Position 2025 Midfielders

[timtimtim]

Any love for Touk?

550k too much for a bloke with two patchy seasons injury wise

 

[stevebbb]

Thought I make a list of Likely starting mids in each team for 2025.
Adelaide - Dawson, Crouch, Peatling.
Brisbane - Neale, WAshcroft, Rayner.
Carlton - Cripps, Hewett, Cerra.
Collingwood - Naicos, Crisp, De Goey.
Essendon - Merrett, Caldwell, Martin
Fremantle - Brayshaw, Young, Bolton?
Geelong - Smith, Bruhn, Atkins,
Suns - Rowell, Touk, Flanders?
Giants - Green, Kelly, Bedford.
Hawthorn - Day, Newcombe, Maginness
Melbourne - Oliver, Rivers, Salem/Sparrow.
North - LDU, Sympkin, Sheezel.
Port - JHF, Butters, Drew.
Richmond - Lalor, Taranto, Ross.
St Kilda - Steele, Macrae, Phillipou.
Sydney - Warner, Heeney, Rowbottom,
West Coast - Reid, Kelly, Duggan
Bulldogs - Bont, Libba, Richards.

Very few teams have 3, it's always a starting midfield 4 now. Some even have 5 (with 2-3 players getting 30-50% CBAs)

marcmurphy3 's post above looks fairly accurate.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Any love for Touk?

550k too much for a bloke with two patchy seasons injury wise

If GC have Flanders playing more midfield minutes ...it's hard to see that benefitting Touk Touk

I actually would have liked to see Touk running off HB

 

[stevebbb]

Any love for Touk?

550k too much for a bloke with two patchy seasons injury wise

Burnt me last year. Feel like there's better options for cheaper. Pass for me, but don't hate it.

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

If I had to name the 4-5 from each team right now (assuming all are fit) it would look something like this. The guys in italics I'm either less confident on, or don't think they'll get quite as many minutes as the others.

Adelaide - Dawson, Crouch, Peatling, Rankine, Soligo
Brisbane - Neale, Dunkley, W.Ashcroft, McLuggage, L.Ashcroft
Carlton - Cripps, Walsh, Cerra, Hewett, Jagga
Collingwood - N.Daicos, DeGoey, Pendlebury, Crisp, Allen, Perryman
Essendon - Merrett, Caldwell, Parish, Durham, Tsatas, Martin
Geelong - Smith, Dangerfield, Holmes, Atkins, Bruhn
Fremantle - Serong, Brayshaw, Young, Fyfe, Bolton
Goldcoast - Rowell, Miller, Anderson, Flanders, Humphrey
GWS - Green, Kelly, Coniglio, Callaghan
Hawthorn - Newcombe, Day, Worpel, Nash, MacKenzie
Melbourne - Oliver, Viney, Petracca, Rivers
North Melbourne - Davies-Uniake, Sheezel, Wardlaw, Simpkin, Parker
Port Adelaide - Butters, Rozee, Wines, Horne-Francis, Drew
Richmond - Taranto, Prestia, Hopper, Ross, Smillie
St Kilda - Steele, Macrae, Phillipou, Windhagger
Sydney - Warner, Heeney, Mills, Rowbottom, Gulden
Westcoast - Yeo, Kelly, Reid, Duggan, Graham
Western Bulldogs - Bontompelli, Richards, Liberatore, Treloar

I did name 6 for the Pies and Essendon as finding it hard to get a read on their preferred midfield mix. Not sure what Freo does with M4-5. I don't rate Johnson and Erasmus personally, but think they'll want Bolton mainly forward. Fyfe can't play anywhere but mid. I also don't buy that that the Roos will push Sheezel to a flank to fit in Phillips and Powell. I think McKercher will end up playing back flank.

During preseason every team has 10 guys that will be playing midfield this year, until it gets to round 1 and its 4-5. Happens every year.

Good list, for GC imo Graham more mid time than Humpa. Reckon Touk's role gets reduced through the year.

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

Any love for Touk?

550k too much for a bloke with two patchy seasons injury wise

Injury free this preseason for the first time in a couple of years.

If GC have Flanders playing more midfield minutes ...it's hard to see that benefitting Touk Touk

I actually would have liked to see Touk running off HB

Touk to the wing/hff flank would be better to use his running. Lots of young guys at the Suns looking for a chance - Graham, Humpa, Lombard, Rogers. Would love to see more rotation for the Suns this year.

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

Reckon Anderson is the one to start from GC. Struggled away last year but GC have Richmond/North/WC as away games early in the season. Can see him starting fast.

 

[marcmurphy3]

Very few teams have 3, it's always a starting midfield 4 now. Some even have 5 (with 2-3 players getting 30-50% CBAs)

marcmurphy3 's post above looks fairly accurate.

Yeah, most common is either 4 main guys getting most CBAs with others getting the odd rotation. Or a big 3 with 2 other guys getting 30-50%. There are some varaiations. Port gives pretty even time to their 5.

 

[Me Myself and I]

Looked back a few pages. Seen no mention of Harry Sharp. Demon guys, any word on how he's tracking?
Brings oodles of pace for which Melb are somewhat lacking. Are the wing spots up for grabs?

I'll take him if he's selected instead of an expensive rookie. Trying hard to avoid them.

Jiska, markm106, Scythe94

 

[Scythe94]

Looked back a few pages. Seen no mention of Harry Sharp. Demon guys, any word on how he's tracking?
Brings oodles of pace for which Melb are somewhat lacking. Are the wing spots up for grabs?

I'll take him if he's selected instead of an expensive rookie. Trying hard to avoid them.

Jiska, markm106, Scythe94

Looks like Windsor is moving to half-back, so Sharp's competing with Billings for a wing spot. It's Billings, so you'd think he'll get a go before long – see how he goes in the preseason games

 

[markm106]

Looked back a few pages. Seen no mention of Harry Sharp. Demon guys, any word on how he's tracking?
Brings oodles of pace for which Melb are somewhat lacking. Are the wing spots up for grabs?

I'll take him if he's selected instead of an expensive rookie. Trying hard to avoid them.

Jiska, markm106, Scythe94

I’ve only heard good things about him. As mentioned if Windsor takes a spot at half back Sharp will have a crack at the wing.

 

[4tune8]

I’ve only heard good things about him. As mentioned if Windsor takes a spot at half back Sharp will have a crack at the wing.

No room for Lindsay?

 

[markm106]

No room for Lindsay?

May have only just got back to full training. So not sure he’s a starter. But has impressed.

 

[Cactus_]

Great – thx for that

Based on that he stays in for me – as long as he doesn’t have another setback

Walsh in less that 2% of teams

Interesting

 

[kyri]

not many have mentioned taranto. if his price started with a 4, im sure more people would take notice. hes a steal at 500k.

 

[kyri]

he was in the best condition he's been in a few years before the string

presenting sam walsh ladies and kentlemen.. same story, different year.

was locked in my side from the picker opening. but his body just keeps letting him down.

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

presenting sam walsh ladies and kentlemen.. same story, different year.

was locked in my side from the picker opening. but his body just keeps letting him down.

Classic case of trains too hard for his own good. According to track watchers they expect him back in full training later this coming week or early next.

Back doing high speed running etc so can't be far off.

 

[Ash1337]

Very few teams have 3, it's always a starting midfield 4 now. Some even have 5 (with 2-3 players getting 30-50% CBAs)

marcmurphy3 's post above looks fairly accurate.

I limited it to 3 as the 3 best mids that work together at bounces. I also didn't include players unlikely to play round 1 at this time. For instance I didn't Serong because he young & Brayshaw are pretty similar players and teams like a mix. It's why I think Bolton might be there more so when than serong because he adds breakout speed to Brayshaws in and under and Young's disposal. Didn't include Yeo because he'll unlikely be there early rounds.

 

[marcmurphy3]

I limited it to 3 as the 3 best mids that work together at bounces. I also didn't include players unlikely to play round 1 at this time. For instance I didn't Serong because he young & Brayshaw are pretty similar players and teams like a mix. It's why I think Bolton might be there more so when than serong because he adds breakout speed to Brayshaws in and under and Young's disposal. Didn't include Yeo because he'll unlikely be there early rounds.

Serong will be the first name on Fremantles team sheet. Right in the centre, from the first minute of the first game.

 

[Makeshift Park]

I also don't buy that that the Roos will push Sheezel to a flank to fit in Phillips and Powell. I think McKercher will end up playing back flank.

Simpkin is going to play flank for the majority of the year, I’m quite confident of that. Towards the end of last year he was playing 60-70% of CBAs. I suspect most of those are going Parker’s way this time round.

You could be right about Kerch, but I’m waiting to make sure he doesn’t play significant time on the wing before locking him in.

Phillips plays more defensively accountable, so I don’t think his time in the midfield has that much bearing on Sheezel’s CBAs. (Whether there’s a spot for him in the best 23 is another question) At the end of last season, Sheeze was playing 50-60% CBAs. I don’t think he’s going to play radically more than that this year.

Reason is, with a few notable exceptions (Sheezel, Powell, Curtis), our kicking inside 50 has been rubbish. We won a lot of centre bounces last year and then blazed away to the opposition, leaving us to get killed on the rebound. I think there’s a tactical argument that we need Sheezel on the HFF for a significant amount of 2025 to give our forwards a decent shot.

I do think there is often a correlation between how much midfield time Powell plays vis-a-vis Powell. But I don’t think it’s a case of pushing Sheezel out to accommodate Powell, but rather acknowledging that Sheezel is best placed to fix our inability to capitalise on forward fifty entries.

Thing is, based on the exceptional form Powell has gotten into this PS, I could see him playing fair bit in the mids, at the start of the year at least.