Where and when: Mineral Resources Park, Thursday 27 February, 7.40pm AEDT
Watchlist:
Tim KELLY (WCE) MID @ $561,800
Will slot right into the Eagles’ midfield with ruck service from Nic Nat, defensive cover from Yeo and Hutchings and direction from Shuey. A must watch having increased his SC output by +10.3 in his second year – only up from there!
Jarrod BRANDER (WCE) DEF/FWD @ $133,000
Slated to play as a wingman after an impressive pre-season. Bulked up and standing 196cm, he could be in line for some early games given the Eagles’ preference for talls.
Jacob TOWNSEND (ESS) FWD @ $222,900
Could be an interesting pick to avoid fielding a low-scoring FWD rookie. Track his output.
Andrew MCGRATH (ESS) MID @ $399,400
Perhaps the biggest breakout tease in recent years. Has always been held back by inconsistency with regard to role and low TOG. Showed signs in the back-end of 2019, take a flyer.
Devon SMITH (ESS) FWD/MID @ $335,800
A very popular F3 pick over the pre-season. Selection comes down to whether he’s back in the guts as the league’s #1 tackler or floating around HF like he did prior to his injury.
Notable Absentees: Joe DANIHER (ESS), Adam SAAD (ESS), Jack DARLING (WCE).
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I’m more interested in Parish than McGrath! Hope they both excel though
Keen on ZBT and townsend.
Townsend f6 at the moment. ZBT long term replacement for Hooker or Hooker.
Umm which hooker?!(Hurley)
Thirty years or more ago (trying to hide my age !!), as a mad bombers fan, I rang my brother in Sydney after a pre-season game and told him I had seen bombers next brownlow medallist…Gavin Wanganeen hadn’t even played a senior game.
Watch this Jones boy….no 23…surely Joe Daniher’s younger brother !!
Mind you all….I dont think he will win a brownlow.
Just like i predicted Gumbleton would be the next lloyd…
I’m 100% positive you couldn’t be as far off as that call lol.
tof….I fell for gumby….but courtney johns got me too !!
Hope is a terrible mistress…
2nd centre bounce. Nic Nat direct to kelly.
Looks like a bombers flag !!
And a shiel brownlow…
Shiel/McGrath quinella.
Hmmm, the rookie drought continues. Wonder if this means downgrade targets will be hard to find during the season.
I’m not seeing a lot of mid-field time for Smith in the first half!
Good call Thommo. Just switched Smith to Petrappa…
I’ll wait for second Marsh Series match, but not looking great tonight…
Got both
Massive improvement in the 3rd
Whats Townsend doing? Besides bench…
Townsend moved from great white hope to great white dope… As a bomber, I was hoping for more…
To be honest Tigers fans were a bit too. Despite the premiership heroics.
Tigers wanted him to add some muscle to their midfield.
He moved to the Tigers in 2016 and couldn’t cement his spot in the midfield.
2017 replaced Riewolt when Jack got an eye injury and came in and kicked two bags of 6 and 5 while playing full forward then 5 more in the finals, this was despite winning the VFL Liston medal playing in the midfield.
I think he is a Josh Caddy-lite.
You know the bomber midfield better than I would, do you think he’ll play inside mid there?
Maybe Smith is going to play all forward this game, mid half next game, then all mid next game as part of his recovery program….and thus they change their name to the Porkers LOL
Looks my boys are back on the special milo
Worsfold isn’t coaching.
Rare Essendon can hold the high ground on drug accusations… but it’s WCE …
With backline uncertainty :
– Hooker out
– Hurley ops
– Francis potential over performance
– Z-T getting a go
Was hoping to find a intercept / sweeper SC scoring gem.
Turns out… not Essendon’s style…
I was hoping to find anything…
TOF,
Dare I say there is an appropriate discovery kit for that?
lol.
Just before anyone gets excited by Jordan Ridley’s performance:
Last year, he posted 97 and 94 in his two JLT games. He went on to average 66 from 6 games in the actual home-and-away season.
Should be a year better, but I can still see General Ackbar all over again.
Admiral!
Tim Kelly doing enough to hold his place.
Just.
Thoughts on Snelling please game watchers.
From an essendon supporter, last year he should have been played more, just gets it done.
Wasn’t sure how he would go this year but looks VERY promising.
Last season 3 games rnds 18, 19,20 with 49, 83, 122 points.
Thanks, and Parish?
Another perennial breakout player, poor DE. I think he can get to 105-108 but not this season.
He hit a purple patch last season over about 5 games. outside of that not much to go on other than more mid minutes? But Heppell comes back. I’d avoid this year until he shows something.
How do you think this will effect Snelling?
Well he’s not best 22 to start with. (i personally think he should be) But at his price to much of a risk that he might be dropped, upgrade only.
Cheers, thanks tof.