Coach James Hird has praised the efforts of Mark Baguley and Jayden Laverde in yesterday’s loss to Adelaide.
The two demonstrated consistent effort right throughout the game, doing their very best to make it to every contest.
Laverde continued to show great signs as he collected 20 disposals, took eight marks, laid four tackles and kicked a goal in what was another personal best performance for the 19-year old.
The youngster also showed a great attitude off the ball with his pressure and chase down on opposition players proving to be a huge asset in his playing style.
“Laverde just kept playing and playing and playing,” Hird said following the game.
“I think he learnt something today about himself and we learnt something about him.
“He just keeps going.”
Although Eddie Betts may have gotten the better of Baguley yesterday, the defender’s effort could not be questioned.
Ultimately, it was the Crows’ constant bombardment of the Essendon backline that proved to be too much for the star defender to keep up with.
Baguley has been one of the club’s most consistent and reliable defenders over the last few years, with his ‘never say die’ attitude and hard attacking style a necessity to the club’s backline.
“For the amount of ball that came in, you just see Mark in contest, after contest, after contest,” Hird said.
“In the face of adversity, which this club has been in for three years, there are some people who keep fighting.”
The club will get little relief this week with their resilience to tested once again as they make the trip to the Gold Coast to battle the Suns.