r/AFL • u/yum122 Essendon • Wurundjeri Woiwurrung • 22h ago
[McGuire] North Melbourne has emerged as Elijah Tsatas’ most likely home for 2027.
37
u/DENTAL_PLAN__ Essendon Bombers 22h ago
Best mates with George Wardlaw, maybe that's part of it and they think they can get more out of him.
20
u/thisphantomfortress Essendon '00 20h ago
It'll work out great for them if they need an accumulator who can't defend or kick
5
10
3
25
33
u/NoClassic2049 Demons 22h ago
If he plays for them this year, then something must have gone terribly wrong
He is not getting a gig before LDU, FOS, Sheezel, Wardlaw or even Simpkin and Tom Powell for that matter
Id rather take Parker/Colby out of the backline and put them in there first
15
u/Opening_Anteater456 Demons 22h ago
Will be interesting to see if the new coach gets Colby playing on ball/forward now Lizard will be the main man off half back.
Powell seems like an odd man out who leaves if he gets healthy but stuck behind what should be a big 4. Could play on a flank or wing but he’s best suited on ball.
If they sign Tsatas it’s a reclamation project to probably to be cheap depth from 2028 onwards. I don’t think it’s a crazy idea, he has the ball winning and still isn’t physically at his peak. Has a stack of deficits but doesn’t need to fix all of them to be worth a spot on a list
5
u/NoClassic2049 Demons 22h ago edited 21h ago
yeah thats absolutely fair analysis but theres like 10 Tsatas' and better at any given point floating around in the VFL/WAFL/SANFL that deserve a shot before a guy who was given so many chances already
The last few MSD and SSP periods have given good to great players to all teams. with North alone getting Trembath and Blamires. Id rather try and find the next Max Hall/Shaun Mannagh whos in his mid 20's and give him his first opportunity
8
u/Opening_Anteater456 Demons 21h ago
He’s had 1 go at a pretty dysfunctional club and he’s still 21 (until tomorrow anyway).
For every MSD/SSP success story there’s plenty who toil away in reserves sides and quietly get delisted.
A guy who put up Tsatas’ performances in the VFL would at least come across recruiters desks. It’s not like he’s not getting a kick (even if they’re dodgy kicks).
Take Blamires as an example, he’s 2 years older than Tsatas. Tsatas’ 2026 is equivalent to his 2024. In 2024 Blamires was battling away at Sandy, yet to even break out in the VFL.
7
4
u/MisterMarcus Geelong AFLW 19h ago
Could he function as a half back or back pocket type, a bit like how we reinvented Clark in that role?
Maybe being more of a defensive lockdown type could 'hide' his disposal a bit, plus backline is North's weakness.
4
u/i_am_cool_ben Essendon '00 19h ago
He didn't defend at all at the Bombers, all he could do was get the ball and handball it off
1
1
u/sfrench67 North Melbourne 5h ago
He is depth at best, something we surprisingly lack in midfielders as they are all playing seniors in different positions
128
u/___TheIllusiveMan___ Collingwood 22h ago
So not only are North after Samson Ryan they’re also after Tsatas
They are not a serious club. You’re supposed to sign guys that’ll make you better not worse
29
u/Nousernames-left St Kilda 22h ago
They probably have list spots available because they traded out their top picks this year for Blakey when they weren’t expected to at the start of trade period
39
13
u/Woolier-Mammoth Bombers 22h ago
Tsatas could still be a great AFL player. He is genuinely elite at one aspect of the game. It would only take a rule change or two and suddenly clearances would be a highly valued commodity again. At this point ball retention and defensive actions are more valuable but the game changes all the time.
23
u/Status-Soft-4343 North Melbourne 22h ago
best mates with wardlaw, honestly dont mind it for depth
4
u/VirgilFaust North Melbourne 20h ago
Honestly better than the Samson Ryan reporting because he’s clearly mates with some of our best young players and trains hard.
9
7
11
u/dSwedishChef Essendon '00 22h ago
Some players just need a kick up the arse to get it together. Good luck to him.
11
u/AGuerillaGorilla The Dons 22h ago
But all players need to be able to kick, & he can't, all the luck in the world can't change that.
2
19
u/Maximumlnsanity Swans 22h ago
Damn you guys are doing all of the reject shopping huh
6
u/TomorrowAway7547 Footscray '54 22h ago
What other rejects have they picked up?
11
u/dancing-on-my-own Bulldogs 22h ago
Reportedly interested in Samson Ryan, who plays a bit like a giraffe on roller skates
13
4
4
u/akito_shigaraki 21h ago
As someone who has watched him the past few years, north do NOT want to sign him. Minimal basic footy improvement in that time- good luck, but waste of a list spot.
3
u/Overall-Palpitation6 Collingwood Magpies 21h ago
Tsatas is childhood friends with George Wardlaw apparently.
5
2
u/Alternative_Big_7646 North Melbourne 18h ago
It does feel possible North add Tsatas and/or ex-Geelong DFA George Stevens as an SSP as they seek upgraded depth compared to Urquhart for midfield but they would be competing to be at best the 7th option for 3 inside roles so not worth getting too exercised about. Harry, LDU, FOS, Wardlaw, McKercher, Powell (& Simpkin) all ahead of them.
2
u/sleutheren Hawthorn '71 22h ago
They should be looking at James Blanck.
2
u/Hawtproper Richmond 21h ago
Yeah there's plenty of better DFAs from teams that didnt win a handful of games
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Getting_Over_Us Bombers 16h ago
Genuinely who comes out for him lol? VFL Kangaroos just got a HUGE boost.
1
u/Hank_Moldy Kangaroos 16h ago
I can kinda understand it, he's 21 and has a bit of toe, something we lack and will cost no draft picks and you would hope he's on minimum chips dept player.
1
1
0
-4
u/SlappaDaBassMahn Essendon 21h ago
Damn was hoping Tsatas would go to a solid club to prove most of our club and supporters wrong.
8
u/Tropicalcomrade221 Bombers / Devils 19h ago
Mate it’s not like he wasn’t given a go or was just out of favour. He has huge holes in his game.
-4
u/SlappaDaBassMahn Essendon 19h ago
Oh please. There's plenty of guys that were given far more "goes" than he did, that were less deserving.
Yeah he has huge holes, as do most guys in our team.
Cox, Jones, perkins, El-Hawli, McKay to name a few across the field given more chances and doing no more with than than Tsatas did.
Im not saying hes great, or even that we should have kept him, just that hes a whipping boy and cops far more hate than is deserved.
3
u/Tropicalcomrade221 Bombers / Devils 18h ago
A few of those guys you mentioned have also been delisted if you didn’t know.
I don’t think he’s had much hate at all? People wanted to see him play. He did and the holes in his game were glaring. I think a lot of people are disappointed that he didn’t work out not that he’s been a whipping boy.
73
u/Vet100 22h ago
Delisted 2020 Will Phillips last year to recruit 2022 Will Phillips.
Sick of us pissing away list spots. Add them to the likes of Fisher, Konstanty, CCJ, Nyuon, Tucker to name a few of recycled players who clearly aren’t up to it that we’ve wasted spots on.