Preview 2025 Best 22 Discussion

[MadMundy]

Fox Footy once again proving they don't watch or have a clue about Fremantle, they reckon Taberner and Hughes are key outs when neither of them were Best 23, I doubt Draper makes it into the Best 23 unless one of Cox or Pearce gets injured, plus these pundits all continue to underrate Sturt.

Don't get me started on Fyfe, O'Meara and Walters being considered "Best 23" either. Unless they're the sub, none of them are in our Best 23 now in my opinion.

 

[Troy Cooked It]

I don’t think Chappy will come close to losing his spot in the team. Who is going to replace him? We don’t have a player like him and other than Clark is by far our most skilled backman.

While I do love him and his potential, he did not have a great year last year at all. He is building up a bit of an injury history and I don't think he should be given an automatic spot.
He was a bit of a liability defensively most of last year in contests, did not intercept well and didn't rebound either, just all in all a poor year.
I think half back is his spot to make but if I was the coaching group I would be putting some pressure on him, a bit like they did with Johnson during the year.
Gotta reiterate I am all aboard on him and think he has every bit of 'it' but just don't want it handed to him without being made to work.

 

[hoss]

Given I've been so critical of Freddy's 2024 season, and also acknowledging he's not a high stats player, I thought I might check some anyway.

Ave disposals - 26th in team
Effective disposals - 26th
Disposal efficiency - 31st
Ave tackles - =24th
Ave tackles inside 50 - 10th (behind Voss, Amiss, Tabs, Walters, Treacy and others.
Goal assists Ave - 9th
Score involvements Ave - 13th!
Supercoach - 25th
Dream team - 25th

I'm sticking with my opinion that he's borderline best 22. This is a guy who finished top 10 in the Doig in 2023. Needs to be better in 2025 or find a new position because I think I'd favour Bolton and Sturt.


On Pixel 7 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[ubiquitous226]

Given I've been so critical of Freddy's 2024 season, and also acknowledging he's not a high stats player, I thought I might check some anyway.

Ave disposals - 26th in team
Effective disposals - 26th
Disposal efficiency - 31st
Ave tackles - =24th
Ave tackles inside 50 - 10th (behind Voss, Amiss, Tabs, Walters, Treacy and others.
Goal assists Ave - 9th
Score involvements Ave - 13th!
Supercoach - 25th
Dream team - 25th

I'm sticking with my opinion that he's borderline best 22. This is a guy who finished top 10 in the Doig in 2023. Needs to be better in 2025 or find a new position because I think I'd favour Bolton and Sturt.


On Pixel 7 using BigFooty.com mobile app

While semi interesting, team selection wouldn't be based on the old school yard style selection, it'd be all about roles and who could play the desired roles in the best way for the team.

However I agree Freddy had a down year in 2024 and hope to see continued development.

 

[EastcoastDocker]

Gws and hawks small forwards did so well working up the ground (and in the contest) then charging back with speed. Would love to see switta and Bolton do that, not sure who else is capable of that. Freddy has the jets for it but not the nous for the contested stuff.

Those were pretty damning stats for freddie. On the plus side I thought his hands in the marking contest were great in 2024

 

[poshman]

While I do love him and his potential, he did not have a great year last year at all. He is building up a bit of an injury history and I don't think he should be given an automatic spot.
He was a bit of a liability defensively most of last year in contests, did not intercept well and didn't rebound either, just all in all a poor year.
I think half back is his spot to make but if I was the coaching group I would be putting some pressure on him, a bit like they did with Johnson during the year.
Gotta reiterate I am all aboard on him and think he has every bit of 'it' but just don't want it handed to him without being made to work.

I think he had some average to bad games when we lost Pearce, has an outsized Draper and Cox was injured or not quite fit.

Even then, towards the end of the year he had some games where he was in our best couple in the back half.

People here piled on, and there was some truth to it. But not close to what they are saying.

I’m glad you are on the Chappy train. He played a lot of games last season so I’m expecting a big jump again this season

I think you will love what you see from him this year!

 

[Docker82]

View attachment 2151059

Fox Footy once again proving they don't watch or have a clue about Fremantle, they reckon Taberner and Hughes are key outs when neither of them were Best 23, I doubt Draper makes it into the Best 23 unless one of Cox or Pearce gets injured, plus these pundits all continue to underrate Sturt.

Don't get me started on Fyfe, O'Meara and Walters being considered "Best 23" either. Unless they're the sub, none of them are in our Best 23 now in my opinion.

I’ve seen a lot of these and they always list ‘key outs’. Not sure who’d they’d list if not Taberner and Hughes.

Me and you know that’s it’s just pretty standard list management to delist 30+ years who aren’t best 22 anymore but at the same time if they list someone I’m not what the other options are. Are they supposed to list players that are still on our list as ‘key outs’ - I think that’s the only other option if they have to list someone tbh and they’re not ‘outs’ if still on our list.

 

[pK75]

View attachment 2151059

Fox Footy once again proving they don't watch or have a clue about Fremantle, they reckon Taberner and Hughes are key outs when neither of them were Best 23, I doubt Draper makes it into the Best 23 unless one of Cox or Pearce gets injured, plus these pundits all continue to underrate Sturt.

Don't get me started on Fyfe, O'Meara and Walters being considered "Best 23" either. Unless they're the sub, none of them are in our Best 23 now in my opinion.

I thought the starting 18 was spot on, putting the older known players on the bench is pretty standard for these things, replace Walters with Sturt and Draper with Wagner and that’s pretty close to our round 1 team barring injuries. Up to Ras to push past Fyfe over the preseason.

 

[Shadow Man]

Think we need to find room for Draper, with continued development he has all the tools to be next level. With his neat disposal, he has the capacity for Nick Blakey

22

Nick Blakey

Age

24

Ht

196cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

9.9

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

2.9

3star

M

2.3

2star

T

2.4

4star

MG

189.1

3star

D

8.1

2star

K

6.3

3star

HB

1.9

1star

M

2.1

2star

T

2.6

4star

MG

189.1

3star

D

7.2

2star

K

5.2

2star

HB

2.0

2star

M

1.2

2star

T

1.2

3star

levels of run & carry.

 

[theGav56]

Frederick looms as the individual with the greatest chance to benefit from Bolton coming in

Similarly, if we can maximise the potential of Frederick and Bolton as a pairing, then our forward line can become the stuff of nightmares for opposition.

I also think Sturt is all but a lock in our forward line.

We are locked and loaded for next year.

 

[wakojako]

Frederick looms as the individual with the greatest chance to benefit from Bolton coming in

Similarly, if we can maximise the potential of Frederick and Bolton as a pairing, then our forward line can become the stuff of nightmares for opposition.

I also think Sturt is all but a lock in our forward line.

We are locked and loaded for next year.

Bolton doesn't help our defensive pressure I50. If Bolton is the main attacking weapon then others like Freddy and Sturt need to step up.

 

[Mags98]

Bolton doesn't help our defensive pressure I50. If Bolton is the main attacking weapon then others like Freddy and Sturt need to step up.

less of a need for defensive pressure when we can actually win the contests inside our forward 50 and we dont have to rely on C graders not fumbling or taking shots on goal, we can just kick goals now

 

[Docker82]

less of a need for defensive pressure when we can actually win the contests inside our forward 50 and we dont have to rely on C graders not fumbling or taking shots on goal, we can just kick goals now

People can say this all they like but I haven’t seen a team with poor forward pressure win a flag for like 20 years.

 

[mightymouse75]

I like to split mine over both Fremantle and Peel, to highlight any potential holes in depth.

Fremantle
FB: Ryan Pearce Walker
HB: Clark Cox Chapman
C: Sharp Fyfe* O'Meara*
HF: Bolton Treacy Switkowski
FF: Sturt Amiss Frederick

Fol: Darcy Serong Brayshaw
Int: Wagner Jackson Walters* Young

Peel
FB: Draper Murphy Worner
HB: Aish McDonald [medium defender]
C: [wing] Erasmus* O'Driscoll*
HF: Emmett Voss Simpson
FF: Banfield [kpf] Delean

Fol: Reidy Brodie Johnson
Int: Davies Knobel Jones

* Players that will likely start in the team, but ideally need to be pushed out by the end of the year. We've got Fyfe and O'Meara covered with Erasmus and O'Driscoll if they come on, we still need a Walters replacement in the draft.

I know Walls said we were pretty stacked for defenders, but I feel like we could do with a medium to replace Hughes. A decent value KPF would be nice to replace Tabs, too.

Two of Berry/Hannaford and Shanahan/Faull, with a late wing option could set us up nicely.

Wags and Fyfe are my biggest / or only concerns with your 22. They are atrocious finishers, ball burners momentum killers.
We have a bit depth now.
It's a pretty good list short a few good crumbers.

 

[bellie4pm]

Given I've been so critical of Freddy's 2024 season, and also acknowledging he's not a high stats player, I thought I might check some anyway.

Ave disposals - 26th in team
Effective disposals - 26th
Disposal efficiency - 31st
Ave tackles - =24th
Ave tackles inside 50 - 10th (behind Voss, Amiss, Tabs, Walters, Treacy and others.
Goal assists Ave - 9th
Score involvements Ave - 13th!
Supercoach - 25th
Dream team - 25th

I'm sticking with my opinion that he's borderline best 22. This is a guy who finished top 10 in the Doig in 2023. Needs to be better in 2025 or find a new position because I think I'd favour Bolton and Sturt.


On Pixel 7 using BigFooty.com mobile app

Either freddy needs to defend more or score more

 

[Docker82]

Either freddy needs to defend more or score more

Those stats feel hand picked to suit an agenda tbh.

From Freo only Treacy and Amiss scored more goals in 2024. I doubt anyone but Sturt is added to that list if based on average goals either.

This is a guy that plays the majority of his footy on the HFF. He’d be lower for tackles inside 50 than most of our other forwards based off where he plays (more outside 50) alone.

Think he had a down year but he’d be in the first 15-16 selected.

 

[Catalpa]

Fyfe was a mainstay in a midfield that dominated clearance numbers, so I guess he played his role effectively in 2024.

I agree that we should be moving on from a reliance on Fyfe and Walters for leadership and the roles they play. Younger players need to push them out by performing better in those roles.

But can you describe what Fyfe’s role was? Was it to use his strength in stoppage to win the ball or make space for others to win it? He wasn’t much of an aerial target this year, moved slowly between contests and seems to have lost confidence in his kicking, which was never a strength, but was definitely not such a liability.

If Fyfe remains very effective around stoppages and his role is to block, or win a handball clearance, and the coaching panel value that highly, maybe he benefits from Bolton next year.

 

[_007_]

Fyfe was a mainstay in a midfield that dominated clearance numbers, so I guess he played his role effectively in 2024.

I agree that we should be moving on from a reliance on Fyfe and Walters for leadership and the roles they play. Younger players need to push them out by performing better in those roles.

But can you describe what Fyfe’s role was? Was it to use his strength in stoppage to win the ball or make space for others to win it? He wasn’t much of an aerial target this year, moved slowly between contests and seems to have lost confidence in his kicking, which was never a strength, but was definitely not such a liability.

If Fyfe remains very effective around stoppages and his role is to block, or win a handball clearance, and the coaching panel value that highly, maybe he benefits from Bolton next year.

Erasmus does all of that, runs defensively, tackles AND will be around for 10 more years.

 

[stax on the mull]

I think the team/ the list needs one more of the "get out of my way" kind of player that barges through and puts a bit of fear into the opposition.

There's Treacy, and there's Moose, but if we had one that played in between those two positions we'd be a formidable side.

Fyfe isn't that player anymore.

 

[88mph]

Fyfe was a mainstay in a midfield that dominated clearance numbers, so I guess he played his role effectively in 2024.

I agree that we should be moving on from a reliance on Fyfe and Walters for leadership and the roles they play. Younger players need to push them out by performing better in those roles.

But can you describe what Fyfe’s role was? Was it to use his strength in stoppage to win the ball or make space for others to win it? He wasn’t much of an aerial target this year, moved slowly between contests and seems to have lost confidence in his kicking, which was never a strength, but was definitely not such a liability.

If Fyfe remains very effective around stoppages and his role is to block, or win a handball clearance, and the coaching panel value that highly, maybe he benefits from Bolton next year.

Fyfe certainly brings footy IQ and lots of blocks/taps.

I want him in in we're playing the grand final.

 

[bushchook]

I thought the starting 18 was spot on, putting the older known players on the bench is pretty standard for these things, replace Walters with Sturt and Draper with Wagner and that’s pretty close to our round 1 team barring injuries. Up to Ras to push past Fyfe over the preseason.

Won the Simpson medal and would have won the Sandover if not for Freo duties, what more can he do?

 

[pK75]

Won the Simpson medal and would have won the Sandover if not for Freo duties, what more can he do?

Have a good preseason, I think he can, if not over the summer then definitely at some stage during the season next year, I was more commenting on media outlets and how they rate our players, outsiders would definitely have Fyfe ahead of Ras.

 

[DocT]

Won the Simpson medal and would have won the Sandover if not for Freo duties, what more can he do?

He could perform consistently at AFL level. 2025 is his year.

 

[A New Hope]

If Freddy is over looked because of a quiet 2024, who do you replace him with? set shots and speed on the ball going forward he's pretty elite. His defensive pressure dropped off a bit this year and hes not taking marks or crumbing well but that speed going forward with Shai on the other side is going to scare a lot of teams

 

[Schauermann]

Overall our team looks pretty set. Only a few players on the fringes among all those teams posted here. Those will probably be sorted out by injuries anyway.