Imagining a 2020 Richmond-Essendon merger

I’m struggling to understand the reasoning behind a Richmond-Essendon merger? I agree Melbourne needs to loose at least two teams if we want parity among the states but I’d have thought you’d merge the least successful clubs based on on-field performance? Demons, NMFC, Western Bulldogs - surely these would be in the firing line first?

Merret, Zaharakis, Shiel done, the choice of a Carlton backup ruckman who could only get to play only 5 games rather limited the credibility of this exercise. Considering one side won its last 12 games you were on a hiding to nothing with this. Only Collingwood or GWS would go close to 8 players in a combined 22 with Richmond. A few of the clubs lower down would only be able to supply boot studders and orange boys ...

I agree with nank but none of the others, Macintosh is a muppet, stack doesn’t have a huge body of work, broad over hurley? You’ve got to be joking broad is a dodgy diver exactly like all the other richmond defenders, if it was up to me diving would carry a ten week suspension.

Mate there are plenty of bombers players that would improve richmond, additionally, if we just base it off 2019 we are not sure rance is ever going to get back to his best.

Okay, but just wanted to point out that this particular reply was directed at Sam rather than you! ;)

Ah yes, Jayden Short who, in 2019, had a worse disposal efficiency (including kicking efficiency), despite having a significantly higher percentage of uncontested possessions, while averaging more clangers and more turnovers playing in a superior side, is a better ball user than Saad and makes better decisions under pressure. Right. This would be the same Jayden Short who averaged fewer tackles, fewer 1%ers, fewer pressure acts, fewer intercept marks, fewer clearances, fewer ground ball gets and fewer spoils than Saad in 2019? The only meaningful stat I could find from this season where Short has a clear advantage over Saad is metres gained per game, but Conor McKenna virtually matches him in that category while either holding his own or besting Short in literally all of the stats I listed above for Saad. Opinions =/= logic.

Given the colours I'd be Stacking it with Koori players for the win.

Stack was injured. Played in the VFL Grand Final briefly but fitness was clearly not up to it for the AFL Grand Final. So it is not fair to say he was not in the best 22.

Well, I'm the only Bomber fan in a comments section full of Tigers supporters. I have to fly the flag a bit, don't I? ;)

Thanks for the explanation. I can accept your reasoning for Merrett and Edwards being picked over Heppell and Cotchin as captains. They make more sense to me than going with Tom Phillips and Sam Walsh in the Pies/Blues side! Phillips (the ruckman) only played 5 games this year, and 5 the year before that. I think he can be a solid player but those sample sizes are just way too small to pick a guy who has never played a game for either of these sides over two premiership ruckmen. As I've explained in a comment above, Saad is *way* better than Short in virtually every key statistic, and it's not even close. Defensively, offensively, you name it. And I listed McKenna because he can play different positions, whereas Short only really provides that small defender option. Saad and McKenna finished 3 & 4 in Essendon's B&F, for what it's worth. It's kinda doing my head in that Castagna is listed ahead of Stringer and Walla. Yes, they occasionally went missing but they played most of the season as their side's two best forwards due to injuries to Daniher, Smith and Fantasia, with no Lynch or Martin to feed off. Castagna gets what... the fifth best defender each week? How would he go if he was being locked down the way those two are? Anyway, I appreciate that it's all subjective. I just think an article like this is significantly improved if you can back up the more line-ball selections with a bit of evidence. I was surprised about Mitch Brown being delisted, too. I think he would have struggled to get many games in 2020 without relying on injuries to others but every club needs guys who can step straight into a role.

'It just doesn’t make him the logical pick over Houli or Saad.' Yes it does. In my opinion he is the best rebounding defender of the three players mentioned and therefore the logical pick. He is a better kick than Houli or Saad, makes better decisions under pressure than either of them and whilst he isn't as fast as Saad he is much faster than Houli. Logically, he is the best pick of the three.

While I don't disagree with your point about Richmond's pressure and structure, you can't just ignore stats completely. Otherwise the whole 'stats are meaningless' argument just becomes a convenient way to support a particular narrative. If you start doing that then it is too easy to just dismiss certain facts. Say, that Essendon only averaged one less tackle (and two fewer clangers) per game than Richmond in 2019. Or that Saad averaged roughly twice as many tackles and 1%ers as Short did, without even factoring in his superior offensive ability. Or that Walla comfortably averaged more tackles, 1%ers, goals, inside 50s and clearances than Rioli. Aside from anything else, it defeats the spirit of the exercise if you just say 'yes but [player X] is such an important part of our overall system that we can't simply replace him with [player Y]'. And we're not talking about 'slotting the apparent stars of an opposition side into the Richmond line up.' We're talking the best players from each side and combining them.

I can figure. You like Short. It just doesn't make him the logical pick over Houli or Saad.

No, you really shouldn't have. In an article about combining the best players from both clubs, there is absolutely no point in mentioning a player who could not make his own side's best 22 (or 24, given that Rance and Graham would also have been picked ahead of him) for the grand final. Argue about the likes of Broad, Rioli and Bolton all you want, that stuff just comes down to opinion. But not a first year player who wasn't in his own club's best side at the end of the season.

'there’s no way Short would get picked over Saad' And yet as a Richmond fan I'd pick Short over Houli and Saad. Go figure.

Richmond ranking dead last for centre clearances in 2019, a year they won the Premiership, might tell you a little about what they value as a team and how much importance is placed on that particular stat. In fact I'm amazed how poorly Richmond rank in a lot of the traditional key indicators and has me questioning their value. Thing about a few of the Essendon players mentioned, they would need to become a little more accountable to make the Richmond side without becoming a liability. There is no denying their talent but they would need to change to slot in. Raw numbers have little value in a team that bases its whole game around pressure. Players like Rioli, Jack Graham, Bolton, Short and Cotchin should not be judged on their statistical output alone. Without their constant harassing the team simply does not work. That's why it is difficult to slot the apparent stars of an opposition side into the Richmond line up. The team is not built on stars it is built on collective effort and attitude. It is for that reason it would be detrimental to include too many outside player no matter their talent.