Collingwood's Rolling Best 22

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B: Mathew Scharenberg ~ Lachlan Keeffe ~ Brayden Maynard
HB: Jeremy Howe ~ Ben Reid ~ Travis Varcoe

C: Steele Sidebottom ~ Taylor Adams ~ James Aish
R: Brodie Grundy ~ Scott Pendlebury ~ Adam Treloar

HF: Alex Fasolo ~ Travis Cloke ~ Shane Edwards
F: Adam Tomlinson ~ Darcy Moore ~ Jamie Elliott

I/C: Jack Crisp ~ Ben Sinclair ~ Jordan De Goey ~ Tim Broomhead



We need Varcoe's pace were it can be utilised better.

Scharenberg and Keeffe are speculative but we need skill and composure down back and guys that can rebound going forward. I can't see us getting a McDonald or Hurley.

Williams is playing like he's gone. I like him, I've always have but tonight was just pathetic.

Cloke still has a role leading up the ground and creating space for Moore.

Adam Tomlinson and Shane Edwards are just names that I think would be useful and getable for us, I don't see usattracting anyone big by the way we play. Tomlinson a forward who can repeat lead and a mid forward who's creative and makes his touches count.

Wills competing against Crisp and De Goey, I still have them two ahead as Wills has only played two games but he's making way quickly.
 
B: Sharenberg - Brown - Maynard
HB: Howe - Reid - Sinclair

C: Aish - Adams - Sidebottom
R: Grundy - Pendlebury - Treloar

HF: Swan - Cloke - Elliot
F: White - Moore - Fasolo

I/C: Marsh, Wills, Smith, De Goey

Clearly there'll be list changes, don't expect Swan to play on but assuming the list stays as is and everyone is fit this would be my Round 1 team with the current lot.

First back pocket spot is a bit of a lottery, Langdon/Ramsay/Marsh could all easily get the gig but Scharenberg is a super talent. Marley is gone but even if he stays his putrid last fortnight has him outside the 22. Don't like Brown at FB but would rather him than Frost, was never a Keeffe fan but hopefully he can challenge next year.

Forward mix is tough, without any real crumbers and poor key positions its clearly our weakest area. Don't expect swan to play on, Cloke could easily be in different colours and went against my beliefs to include White, but he offers more than Cox on the deck and has been ok as the second ruck.

Very young bench, Smith took a while to turn me but has plugged away. Wills is a bull, same mould as Crisp and Greenwood but edged ahead due to form. Both will probably play ahead of him though.

Varcoe, Blair don't do enough, along with several other senior players which we're all aware of.

In order to produce consistent high quality footy we need new key position players, or a big lift from our current ones, Brown and Cloke particularly. Closer to finding the right back-line mix and our starting mids are elite, depth is worrying though. Would like a quality small forward too.
 

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Varcoe doesn't do enough because he's been played out of position

Yeah we're misusing Varcoe this season. He should be wing or half back. It makes us more urgent through those areas and he is more involved. He's been a victim of us lacking goal scoring options .
 
This is my rolling 22 which will be constantly updated as time goes by.

LAST UPDATE: Daniel Wells into the side.

Players will only move in and out of this side as trades come official.


BEST 22

B: Marsh, Brown, Smith
HB: Howe, Reid, Maynard
C: Wells, Treloar, Sidebottom
HF: Elliott, White, De Goey
F: Fasolo, Moore, Blair

R: Grundy, Pendlebury, Adams

I: Varcoe, Greenwood, Crisp, Aish
 
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For next season it's time for the Berg to announce himself.
Fingers crossed.

That said Blair will really be under pressure to hold off Crocker, Phillips, Fasolo, Elliot etc etc
 
At this stage I would go

Howe Brown Langdon
Maynard Reid Sinclair
Sidebottom Treloar Varcoe
Elliott Cloke De Goey
Fasolo Moore White

Grundy Pendles Adams

Crisp Marsh Greenwood Aish

Emerg Blair Smith Wills
 
For next season it's time for the Berg to announce himself.
Fingers crossed.

That said Blair will really be under pressure to hold off Crocker, Phillips, Fasolo, Elliot etc etc
I am not as confident about the Berg as you. Even with that confidence with 3 major injuries and very little footy in 3 seasons wouldn't you expect 2018 would be the year for him to announce himself. He was very tentative coming off his 1st reco. I would be happy for him to have a solid VFL season in 2017 and see if he has it in 2018 after his confidence is restored.
 
I am not as confident about the Berg as you. Even with that confidence with 3 major injuries and very little footy in 3 seasons wouldn't you expect 2018 would be the year for him to announce himself. He was very tentative coming off his 1st reco. I would be happy for him to have a solid VFL season in 2017 and see if he has it in 2018 after his confidence is restored.
Hope springs eternal
 
I would really hope that Matt Scharenberg is in my 22 by mid next-year. However, it's going to take some time. I can't really consider him right now as he is just coming from so far back and we really only have a few games to base his credentials on.

Smith v Sinclair is another interesting one. I have Smith in there for now as he played right through the season and improved dramatically. Sinclair probably offers a bit more though, particularly in one on one battles. I've noticed Smith is quite poor defensively and gets exploited. His tackling is 50/50 as well. I'll leave him in for now because I want to see how Sinclair recovers from his recent bouts of concussion.

I actually think Ramsey will get that spot anyway. Better user by foot than Sinclair, and a lot better defensively than Smith and Sinclair.
 

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I would really hope that Matt Scharenberg is in my 22 by mid next-year. However, it's going to take some time. I can't really consider him right now as he is just coming from so far back and we really only have a few games to base his credentials on.

Smith v Sinclair is another interesting one. I have Smith in there for now as he played right through the season and improved dramatically. Sinclair probably offers a bit more though, particularly in one on one battles. I've noticed Smith is quite poor defensively and gets exploited. His tackling is 50/50 as well. I'll leave him in for now because I want to see how Sinclair recovers from his recent bouts of concussion.

I actually think Ramsey will get that spot anyway. Better user by foot than Sinclair, and a lot better defensively than Smith and Sinclair.

Smith is a guy who has really forced his way in. I don't think he is a defender though. Sinclair did enough this year to nail that back pocket as long as he doesn't keep getting knocked out. Smith's ball use and decision making has improved so dramatically within the course of a year that he has to stay in the team. I would like to see him up on the wing waxing with Sidebottom.

Varcoe has become our Mr Fixit and will remain that way I think. He can go on a wing, forward or back and make an instant impact. I would like him to be a high half forward primarily and it makes that forward line look really dangerous.

So I would bring in Sincliar to BP, Smith to a wing, Varcoe to HF and DeGoey to the bench pushing Blair out.
 
Smith is a guy who has really forced his way in. I don't think he is a defender though. Sinclair did enough this year to nail that back pocket as long as he doesn't keep getting knocked out. Smith's ball use and decision making has improved so dramatically within the course of a year that he has to stay in the team. I would like to see him up on the wing waxing with Sidebottom.

Varcoe has become our Mr Fixit and will remain that way I think. He can go on a wing, forward or back and make an instant impact. I would like him to be a high half forward primarily and it makes that forward line look really dangerous.

So I would bring in Sincliar to BP, Smith to a wing, Varcoe to HF and DeGoey to the bench pushing Blair out.

I tend to agree to be honest and will have a think about it. I tend to keep the experienced guys in until someone younger absolutely cements their spot. I think Sinclair and Smith probably have though. Before Sinclair got injured, he was probably the only guy across half back creating a bit of rebound. I think we missed him a lot.

The only thing keeping Blair in for me at the moment is the lack of the 6th forward option.

The current team I've also selected keeps in mind that Adams and Varcoe probably push deep into defence as well to generate run, which is why I don't really have a 7th defender.

By bringing Sinclair in, it probably creates that with Smith also working behind the ball.

I think you've sold me, but I'll probably sit on it until after trade week until we see if there are any other forwards we recruit.
 
Updated to include Wells

I will continue to update as trades come through...but only once confirmed.

BEST 22

B: Marsh, Brown, Smith
HB: Howe, Reid, Maynard
C: Wells, Treloar, Sidebottom
HF: Elliott, White, De Goey
F: Fasolo, Moore, Blair

R: Grundy, Pendlebury, Adams

I: Varcoe, Greenwood, Crisp, Aish
 
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Best 22

Assumptions:
In: Wells, WHE, Mayne
Out: Cloke, Brown, Frost

B: Jeremy Howe ~ Jonathan Marsh ~ Jackson Ramsay
HB: Matthew Scharenberg ~ Ben Reid ~ Brayden Maynard
C: Daniel Wells ~ Adam Treloar ~ Steele Sidebottom
HF: Chris Mayne ~Jesse White ~ Tim Broomhead
F: Jamie Elliot ~ Darcy Moore ~ Alex Fasolo
R: Brodie Grundy ~ Scott Pendlebury ~ Jordan De Goey
I: James Aish ~ Jack Crisp ~ Travis Varcoe ~ Taylor Adams

Unlucky: Will Hoskin-Elliot, Levi Greenwood, Josh Smith
 
Wells in someone out
But it's a good thing
 
My best 22:

B: Josh Smith ~ Jonathan Marsh ~ Jackson Ramsay
HB: Jeremy Howe ~ Ben Reid ~ Brayden Maynard
C: Daniel Wells ~ Adam Treloar ~ Steele Sidebottom
HF: Chris Mayne ~Jesse White ~ Will Hoskin-Elliot
F: Travis Varcoe ~ Darcy Moore ~ Alex Fasolo
R: Brodie Grundy ~ Scott Pendlebury ~ Taylor Adams
I: James Aish ~ Jack Crisp ~ Levi Greenwood ~ Jordan De Goey

Start in the VFL: Matthew Scharenberg, Jamie Elliot, Rupert Wills, Blair, Langdon
 
B: Marley Williams, N Brown, B Maynard
HB: Howe, Reid, Adams
C: Wells, Pendlebury, Crisp
HF: Motlop, White, Varco
FF: Fasolo, Moore, Elliot
R: Grundy, Treloar, Sidebottom
I: Mayne, Degoey, Greenwood, Smith

Motlop looking much better on a HFF than Hoskin Elliot to my eyes
 
My best 22:

B: Josh Smith ~ Jonathan Marsh ~ Jackson Ramsay
HB: Jeremy Howe ~ Ben Reid ~ Brayden Maynard
C: Daniel Wells ~ Adam Treloar ~ Steele Sidebottom
HF: Chris Mayne ~Jesse White ~ Will Hoskin-Elliot
F: Travis Varcoe ~ Darcy Moore ~ Alex Fasolo
R: Brodie Grundy ~ Scott Pendlebury ~ Taylor Adams
I: James Aish ~ Jack Crisp ~ Levi Greenwood ~ Jordan De Goey

Start in the VFL: Matthew Scharenberg, Jamie Elliot, Rupert Wills, Blair, Langdon

That's a pretty poor back line! Boy do we need defenders!!!!!!


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With the announcement of Wells, if we get Mayne, and Brown leaves.

Best 22

B: Sinclair, Marsh, Ramsay
HB: Howe, Reid, Maynard
C: Wells, Treloar, Aish
HF: Sidebottom, White, Elliott
F: Fasolo, Moore, Mayne

R: Grundy, Pendlebury, Adams

I: Varcoe, Crisp, Scharenberg, De Goey

Defence
Obviously would prefer to keep Brown, but in the case he does leave, Marsh to play tall, similar to what Hamling has done at the doggies. Marsh is 194cm and will be entering his 4th season so you'd expect him to start to be able to match it with some bigger bodies. Also think he is more of a pure footballer than frost and brown, reads the play better and makes better decisions.

Reid I expect to be even better next year given this was his first full year in 3 years.

Howe and Scharenberg to be the 3rd tall/intercept players ala Easton Wood. Both players are exceptional readers of the play.

Sinclair and Ramsay are our best shut down small defenders and provide plenty offensively. Sinclair's footskills and decision making are better than what he gets credit for coming out of defense. He had an exception 4-6 week period this year in between all his concussions. Maynard frustrated me more than most with his poor decision making and butchering of the ball for the bulk of the year but seemed to turn a corner in the last month of the season. I'd be comfortable with substituting one of Langdon or Goldsack with Maynard, but Maynard shows something and as he has just only turned 20, I'm happy to give him a chance.

Midfield
Pendles, Treloar and Adams in the guts speaks for itself, our 3 best mids. Adams played a bit at half back this year when able to get on the park and I was pleasantly surprised by how much he excelled. His decision making and footskills, which has often been criticised on here, were excellent. However I prefer Adams playing through the middle given his influence in there.

Aish and Wells on the wings. Both excellent decision makers and user of the footy. Both smooth movers. Aish rebounded terrifically after being dropped early this season. Dominated in the reserves and came back to the seniors and was a top 10 player for us in the 2nd half of the season. I see a lot of upside with him. The beauty of both these players is that they are both extremely capable in the contest and have claims to being legitimate inside/outside mids.

Crisp and De Goey on the bench to rotate through the midfield. I think De Goey will play more midfield next year which is where I see him long term. While I prefer Sidebottom on the half forward flank, he is also capable of rotating through the wing/midfield, as well as Varcoe.

In this team we have 9 capable high level players in Pendles, Treloar, Adams, Wells, Aish, Sidebottom, De Goey, Crisp and Varcoe to share the bulk of the midfield minutes.

Grundy speaks for himself, with White to do 20 minutes of rucking a game.

Forwards
As stated previously Sidebottom on a forward flank would be ideal. He is a very smart player, a good one on one player as well as a good reader of the ball off hands. I also find he is more damaging forward of centre. I feel he has become a bit of a linkman through the middle for us, which has caused him to not be as damaging as he could be. I feel 20 touches per game,20 goals and 20 goal assists for the year from Sidebottom on a half forward flank with the occasional stint in the middle is more beneficial than him churning out his 25-30 touches from a wing. I feel Wells would be more damaging in that wing role than Sidebottom, which would be a blessing as it would also have the effect of Sidebottom being more damaging in a positional change to forward of the ball.

White to be the 2nd tall/2nd ruck. While I admit White has let us down at key moments in games, I think he has more than met expectations we had of him when he arrived. Has averaged about 1.5 goals a game being in and out of the side over the past few years. I feel with a real crack at it next year, I can see him thrive in a new look forward line and get 30 goals for the year. Relished a freer role higher up the ground, which I think we can expect more of next year. His mobility is a plus.

Mayne needs to be played deep in the forward line. When played deep in 2012-13, he had a significantly greater scoreboard impact. Ross Lyon has stated many times over the past few years that he has been forced to play Mayne higher up the ground, reducing his scoreboard impact. I'm very bullish that Mayne will consistently be a 25-30+ goal a year player for us provided he plays deep forward.

Fasolo and Elliott are very talented players. I'm hoping they make it through 20 games each next year, as them, along with Moore, staying fit next year will play a large role in our fortunes.

Moore is a superstar in the making, as above, he just needs luck with injury. The sky is the limit with him. Play him as the key forward like this year and he'll be a 40 goal player next year.

Forward pressure is a non-issue with this team. Mayne, Sidebottom, Varcoe, Billy and Fas are all elite to adequate pressure players. White and Moore's mobility further adds to the forward line's ability to pressure the opposition coming out of defence.



Obviously this is my ideal team and perhaps controversially doesn't include the likes of Greenwood, Blair, Smith, Langdon, Broomhead and Goldsack. I just feel that there are better players capable of playing in their positions.

Another thing to note is that there are about 9 players coming off a major injury or who I'd class as injury prone, being Billy, Shaz, Ramsay, Reid, Sinclair, Marsh, Fasolo, Moore and Adams. Our fortune hinge a lot on these guys remaining fit.
 
Interesting to see what the trend for clubs is going to be with defenders.

Doggies went very short, using Morris realistically as the full back. However, don't forget they used Marcus Adams in this role most of the year and he is a bona fide key defender. So I think the role of the full back still exists.

However, if teams start looking shorter, then I think someone like Langdon could fit the bill ok at 190cm and good size. Otherwise Marsh is a good competitor as well.
 

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Collingwood's Rolling Best 22

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