2016 Brisbane Lions starting line up

[POBT]

I'm reluctant to read too much into preseason comments and training this far out from next season but it would seem the current thinking has Rich on ball and Mayes across half back. That's a bit different to how I was seeing us set up.

 

[Tim F]

after reading that mayes is likely to be a half back for the year this changes the look of the team.

Cutler Merrett Andrews
Mayes Clarke C Beams
Rich Beams Hanley
Bell Schache Zorko
Green Walker Mcstay

Martin, Rocky , Bastinac
M Robinson, Christensen, Taylor and any 1 of ( Jansen, Paparone, lester, harwood, freeman, Nick Robertson )

I actually think Jansen is a huge chance for round 1 as lions have identifed contested ball is where they are deficient and jansen is a big bodied mid which they lack. If he performs in pre season he will be a very good chance. The defence has cutler in back pocket he is athletically gifted and has speed height and agility to play on dangerous smalls whilst providing some attack. Could also use clay beams in this role but he needs a huge year. With beams and mayes there you have to very good users of the football coming out of the backline.

Mcstay might play back but he may also swing forward at times perhaps swapping with big sauce merrett. You would think that the number 1 defender from each team would take walker , then the next will go to merrett/mcstay so that could leave scache at 199cm playing on the 3rd tall could get a good match up out of that although merrett likely to be in defence for 90 % of season.

 

[POBT]

I actually think Jansen is a huge chance for round 1 as lions have identifed contested ball is where they are deficient and jansen is a big bodied mid which they lack. If he performs in pre season he will be a very good chance.

There's a lot of sameness in the sides we are naming here but I think the reason for that is that, in the absence of any sort of trial form, there is a group of 24 or 25 who are better performed than the next tier. I think Jansen is on that next tier. I get what you are saying about contested footy being a weakness but we've also added Bastinac and Bell to the likely best 22, both of whom are decent at the contest and are more established senior players.

 

[royboys4eva]

If fit and healthy i think Gardiner has to play Round 1. He is our future. Most would agree we are unlikely to play finals in 2016. So it's a case of getting games into our future players.

 

[Len S]

If fit and healthy i think Gardiner has to play Round 1. He is our future. Most would agree we are unlikely to play finals in 2016. So it's a case of getting games into our future players.

 

[Len S]

If fit and healthy i think Gardiner has to play Round 1. He is our future. Most would agree we are unlikely to play finals in 2016. So it's a case of getting games into our future players.

Gardiner is held in high regard by the insiders, and I agree, should be there. At the end of 2014, and prior to serious injury,he was outstanding.

 

[BigCat2]

If fit and healthy i think Gardiner has to play Round 1. He is our future. Most would agree we are unlikely to play finals in 2016. So it's a case of getting games into our future players.

Yes he is part of our future, but he still needs to earn a game, just like everybody else in the team. We now have enough depth in our squad that, injury permitting, there should be a fair bit of competition for spots. In terms of that 3rd tall/medium defender spot he'll be aiming for, that alone has Paparone, Cutler, Dawson, McStay and Hugh Beasley who are in contention, let alone the likes of Paine, Watts and McGuinness being considered there.

We are in the position now that we should give spots to those who earn it, as opposed to them just being young.
It sends the better message, as well as making us more competitive, which is the better way to develop our squad.

 

[Viceregal]

Yes he is part of our future, but he still needs to earn a game, just like everybody else in the team. We now have enough depth in our squad that, injury permitting, there should be a fair bit of competition for spots. In terms of that 3rd tall/medium defender spot he'll be aiming for, that alone has Paparone, Cutler, Dawson, McStay and Hugh Beasley who are in contention, let alone the likes of Paine, Watts and McGuinness being considered there.

We are in the position now that we should give spots to those who earn it, as opposed to them just being young.
It sends the better message, as well as making us more competitive, which is the better way to develop our squad.

I suppose the converse might be if you had someone who you expected to be better in the future (eg a Schache) if given the games/experience vs someone who would be better at it now (eg a Close) who do you pick and which one is better for the team long term. I suppose you would just factor 'potential' into the 'earning' dynamic and go from there?

 

[BigCat2]

I suppose the converse might be if you had someone who you expected to be better in the future (eg a Schache) if given the games/experience vs someone who would be better at it now (eg a Close) who do you pick and which one is better for the team long term. I suppose you would just factor 'potential' into the 'earning' dynamic and go from there?

In terms of the example you raise, although Close has been on our list for 3 years (1.5 of those out injured), he's still very young in KPP terms at just 21. Sure as excited as I am over Schache's potential, it is not a foregone conclusion who will be a better player in the long run - that might take another 5 years to be evident. So who should play?

I understand your point, and given we are a developing team as opposed to one in contention, if it truly came down to a decision between an older "list clogger" for lack of better term, vs a youngster with great potential, we should choose the latter. And there's nobody of that kind on our list - we have pretty much cleared them all out over the past 3 years.

The only older KPP who won't be around for much longer is Daniel Merrett, but he still demands a game. Have a look at our young key defenders when he wasn't available earlier in 2015 - they showed flashes, but really battled against the odds.

Similarly with key forwards, our oldest/most mature one is Josh Walker at 23 years old and 33 games - hardly a dinosaur. The key forwards with the best form will get chosen, and this will include Walker or someone with a bit more experience and size (such as Close, the second most experienced key forward we have with 16games experience).

 

[M Malice]

In terms of the example you raise, although Close has been on our list for 3 years (1.5 of those out injured), he's still very young in KPP terms at just 21. Sure as excited as I am over Schache's potential, it is not a foregone conclusion who will be a better player in the long run - that might take another 5 years to be evident. So who should play?

I understand your point, and given we are a developing team as opposed to one in contention, if it truly came down to a decision between an older "list clogger" for lack of better term, vs a youngster with great potential, we should choose the latter. And there's nobody of that kind on our list - we have pretty much cleared them all out over the past 3 years.

The only older KPP who won't be around for much longer is Daniel Merrett, but he still demands a game. Have a look at our young key defenders when he wasn't available earlier in 2015 - they showed flashes, but really battled against the odds.

Similarly with key forwards, our oldest/most mature one is Josh Walker at 23 years old and 33 games - hardly a dinosaur. The key forwards with the best form will get chosen, and this will include Walker or someone with a bit more experience and size (such as Close, the second most experienced key forward we have with 16games experience).

re the key forwards. really need josh walker to stand up and deliver a 35 to 45 goal season in 2016. will take pressure of the young guys and let them develop as the second and third talls. i think jono freeman with an injury free run could really surprise this season has showed good ability/potential in the little we have seen of him. although it is likely that freeman will be competing with schache for the same spot, i don't think they play together at this stage of their careers.

 

[Viceregal]

re the key forwards. really need josh walker to stand up and deliver a 35 to 45 goal season in 2016. will take pressure of the young guys and let them develop as the second and third talls. i think jono freeman with an injury free run could really surprise this season has showed good ability/potential in the little we have seen of him. although it is likely that freeman will be competing with schache for the same spot, i don't think they play together at this stage of their careers.

Wouldn't it be weird if Freeman did that, Schache/McStay et al came on and we picked up Connor (I think it is in a couple of years in the Academy) and people starting talking about our KPFs as a team strength like they do when discussing GWS ... would be a nicer problem to have than the one we have had in the last few years (ok decade)...

 

[M Malice]

Wouldn't it be weird if Freeman did that, Schache/McStay et al came on and we picked up Connor (I think it is in a couple of years in the Academy) and people starting talking about our KPFs as a team strength like they do when discussing GWS ... would be a nicer problem to have than the one we have had in the last few years (ok decade)...

yep, connor ballanden 2017 draft. handy 193cm midfielder 2016.

 

[a mayes ing]

yep, connor ballanden 2017 draft. handy 193cm midfielder 2016.

I thought Ballenen was a highly rated KPF?

 

[M Malice]

I thought Ballenen was a highly rated KPF?

yes he is 2017. the 2016 mid is jacob allison.

 

[Darcy161113]

Can somebody please give me some insight into the type of players Josh McGuinness, Josh Clayton and Josh Watts are? I have heard their names before, but I've never seen them play

 

[Happy_Neale]

yes he is 2017. the 2016 mid is jacob allison.

Where does Rolls play?

 

[Wounded Lion]

Can somebody please give me some insight into the type of players Josh McGuinness, Josh Clayton and Josh Watts are? I have heard their names before, but I've never seen them play

McGuinness - Drafted as a rangy running half-back but played on the wing majority of NEAFL last year, training with midfield group now.
Clayton - Similar build to Tom Bell (less weight obviously at the moment), small lead up forward who is strong overhead and a bit of goal sense.
Watts - Athletic 195cm tall, very skinny but from all reports, good skills, solid over the ball and judges contests well. Could play a similar role to Paparone if he was to get a senior debut this year.

 

[Darcy161113]

McGuinness - Drafted as a rangy running half-back but played on the wing majority of NEAFL last year, training with midfield group now.
Clayton - Similar build to Tom Bell (less weight obviously at the moment), small lead up forward who is strong overhead and a bit of goal sense.
Watts - Athletic 195cm tall, very skinny but from all reports, good skills, solid over the ball and judges contests well. Could play a similar role to Paparone if he was to get a senior debut this year.

What do you think their chances are of playing senior football next year?

 

[Fatcat08]

What do you think their chances are of playing senior football next year?

I would tend to think pretty low. There may be one or two games in there later in the year if the coach wants to see how they go at AFL level given all will be coming out of their initial 2 year rookie contract at the end of the season, pending how we're travelling.

 

[Wounded Lion]

What do you think their chances are of playing senior football next year?

Given our medium forward depth, Clayton is a strong chance if either Green, Bell or Taylor break down with injury. I would debut him instead of playing Bewick again.

McGuinness & Watts are still very slight in their frames, Watts could debut playing as a 4th tall/hyrbid defender similar to when Beasley debuted last year. McGuinness would need to play pure outside midfielder and improve his skills if he is any chance.

I say each player will get 3-4 games, probably later in the year.

 

[Kevvo]

What do you think their chances are of playing senior football next year?

It's a little hard to see where they'll get games, from my perspective based entirely on what they've shown to date (which in turn is informed nearly completely by reserves wraps and comments from the more seasoned reserves watchers on BF).

If our midfield are healthy, we'll probably be cramming mids into HBF and HFF roles just to get our better, experienced players on the park. At a guess, Keays would probably be a higher priority for games than Clayton, and Bell would have slotted in front of him in the depth chart too. Notwithstanding Watts's comparable height, if Paparone went down then I'd have thought we might be tempted to play another of Harwood/Beams/Cutler etc. McGuiness probably the same, and I think Mayes, Taylor, Robertson and Bell are probably all ahead in the running for our wing spots.

 

[POBT]

Those players were taken at picks 65, 81 and 86. Add in McGrath (pick 73) and it is fair to say that it would be an outstanding drafting result if more than 1 or 2 became long term players.

 

[Darcy161113]

Those players were taken at picks 65, 81 and 86. Add in McGrath (pick 73) and it is fair to say that it would be an outstanding drafting result if more than 1 or 2 became long term players.

I really like Jaden McGrath. If he can stay injury-free, I can see him playing an important role for the team in the coming years

 

[M Malice]

I really like Jaden McGrath. If he can stay injury-free, I can see him playing an important role for the team in the coming years

yer, i think mcgrath was a slider, would have been picked up higher but for injury. similar circumstances to rhys matheison this year.

 

[M Malice]

Where does Rolls play?

don't know much about rolls never seen him play or heard many reports. googled his name this is the first story that came up.
http://www.neafl.com.au/index.php?i...]=5339&cHash=dc543cb895423f7d6098a1935898dd9a