SEN’s Andy Maher believes Will Setterfield has the ability to have a significant impact at Essendon in 2023.
The 24-year-old has joined the Bombers in a trade from Carlton after four seasons and 55 games in the navy blue.
Setterfield, a former no.5 draft pick who started his career with GWS, has battled injury issues and was also played out of position at the Blues.
Maher, a Carlton tragic, feels the club may just be discarding him too early given his ability.
He feels Setterfield could step up with the Dons and produce a season much like Will Brodie did with Fremantle this year after leaving the Gold Coast Suns.
“It’s effectively a delisting,” he said on SEN’s The Run Home.
“It felt like it was going to be one of either Will Setterfield or Paddy Dow.
“Now the deal has been done with Essendon and they get what they need.
“The thing about Setterfield at Carlton, is if he’s been a bit invisible to many footy fans over the last 24 months, I can understand why. He’s largely been forced to play out of position.
“He’s an inside midfielder and he hasn’t been able to break in to that part of the ground at Carlton.
“In this caper, we’re good at doing this, ‘Oh he’s no good, he’s a C-grader, we’re getting rid of a C-grader, doesn’t really mean anything’.
“If Will Setterfield gets to play 18 games on-ball, inside mid at Essendon, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he becomes a Will Brodie-type success story.”
Setterfield played 13 games for the Blues in 2022, averaging 16.5 disposals. He found midfield time hard to come by behind the likes of Patrick Cripps, Matthew Kennedy, George Hewett, Sam Walsh and Adam Cerra.
He was used through the midfield late in the season and had a positive impact, picking up 26 touches against Melbourne in Round 22, plus 24 against Collingwood in Round 23.