Essendon Want Mal Michael
The Bombers are going to make news this weekend, not with their second pick in the AFL National Draft but with the number two selection for the preseason draft.
Mal Michael has not retired, and he will join Dustin Fletcher in the backline for the Bombers next season.
The preseason draft is probaby going to have Ackland at number 1 to Carlton with Michael to Essendon the next pick. The Kangaroos have said they will have some money to spend in the preseason draft so they have the first "live" pick with the two teams ahead of them already having agreed to take a player.
So now Essendon will have to figure out who is the full back, Fletcher or Michael. It probably should be Michael as he is a bit uncomfortable when played up the ground. But the Bombers can also go with who is better suited to the opposition full forward, using Fletcher on the taller players while Michael might be a better option on the stronger full forwards who want to battle close to goal.
Michael will ease the pressure on Bradley, who now is the third tall defender, and McPhee will also benefit as Sheedy can move him around the field as he won’t have to play in the back all the time.
It was just the cost of a preseason pick so the Bombers did well to add a premiership-winning defender, and now Essendon have the experienced spine that could take them into the finals if they all stay healthy. It isn’t just Michael that is added to their 2007 side, they also get a healthy Lloyd to play in the other goalsquare too.
Mal Michael has not retired, and he will join Dustin Fletcher in the backline for the Bombers next season.
The preseason draft is probaby going to have Ackland at number 1 to Carlton with Michael to Essendon the next pick. The Kangaroos have said they will have some money to spend in the preseason draft so they have the first "live" pick with the two teams ahead of them already having agreed to take a player.
So now Essendon will have to figure out who is the full back, Fletcher or Michael. It probably should be Michael as he is a bit uncomfortable when played up the ground. But the Bombers can also go with who is better suited to the opposition full forward, using Fletcher on the taller players while Michael might be a better option on the stronger full forwards who want to battle close to goal.
Michael will ease the pressure on Bradley, who now is the third tall defender, and McPhee will also benefit as Sheedy can move him around the field as he won’t have to play in the back all the time.
It was just the cost of a preseason pick so the Bombers did well to add a premiership-winning defender, and now Essendon have the experienced spine that could take them into the finals if they all stay healthy. It isn’t just Michael that is added to their 2007 side, they also get a healthy Lloyd to play in the other goalsquare too.
AFL should either decline to allow it on "spirit of the game" approach, just like now i not biggest fan of NRL but they being real strict on contracts etc at the momment with a certain Steve Turner.
Or the AFL could be heaps innovative and make Essendon trade something for them. I not sure what but something.
Either way the Lions should be given something.
The one part that will cause problems is the contract, but if the AFL doesn’t have a rule for this then they can’t make something up. But it is something they will have to change. So next year they will have something in place to stop this.
Maybe the rule that they implement for the future is a player signs retirement papers and that also means they can’t play AFL for the next 12 months.
If Lethal really wanted to get something from the Bombers he could target a player that is out of contract there, a bit like Collingwood may have done with Bryan from Carlton. But Brisbane might not have enough cap-room for that. Or a cheaper option might be to draft Austin Lacy, who the Bombers delisted, and then turn the former Caloundra player into a regular at AFL level.
Essendon are always looking for loopholes, and they did find another here, while at the same time getting AFL back into the headlines.