Best 22 with explanations

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Don77

Senior List
Oct 16, 2002
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Melbourne
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Essendon
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Essendon
I know its early to be doing this but, since our list is pretty much in place for 2007, here it is. Constructive comments would be appreciated!

B: MJ Fletch Nash
HB: NLM Michael Dyson
C: Lovett Jobe McPhee
HF: Gus Scotty McVeigh
F: Johns Lloydy Davey
FOLL: Hille JJ Stants
INT: Laycock Bradley Slattery Dempsey

A Few Points:
*I have deliberately left out Hird and Campo, both whom will be in our best 22 at the beginning of the year. Hird should be strictly an icing on the cake type player in his last year- will be great when he plays but need to be planning for life without him. Obviously when he is fit, he plays! Camporeale is also in the last year or 2 of his career and I am hoping that some of our younger players supercede (sp?) him by the end of the year.
*Have left out all the new draftees, with the exception of Davey, as he is mature aged and 'ready to go' Would be hoping that by the end of the year, at least Gumbleton and Hislop will be ready to slot into the best 22 for the following year.

BACKLINE
Key Backs- Fletcher and Michael are no brainers- will swap positions according to best matchups. Lee, Bradley, as developing backup players in these positions.
Tall/Small Back- NLM. Earnt his position here last year. Provides dash and rebound from the half back line. Can play tall or small. Could also go forward if required.
Small Backs- MJ, Nash Dyson. Was a toss up between MJ and McVeigh in this position and they could alternate but in the end I like McVeighs foot skills delivering to our forwards on the half forward line so went for MJ as our small 'shut down' player. Proven in this position.
Nash and Dyson I chose ahead of players like Welsh and Cole. Both have much bigger upside than Welsh in my opinion- better foot skills, pace and decision making. Cole I would love to have in my best 22 for his agression and attack on the ball but he still has to prove to me that he wants it badly enough. Nash is going to be a very good footballer imo. Dyson I see in a Lindsee Gilbee type role- could be an excellent kick out option for us. Think this is where he might find his position in our team.

MIDS
Watson Stanton Both stepped up big time last year (and the year before in Stanton's case) and I see no reason why both can't be fixtures in our team for many years to come. Watson as the extractor, Stants as the gut busting runner.
JJ Great of our club- will prove it in 2007.
Hille Stepped up last year and IS our number 1 ruck.
Lovett McPhee Both had disappointing seasons last year. McPhee provides a tall, agressive runner that will be hard for opposition teams to match up with on the wing. The recruitment of Davey has a permanent small forward releases Lovett to give the Bombers genuine pace in the midfield. Exciting.

FORWARDS
Lloyd Lucas No brainers- originally had Lucas at centre half back but with the recruitment of Michael, won't be needed there.
Johns Gets the nod ahead of Gumby for now. Will eventually be our full forward with Gumby playing at centre half forward. Will be a nightmare matchup for the oppositions 3rd best defender. Gives us serious marking ability in our forward line.
Monfries Want to see him play a lot more time in midfield this year, perhaps rotating with JJ. Will be ready to play permanent mid in 2008. By then Hislop will be ready to take over his spot on the hf flank.
McVeigh Rate him as a forward. Great disposal to Lloyd and co, good overhead mark for his size, accurate kick for goal, good defensive pressure. Could swap with MJ to the back pocket if matchups dictate so.
Davey Recruited as a permanent forward. Thats where he will play.

INTERCHANGE
Laycock Back up ruckman. Needs to stay injury free. Ryder will overtake him here if he isn't. His ruck combination with Hille should be a strength of ours next year.
Bradley Couldn't find a place for him on the ground- have no idea where his best position is. Versatility is a strength but also a weakness. Needs to step up this year and I think he can.
Slattery, Dempsey Very difficult choice for last 2 spots. Rate Slattery for his hardness. Think he will be our number 1 tagger for many years to come if he can stay injury free. Dempsey I think could be anything- very exciting to think about players like him and Jetta running amock in our midfield for years to come. He is my player to watch next year.

*Winderlich, Cole, would like to have in there too but ran out of spots for them. Think we are getting some really good depth back at the club.
* Heff, Pev, Bolts, Welsh are depth players only imo- can't see any of them playing in a future premiership team. The players I have picked in my team all could, in my opinion.
* Gumbleton, Lee, Ryder, Neagle, Jetta, Hislop, Houli, Reimers all have potential but will benefit from time in the 2s. Gumbleton, Ryder, Lee, Hislop and Lee will all get games this year and should hopefully be pushing hard for permanent spots by the end of the year, I hope, again, indicitive of our new found depth.

Sorry I've ranted a bit. Hope you've enjoyed the read. Think we will be very competitive next year and am confident about making the 8 (with a little help from the injury gods of course!)

Go Bombers!:cool: :cool: :cool:
 

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On top of that, Id have Dempsey before Dyson...I think he's going to really have a break out season next year. Dyson on the bench though. Cant believe we cant fit Winders in there. Thats saying something about our side at the moment...on paper.
 
Welsh is that far ahead of Dyson it isn't funny.

Great effort though.


Don't agree. Welsh is slow, undisciplined, makes bad decisions TOO often for an experienced player and struggles to kick over a jam tin. Can't see a player of these limitations playing in a premiership team.

Remains to see if it will be Dyson who takes his spot or someone like Cole, but I'm convinced that someone will in the near-medium term future. Don't think Welsh is a part of our medium to long term plans. Have been wrong before though and I hope he proves me wrong- have my doubts that he will though. ;)
 
On top of that, Id have Dempsey before Dyson...I think he's going to really have a break out season next year. Dyson on the bench though. Cant believe we cant fit Winders in there. Thats saying something about our side at the moment...on paper.

I think at this stage we have to monitor Davey's form in the pre-season before we say he's in our best 22. At the moment he's done nothing.

Winderlich to the wing and Lovett to the forward-line.

That could all change by the end of March though.
 
On top of that, Id have Dempsey before Dyson...I think he's going to really have a break out season next year. Dyson on the bench though. Cant believe we cant fit Winders in there. Thats saying something about our side at the moment...on paper.


I agree Crave- As I said in my first post, I rate Dempsey really highly and think he will be a permanent fixture on the wing in the next year or two. That's why I put him on the bench.

I too, would love to have Winders in the side but in the end, I decided on Dyson ahead of him. Could easily go the other way though.
 
Don't agree. Welsh is slow, undisciplined, makes bad decisions TOO often for an experienced player and struggles to kick over a jam tin. Can't see a player of these limitations playing in a premiership team.

Interesting, I see a bloke who beats his opponent most weeks, works incredibly hard (something Dyson has yet to do), plays to instructions (IE sets us up when we win the ball) and finished in the top half dozen of our best and fairest.

He's a good leader, takes the young players under his wing when they get to the club. Was a tough gig in our backline in 2006, Welsh and Fletch flew the flag.

Not every player has to be a super kick or super quick, but when you have a bloke that you can rely on to beat his opponent nearly every week and that you know will give you a good honest crack, he can have a spot in my team.
 
I think thats where our next cull could be at the end of next season...from the middle. We have many options and if they all happen to progress nicely, its a nice dilemma to have. Great bargaining tool also come trade week.
 
Don't agree. Welsh is slow, undisciplined, makes bad decisions TOO often for an experienced player and struggles to kick over a jam tin. Can't see a player of these limitations playing in a premiership team.

Remains to see if it will be Dyson who takes his spot or someone like Cole, but I'm convinced that someone will in the near-medium term future. Don't think Welsh is a part of our medium to long term plans. Have been wrong before though and I hope he proves me wrong- have my doubts that he will though. ;)

I truly dont understand the criticism directed at Welsh. He always presents well, transfers play safely and often plays above his weight.
 
B: Welsh Fletcher N.Lovett-Murray
HB: McPhee Michael Nash
C: McVeigh Watson Camporeale
HF: Hird Lucas Monfries
F: Johns Lloyd Lovett
Rucks: Hille J.Johnson Stanton
I/C: M.Johnson Laycock Slattery Winderlich

Emg: Heffernan Peverill Davey


Wow that was so hard to do. We have a lot more depth than in years gone by. With some luck with injuries this year we could potentially go quite well.

Others I considered were:
Bolton, Bradley, Cole, Dyson, Gumbleton, Hislop, Houli, Lee
 
B: Welsh Fletcher N.Lovett-Murray
HB: McPhee Michael Nash
C: McVeigh Watson Camporeale
HF: Hird Lucas Monfries
F: Johns Lloyd Lovett
Rucks: Hille J.Johnson Stanton
I/C: M.Johnson Laycock Slattery Winderlich

Emg: Heffernan Peverill Davey


Wow that was so hard to do. We have a lot more depth than in years gone by. With some luck with injuries this year we could potentially go quite well.

Others I considered were:
Bolton, Bradley, Cole, Dyson, Gumbleton, Hislop, Houli, Lee
:eek: :eek: :eek:
 

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i will have a go

mcveigh,micheal,lovett -murray
mcphee,fletcher,welsh
stanton,watson,lovett
hird,lucas,davey
johns,lloyd,monfries
hille,j.johnson,m.johnson

campo,gumby,ryder,leeroy
no dempsey, dyson, bradley or lee. understandable that you left out bradley but the others i would think would get into the team over a few others you have there.
 
no dempsey, dyson, bradley or lee. understandable that you left out bradley but the others i would think would get into the team over a few others you have there.

No Laycock either.

I think he's a future star!!
Am I the only person who thinks this? Am I seriously over-rating him?
 
Interesting, I see a bloke who beats his opponent most weeks, works incredibly hard (something Dyson has yet to do), plays to instructions (IE sets us up when we win the ball) and finished in the top half dozen of our best and fairest.

He's a good leader, takes the young players under his wing when they get to the club. Was a tough gig in our backline in 2006, Welsh and Fletch flew the flag.

Not every player has to be a super kick or super quick, but when you have a bloke that you can rely on to beat his opponent nearly every week and that you know will give you a good honest crack, he can have a spot in my team.

Yes,Welsh had some off days this year,but who wouldn't get a bit jaded and frustrated from our many,many unfortunate losses.
He's no back pocket Wanganeen,but good players come in different forms.And Welsh is a western suburbs white lined fevered, partly controlled pyschopathical footballer.:thumbsu:
 
Some really good points from all

- I can see both sides of the coin when it comes to Welsh. He does a good job defensively and is a good leader, though I think at times he does make the wrong decision with the football. Though I think he has the potential to be a much better player.

- I like the idea of Dyson being the Lindsay Gilbee type with his long kicking, giving him purpose. I rate Dyson, think the pre season incident lowered his confidence and the confidence of selectors but hopefully his back on track this year. I think it really depends what the oppositions forward setup is like as we could probably mix it up every so often depending on form and matchups.

- I know its too early to be making a team since we don't know what the levels of fitness etc will be come next season, but it's fun to give it a shot so I will too.


B MJ Michael McVeigh/Lee

- McVeigh and MJ will get spurts up forward or through the midfield but are reliable mature bodies who can shut down a small forward. Slattery, Cole, Nash and even Dyson could all also probably have a crack at this role, depending on form/fitness

- I so hope we get Michael as I rate him highly, 29, reduced training or not. He will make a huge difference to us next season. Totally negates the whole, get Fletcher out of the goalsquare tactic

- If the opposition play a third tall forward close to goal, I'd say give the job to either Lee or Bradley depending on how ready they are for it. Gumby is another option too.

HB NLM Fletcher McPhee

- NLM, my boy! I expect another big season from him. Will have a lot more support now. His a good height, got good athleticism, good skills, reads the play well, good pace, can play tight, or as the rebounding half back flanker. Id like to see him used through the midfield and up forward at times

- Fletch, superstar, I love the fact that his gonna have the opportunity to play a different game style. Only question mark is do we man him up on the opposition CHF, or do we let him do what he wants, like against Collingwood last season. I think his smart enough to zone off when necessary and just play tight when his opponent is inside 50. Outside 50 possesions won't hurt as much as the next contest he should be at.

- McPhee you'd hope is in for a big season. Lot less pressure this year where he can go back to his natural role of floating across half back. What I don't wanna see is him taking on a tall forward which limits his rebound. Only KPP forwards I want to see him on are the likes of Pavlich, Riewoldt and Tarrant, where he can match their mobility and allow Fletch to be the floater


C Bradley J Johnson Dempsey


- For some reason, I still think Keps is gonna be a star. Now that his dropped a bit of weight, lets move away from the shackles of being a KPP player and let him have the freedom to use his endurance and grow into his body. He will start crashing contests, providing a marking option when he goes forward and even help kill a contest when he drops back. Putting him on the wing gives us the opportunity to get the most out of it. Not sure if his got the tank to go a whole game, but if rotated intelligently, we could run any of our other midfielders through there such as Winderlich, Dyson, Slattery etc

- JJ hasnt impressed me in recent years until the end of last season when he had those ripper games, reminded me of how good he can be. I expect a big year out of him and I reckon he can help groom this midfield towards success. Don't know if he can run out the whole game but I'd expect we'd have a lot of midfield rotations


- Dempsey could probably be replaced by many, but I like the look of the kid and think his pace and skill would be more positive than negative. Obviously his body probably isnt ready to stand up to the rigors of a full AFL season, but if we get 10 -15 games out of him I'd be very happy

HF Lovett Lucas Monfries

F Hird Johns Lloyd

- Lovett hopefully comes back rejuvenated. We know what kind of player he can be. Monfries is so courageous and always makes something happen and Hird is just Hird, playing perhaps his final year. Three proven performers who should be able to create nightmares crumbing off three strong marking options.

- Lloyd looked so good at the start of last season. Now his had a whole years rest, primed both physically and mentally, ready to lead this team. I agree with I think it was Longy who said, Johns leads straight, Lloyd leads to the left getting on his right side. Two great options to kick confidently too.

- Johns I reckon will be a star. Only thing I think that can get in his way is injury.

- Lucas I still like better as a CHB, but he had such a great year at CHF, and will have so much more freedom to lead up the ground and kick confidently to strong targets. I wouldn't be suprised to see him have another big season.

- Rotate in the KPP posts the likes of Laycock, Gumby, Bradley, Lee, Hille and even Ryder, we will have plenty of options

R Hille Watson Stanton

- Hille is another I think is primed for a big year after a stint as captain. If Laycock stays healthy and can hold down the Ruck, Hille moving forward will really hurt teams. Even rotate Bradley and Ryder as the second ruckman at times, we should be alright. Just can't afford to get murdered at stoppages like we have in recent times. Must always be a plan B or even plan C

- Watson and Stanton hopefully continue to improve. Like to see Jobe use his height and present a hard running option up forward or dropping back and helping out the defence taking a few more marks.

- The key to the midfield is rotations, the more people we have that can play in there, the better off we will be. Look at West Coast. I know we dont have Judd or Kerr, but we've still got some human beings that have some great ability. Football consists of a lot of variables. We have about 15 guys we can rotate through there. We should keep fresh legs in there at all times, but i think we did a good job with that aspect last season in comparison to 05

INT

Laycock

- Backup ruck and key forward. Ryder and Gumby will put pressure on for this spot.

Dyson

- As Im mentioned earlier, I rate him. Think he will be a top line midfielder. Needs to prove himself though. Great skills and can break the lines, just needs to be given opportunity and find consistency.

Winderlich

- Dunno if he has a guaranteed spot, but he has that X factor, a good height, great speed, breaks the lines well. In todays modern game, we need more of his type on the field

Slattery

- Agree with earlier sentiments of him being our main tagger. Pev is great and all, Heff is reliable, but Slatts offers more IMO.


Leftovers

Gumby, Ryder Welsh, Campo, Bolton, Heff, Nash, Pev, Cole, Jetta, Hislop, Davey, Houli, Lonergan, Neagle, Reimers

- All will probably see a game or few next season. No doubt Welsh will play all available, this is just the team the way Id like to see it. A lot of it could change depending on opponent and form. Either way, Bendigo should do better next season.

- Exciting times!!
 
i think that hislop has the body and talent to play right from round 1 alongside davey who will also play from round 1
 
- I like the idea of Dyson being the Lindsay Gilbee type with his long kicking, giving him purpose. I rate Dyson, think the pre season incident lowered his confidence and the confidence of selectors but hopefully his back on track this year. I think it really depends what the oppositions forward setup is like as we could probably mix it up every so often depending on form and matchups.

I like the idea of it too, but Gilbee has a defensive game as well.
So far Dyson has only shown in bits and pieces that he is able to win the footy and stop his man. Until he does that consistently, there are others ahead of him at half back.

On both teams, yours and the one in the original post (both great efforts by the way), neither of you have named a defensive midfielder in the 18. At anyone stage we are going to tag at least one opposition mid, I know you mentioned it when you spoke about Henry, but I can't see him on the bench if McVeigh or Heff aren't playing that role.

On paper, Heff or Slattery might not be in our best 18, but in reality with the way footy is played, one or both of them will get starting jobs in the middle. At times McVeigh will fill that role, but Slattery could be given first crack to release McVeigh.

It's a tough job, few players pick themselves, and that's good, it means we have a better list than last year, but I can't see us starting a game without one of McVeigh, Slattery or Heff in the middle.
 
I think at this stage we have to monitor Davey's form in the pre-season before we say he's in our best 22. At the moment he's done nothing.

Winderlich to the wing and Lovett to the forward-line.

That could all change by the end of March though.

Completely agree- expectations on Davey seem to be too high- i hope i am wrong but if the guy was that good he would have been in the system a few years ago. In saying that, i think we should give him as much time to develop as he needs- i think he is a bit light on at the moment and we should just ease him into it
 
No Laycock either.

I think he's a future star!!
Am I the only person who thinks this? Am I seriously over-rating him?


I think he will be ok but still has a lot to prove

I dont want anyone to take this the wrong way but is his head screwed on right or should we be worried? I was a bit concerned when during negotiations, rumours were around that he was asking for ridiculous figures and really has not proven himself yet
 

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