2025 Best 23

[daftmike]

Vlastuin Trainor Brown
Short Gibcus Banks
Clarke Taranto Ralphsmith
Hotton Armstrong Seth Campbell
Lefau Lynch Maurice


Followers: Smillie Lalor Nankervis
Bench: Hopper Prestia Balta Mcintosh

View attachment waiting.mp4

 

[prodigy]

My post-draft overly excited, not thought through best 23
*If everyone is fit

FB: Trainor Balta Broad
HB: Brown Gibcus Vlastuin
C: Ralphsmith Taranto Banks
HF: Hotton Armstrong Bauer
FF: Mansell Lynch Campbell
FOLL: Nank Lalor Smilie

INT: Sonsie, McAuliffe, Hopper, Smith
SUB: MRJ/Lefau
EMG: Faull, Clarke, Miller, Ross

No more free rides for Short. Enjoy the VFL campaigner.

 

[DustinsGuns]

Round 1

FB: Broad... Balta .... Vlastuin
HB: Short .. Gibcus .. Brown
C: HRS ...... Prestia... Ross
HF: Lalor .... Bauer ... Rioli
FF: Mansell... Lynch... Faull

R: Nankervis.. Taranto.. Smile

Int: Campbell McAullife Trainor Hopper Banks

Then need Clarke, Hotton in there asap for some pace once they have recovered from their ACLs

Team still looks far too slow

 

[Wavvey]

Round 1

FB: Broad... Balta .... Vlastuin
HB: Short .. Gibcus .. Brown
C: HRS ...... Prestia... Ross
HF: Lalor .... Bauer ... Rioli
FF: Mansell... Lynch... Faull

R: Nankervis.. Taranto.. Smile

Int: Campbell McAullife Trainor Hopper Banks

Then need Clarke, Hotton in there asap for some pace once they have recovered from their ACLs

Team still looks far too slow

Reckon you’ve done a great job here mate. The midfield mix will be very interesting. Far from a finished product even after this draft (year 1 of a rebuild of course it isn’t) We’ll be desperate for some pace inside and outside. Massive supporter of Kane McAullife but doubt he gets one of the midfield spots right away with Smillie playing round 1. Sonsie might be needed instead if they finally give him a go inside.

 

[Groupie_]

My post-draft overly excited, not thought through best 23
*If everyone is fit

FB: Trainor Balta Broad
HB: Brown Gibcus Vlastuin
C: Ralphsmith Taranto Banks
HF: Hotton Armstrong Bauer
FF: Mansell Lynch Campbell
FOLL: Nank Lalor Smilie

INT: Sonsie, McAuliffe, Hopper, Smith
SUB: MRJ/Lefau
EMG: Faull, Clarke, Miller, Ross

No more free rides for Short. Enjoy the VFL campaigner.

sosnie is nowhere near best 22

 

[docko911]

Vlastuin Trainor Brown
Short Gibcus Banks
Clarke Taranto Ralphsmith
Hotton Armstrong Seth Campbell
Lefau Lynch Maurice


Followers: Smillie Lalor Nankervis
Bench: Hopper Prestia Balta Mcintosh

View attachment 2172009

WTF is this? Are you RT’s work experience kid.

 

[Sir_Loin]

sosnie is nowhere near best 22

No way Sonsie is close to best 22 unless he has an offseason never heard of

 

[prodigy]

sosnie is nowhere near best 22

Will be playing round 1 against Carlton in the AFL

 

[Groupie_]

smillie highlights look better than lalor

lalor can spend a year in the 2s

 

[Tackle Bag]

If Lalor and Smillie settle into the team early, I could see Prestia playing VFL footy.

 

[Danog]

Round 1

FB: Broad Balta Vlastuin
HB: Short Blight Brown

C: Ross Prestia Hugo
Foll: Nank Hopper McAuliffe

HF: Taranto Bauer MRJ
FF: Mansell Lynch Fawcett

Int: Campbell Smillie Banks Miller
Sub: Sonsie

EMG: Kosi, Green, Ryan, Tresize

Most draftees given a bit of time in VFL to build fitness and size. Alger would be close to EMG too.

Gibcus, Clarke, Lalor, Lefau, Young, Hotton still recovering from injuries

 

[draft_enjoyer]

Can't wait for mrj to debut

 

[captain cotch 9]

If Lalor and Smillie settle into the team early, I could see Prestia playing VFL footy.

Prestia is an onfield coach for these kids.
No doubt he plays as much as possible.

 

[Barnzy]

If Lalor and Smillie settle into the team early, I could see Prestia playing VFL footy.

Prestia will be in the rehab group regardless.

He is cooked.

 

[Groupie_]

If Lalor and Smillie settle into the team early, I could see Prestia playing VFL footy.

hopper

 

[juss]

People rushing Hotton in, he's not even running yet apparantly, kid will need time to get right, we have a heap of draftees to debut so there's no rush pressure at all for him in 2025.

 

[tora tora tora]

Round 1

FB: Broad... Balta .... Vlastuin
HB: Short .. Gibcus .. Brown
C: HRS ...... Prestia... Ross
HF: Lalor .... Bauer ... Rioli
FF: Mansell... Lynch... Faull

R: Nankervis.. Taranto.. Smile

Int: Campbell McAullife Trainor Hopper Banks

Then need Clarke, Hotton in there asap for some pace once they have recovered from their ACLs

Team still looks far too slow

1. Hugo to half back. His great VFL form there got him promoted. Rioli's sprint effort replacement. Brown OUT too slow otherwise.
Campbell is running like a winger he takes Hugo's spot. Banks rotates wing. Ross may have lost his spot.

Lalor: injured a bit. I'd ease him into it. Rd 1 Smilie and as he tires bring Lalor IN a few weeks.

McAuliffe, Smilie, Prestia, TT, JH is a bit slow. MRJ has played middle in the VFL he might take the Bolton half fwd/mid role. Hotton, Alger to play ASAP.

Bauer over Armstrong? be interesting.

Trainor on the bench? Banks is better as a rotation.

 

[Ctl]

Richmond 2025​

FB: Gibcus, Balta, Broad
HB: Brown, Vlastuin, Short
CEN: Ralphsmith,Prestia,Ross
Fol:Nankervis,Taranto,Hopper
HF:Clarke, Lefau, Campbell
FF: Mansell, Lynch, Rioli Jnr

BEN: Banks, Smillie, Lalor, Faull, Smith

 

[Football Tragic]

I always find this thread incredibly optimistic. The truth is, that every recruit that joins the club, instantly joins the back of the cue. They are undeveloped, inexperienced and untrained, compared to those already on the list. I always take it as a bad sign when a draftee plays the first game of the season - it means we really are terrible. The only exception to this rule is when the youngster begins in a support role ie forward/back pocket, wing or on the bench.

I remember when Deledio began the season in the middle and within a matter of games, was being tagged and battered about. This wasn't fair on him or those around him.

I can see Lalor playing in a forward pocket at the start of the season, but other than him, I thinks it's disrespectful to the young players already on the list and to the players themselves, to gift them a gave without earning it at VFL Level.

So here's my Round 1 Team -

FB: Gibcus, Balta, Broad
HB: Brown, Vlastuin, Short
CEN: Ralphsmith, Prestia, Ross
Fol:Nankervis, Taranto, Hopper
HF:Clarke, Mansell, Campbell
FF: Lalor, Lynch, Rioli Jnr

BEN: Banks, Dow, Smillie, Ryan



And, my (highly improbable) Round 23 Team -

FB: Gibcus, Balta, Trainor
HB: Brown, Vlastuin, Short
CEN: Hotton, Prestia, Lalor
Fol:Nankervis,Taranto, Smillie
HF:Alger, Mansell, Armstrong
FF: Faull, Lynch, Rioli Jnr

BEN: Sims, Hopper, Banks, Dow, Sub: Ross

 

[Dreamend]

New coaches, New High performance manager and a huge list turn over.

I'm not going to put a ceiling on any of our players.

I'd love to see Sonsie played midfield where he does his best footy. I expect MRJ, Mansell to potentially get more midfield minutes.

 

[Grrr]

How is Short on everyone's half back, he was not good there last year. Played with no team ethos/discipline at all.

 

[Karp3_dm]

smillie highlights look better than lalor

lalor can spend a year in the 2s

Has a lot of tuck shop arms to lose
He will be gassed by 1/4 playing AFL midfield

Will play more forward in first year while getting ripped

 

[_RT_]

Impossible to name a best 23 with any confidence given there are plenty of openings in the line up that need filling. With that being said the framework for a side is certainly there much to the displeasure of some no doubt.

Backs: Balta Broad Short Vlastuin will be locks with the final 3 spots in the 23 open to those who perform best across the summer. In contention would be Blight Miller Gibcus Young Brown Trezise Smith most likely to be named.

Midfield/Ruck: Nankervis Taranto Hopper Prestia Ralphsmith Banks would be the front runners for the starting midfield spots with McAuliffe Dow Ross Sonsie & Campbell in the mix for the bench

Forwards: Lynch Koschitzke Mansell Rioli are the 4 that should be lining up inside F50 in round 1 at this stage. After that is anyone's guess really.

It's this sort of uncertainty that will make 2025 so much better to watch as a supporter than what this year was even though there was a degree of uncertainty it wasn't the same as there wasn't the bonus of seeing the development of the next generation like we'll have next season.

 

[LTT]

Reckon you’ve done a great job here mate. The midfield mix will be very interesting. Far from a finished product even after this draft (year 1 of a rebuild of course it isn’t) We’ll be desperate for some pace inside and outside. Massive supporter of Kane McAullife but doubt he gets one of the midfield spots right away with Smillie playing round 1. Sonsie might be needed instead if they finally give him a go inside.

One of Sonsie Campbell Green or MRJ need to start in the midfield to try to provide speed or at least lateral movement. Which means that Smillie is out at the moment I would guess.

 

[Boxo004]

If Lalor and Smillie settle into the team early, I could see Prestia playing VFL footy.

No he won’t