Opinion Best 22 for 2022

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Damn - I wasn't ready for this until after the ND, but with Jones retirement I wanted to see what our best 22 may look like.

Anyway, this is my current best 22 - with a direct replacement of Young for Jones, so not too bad:

B: Plowman, Lewis Young, Nic Newman
HB: Adam Saad, Jacob Weitering, Zac Williams
C: Adam Cerra, Patrick Cripps, Marchbank
HF: Jack Martin, Charlie Curnow, Zac Fisher
F: Jack Silvagni, Harry McKay, Josh Honey
FOLL: Tom De Koning, Sam Walsh, George Hewett

I/C: Philp, Kemp, Liam Stocker, Paddy Dow


I still want to give Philp a go, but we may need McGovern in the team for more taller defensive cover or is Marchbank & Kemp enough?
 

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With our backline, it's less about Plowman being a poor footballer, which he's not, he's ok. It's more about us lacking a decent third tall defender, a role Plowman has been playing and Plowman is not a genuine third tall defender.

It's probably been our biggest hole down there for a while. A fair bit of emphasis goes on McGovern, Parks and/or Marchbank to take that third tall defensive spot as well as Young and McDonald to play CHB.
 
Saad Young Marchbank
Kemp Weitering Williams
Cerra Cripps Philp
Martin Curnow Honey
Fisher McKay McGovern

TDK Walsh Dow

Silvagni Stocker Hewett Cuningham

*Docherty
love PHILP in the team and we have to get behind him and get games into him because he has the attributes with pace , and aggression to add some real flair on the wing that we have been sorely missing
 
love PHILP in the team and we have to get behind him and get games into him because he has the attributes with pace , and aggression to add some real flair on the wing that we have been sorely missing

I like to watch players and imagine in my minds eye if they have the attributes of a SEPTEMBER player …

S-tage … own it … Williams
E-nergy … bring it … Johnston
P-ower … show it … Harmes
T-eam … live it … Doull
E-xecute … seek it … Ashman
M-ongrel … know it … Dean
B-old … be it … Hunter
E-ndure … embrace it … Bradley
R-espect … earn it … Kernahan

Philp is raw and we haven’t seen a lot of him at this stage, but what I’ve seen … I like 👍
 
Can't see Newman not being best 22, Newnes will play early, others need to dislodge him

I think the same type of logic can be applied to Boyd in one of your best 22s. Very unlikely round 1 as has to displace an incumbent Best 22 player with only preseason silly games to do it. In terms of small/medium defenders, Saad, Williams, Newman, Stocker, Plowman all ahead of him.

Like the idea of him. There is just very little evidence of what we are getting at this point in time.
 

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I think the same type of logic can be applied to Boyd in one of your best 22s. Very unlikely round 1 as has to displace an incumbent Best 22 player with only preseason silly games to do it. In terms of small/medium defenders, Saad, Williams, Newman, Stocker, Plowman all ahead of him.

Like the idea of him. There is just very little evidence of what we are getting at this point in time.

Like to see Stocker up the ground, Williams and Saad aren't really lockdown types, Plow has done amazingly well on smallish forwards, Newman similar but can't handle the nipper types.

Get the feeling Boyd will be the surprise packet as the season goes on.

But, back to the statement, think Newman is a lock for best 22
 
But, back to the statement, think Newman is a lock for best 22

Think you are right. Based on 21 stats and traits for a defender he is a lock for the start of the 22 season.

I can only see a couple of chinks which do make him an average player overall. Has no speed when it’s time to turn and chase down…like close to none given opposition sides are choosing burst speed forwards. Left side only player as well which limits some of his rebound 50 effectiveness. I like his AFL IQ. I like his tackle average.

We have a list with a lot of good players. I have him at the backend of our best 22. Have him ahead of Plowman though. I don’t have him in my best 22 at the end of 22. I see others rising and others returning to form (Docherty).
 
Like to see Stocker up the ground,

I think a lot of us want to see this but there is typically one inside mid role that gets the ‘majority’ of minutes and that is currently going to Cripps. Either Stocker pushes ahead of Cripps or he is a bit part player like Kennedy & Setterfield before him.

Most likely scenario this leaves him as a small defender As I think Voss will try to take Cripps on as a project and try the Ollie wines path. This will leave Stocker with little Avenue to an inside mid role.

On 21 stats Stocker is ahead of Boyd and behind Newman. But I see further growth in Stocker and little future growth in Newman.
 
Last year Docherty played half back and wing which means he was asked to do a fair bit of running. This year I can see him playing closer to goal in the back pocket if he's underprepared.

As for players who didn't play a heap of games last year who are locks this year if fit. Philp, Kemp, Honey and Durdin become locks IMO. One of McGovern and Marchbank becomes a lock however don't be surprised if both are. Young I think is now tracking as most likely best 22 however we can't rule our McDonald.

Just on McDonald, he was played as a ruck/forward last year and was going quite well until his injury. Do we think he may reprise this role? Perhaps we will see McDonald and TDK rotating between the forward pocket and the ruck.
 
As the pre season goes on, Voss will develop his own ideas about who will kick off the season. He played with a small backline with McKenzie and Jonas. Could be an indicator of future backline structures. He preaches whole ground defensive structures. Means Honey et al are well into the frame.

I'm going to wait to see how the preseason unfolds before before assessing or evaluating others.
 
Like to see Stocker up the ground, Williams and Saad aren't really lockdown types, Plow has done amazingly well on smallish forwards, Newman similar but can't handle the nipper types.

Get the feeling Boyd will be the surprise packet as the season goes on.

But, back to the statement, think Newman is a lock for best 22
Maybe he follows a similar trajectory to Mills with the Swans? - couple of years in defence didn't do Mills too much harm when finally released into the midfield.

Feel like Stocker has developed into our best option at the moment as our tough, nuggety small defender for when we need that type of match-up.
 
Can we not have Marchbank replace Plowman? plowman has been serviceable in an area in which we lack depth but he’s so easily exploited.
In his defence - when you have a midfield that refuses to run with their man (or at least get back and cover dangerous space) - you could put any defender in the comp in the same position as Plowman and get a similar result.
 
Maybe he follows a similar trajectory to Mills with the Swans? - couple of years in defence didn't do Mills too much harm when finally released into the midfield.

Feel like Stocker has developed into our best option at the moment as our tough, nuggety small defender for when we need that type of match-up.

That's true, but perhaps the transition could take place with Hewett taking over that small shutdown defender role it Boyd struggles to take the next step
 
That's true, but perhaps the transition could take place with Hewett taking over that small shutdown defender role it Boyd struggles to take the next step
It'd be a massive bonus for us if Boyd could step up to the role - we could do with a surprise packet or two to jump into our best 22.
 
Maybe he follows a similar trajectory to Mills with the Swans? - couple of years in defence didn't do Mills too much harm when finally released into the midfield.

Feel like Stocker has developed into our best option at the moment as our tough, nuggety small defender for when we need that type of match-up.

Voss loves a bit of mongrel. He could turn Stocker into a gun mid who will miss some footy because of aggression, which we need!
 

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Opinion Best 22 for 2022

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