News

Crichton Medal preview - Watson and Zaharakis

Thursday, 6 October 2011
Staff writers for essendonfc.com.au
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In the lead up to Friday night’s highly anticipated Crichton Medal count, BomberTV catches up with General manager of football operations Paul Hamilton to preview the hot favourites set to stake their claim for the best and fairest medal.

Reviewing the year of captain Jobe Watson and David Zaharakis, Hamilton said the duo were in contention to take out the coveted award.

“Jobe has won the last two, so you can never count him out,” Hamilton said.

“This year, he was leading the Brownlow count after Round 7 so we would expect votes for him at the Crichton early on. I think up until the half way mark of the season, you’ll find a leader in Jobe Watson.

“Unfortunately, he did miss a few games with injuries so it may make things difficult but having said that, I’m sure he is going to poll extremely well. It will be very tight.”

Hamilton said blossoming midfielder David Zaharakis is also a strong chance to attract the votes on Friday night.

“Zaka has had a breakthrough year. I suppose he’s still remembered for kicking the winning goal on Anzac Day, but this year he’s really started to play good, strong, consistent football,” he said.

“Whilst he does play in the forward line, this year he has been playing more of a midfield role and he’s just so reliable when he has the ball in his hand. We’ve been really pleased with his efforts and he has played every game and because of that, you’d expect him to poll well”

In tomorrow’s final edition, Hamilton will review the year of Heath Hocking and Michael Hurley ahead of Friday night’s Crichton Medal count.

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ZAKA ZAKA ZAKA, OR SECOND CHOICE ZAKA AND FLETCHER TO TIE.

- Stefanos Yannoukas (posted 5/10/2011 4:20:07 PM)

Just been watching the game replays over and over and Zaka has played most consistently.

- Stefanos Yannoukas (posted 5/10/2011 4:21:56 PM)

you have it in the BAG ZAHA. now you will give the brownlow a run in the next 3 seasons. keep listening to jimmy as you are a great example of how to improve under the right guidance. Marg.

- Margaret Dickson (posted 5/10/2011 4:34:36 PM)

Of the 15 games Jobe played, most were spent beneath packs feeding the ball out. He will poll well even missing games. Zaharakis was electic in some games, but there were some where he only fired for a half. Which half will catch the voters eye..the good one or the quiet one.

- Wesley Hull (posted 5/10/2011 6:56:16 PM)

Good luck to all, but I'd love to see Zakka get the recognition. such a thrill to watch him fire up when he gets the ball.

- Gail Taylor (posted 5/10/2011 6:59:18 PM)

Our centre setup in 2012 should be built on Jobe, Zaka, Hocking and Paddy. Zaka is a strong mark and tackles hard. Keep developing his upper body strength and teach him to keep his feet and he has the potential to be Voss-like. The notable size difference between this season and last obviously influenced his attack on the ball and tackling ferocity. I look forward to seeing him in 2012, bigger, stronger and MEANER.

- Josh Byrne (posted 5/10/2011 7:05:59 PM)

These two will be 1 - 2. Josh B, I think Paddy, like Hurls, is best suited to play forward or back. Centre half, Hurls will go full back or forward. Tommy B ruck, promote Josh Jenkins and play Hille when required (injury or match up).

- Brad Scarr (posted 5/10/2011 9:55:09 PM)

Here beneath Black Mountain a colleague has won a Nobel for proving the universe is expanding ever faster-- so stars will soon be invisible. So will our young stars if we don't play them and give them leadership roles. To do this we now need to farewell a tranche of well-loved players who've had a fair go. That sadness will be replaced by the joy of seeing fresh talent emerge and master their craft through discipline, restraint, self & team-belief.

- Thomas Faunce (posted 6/10/2011 11:03:00 AM)

So true Thomas. For my olive tree to flourish I have to trim off the old to make way for the new. Yiasou.

- Stefanos Yannoukas (posted 6/10/2011 12:09:25 PM)

Thomas, it must be thrilling to be working with the Nobel prize winning astrophysicist, Brian Schmidt, but I suppose that he wouldn't be interested in watching a bunch of Homo sapiens chasing a piece of leather around. I am probably as keen as you are for young players to be given a chance in our team, but they have to earn it in the pre-season or VFL games, like Heppell, Hibberd, Ross and Carlisle did this year, and we do have quite a few other players in their early or mid twenties who get a regular game.

- Gordon Moss snr (posted 6/10/2011 2:03:37 PM)

So, what you are saying, Gordon M. snr, is that even astrophysicists have to earn their star-ripes..., and as for astrophysicists not being interested in chasing a piece of leather, we have an American astrophysicist on our cricket team in Japan. He does over-analyse his batting a tad, but he has a helluva'n arm!

- Kris Bayne (posted 6/10/2011 7:20:39 PM)

Kris,your American mate playing cricket in Japan reminds me of another American (Gene Kelly) singing and dancing in Paris.

- Bill Carbis (posted 7/10/2011 9:31:27 AM)

I feel a 'tie' coming on tonight, out of four players: Watson, Heppell, Zaharakis and Stanton. If not it will be very close! Our bloke doesn't sing or dance, Bill C, but he can switch-hit to leggies, and please don't say rain. Half our games have been washed out, though we are in the GF and going for back-to-back.

- Kris Bayne (posted 7/10/2011 10:23:45 AM)

Good luck in the Granny Kris,who's lined up for the half time entertainment,hope it's not Meat Loaf,although I reckon he did play better than Didak.

- Bill Carbis (posted 7/10/2011 11:28:51 AM)

Kris, I think it's great that keen Bomber fan, Thomas Faunce, is working with someone who has won the Nobel prize in physics, and seeing that Thomas mentioned it here, I think that it is appropriate that I comment on it. I do think that intellectuals, like Brian Schmidt, whose job is to study our unimaginably vast and mysterious universe, generally aren't interested in watching football, but there are exceptions of course, such as Thomas. At a time when many people in politics and the media, have an anti-science attitude, we need more people like Thomas and Brian.

- Gordon Moss snr (posted 7/10/2011 1:12:35 PM)

Yiasou Thomas, yes...LEADERSHIP ROLES FOR THE DESERVING YOUNGER PLAYERS!!! If we do this in 2012 we will see huge transformation at Essendon. We've always had a rich playing group but we haven't done what it takes to get the most out of them. The youth have done most of the work this year. IT'S TIME to acknowledge them. GO YOUNG BOMBERS!!!! AND FLETCH!!!

- Stefanos Yannoukas (posted 7/10/2011 5:44:45 PM)

Zaka was consist but Watson might get enough early, 1st. Watson 2nd.Zarharakis 3rd. Stanton.

- Josh Moloney (posted 7/10/2011 8:59:05 PM)

Bill C. - classic! I agree totally Gordon M, and I definitely was not having a go at you or being 'anti-science', but I wouldn't be so sure about 'intellectuals' and footy. One of our greatest historians, Manning Clark, was a mad Carlton supporter, and former Carlton captain, Mike Fitzpatrick was a Rhodes Scholar, which goes to show that not only can intellectuals like footy, they can be misguided, too!

- Kris Bayne (posted 7/10/2011 9:42:48 PM)

No worries Kris, I didn't think that you were having a go at me, or being at all anti-science. There is no doubt that some very clever people did, or do, like one or more of the various football codes, but those who didn't, or don't, have missed out, or are missing out, on a great part of being human, especially if they never got to like Aussie footy, the best kind of football that exists in the known universe.

- Gordon Moss snr (posted 8/10/2011 12:25:47 PM)

Sang in the Rain too Bill...Like the Collywobblies Supporters on the way home,a bit off key,more like a wail... By comparison, Meatloaf sounded much better than he was :-)

- Noel Shields (posted 12/10/2011 4:56:16 PM)

Kris,did he have the Rhodes in the pockie,the day he gave away the free in the last qtr of "our" special game in '81?!

- Noel Shields (posted 12/10/2011 5:00:00 PM)