,Shiel,Caldwell,Stringer and Perkins all clearly best 22 that will all run through the guts.
They drafted him to be the big bodies inside mid.
Will not play the wing

Also means they don't keep trying to play Langford in that role. Stringer is a 5 min burst max
 
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They drafted him to be the big bodies inside mid.
Will not play the wing

Also means they don't keep trying to play Langford in that role. Stringer is a 5 min burst max
He's also pretty useless on a wing or a back flank and was completely played out of position at Carlton (specifically by Teague and Bolton). Essendon aren't going to be as stupid as the previous regimes at the Blues were with him (and many other players), they got him in for what they needed (more inside presence).
 
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I think it's almost a positive. Lyon is such a defensive minded coach. More stoppages means more chance for Steele to score. We know he's not a Laird/ Oliver/ Neale type where he needs a tonne of the footy. He's a tackling machine and hard ball magnet. As long as I see him tackling well in practice matches then he's a lock
That’s a good way of looking at it. He’s in my side FWIW, I am fine with the risk given the upside, but he’ll need to be playing well in the preseason given that additional risk.
It’s not like Clarry who could have two ok games and I’d still be fine picking him.
 
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