Preview R1: Changes for 2025

[Samcro24]

You're not playing RT as first ruck ??

Big risk for our biggest onfield asset.

I did in my make believe side last year too, and he was fine.

 

[Cromulant]

I did in my make believe side last year too, and he was fine.

Putting aside the fact he rooted his knee

 

[Samcro24]

Putting aside the fact he rooted his knee

While playing as a forward in the not make believe team

 

[Geoffa32]

For me

Bond Murray Michalanney
Cumming Keane Worrell

Sholl Curtin Dawson

Rachele Fog Keays
Rankine Thilthorpe Tex

RoB Sog Peatling Crouch

Int pick 4 Hinge Nankervis ANB

Sub Berry

 

[Geoffa32]

With the three guys we brought in, plus Pick 4 these guys should be depth only

Laird
Smith
Murphy
Jones


The first two are cooked, yes Laird is cooked, but gave been great for our club.

The second two have never been good enough and stop gaps for better recruiting.

 

[119others]

While playing as a forward in the not make believe team

Please tell me Murph kicked 7 goals in a GF in your make believe team?

 

[Samcro24]

Please tell me Murph kicked 7 goals in a GF in your make believe team?

Murphy isn’t even in my make believe squad

 

[1970crow]

If we did as I suggest below, we probably struggle through the season and end up finishing 12th-14th. If we play the guys that I wouldn't select, we potentially finish 7th-10th. I'd take the lower finish and higher draft pick to get games and responsibility into our future best 23 and rule line through depth and give a taste to the break glass group if required. Tex, Laird & Smith will definitely not feature in our contending side, Murphy is just a pure spud and it's embarrassing how many games he's played and Junior has been cruelled by injury and his primary weapon was never really deployed and has been impacted by his injuries anywhere.

Nicks and Co round 1 side
Laird Butts Max
Milera Murray Worrell
Cumming Crouch Soligo
Keays Tex Fogarty
Rachele TT ANB
ROB Dawson Rankine
Int - Murphy, Peatling, Sholl, Smith, Pedlar

My 23
Bond. Butts. Max
Worrell Murray. Hinge
Cumming Soligo. Sholl
Keays. Fog. Peatling
Rachele. TT. ANB
ROB. Dawson. Rankine
Curtin, Pedlar, Nankervis, Pick 4, Taylor

Depth (no order)
Defenders - Keane, Ryan, Jones
Mids - Berry, Schoey (last chance), Edwards, Dowling
Wing - Jones (last chance)

Wouldn't use unless needed to field 23
Tex, Laird, Smith, Milera, Murphy

Break glass
Everyone else

 

[Samcro24]

You're not playing RT as first ruck ??

Big risk for our biggest onfield asset.

No Nick Murray either

Nick Murray is on the bench.

I’d like to see him as a genuine versatile big man who could play forward, back, or chop out in the ruck.

Much like Dawson as a mid, forward, or even drop him back depending on what we need at any given stage in a game.

 

[FR0GGY]

Please tell me Murph kicked 7 goals in a GF in your make believe team?

No he didn’t, got 1 touch in the last qtr though.

 

[Alwaysacrow]

If we did as I suggest below, we probably struggle through the season and end up finishing 12th-14th. If we play the guys that I wouldn't select, we potentially finish 7th-10th. I'd take the lower finish and higher draft pick to get games and responsibility into our future best 23 and rule line through depth and give a taste to the break glass group if required. Tex, Laird & Smith will definitely not feature in our contending side, Murphy is just a pure spud and it's embarrassing how many games he's played and Junior has been cruelled by injury and his primary weapon was never really deployed and has been impacted by his injuries anywhere.

Nicks and Co round 1 side
Laird Butts Max
Milera Murray Worrell
Cumming Crouch Soligo
Keays Tex Fogarty
Rachele TT ANB
ROB Dawson Rankine
Int - Murphy, Peatling, Sholl, Smith, Pedlar

My 23
Bond. Butts. Max
Worrell Murray. Hinge
Cumming Soligo. Sholl
Keays. Fog. Peatling
Rachele. TT. ANB
ROB. Dawson. Rankine
Curtin, Pedlar, Nankervis, Pick 4, Taylor

Depth (no order)
Defenders - Keane, Ryan, Jones
Mids - Berry, Schoey (last chance), Edwards, Dowling
Wing - Jones (last chance)

Wouldn't use unless needed to field 23
Tex, Laird, Smith, Milera, Murphy

Break glass
Everyone else

Where's Ned?.......oh that's right I forgot haha

 

[Multiballz]

If we did as I suggest below, we probably struggle through the season and end up finishing 12th-14th. If we play the guys that I wouldn't select, we potentially finish 7th-10th. I'd take the lower finish and higher draft pick to get games and responsibility into our future best 23 and rule line through depth and give a taste to the break glass group if required. Tex, Laird & Smith will definitely not feature in our contending side, Murphy is just a pure spud and it's embarrassing how many games he's played and Junior has been cruelled by injury and his primary weapon was never really deployed and has been impacted by his injuries anywhere.

Nicks and Co round 1 side
Laird Butts Max
Milera Murray Worrell
Cumming Crouch Soligo
Keays Tex Fogarty
Rachele TT ANB
ROB Dawson Rankine
Int - Murphy, Peatling, Sholl, Smith, Pedlar

My 23
Bond. Butts. Max
Worrell Murray. Hinge
Cumming Soligo. Sholl
Keays. Fog. Peatling
Rachele. TT. ANB
ROB. Dawson. Rankine
Curtin, Pedlar, Nankervis, Pick 4, Taylor

Depth (no order)
Defenders - Keane, Ryan, Jones
Mids - Berry, Schoey (last chance), Edwards, Dowling
Wing - Jones (last chance)

Wouldn't use unless needed to field 23
Tex, Laird, Smith, Milera, Murphy

Break glass
Everyone else

But,but,but experience man???
You need that experience to ensure the team doesn't finish below 16th,
and so the older players can mentor and instil into the younguns learnings about shape, DNA,team first and various other elements that make up "Crows football".

A team without a 10 man leadership committee is a rudderless ship imo.

 

[huludicidal]

B: Hinge - Keane - Worrell
HB: Cumming - Murray - Michalanney
C: Nankervis - Peatling - Soligo
HF: Neal-Bullen - Walker - Rachele
F: Keays - Fogarty - Thilthorpe
R: O’Brien - Rankine - Dawson
Int: Crouch - Curtin - Taylor - Pick 4
Sub: Any of Dowling, Berry, Sholl

Emg (from): Dowling*, Berry*, Sholl*, Pedlar, Milera, Edwards, Ryan, Butts, Cook, Bond, Laird, Murphy, T Murray

Rest of list: Break glass emergencies only


Notes:
* Walker only plays games at Adelaide Oval, Marvel Stadium and the MCG. Any games in WA, NSW, QLD, TAS, NT, Geelong or some other backyard oval = rested, and someone like Curtin to be switched forward to cover the absence rather than bringing in a Burgess type which we know doesn’t work

* Pick 4 plays. We aren’t here to draft some project player at pick 4. We are drafting a ready to go midfielder to play immediately in order to improve our most glaring weakness. History shows that MIDS (not players with “midfield potential”) taken in the pick 1-8 range are mostly ready to go at AFL level, even if the majority of their first 30 games are played at half back or half forward while they adjust to the speed of AFL footy. This player will be displacing someone with close to 0 upside like Murphy, Laird, Berry or Sholl from our late season 22. You just do that without even blinking.

* I really think an opening centre bounce trio of Rankine / Dawson / Peatling offers a better balance than any trio we’ve seen in recent years. You can obviously chuck Crouch in there for plenty of centre clearances (as long as one of Rankine or Peatling is in there with him to offer some speed), and Soligo, Taylor, Neal-Bullen, Pick 4 and Curtin will attend some clearances also.

* Just on Soligo, despite me not having in the centre square here, that doesn’t mean I’m off him as a player. I just think we need to find ways to utilise his skills a little better, and that perhaps playing him in more of an Errol Gulden type role can free him up a bit more. The Peatling addition, combined with hopefully a less interrupted season for Rankine really is perfect for this.

* Sholl obviously had a much better than expected 2024, but there’s just not enough upside there for mine to have him as a bona fide best 22 player when everyone is fit. It’s worth noting that in reality, everyone WON’T be fit, so I still expect him to play a lot of footy in 2025.

* Nankervis to me is a far more natural wingman than defender, which is a key reason why I was so keen on us bringing in Cumming (in addition to the trio of Milera, Laird and Smith being cooked).

* I love Dowling as a player (see avatar) and he’s extremely unlucky to miss this 22, but he essentially becomes a bit of a “Mr Fix-it” for our squad from next year, as he’s perfectly capable of coming in and playing a role in the midfield, on a wing, at half back or across half forward. Again, we’ll never have 44 available players at any given time, so he’s absolutely in the top 26 and plays regularly.

* Ya just can’t play all of Keane / Murray / Worrell / Butts in the same side, regardless of where they rank in terms of our best players. This is exacerbated by the fact that we have other “tallish” players who play in defence regularly, in Hinge, Michalanney and even Dawson / Curtin / Nankervis are going to at least float back there. Ya can’t be that tall in defence and win enough ground ball / deal with the Hawks mosquito fleets of the world which will no doubt become more fashionable now that they’ve achieved so much success doing it.

For me, Worrell and Murray are the automatic selections, and Butts vs Keane becomes a fascinating position duel. Keane’s big contract extension clearly gives him the edge from a club point of view right now, but it will be very interesting to see how this evolves, and whether it forces Butts into requesting a trade at the end of 2025 (because he’s too good to be playing SANFL IMO, unlike someone like Borlase who belongs in the SANFL).

* We must (and will) debut both of Edwards and Ryan in 2025 (in addition to pick 4). It will be very interesting to see how they go at the top level, as both have some traits that the team could really use.

* There will absolutely be specific roles that will open up for Bond in some games. Personally I’m probably only picking him about 10 times a season to play on very specific types (eg I would play him vs St Kilda on Jack Higgins and against Hawthorn on Jack Ginnivan, but I wouldn’t play him against Port or Carlton for instance).

* Milera and Pedlar are complete wildcards. Careers both on the brink due to relentless injuries. Huge amount of talent there but I have 0 confidence that they can overcome their respective injuries to the point of playing regular afl footy.

 

[kirky]

Pick 4 doesn't get in the best 22 from the get go... give him a few in the SANFL

A few games or a few years - you know how we roll.

 

[kirky]

Can we stop putting Milera into our R1 side.

He needs to show he can get up to speed first. He has been in system for 9 years and only had 5 seasons playing 10 games or more.

 

[Trigger13]

Updated version (with FAs & known trade recruits and ignoring impending delistings):

AFL
FB: Bond - Keane - Worrell

HB: Michalanney - Murray (Nick) - Hinge

C: Cumming - Soligo - Nankervis

FOLL: O’Brien - Dawson - Peatling

HF: Neal-Bullen - Fogarty - Keays

FF: Rankine - Thilthorpe - Rachele

INT: Walker - Pick 4 - Crouch - Curtin

SUB: Pedlar

SANFL
FB: Hamill - Butts - Jones

HB: Milera - Borlase - Ryan

C: Sholl - Berry - Dowling

FOLL: Strachan - Edwards - Laird

HF: Cook - Gollant - Murphy

FF: Taylor - Murray (Toby) - Welsh

INT: McHenry - Schoenberg - Smith - Burgess

SUB: Gallagher / Parnell

That Sanfl team is winning the flag. Surely.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

That Sanfl team is winning the flag. Surely.

Not when we get injuries...

 

[Trigger13]

With the three guys we brought in, plus Pick 4 these guys should be depth only

Laird
Smith
Murphy
Jones


The first two are cooked, yes Laird is cooked, but gave been great for our club.

The second two have never been good enough and stop gaps for better recruiting.

Dowling and Nank are depth now too, you’d think. Doubtful they carve out meaningful careers in my opinion.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Dowling and Nank are depth now too, you’d think. Doubtful they carve out meaningful careers in my opinion.

If they are good enough they make the team.

I rate Nankervis & reckon he will play plenty of games next season.

 

[Trigger13]

If they are good enough they make the team.

I rate Nankervis & reckon he will play plenty of games next season.

Yeah I think out of the two, Nank has the tools to make me look like an idiot (Wouldn’t be the first time either). Just get the feeling he will be left to rot in the SANFL next year.

 

[1990crow]

Pick 4 doesn't get in the best 22 from the get go... give him a few in the SANFL

That's very woke of you.

 

[1990crow]

For me

Bond Murray Michalanney
Cumming Keane Worrell

Sholl Curtin Dawson

Rachele Fog Keays
Rankine Thilthorpe Tex

RoB Sog Peatling Crouch

Int pick 4 Hinge Nankervis ANB

Sub Berry

I doubt they'll let us have 19 on the field.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Surely there is no way Murphy survives an inclusion of 4 players.

A stern test of the Mackay Rule



There's no way Murphy can play. Unless of course my four new recruits fall victim to four separate misfortunes and are unable to play.

 

[Danger in Texas]

* Just on Soligo, despite me not having in the centre square here, that doesn’t mean I’m off him as a player. I just think we need to find ways to utilise his skills a little better, and that perhaps playing him in more of an Errol Gulden type role can free him up a bit more. The Peatling addition, combined with hopefully a less interrupted season for Rankine really is perfect for this.

Interesting point, I think Soligo’s main aim this off-season is to increase his fitness and be able to run games out consistently. He largely tailed off towards the end of the season, compared to his early impact, but I think it’s all part of his progression

He’s still an incredibly smart player in traffic, is athletic enough, and has very good skills in space. Increased fitness should help to improve his kicking when escaping from congestion with the ball, too - it’ll allow him to feel like he’s got more time on his hands

If he can do what he did in the Showdown most games, we have an A-grader on our hands

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Interesting point, I think Soligo’s main aim this off-season is to increase his fitness and be able to run games out consistently. He largely tailed off towards the end of the season, compared to his early impact, but I think it’s all part of his progression

He’s still an incredibly smart player in traffic, is athletic enough, and has very good skills in space. Increased fitness should help to improve his kicking when escaping from congestion with the ball, too - it’ll allow him to feel like he’s got more time on his hands

If he can do what he did in the Showdown most games, we have an A-grader on our hands

Soligo definitely ran out of steam towards the end of the season... but will get better with another preseason.

More importantly we have brought in 3 players who can all play through the midfield... so there is no excuse to run deeper rotations next season. All our small forwards can play through the midfield as needed.