Opinion Best 22 - 2015

[Mezzoculo]

If Boekhorst and Cripps are to be used from the get go, that may just top us up with newbies to start the season given Sheehan and Docherty are more likely than not to be involved also, so:

Simpson Jamison White .............. Feel pretty confident that all three player will be in the back-line.
Docherty Rowe Sheehan.............. Starting to feel that Sheehan may just get the jump on Tuohy, but nothing to qualify that.
Yarran Gibbs Boekhorst................ Have seen nothing of Boekhorst to suggest he's an in but I think he may well be.
Walker Henderson Thomas........... All three not at peak last year for injury. Would be a dream line should they all be clear of injury.
Menzel Casboult Jones.................. Pretty good idea that all three will be involved.

Kreuzer Judd Murphy ................. Again, it would be a dream to have all three injury-free.

Curnow Everitt Cripps Carrazzo... Cripps will be worked into our team sooner than later.

It's pretty tough to not have Bell, Tuohy and Buckely in the side but at whose expense and why?
Tutt, Whiley and Graham will also have claims for round 1.

I haven't read through all the posts on the thread, so excuse me if I'm repeating someone else.

I loved Sheehan's efforts late last season - after our season was cooked and we had a few injuries - but I don't see him getting a gig in the starting 22. Looking at our list composition, I'd argue that he and White are competing for the same spot while Bucks has first dibbs on the small defender role (with Clem possibly breathing down his neck). So, it could be:

Bucks -- Jamo -- White/Sheehan
Doc -- Rowe -- Simmo

 

[__Bobcat__]

Just because I'm bored I decided to come up with a best 22 to match up on the Hawthorn premiership team. Now, this may not technically be our best 22 but it is an attempt to line up like for like players wherever possible just to assess our list against the benchmark team who have the best list balance in the competition.

(This is not a matchup. It is who would play in the same positions for us compared to the Hawks lineup.)

FF: Puopolo/Tutt, Gunston/Jones, Hale/Casboult

CHF: Breust/Menzel, Roughead/Henderson, Rioli/Walker

C: Smith/Thomas, Burgoyne/Gibbs, Hill/Yarran

CHB: Suckling/Simpson, Gibson/Rowe, Hodge/Buckley

FB: Birchall/Docherty, Lake/Jamison, Stratton/Jaksch

Bench: Shiels/Whiley, Spangher/Everitt, Duryea/Tuohy, Langford/Curnow

Our Forwards in Height to there Backs!!!

Casboult 199cm Gibson 189cm
Jones 197cm Lake 195cm
Henderson 196cm Birchall 193cm
Kruzer 200cm Spangher 195cm

 

[zeeCFC]

Best 22~ players that missed considerable game time in 2014:

Walker - 8 games
Judd - 10 games
Buckley - 14 games
Kreuzer - 21 games
Docherty - 6 games
Bell - 9 games
Everitt - 5 games
Curnow - 7 games
Carrazzo - 8 games

This doesn't mention players who played injured all year like Tuohy, Thomas and Henderson. That's 10 players that would play almost 80% of games in any given season and not factoring in young players like Cripps and Graham who will have a positive effect on the team.

 

[Juddalenko]

Felt like Everitt was out longer. What a pick up he was.

 

[Moe B]

Felt like Everitt was out longer. What a pick up he was.

Just wish he gets on the scoreboard a little more... Rapt with the pickup though!

 

[DaVillaBlues]

Best 22~ players that missed considerable game time in 2014:

Walker - 8 games
Judd - 10 games
Buckley - 14 games
Kreuzer - 21 games
Docherty - 6 games
Bell - 9 games
Everitt - 5 games
Curnow - 7 games
Carrazzo - 8 games

This doesn't mention players who played injured all year like Tuohy, Thomas and Henderson. That's 10 players that would play almost 80% of games in any given season and not factoring in young players like Cripps and Graham who will have a positive effect on the team.

That's a great post, except I wouldn't haven't have Bell pencilled in as best 22 material yet, would be my first choice as emergency though (more for team balance and structure then any knock on Ding Dong, who is a favourite of mine.

 

[footyfan000001]

I am abit devo that we lost Jones - but he all of a sudden picks up the third tall - OR makes the third tall go to Henderson or Casboult. Pretty handy! Do you see him impacting up the ground or closer to goal and kicking goals?

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Who are these people pushing DylBucks out of the team?

 

[thylacine60]

Who is this person pushing him back in?

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Who is this person pushing him back in?

ME.

 

[Azul]

Who are these people pushing DylBucks out of the team?

Is that a rhetorical question, Mrs DB?

Smitty, Sheehan, Tuohy, Yarran and Docherty can all play on the small forwards.

But with Jeff gone, I think Dylan will spend time forward, alternating with Ellard and Murphy as the small inside midfielder. If he's half as tough as his dad, he'll relish the contested ball gets against bigger opponents.

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Is that a rhetorical question, Mrs DB?

Smitty, Sheehan, Tuohy, Yarran and Docherty can all play on the small forwards.

But with Jeff gone, I think Dylan will spend time forward, alternating with Ellard and Murphy as the small inside midfielder. If he's half as tough as his dad, he'll relish the contested ball gets against bigger opponents.

Smitty hasn't even PLAYED yet and Tuohy was not in world-beating form last year. DylBucks should be in ahead of both of them. Holy mackerel if I have to Occupy Visy Park I will!

 

[Azul]

Dylan is best 22, or pretty close. Injury was untimely.

I just think he's wasted in the backline and with other options down there, he should run through the midfield.

 

[Beer n Skittles]

I am abit devo that we lost Jones - but he all of a sudden picks up the third tall - OR makes the third tall go to Henderson or Casboult. Pretty handy! Do you see him impacting up the ground or closer to goal and kicking goals?

Probably depends on their opponents. If Jones gets the third tall match up then play him close to goal. If he gets the best defender move him up the ground.

 

[ferrisb]

Dylan is best 22, or pretty close. Injury was untimely.

I just think he's wasted in the backline and with other options down there, he should run through the midfield.

Clem should run through the midfield. The opposition's midfield, that is....

 

[gbatman]

Buckley will play small defensive role. He appears to read the play/opponent better than any other we have had in this role over the last 10 years. We were slaughtered by small forwards last year as we have for years and years. If he pushes into other roles then so be it but for me the guys thinks like a backman. Perhaps a defensive forward role or tagging role is also on the cards.

Tuohy was poor last year and did not do well on the best small permanent forwards not to say he wont be better this year. Sheehan showed a load of promise but haven't seen him play on the guns yet. Smith for me has a lot to learn and likely will not end up being a defender. Yarran and Docherty will be wing/half backs, in modern AFL the half back line is basically a part of the midfield and where a lot of the quick skilled players are placed and used to set up play, Buckley can play this role as can Walker. Perhaps a rotation through half back will be on the cards but I think Buckley is ideal on the permanent small forwards. He is just a very smart defender and his clean hands, speed, ball use and aggression make him a good fit for the role

 

[DaVillaBlues]

Dylan is best 22, or pretty close. Injury was untimely.

I just think he's wasted in the backline and with other options down there, he should run through the midfield.

Has Buckley got the tank yet to play as midfield/winger type role for the majority of games? That's my biggest query on Jimmy's boy right boy right now, his endurance ..

 

[Azul]

Has Buckley got the tank yet to play as midfield/winger type role for the majority of games? That's my biggest query on Jimmy's boy right boy right now, his endurance ..

Not yet.

But it's his 4th preseason and his endurance will improve with more midfield minutes. Which is why I was suggesting that instead of pidgeonholing him as a backman, we use his defensive smarts as a small forward (with a void left by Jeffy and Eddie) but rotating with Ellard onto the ball whenever Murph needs a rest on the half forward flank.

 

[sensei_cobra]

Personally this is how I would like to see us line up for Round 1, with one eye towards having some of the unproven players getting games halfway to late in the season to give them a foundation for 2016.

B: Zach Tuohy Michael Jamison Simon White
HB: Sam Docherty Sam Rowe Kade Simpson
C: Dale Thomas Marc Murphy Andrejs Everitt
HF: Andrew Walker Lachie Henderson Chris Yarran
F: Liam Jones Levi Casboult Troy Menzel
R: Matthew Kreuzer Chris Judd Marc Murphy
INT: Dylan Buckley Tom Bell Ed Curnow Blaine Boekhorst

EMG: Andrew Carazzo - Patrick Cripps - Nick Graham

Definitely the best Round 1 side we've put out in years for mine, but still question marks hang over almost every part of the ground for us. Starting at the back I think Tuohy would be feeling the pressure from Sheehan for that defensive forward spot. 2014 was really disappointing for Zac, especially given how much promise he showed the year before where his explosiveness from the back was a real weapon for us. White IMO will start the season for us as the third tall but will eventually make way for Jaksch who needs some time in the 2's before he's considered a first team lock. Buckley simply has to play for mine though, he showed a massive amount of potential last year and I'd love to see him running straight out of the heart of defence through traffic and bombing it long into the midfield. On a similar note, reckon this is the year Doc breakouts and affirms himself as one of the better back flankers in the game. Hope to see him pushing forward on the wing and doing damage going forward as he did sporadically through 2014, with a full pre-season and hopefully an injury free campaign I reckon this could be the year he finally delivers on his potential.

Down forward there are a massive amount of questions that remain to be answered, I'm personally not convinced with Jones though I'd be happy to be wrong. It's been said a million times before how different it will be for him not being the #1 target anymore but really if we got 2 goals a game out of him consistently we'd be doing pretty well. Cas is somewhat in the same boat too, knowing now that he's firmly in the best 22 and needs to make use of the array of tools he has at his disposal, a player with his marking ability simply shouldn't be anything less than an upper mid-tier forward in the competition, time for Cas to take strides forward this season. Regarding Walker, I personally miss the days where he was a dynamic and explosive leading forward option for us and proving to be a selection headache for the opposition. I think now that our backline has some really promising pieces coming together that we don't need Walker down there accumulating anymore, I'd much rather see him moved forward again and allowed to be the damaging force that he once was.

Personally for me the midfield looks pretty settled and the remaining spots in the 22 are down to the individual players to make a case that they deserve to be there, absolutely can't wait for this season to start. For once I even care about the NAB Cup...

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Finally someone who appreciates DylBucks around here!!!

 

[HARKER]

Finally someone who appreciates DylBucks around here!!!

At the expense of last years B&F winner though?

 

[thylacine60]

Personally this is how I would like to see us line up for Round 1, with one eye towards having some of the unproven players getting games halfway to late in the season to give them a foundation for 2016.

B: Zach Tuohy Michael Jamison Simon White
HB: Sam Docherty Sam Rowe Kade Simpson
C: Dale Thomas Marc Murphy Andrejs Everitt
HF: Andrew Walker Lachie Henderson Chris Yarran
F: Liam Jones Levi Casboult Troy Menzel
R: Matthew Kreuzer Chris Judd Marc Murphy
INT: Dylan Buckley Tom Bell Ed Curnow Blaine Boekhorst

EMG: Andrew Carazzo - Patrick Cripps - Nick Graham

Definitely the best Round 1 side we've put out in years for mine, but still question marks hang over almost every part of the ground for us. Starting at the back I think Tuohy would be feeling the pressure from Sheehan for that defensive forward spot. 2014 was really disappointing for Zac, especially given how much promise he showed the year before where his explosiveness from the back was a real weapon for us. White IMO will start the season for us as the third tall but will eventually make way for Jaksch who needs some time in the 2's before he's considered a first team lock. Buckley simply has to play for mine though, he showed a massive amount of potential last year and I'd love to see him running straight out of the heart of defence through traffic and bombing it long into the midfield. On a similar note, reckon this is the year Doc breakouts and affirms himself as one of the better back flankers in the game. Hope to see him pushing forward on the wing and doing damage going forward as he did sporadically through 2014, with a full pre-season and hopefully an injury free campaign I reckon this could be the year he finally delivers on his potential.

Down forward there are a massive amount of questions that remain to be answered, I'm personally not convinced with Jones though I'd be happy to be wrong. It's been said a million times before how different it will be for him not being the #1 target anymore but really if we got 2 goals a game out of him consistently we'd be doing pretty well. Cas is somewhat in the same boat too, knowing now that he's firmly in the best 22 and needs to make use of the array of tools he has at his disposal, a player with his marking ability simply shouldn't be anything less than an upper mid-tier forward in the competition, time for Cas to take strides forward this season. Regarding Walker, I personally miss the days where he was a dynamic and explosive leading forward option for us and proving to be a selection headache for the opposition. I think now that our backline has some really promising pieces coming together that we don't need Walker down there accumulating anymore, I'd much rather see him moved forward again and allowed to be the damaging force that he once was.

Personally for me the midfield looks pretty settled and the remaining spots in the 22 are down to the individual players to make a case that they deserve to be there, absolutely can't wait for this season to start. For once I even care about the NAB Cup...

Excellent first post s_c although I have to say if we got 2 goals a game out of Jones we'd have one of the best CHFs going around.

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

At the expense of last years B&F winner though?

It could have been anyone who pushed out Gibbs

 

[sensei_cobra]

It could have been anyone who pushed out Gibbs

Hahaha, don't blame Bucks, obviously Mick doesn't give a **** about the football department tax and has been silently investing millions in a cloning device for Murph.

On Jones though, we'd definitely be absolutely thrilled to get two goals out of him on a consistent basis, same goes for Casboult. If we could get four goals a game between Casboult and Jones with Henderson doing what he does, we'd have the most unassumingly dangerous forward line going around.

 

[Mezzoculo]

Hahaha, don't blame Bucks, obviously Mick doesn't give a **** about the football department tax and has been silently investing millions in a cloning device for Murph.

On Jones though, we'd definitely be absolutely thrilled to get two goals out of him on a consistent basis, same goes for Casboult. If we could get four goals a game between Casboult and Jones with Henderson doing what he does, we'd have the most unassumingly dangerous forward line going around.

And with luck we would never have to see Matty K sitting forlornly in a forward pocket!