Grand Uncle Horace
Shake down the thunder
Someone will fill the spot vacated by Dawson. That is true. However in my mind he is irreplaceable.
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Analysis 2022 List, Game Plan and Best 22?
- Thread starter RUNVS
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Heeney will be missed up forward. He is a massive handfull for any team there. Small and tall cannot handle him.
In the midfield he is as effective as a lot of midfielders.
Yeah, not commenting where Heeney is best, because I only Nosterdamus would know that, just saying he has the ability to fill Dawsons gap, not that it would be his best position.
TBF, there's not many players positions he couldn't fill imo, just has so many weapons.
Grand Uncle Horace
Shake down the thunder
Lol after the draft I am feeling 'bullish' so will have another fun 'cut' at Best 22. I am also assuming Paddy Whack gets picked up and everyone is fit.
Rampe - TMac - Cunningham
Lloyd - PMac - Blakey
JMac - Sheldrick - Gulden
Heeney - Buddy - Papley
Parker- LMac - Ladhams
Hickey - Mills - The Chad
I/C: Hayward - Fox - Rowbottom - Wicks
23rd: JPK
Emergencies: HMac - COR - Florent
Breaking down the gate - Campbell, Sheather, Amartey, Gould (we hope), Melican, Reid, BOC, Bell, Ronke
Serving time/only in emergency - Taylor, Sinkers, Clarke (if on the list?).
Development year - Roberts, McAndrew, Co. Warner, Rankin +1 Rook
LTIL - Naismith
Rampe - TMac - Cunningham
Lloyd - PMac - Blakey
JMac - Sheldrick - Gulden
Heeney - Buddy - Papley
Parker- LMac - Ladhams
Hickey - Mills - The Chad
I/C: Hayward - Fox - Rowbottom - Wicks
23rd: JPK
Emergencies: HMac - COR - Florent
Breaking down the gate - Campbell, Sheather, Amartey, Gould (we hope), Melican, Reid, BOC, Bell, Ronke
Serving time/only in emergency - Taylor, Sinkers, Clarke (if on the list?).
Development year - Roberts, McAndrew, Co. Warner, Rankin +1 Rook
LTIL - Naismith
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Grand Uncle Horace
Shake down the thunder
I will not be surprised to see O'Connor and Sheather get debuts.
EvilleAces
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There
is no
There is no way Sheldrick is in the best 22 right now. He would be behind everyone you have listed in 'breaking down the gate'
EvilleAces
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I would say that this will occur very early in the season, if not game 1.
Pre Season can change a lot, I mean going from 2020 to 2021, I'd have thought Stephens was probably in Rd1, and Warner was nowhere near it. Then Chad knocked the door down, and Dylan got knocked out (literally).
I don't see BOC or Sheather getting debuts early as it stands. I think it's more likely to be this for Rd 1 (or at least what I'd do), from our Elim Final team.
Locked In
In: Mills, JPK, Ladhams
Out: Hewett, Dawson, McLean
Possibles
In: Campbell, McDonald, Fox
Out: Bell, ???, COR (prefer he stays)
Melican plays if he's fit I reckon, there's a fair indication from selectors that'll be the case. So Paddy and other KPDs will have to wait.
Need to see the preseason games and if any houses get trained down but the incumbents need to be pushed out, not pushed aside.
Yeah for the most part. I think though if Ladhams comes along and looks like he did at Port, then McLean is in trouble for that 2nd tall/ruck spot. If we go 3 tall forwards then he might still be in trouble if McDonald does well in pre-season. Then say Bell, I'm not sure how he was in the team for the final based on most of his other performances, so I'd be putting Campbell in for example, by default. But might not be what the club decides. Either COR or Fox should just be in the team regardless, so as long as we don't drop both and go in with Cunners as the only lockdown small defender.
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Pretty right I reckon. If all fit, good preseason and form holds.
7 Backs
Cunningham Rampe Lloyd COR
Blakey McCartin McInerney
Ruck Hickey
7 mids
JPK, Parker, Mills, Warner, Florent, Campbell, Gulden
7 forwards
Forward Ruck Ladhams
KPF Franklin McDonald OR McLean
Heeney Hayward Papley Wicks
Heeney and Paps will rotate into the mids.
Gulden and Parker will rotate out.
Hard team to break into!
- Apr 26, 2016
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Alright I've given it a go with the list pretty much complete now...
This is assuming everyone is fit, which is rarely the case, and that we get Paddy in the PSSP.
B - Dane Rampe | Tom McCartin | Jake Lloyd
HB - Nick Blakey | Lewis Melican | Justin McInerney
C - Errol Gulden | James Rowbottom | Ollie Florent
HF - Will Hayward | Buddy Franklin | Isaac Heeney
F - Sam Wicks | Logan McDonald | Tom Papley
Foll - Tom Hickey | Callum Mills | Luke Parker
Int - Harry Cunningham | Peter Ladhams | Chad Warner | Josh Kennedy
Melican probably the most on-notice of the above names.
Depth (in vague order of most to least likely to get a chance):
Defenders - Paddy McCartin, Colin O'Riordan, Robbie Fox, Sam Reid, Will Gould, Barry O'Connor (potentially Lachlan Rankin)
Midfielders - Braeden Campbell, Dylan Stephens, Angus Sheldrick, Corey Warner, Matt Roberts, Ryan Clarke, Lewis Taylor
Rucks - Joel Amartey, Callum Sinclair, Sam Naismith
Forwards - Hayden McLean, Joel Amartey, Marc Sheather, James Bell, Ben Ronke (potentially Lachlan Rankin)
This is assuming everyone is fit, which is rarely the case, and that we get Paddy in the PSSP.
B - Dane Rampe | Tom McCartin | Jake Lloyd
HB - Nick Blakey | Lewis Melican | Justin McInerney
C - Errol Gulden | James Rowbottom | Ollie Florent
HF - Will Hayward | Buddy Franklin | Isaac Heeney
F - Sam Wicks | Logan McDonald | Tom Papley
Foll - Tom Hickey | Callum Mills | Luke Parker
Int - Harry Cunningham | Peter Ladhams | Chad Warner | Josh Kennedy
Melican probably the most on-notice of the above names.
Depth (in vague order of most to least likely to get a chance):
Defenders - Paddy McCartin, Colin O'Riordan, Robbie Fox, Sam Reid, Will Gould, Barry O'Connor (potentially Lachlan Rankin)
Midfielders - Braeden Campbell, Dylan Stephens, Angus Sheldrick, Corey Warner, Matt Roberts, Ryan Clarke, Lewis Taylor
Rucks - Joel Amartey, Callum Sinclair, Sam Naismith
Forwards - Hayden McLean, Joel Amartey, Marc Sheather, James Bell, Ben Ronke (potentially Lachlan Rankin)
Man, we are so close! Melican vs COR.
I reckon a lot of time injuries will be covered by shuffles rather than one for one changes so that less experienced/favoured players take less critical roles.
For instance, if Hick goes down Ladhams rucks and Amartey comes in (or McLean).
JMac could take a wing and Fox come in if Florent was injured, and so on.
I doubt we'll see any of this year's draftees in Seniors barring disaster such as losing both Mills and JPK!
Taylor and Clarke aren't everyone's favourites but are still experienced players who can do a role at AFL level, especially against tough teams.
- Apr 26, 2016
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That spot in defence is such a damn mystery! So many questions. Will Melican stay fit? Will Paddy impress enough? Will Horse decide neither are good enough and just go a medium in COR or Fox? Will Reid be tried there? Will Gould take the step up? It's so bizarre that so much of the rest of our 22 is relatively settled, despite the understandable hype around our draftees etc., but there's one spot that could literally go so many ways lol
Grand Uncle Horace
Shake down the thunder
Realistically, Sir Dane's days of taking down big fellas are limited. Unless we are playing a small fwd line we need another KPD.
Is a fit Melican truly capable? He has the same levels of Footy nous as Deano IMO, ie not much.
Can Reid reinvent himself as a backman at his age? At his best he reads the ball well in flight but is vulnerable to being outbodied (and of course to injury). His experience down back has been in five minute stints as a loose man.
Can Paddy stay healthy and continue the promise and skill he showed in the ressies? A good pre-season and he is a walk up start IMO.
I have Foxy as 7th defender and Jack of All Trades and COR and BOC breaking the gate down.
To be honest I thought Campbell's debut year was average and IMO he needs a big pre season for him to be anywhere near best 22. Decisions need to be made about where he plays. Horse et al wasted years of Mills potential development as a mid at a cost to the team. Please be flexible in how our players are used.
We will stultify development of our mids if JPK plays too many games. I expect his tog to drop below 60% when he does play. The games he misses or starts as the 23rd man I hope Angus is chucked in, provided all things go well in the pre-season and he is showing form.
I truly think the Rohan experience has encouraged the Club to pick players on form and not gift games. I think Blakey and Hayward (long favourites allowed prolonged form slumps) gained when they were dropped and did well when they came back.
Wicks will do well to hold his spot.
And I can’t imagine our 3 first round mids (Stephens, Campbell, Sheldrick) not pushing VERY hard for a game.
I suspect we’ll see some surprise selections come round 1.
- Apr 26, 2016
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I'm of the opposite view DQ. I think it will be a very predictable line-up if all are fit and firing. Last year some bold calls had to be made to lift us from 16th to 6th - bold calls like dropping Hayward on the eve of the season and replacing him with a relative unknown in Wicks; like sitting our impressive winger from the year prior in Stephens out and instead giving that opportunity to a relative unknown in Warner; like dropping Blakey and reinventing him as a rebounding defender off half back after a fairly decent VFL stint.
We are not trying to rise ten spots up the ladder this year. We are simply trying to go from a good side to a very good side. Horse will back the players who made us that good side in to grow and take their individual games and the team's game plan to the next level, until they give him reason not to.
But form slumps are unavoidable, and injuries even more so, so others, like the three you mentioned, will get their opportunities. It just depends on how big or small those opportunities are.
I'd say the guys who might be looking over their shoulders and wanting to put in great showings in the pre-season hitouts would be Melican, Florent, Ladhams and Logan.
Kirkswan
Premium Platinum
I have a different view of what has happened, and don't believe any 'bold calls' were made...
Imo, there were two major factor in the jump from 16th to 6th... first was the lack of injuries to key players, and second the growth and development of our youngsters. That is not to say that without those injuries I believe we would have finished 6th last year, but I think it was more likely that we finished in the 9-12 range.
Its the Swans system as a whole that sees us back in the 8. The continuous development of youth, including the discarding of those that either don't fill a need, the discarding of those who are surpassed by other youngsters coming through. The selection based on talent and willingness to be a team player rather than a star (whether it be draft or trade, team selection, coaches and assistants, administration and so on). There are no jobs for the boys at the Swans.
I'm of the opinion the trade ban (2014-15) seriously impacted our rebuild and accounts for a lot of the issues of 2018-20, with limited experienced depth to assist with injury woes. But the impact of that is now passed, and they'll need to find something new this time around. I'm also of the opinion the current build has been under way since 2016, with adaptations for rule changes and loss of personnel, and from here on will be continuous.
While the issues associated with Covid-19 have been significant, the silver lining is that our coaches and players have literally lived together for significant portions of the past few years. They know each other considerably better than they did, and I don't think the selections have felt bold to either group.
My best 22:
B: Rampe - McCartin (T) - Lloyd
HB: Blakey - Melican - McInerney
C: Gulden - Rowbottom - Florent
HF: Hayward - Franklin - Heeney
F: Wicks - McDonald - Papley
Foll: Hickey - Mills - Parker
Int: Cunningham, Ladhams, Warner (C), Kennedy
I totally agree that this team picks itself except for the Melican role, and agreed with your team. Initially, I thought he would do it easily, but his injury run is a real worry which has (imo) crimpped his development. I'm not sure what his contract status is, but given he is 25, I would think this is a make or break year for him. And COR is a year older, and while excellent depth, hasn't cemented his place for me yet either. So I'm thinking its a make or break year for him too. Does Sheather play a similar role to Wicks? Is he treading on Wicks heels?
Please keep in mind that I have never played or coached AFL, and had no idea of it's existence until the mid 70's, nor have I ever lived in Victoria, and this is all based on my view from the outside. Sorry to be so long winded, I've cut it to pieces and it's still too long...
Your team, Caesar's, my own and many others for Rd1 will differ only around the seventh defender ie Melican vs COR vs Fox. All played this season but none truly as a KPD. IF Paddy McCartin looks good as a KPD in VFL during the season he will get a run in seniors for sure. It's good to remember how quickly Tom picked up the essentials.I have a different view of what has happened, and don't believe any 'bold calls' were made...
Imo, there were two major factor in the jump from 16th to 6th... first was the lack of injuries to key players, and second the growth and development of our youngsters. That is not to say that without those injuries I believe we would have finished 6th last year, but I think it was more likely that we finished in the 9-12 range.
Its the Swans system as a whole that sees us back in the 8. The continuous development of youth, including the discarding of those that either don't fill a need, the discarding of those who are surpassed by other youngsters coming through. The selection based on talent and willingness to be a team player rather than a star (whether it be draft or trade, team selection, coaches and assistants, administration and so on). There are no jobs for the boys at the Swans.
I'm of the opinion the trade ban (2014-15) seriously impacted our rebuild and accounts for a lot of the issues of 2018-20, with limited experienced depth to assist with injury woes. But the impact of that is now passed, and they'll need to find something new this time around. I'm also of the opinion the current build has been under way since 2016, with adaptations for rule changes and loss of personnel, and from here on will be continuous.
While the issues associated with Covid-19 have been significant, the silver lining is that our coaches and players have literally lived together for significant portions of the past few years. They know each other considerably better than they did, and I don't think the selections have felt bold to either group.
My best 22:
B: Rampe - McCartin (T) - Lloyd
HB: Blakey - Melican - McInerney
C: Gulden - Rowbottom - Florent
HF: Hayward - Franklin - Heeney
F: Wicks - McDonald - Papley
Foll: Hickey - Mills - Parker
Int: Cunningham, Ladhams, Warner (C), Kennedy
I totally agree that this team picks itself except for the Melican role, and agreed with your team. Initially, I thought he would do it easily, but his injury run is a real worry which has (imo) crimpped his development. I'm not sure what his contract status is, but given he is 25, I would think this is a make or break year for him. And COR is a year older, and while excellent depth, hasn't cemented his place for me yet either. So I'm thinking its a make or break year for him too. Does Sheather play a similar role to Wicks? Is he treading on Wicks heels?
Please keep in mind that I have never played or coached AFL, and had no idea of it's existence until the mid 70's, nor have I ever lived in Victoria, and this is all based on my view from the outside. Sorry to be so long winded, I've cut it to pieces and it's still too long...
It's also good to remember that Wicks was #1 in the AFL for goals scored from his pressure acts - his primary role. Sheather is developing well to play a similar role but still has a ways to go. There is Ronke too, at least this season (why???).
Your point about this team living in each other's pockets is a good one. They seem to have taken quite a lot from that experience.
SwansProudly
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South Melbourne (the place) was originally named Emerald Hill in the 1850s
I'm waiting for the the day a team is selected which includes:
backs: Tom McCartin, Paddy McCartin, Justin McInerney
ruck: Lachlan McAndrew
forwards: Hayden McLean, Logan McDonald
then for good measure Colin O'Riordan and Barry O'Connor
I'm waiting for the the day a team is selected which includes:
backs: Tom McCartin, Paddy McCartin, Justin McInerney
ruck: Lachlan McAndrew
forwards: Hayden McLean, Logan McDonald
then for good measure Colin O'Riordan and Barry O'Connor
Something just didn't match up with my previous post about who would come in and go out of our Elim Final team, and then I realised I'd forgotten Blakey! Reckon that's fairly right although I'd have Cunners as a starting back every day of the week.
As discussed variations are:
No Melican - if we need a KPD then I still think Fox is our next in, until Paddy, BOC or Gould prove themselves, which they have not as we speak. COR or Fox if a medium defender will do.
McDonald - personally I just had Buddy, then Ladhams replacing McLean, but would welcome Logan if in form.
Campbell right on the cusp too if any mids don't make it. Or if say Wicks has a quiet pre season.
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Jewelsbon
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I think barring injury, your team is pretty spot on with two exceptions - I reckon Paddy and Campbell both play round 1. Paddy for Melican obviously but no idea who goes for Braeden.I have a different view of what has happened, and don't believe any 'bold calls' were made...
Imo, there were two major factor in the jump from 16th to 6th... first was the lack of injuries to key players, and second the growth and development of our youngsters. That is not to say that without those injuries I believe we would have finished 6th last year, but I think it was more likely that we finished in the 9-12 range.
Its the Swans system as a whole that sees us back in the 8. The continuous development of youth, including the discarding of those that either don't fill a need, the discarding of those who are surpassed by other youngsters coming through. The selection based on talent and willingness to be a team player rather than a star (whether it be draft or trade, team selection, coaches and assistants, administration and so on). There are no jobs for the boys at the Swans.
I'm of the opinion the trade ban (2014-15) seriously impacted our rebuild and accounts for a lot of the issues of 2018-20, with limited experienced depth to assist with injury woes. But the impact of that is now passed, and they'll need to find something new this time around. I'm also of the opinion the current build has been under way since 2016, with adaptations for rule changes and loss of personnel, and from here on will be continuous.
While the issues associated with Covid-19 have been significant, the silver lining is that our coaches and players have literally lived together for significant portions of the past few years. They know each other considerably better than they did, and I don't think the selections have felt bold to either group.
My best 22:
B: Rampe - McCartin (T) - Lloyd
HB: Blakey - Melican - McInerney
C: Gulden - Rowbottom - Florent
HF: Hayward - Franklin - Heeney
F: Wicks - McDonald - Papley
Foll: Hickey - Mills - Parker
Int: Cunningham, Ladhams, Warner (C), Kennedy
I totally agree that this team picks itself except for the Melican role, and agreed with your team. Initially, I thought he would do it easily, but his injury run is a real worry which has (imo) crimpped his development. I'm not sure what his contract status is, but given he is 25, I would think this is a make or break year for him. And COR is a year older, and while excellent depth, hasn't cemented his place for me yet either. So I'm thinking its a make or break year for him too. Does Sheather play a similar role to Wicks? Is he treading on Wicks heels?
Please keep in mind that I have never played or coached AFL, and had no idea of it's existence until the mid 70's, nor have I ever lived in Victoria, and this is all based on my view from the outside. Sorry to be so long winded, I've cut it to pieces and it's still too long...
Totally agree and love the rest of your post Kirky and definitely not too long winded!
Bell goes out
- Apr 26, 2016
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- #125
You cheated Jewelsy, you gotta sacrifice someone for Braeden.
Names! I need names, dammit!
