Round 1 Team 2011

[mwalker]

From the premiership 22 (presuming everyone is fit):

In: Krakouer, Tarrant
Out: Blair, Goldsack

FF: Brent Macaffer - Chris Dawes - Steele Sidebottom

HF: Andrew Krakouer - Travis Cloke - Alan Didak

C: Dale Thomas - Scott Pendlebury - Sharrod Wellingham

HB: Nick Maxwell - Ben Reid - Heath Shaw

FB: Alan Toovey - Nathan Brown - Harry O'Brien

Foll: Darren Jolly - Luke Ball - Dane Swan

Int: Dayne Beams - Leigh Brown - Ben Johnson

Sub: Chris Tarrant

Emg: Cameron Wood - Leon Davis - Tyson Goldsack

Without injury we will be tough to beat and I do mean undefeated for 2011. There is some serious talent across all lines.

 

[mwalker]

I think a mild selection rotation policy from game one might work to our advantage, stick with a core of players and rotate others through the afl/vfl sides as we rotate through the bench in games. Has the big advantage of giving everyone likely the game time and recognition and helping the group to gel in different combinations and configerations.
Thoughts?

I have always thought given the draw it would give us a good opportunity to sort out the main team/players/positions by the halfway mark and be fairly settled on the lineup. Then in the second half of the draw given we travel so much that is a good time to rest a few players when travelling and leading up to the finals. Inject a couple of others at the same time and keep everyone fresh(ish).

 

[TheGreatGrundy]

So let me get my head around this.


Beams did have an ordinary last few games but you're forgetting that he was brilliant for most of the year and probably in our best 10 players across the year as a whole. Sidebottom meanwhile, from about Round 10 through until Round 20 was very very ordinary and probably deserved to be dropped. Wellingham, O'Brien, Jolly, Dawes, Macaffer and a few others all had wider form slumps this year. Beams was statistically the number 1 inside 50 converter in the competition this season up until about Round 21 and that includes all the elite deliverers in the comp. To cap off his elite delivery he also averaged in the 20s for disposals at over a goal a game

.

I took exception to people remarking on Sidebottom's productivity during the latter part of the year. He was largely used as a linkman in the middle, and racked up 20 possessions + each week. He was not played near the goals. I thought he was a vital cog in the machine. And Beams put in more than 2-3 poor games at the end of the season.

 

[CamTinley]

From the premiership 22 (presuming everyone is fit):

In: Krakouer, Tarrant
Out: Blair, Goldsack

FF: Brent Macaffer - Chris Dawes - Steele Sidebottom

HF: Andrew Krakouer - Travis Cloke - Alan Didak

C: Dale Thomas - Scott Pendlebury - Sharrod Wellingham

HB: Nick Maxwell - Ben Reid - Heath Shaw

FB: Alan Toovey - Nathan Brown - Harry O'Brien

Foll: Darren Jolly - Luke Ball - Dane Swan

Int: Dayne Beams - Leigh Brown - Ben Johnson

Sub: Chris Tarrant

Emg: Cameron Wood - Leon Davis - Tyson Goldsack

I'd switch these two. Get Krakouer into it from the first bounce.

 

[thecig]

This thread has made my day, great time to be a supporter. That and watching those Carlton 2011 membership ads, they're flooding the televiz. So i get to laugh @ least 4 times a day.

 

[Invigoration]

From the premiership 22 (presuming everyone is fit):

In: Krakouer, Tarrant
Out: Blair, Goldsack

FF: Brent Macaffer - Chris Dawes - Steele Sidebottom

HF: Andrew Krakouer - Travis Cloke - Alan Didak

C: Dale Thomas - Scott Pendlebury - Sharrod Wellingham

HB: Nick Maxwell - Ben Reid - Heath Shaw

FB: Alan Toovey - Nathan Brown - Harry O'Brien

Foll: Darren Jolly - Luke Ball - Dane Swan

Int: Dayne Beams - Leigh Brown - Ben Johnson

Sub: Chris Tarrant

Emg: Cameron Wood - Leon Davis - Tyson Goldsack

I'd go with this, only change that I'd make is Tarrant for one of the Browns.

 

[Old Spice]

FB: Shaw – Brown – O’Brien
HB: Maxwell – Reid - Macaffer
C: Thomas – Pendlebury - Wellingham
HF: Dick – Cloke - Didak
FF: Sidebottom – Dawes - Tarrant
Foll: Jolly – Ball - Swan
Int: L Brown – Beams - Krakouer
Sub: Buckley

Emg: Blair, Davis, Johnson

In: Tarrant, Krakouer, Dick, Buckley
Out: Johnson, Toovey, Goldsack, Blair

This might be more NAB Cup than round 1, but I hope to see a bare minimum of Tarrant and Krakouer come in. Think Dicky is a definite prospect, and might be some smokey who carries over their pre-season form, I'm hoping a Buckley or Rounds.

More than likely just the two changes for round one and will wait to see whose good form continues in the twos and whose drops off in the seniors.

Just doing this exercise was bloody agonising, plenty of changes and hand wringing. It was proof to me that our depth is still megalo.

 

[the mighty T]

I think our best 22 almost picks itself and most posters have got it about right.

I however am really interested in looking at our VFL best side

FB: Hunter, Keefe, ___?
HB: Young, Goldsack, Buckley
C: Sinclair, McCarthy, Farmer
HF: Fasolo, Ceglar? (rookie perhaps?), Rounds
FF: Dick, Mcnamara, Davis
Foll: Wood, Thomas, Blair

Int (from): Ugle, Seedsman, Reed, Cribben, Stubbs + Rookies

What to we think, as far as depth of our list goes ?

 

[FIGJAM]

The Leigh Brown security blanket seems to be well and truly cuddled up to here, but I hope a better alternative comes to the fore over the pre-season, especially one that can get Tarrant and/or Wood into the starting 21.

 

[Old Spice]

The Leigh Brown security blanket seems to be well and truly cuddled up to here, but I hope a better alternative comes to the fore over the pre-season, especially one that can get Tarrant and/or Wood into the starting 21.

I'd hope so too, but definitely need a ruck relief option. Wood is the only looming prospect at this point, so hopefully he can step up. If Wood can dominate the ruck-tap side, sending Jolly forward more often would be potent.

 

[FAIRANDBALANCED]

So let me get my head around this.

Beams has played 43 games. Up to game 40 a lot of people (including neutrals) were saying that he was the best performed player from his draft. He has a poor 2 or 3 game and now players like Thomas and Rounds who are yet to debut and Dick who is a forward pocket (not a midfielder/wingman/forward flank which are the positions Beams has rotated through) are putting pressure on his position?

Beams did have an ordinary last few games but you're forgetting that he was brilliant for most of the year and probably in our best 10 players across the year as a whole. Sidebottom meanwhile, from about Round 10 through until Round 20 was very very ordinary and probably deserved to be dropped. Wellingham, O'Brien, Jolly, Dawes, Macaffer and a few others all had wider form slumps this year. Beams was statistically the number 1 inside 50 converter in the competition this season up until about Round 21 and that includes all the elite deliverers in the comp. To cap off his elite delivery he also averaged in the 20s for disposals at over a goal a game

Beams is an absolute jet (as is Sidey by the way) and will not be even close to being dropped. He's not the 22nd player picked either. His 2010 was better than a number of players including Wellingham, Johnson and Ball who were all predominantly midfielders this year. Gun, 2 or 3 games doesn't change that.

So let me get my head around your team. You have taken 3 young guys out and put a couple of older ones in their place. Didn't we just win the flag playing with a young hungry team? Form will obviously dictate all, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Tarrant in for Nathan Brown if he doesn't start the season well (really hoping Im wrong with that one), while like everyone else Im hoping Krakouer is a potential superstar, but Im also quite sane and not a resident of la la land. He has come from the WAFL, and yes he may tear it up in the AFL, but all everyone around here seems to think is that his form in the WAFL somehow makes him a better player than guys like Blair, Goldsack, Johnson and MaCaffer, who have been playing in high intensity finals football matches...successfully.

The only change I would make for now would be Goldsack out for Tarrant. But Goldsack has the great fortune of being so flexible that he could come in to replace a number of different players. Dick, Davis, Goldsack and Krakouer are all good depth players who will all be used and may become crucial parts of the team as injury and form fluctuate, but for now, mine would be:

Shaw, N Brown, Toovey
Maxwell, Reid, O'Brien
Thomas, Pendlebury, Sidebottom
MaCaffer, Cloke, Didak
Beams, Dawes, L Brown
Jolly, Ball, Swan

Wellingham, Johnson, Tarrant
Blair

A mid in the sub position is the most sensible choice, especially with our flexible team.

It intrigues me that with success people abandon the hype from the young players. Jarryd Blair was brilliant a couple of times for us this season (Essendon game particularly) and I can't see why a little guy like that, with an obvious amount of ability and hunger wont improve. Can't help but thinking if we didn't win the flag this year, people would be spruiking the same guys they are leaving out of the side.
MaCaffer too, first full season of senior footy, improved noticeably. Great tackler.
Krakouer could be a bust, Tarrant might get hurt before the season starts. Dick is almost certain to. Let's trust the guys that have done the job, and back their professionalism and the coaching staffs endeavors to keep them focused and eager to improve.

 

[MarkT2]

Hopefully the R22 teams is a bit different to the r1 team as players develop.

I'd hope Dick, Krakour, Tarrant and 1 or 2 of the untried kids (Thomas?) push into the side. The most vulnerable are McCaffer, Goldsack and Blair with maybe Toovey after that but they won't go without a fight. Hopefully it's the likes of Johnson being pressured by the newcomers and the aforementiond vulnerable. Nothing against Johnson but that's what will get us to multiple flags - pressure at the older end not the younger end. Be nice if Wood could come on.

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

Horrible post FAIRANDBALANCED

I spend two full posts talking about how Beams (20yo) and Dick (22yo) are in our best side definitely and should stay in over other players but because I suggested that we would actually play our recruits I am "ignoring the hype of youth." You have done one of two things here. 1, you haven't read either of my posts in full but you have responded as if you have or 2, you have deliberately selected parts of my posts to respond to while completely ignoring other parts of my posts where I in fact agree with you. Your comments are contradictory in any case because your 1 suggested change would see an old player coming in for a younger one. Personally I think it would be a good change so for that part I agree with you but it doesn't make your post any less contradictory. It seems that you have an opinion on who you think should be in the team and you are willing to twist people's words in order to somehow "prove" that your opinion has merit.

Remember, Goldsack was a 1 game replacement for an out of form player and he played in an unfamiliar position. I have effectively replaced Davis and Macaffer with Krakouer and Dick. It really isn't that much older (it's actually younger).

You claim that posters are in "lalaland" for suggesting that Krakouer will come in and dominate to the extent he did in the WAFL. Who has said that? All we've said is that he will play. You do not trade away your number 1 pick for a mature aged player unless you have the view that they are more than likely to be in your best side. You are naive and in "lalaland" if you think differently.

 

[4#Didak#4]

I think the OP has the team about right. The big question I think is whether a fit (thats a big if) Brad Dick cracks into that team. I think he does. He can bring a lot to the side with his pace & skill. The only bloke I can chop is Ben Johnson, this is simply following the way the older statesmen have had to make way for youth.

 

[Old Spice]

I'm curious to see in the set-up if we can try again to accomodate three talls in Cloke who plays a linking role higher up the ground, with Dawes and Tarrant at home, with Dick, Sidebottom, Davis types at the ground waiting to crumb.

It would be a pretty daunting prospect to have Tarrant and Dawes stalking the forward 50 and splitting the opposition defence.

 

[eddies army]

From the premiership 22 (presuming everyone is fit):

In: Krakouer, Tarrant
Out: Blair, Goldsack

FF: Brent Macaffer/Dick - Chris Dawes - Steele Sidebottom

HF: Andrew Krakouer - Travis Cloke - Alan Didak

C: Dale Thomas - Scott Pendlebury - Sharrod Wellingham

HB: Nick Maxwell - Ben Reid - Heath Shaw

FB: Tarrant - Nathan Brown - Harry O'Brien

Foll: Darren Jolly - Luke Ball - Dane Swan

Int: Dayne Beams - Leigh Brown - Ben Johnson

Sub: Toovey/goldsack

Emg: Cameron Wood - Leon Davis/Blair - Tyson Goldsack/Toovey

I think Tarrant gives you bit more versatility than toovey.

 

[Paddywhackers]

In the NAB cup I think we should really give the kids a go in Rounds, Thomas, Fasolo, J-Mac, even play the likes of Young, Keefe and these guys.

Remembering it was an extra long season and an early start to next year, so we should really nurse our experienced players through the NAB cup.

Namely, Swan, Didak, Jolly, Maxwell and even some of our younger players that are somewhat mature in Thomas, Pendles, Cloke, O'Brien etc... And definately we should nurse the likes of Sidey, Beams and Dawes, as they are still young and played most games in 2010, and very important in 2011. List management is the key one would think.

It's going to be a very enjoyable season watching this side week in week out, lets hope they can bring home the chocolates again...

 

[MarkT2]

A few selection headaches:

Probably can't fit Davis, Dick & Krakour in the smae team unless there are injuries elsewhere. If Dick stays fit and Krakour lives up to the hype Davis looks finished. Hopefuly that makes him very hungry.

Second ruck - I'd loke to see tarrant play in place of L. Brown so we can keep N. Brown and Ried in the key back positions. I'd play Cloke as the relief ruckman.

The only way I can see kids getting into the side is if we have injuries. We've lost a lot of depth they virtually have to step up. Short term candidates are thin on the ground. We need to develop the likes of Thomas quickly but I am struggling to see many we can push. Agree with Paddywackers re NAB Cup. In particular I would like to see some leadership without Maxwell in the side.

 

[mdc]

Second ruck - I'd loke to see tarrant play in place of L. Brown so we can keep N. Brown and Ried in the key back positions. I'd play Cloke as the relief ruckman.

May as well have Blair ruck, would be about as effective.

Dawes is actually pretty handy, and I think will be the one that eventually takes over Leigh Brown's spot if needed. Did a nice job in the ruck in a couple of games during 09

 

[mattys123]

May as well have Blair ruck, would be about as effective.

Dawes is actually pretty handy, and I think will be the one that eventually takes over Leigh Brown's spot if needed. Did a nice job in the ruck in a couple of games during 09

The problem with Dawes playing the "utility ruck role", not unlike Adam Goodes a few years go, is his knee. He still heavily bandages/straps his knee before every game, so it must still be an issue going forward.

I think we stick with Leigh Brown until a "proper" second ruckman comes along, or another viable option presents itself.

Plus, I want to see Cloke and Dawes rotating through FF/CHF for the next 7-8 years.

 

[iGNITER]

Plus, I want to see Cloke and Dawes rotating through FF/CHF for the next 7-8 years.

This..

 

[doppleganger]

Plenty of love for Krak.

IMO he is 3rd in line behind Davis and Dick.

In 2009 Davis was AA and one of our most dangerous ball carriers....sure 2010 he never got going, but surely he would be hungry after missing out on the big day.

Dick seems to play well whenever he gets a chance.

Krak making people look silly at WAFL level aint that great, Lockyer and guys like that were tearing it up for the VFL team last year.

Tarrant will play if fit, he was arguably AA FB until injured last year.

 

[doppleganger]

May as well have Blair ruck, would be about as effective.

Dawes is actually pretty handy, and I think will be the one that eventually takes over Leigh Brown's spot if needed. Did a nice job in the ruck in a couple of games during 09

I was pushing the Dawes as back-up ruck option a while back.

The second ruck role is almost obsolete, and will become more so now with the 1 less rotation on the bench. Teams wont be able to carry a second ruck to sit on the bench.

Jolly will play 80% of time in the ruck.....so need to cover 20%....surely Dawes could cover that.....doesn't need to take any centre bounce contests, just some around the ground work and a few boundary throw ins. Dawes has elite endurance for a big man, so a 5 min run around each quarter is well within his capabilities.

And means we can play an extra runner!!

 

[Quicky]

You claim that posters are in "lalaland" for suggesting that Krakouer will come in and dominate to the extent he did in the WAFL. Who has said that? All we've said is that he will play. You do not trade away your number 1 pick for a mature aged player unless you have the view that they are more than likely to be in your best side. You are naive and in "lalaland" if you think differently.

Exactly. Krakouer was not brought in as a mature age rookie, at his price, without the intention of him playing an important role in the 22. It's not like he is an untried talent at AFL level either, he was successful at Richmond, dominant at times, before his much publicised issues derailed his career. There has also been plenty of examples of WAFL form translating to the AFL - look at Freo with Broughton, Ballantyne etc - so suggesting he will feature in the 22 is hardly a stretch.

 

[iGNITER]

Our Premiership team.

They got the job done.