Analysis 2025 GWS Giants - Predicted best 22, breakout player(s), general player/team discussion & questions

[captainMyCaptain]

Anyway here is my go at it:

B- Himmleberg, Buckley, Idun
HB- Whitfield, Taylor, Ash
C- Callaghan, Green, Kelly
HF- Daniels, Cadman, Greene
F- Jones, Hogan, Stringer
FOLL- Briggs, Coniglio, Bedford
I/C- Aleer, Thomas, Ward, O'Halloran
Sub/After game entertainer & noted prop comedian: Fahey

 

[Brave New World]

Anyway here is my go at it:

B- Himmleberg, Buckley, Idun
HB- Whitfield, Taylor, Ash
C- Callaghan, Green, Kelly
HF- Daniels, Cadman, Greene
F- Jones, Hogan, Stringer
FOLL- Briggs, Coniglio, Bedford
I/C- Aleer, Thomas, Ward, O'Halloran
Sub/After game entertainer & noted prop comedian: Fahey

That's a very good effort. However, a few points.

I saw Aleer play live in Geelong when he did his heroics, otherwise it has only been through TV. He does the giant leap, big punch/mark very well, but I still have doubts that he has taken that step from great athlete to good footballer. In the above team when he isn't acting as 'cut out' for Briggs can he play effectively anywhere else other than the 'third tall'/intercept in defence, a role that Himmelberg fills. To have them both in the same team may mean Himmelberg also plays 'cut out' ruck but then either a tall winger or stints forward such as when Hogan/Cadman is resting.

Also could Brown be tried as a midfielder particularly to fill the role of Green when he's resting. Brown when on his game is a mercurial footballer and he might give us the heft which we seemed to miss in contested ball when Green was either resting or down on form (some have Callaghan stepping up for that role). If so Brown would be in front of O'Halloran.

Lastly, if you are going to use the above criteria for Subs/after game, do we need to bring Cooper Hamilton back as a Player Development coach?

 

[captainMyCaptain]

That's a very good effort. However, a few points.

I saw Aleer play live in Geelong when he did his heroics, otherwise it has only been through TV. He does the giant leap, big punch/mark very well, but I still have doubts that he has taken that step from great athlete to good footballer. In the above team when he isn't acting as 'cut out' for Briggs can he play effectively anywhere else other than the 'third tall'/intercept in defence, a role that Himmelberg fills. To have them both in the same team may mean Himmelberg also plays 'cut out' ruck but then either a tall winger or stints forward such as when Hogan/Cadman is resting.

Also could Brown be tried as a midfielder particularly to fill the role of Green when he's resting. Brown when on his game is a mercurial footballer and he might give us the heft which we seemed to miss in contested ball when Green was either resting or down on form (some have Callaghan stepping up for that role). If so Brown would be in front of O'Halloran.

Lastly, if you are going to use the above criteria for Subs/after game, do we need to bring Cooper Hamilton back as a Player Development coach?

Clearly I rate Aleer a lot higher than you do and feel his skill set allows him to fill in at different areas of the ground and just like Leon did back in the day I like having that extra tall defender.
On Brown his a power athlete who lacks the tank but could do the odd centre bounce and hopefully he can rediscover form after losing his way after getting suspended. On Cooper - it was good enough for Sam Reid for a while, so why the hell not.

 

[Adam Giant]

Brown when on his game is a mercurial footballer and he might give us the heft which we seemed to miss in contested ball when Green was either resting or down on form (some have Callaghan stepping up for that role).

Brown has plenty of strengths, but being hard at the footy isn't one of them from what I've seen.

 

[captainMyCaptain]

 

[GWS Goose]

All

these teams keep leaving out my man Toby McMullin even as others in the mix. He is sliding completely under the radar.

 

[GWS Goose]

Left field thought.
He were to play Aleer in Perryman role.
With Idun moving to the small forwards.
He could pinch hit as the extra ruck.
The drawback with that is that Perryman usually plays about 15 % midfield.
With those minutes, could Buckley pinch hit on the wing.
We'd be very tall down back, but all the talls are mobile.
Not sure if I like it, but it solves the second ruck issue.

 

[Orange crush]

Left field thought.
He were to play Aleer in Perryman role.
With Idun moving to the small forwards.
He could pinch hit as the extra ruck.
The drawback with that is that Perryman usually plays about 15 % midfield.
With those minutes, could Buckley pinch hit on the wing.
We'd be very tall down back, but all the talls are mobile.
Not sure if I like it, but it solves the second ruck issue.

Do you mean Idun plays the Pez role and we bring Leek in?

 

[GWS Goose]

Do you mean Idun plays the Pez role and we bring Leek in?

Redistribution of the Perryman role I guess. Leek comes in plays 2nd and 3rd tall. Pinches in the ruck.
Idun plays on the small forwards more often than he does now(similar to Perryman)
Buckley plays the midfield minutes that Perryman normally does.(But on a wing)

 

[Adam Giant]

Stone is surely in the box seat to take Perryman’s spot.

 

[GWS Goose]

Stone is surely in the box seat to take Perryman’s spot.

they played him there in 2's last year which makes you think he is definitely a front runner.

 

[PaythePerryman]

they played him there in 2's last year which makes you think he is definitely a front runner.

Yeah I think that's the obvious choice. Obviously people want to get talent into the team like Aleer but the role just isn't there ATM with Himmel, Taylor and Buckley. We'd be too tall and lack pace back there if we played all 4 talls.

It'll have to be Stone, Fonti, Angwin or Fahey right?

I think Stringer will take Ricca/Keefe spot as the 3rd tall. He's big enough and a tough match up.

 

[Giant Gutsache]

they played him there in 2's last year which makes you think he is definitely a front runner.

Hope Stone has the smarts to lock down the best small forwards. Perryman became excellent at tackling them low and hard even when they dropped into tackles.

Sadly Laura and team have stopped trying to umpire the flopping out of the game. Teams like Hawthorn are exploiting the interpretation better than the Giants. Our best at it was Peatling. I hope our players become league leaders in the art, even while I think it is a blight on the game.

 

[GWS Goose]

Yeah I think that's the obvious choice. Obviously people want to get talent into the team like Aleer but the role just isn't there ATM with Himmel, Taylor and Buckley. We'd be too tall and lack pace back there if we played all 4 talls.

It'll have to be Stone, Fonti, Angwin or Fahey right?

I think Stringer will take Ricca/Keefe spot as the 3rd tall. He's big enough and a tough match up.

Im not sure id go as far as obvious choice.

the guys you mention will be in the mix

we could repurpose a small forward midfielder in the role also

Any of Ward, McMullen, XOH or Harvey Thomas could conceivably play down back. Ward is the most like for like swap.

Our new draftees could come into consideration also.

i think the spot is wide open.

 

[Orange crush]

Im not sure id go as far as obvious choice.

the guys you mention will be in the mix

we could repurpose a small forward midfielder in the role also

Any of Ward, McMullen, XOH or Harvey Thomas could conceivably play down back. Ward is the most like for like swap.

Our new draftees could come into consideration also.

i think the spot is wide open.

Not XOH as disposal efficiency is vital down back

 

[sydney_gws]

Yeah I think that's the obvious choice. Obviously people want to get talent into the team like Aleer but the role just isn't there ATM with Himmel, Taylor and Buckley. We'd be too tall and lack pace back there if we played all 4 talls.

It'll have to be Stone, Fonti, Angwin or Fahey right?

I think Stringer will take Ricca/Keefe spot as the 3rd tall. He's big enough and a tough match up.

I think apart from a question mark on the midfield ( based on number of A grade players), we have close to the best/ deepest list in the AFL. Not any apparent duds from recent drafts.
I think that means we should look to try to get a better future pick by trading one of 16,21,37 into the future, or trade 21 and our F2 for somebody's F1,F3. Maybe Essendon in a live trade after Kako is bid on.

 

[Adam Giant]

I think apart from a question mark on the midfield

You'd like to hope Coniglio and Kelly have a better run with injuries which makes a massive difference to our midfield mix. Add Green and Bedford as the tagger and it's a quality quartet. That said, I'm surprised Dylan Shiel wasn't at least explored as an option.

 

[captainMyCaptain]

You'd like to hope Coniglio and Kelly have a better run with injuries which makes a massive difference to our midfield mix. Add Green and Bedford as the tagger and it's a quality quartet. That said, I'm surprised Dylan Shiel wasn't at least explored as an option.

Hopefully I'm wrong but I suspect cogs is close to being totally cooked. While Kelly might have to start getting his game time managed to stretch out his career as long as possible.

 

[Giant Gutsache]

Hopefully I'm wrong but I suspect cogs is close to being totally cooked. While Kelly might have to start getting his game time managed to stretch out his career as long as possible.

Hopefully Callaghan can stay fit and play full-time in the middle. Too good to be stuck out on a wing. Should be winning us games in 2025.
If Cogs can get his shoulder right he’ll remain a strong contributor. Kelly and Whitfield are both light frames that have been battered. Will both need to be looked after.

 

[sydney_gws]

Hopefully Callaghan can stay fit and play full-time in the middle. Too good to be stuck out on a wing. Should be winning us games in 2025.
If Cogs can get his shoulder right he’ll remain a strong contributor. Kelly and Whitfield are both light frames that have been battered. Will both need to be looked after.

Both Kelly and Cogs missed the "Wacky Wednesday", I think Cogs legs where ok, just the shoulder was an obvious major issue meaning he wasn't fit to play unfortunately.

 

[GWS Goose]

Hopefully I'm wrong but I suspect cogs is close to being totally cooked. While Kelly might have to start getting his game time managed to stretch out his career as long as possible.

Cogs was equal first in the BNF when he got injured (at least at rnd 5 which is when they gave the votes table)
He had an impact injury that didn't come good, that is not usually a sign of a body giving up.

 

[GWS Goose]

You'd like to hope Coniglio and Kelly have a better run with injuries which makes a massive difference to our midfield mix. Add Green and Bedford as the tagger and it's a quality quartet. That said, I'm surprised Dylan Shiel wasn't at least explored as an option.

The emergence of the small forwards will allow us to run Daniels and Toby through there at times.
Add in the improvement of the kids, you'd think the likes of Rowsten, McMullen and Leake will be able to add something in there at times..
Think our midfield will be strong and diverse