Opinion The Evolution of Your Best 23 for 2025

[Mundusa]

Just wondering if Marshalls only hope of survival is to play him behind the ball. Has the skill to play hbf/wing with drifting forward. Less likely to cop head knocks.

He can run and is a beautiful field kick, what about Wing?

 

[TeeKray]

FB: Evans Zerk-Thatcher Bergman
HB: Sinn Aliir Farrell
C: Boak Wines Burgoyne
HF: Powell-Pepper Lukosius Rozee
FF: Byrne-Jones Georgiades Rioli

R: Sweet Horne-Francis Butters

INT: Drew Jones Finlayson Mead

SUB: Burton

Sweet gets first crack at ruck but both Soldo and Visentini are not far off him and could easily find themselves as first ruck at some point.

I think they need to back Sinn in at half back.

I like Finlayson in the team because he can help out in ruck. I suspect he's behind Marshall in the pecking order though.

Burton is ideal as sub because he can play anywhere.

Would be good to see Lord work his way into the team because that forward line desperately needs some physicality.

 

[Rash]

FB: Evans Zerk-Thatcher Bergman
HB: Sinn Aliir Farrell
C: Boak Wines Burgoyne
HF: Powell-Pepper Lukosius Rozee
FF: Byrne-Jones Georgiades Rioli

R: Sweet Horne-Francis Butters

INT: Drew Jones Finlayson Mead

SUB: Burton

Sweet gets first crack at ruck but both Soldo and Visentini are not far off him and could easily find themselves as first ruck at some point.

I think they need to back Sinn in at half back.

I like Finlayson in the team because he can help out in ruck. I suspect he's behind Marshall in the pecking order though.

Burton is ideal as sub because he can play anywhere.

Would be good to see Lord work his way into the team because that forward line desperately needs some physicality.

No Joe Richards is absurd

 

[pastmyprimus]

You know that Hinkley will play one of Lord/Esava. Hope Lord has a big pre-season and comes into Rd 1 bigger and stronger. He has better instincts as a forward than Esava

 

[TazD]

FB: Evans, Aliir, Farrell

HB: Sinn, BZT, Bergman

C: Burgoyne, JHF, Mead

HF: Richards, Luko, Rozee

FF: DBJ, Georgiades, SPP

FOLL: Sweet, Wines, Butters

INT: Drew, Jones, Marshall, Rioli (Boak)

The second wing position is the most open spot in our team IMO.

Edited to include Rioli.

 

[VineValerian]

FB: Evans, Aliir, Farrell

HB: Sinn, BZT, Bergman

C: Burgoyne, JHF, Mead

HF: Richards, Luko, Rozee

FF: DBJ, Georgiades, SPP

FOLL: Sweet, Wines, Butters

INT: Drew, Jones, Marshall, Burton (Boak)

The second wing position is the most open spot in our team imo.

No Rioli?
Alliir at FB, instead of in an intercepting sweeper role?
Otherwise looks ok.

In theory you could win a flag with this list - if you get relatively few injuries to major players.
Oh............ and with a half decent coach!

 

[Rash]

Say we play Lukosius, Georgiades, Marshall/Lord, who is second ruck?

thats why I could see Donut's playing Finlayson due to being able to second ruck, so we have 4 talls in the forward line with finlayson pinch hitting in ruck

Or lord Rucks

Who is our second ruck?

 

[TazD]

No Rioli?

I swear I forget one every time I do one of these.

 

[TeeKray]

No Joe Richards is absurd

Lol, he's 25 and only 9 times in his life has an AFL team selected him. Hardly absurd. I'm open to him but I literally have never watched him play so I don't have an informed opinion on him and therefore can't include him in my best team.

 

[JUSTWORK]

Lol, he's 25 and only 9 times in his life has an AFL team selected him. Hardly absurd. I'm open to him but I literally have never watched him play so I don't have an informed opinion on him and therefore can't include him in my best team.

Im in the same boat as you, but he was clearly one of our main trade targets in a position we are lacking. For that reason alone id have him pencilled in with Mead the one who makes way.

I agree with your assessment on Finlayson and would have him ahead of Lord and Esava for the third tall/relieving ruck role.

 

[JimmyBC]

FB: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

HB: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

C: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

HF: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

FF: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

FOLL: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

INT: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins (McEntee)

 

[PJ Power]

F: Rioli…..Georgiades……DBJ

HF: Rozee…..Lukosius……SPP

C: Lorenz……Wines……Burgoyne

HB: Farrell…..Aliir…..Evans

B: Bergman…..BZT……Jones

R: Sweet….Butters…..JHF

Int: Drew…..Sinn…..Richards…..Lord

Sub: Mead

EMG: Visentini…..Boak…..Burton

 

[Rash]

B Jones- BZT- Bergman
HB Evans- ALiir-Farrell
C Burgoyne- Rozee- Lorenz
HF Lukosious- Lord/Marshall- SPP
F DBJ- Gerogiades- Rioli
Fol Sweet-Butters-JHF
Int Wines-Drew-Sinn-Richards
Sub: Boak

EMG: Finlayson-Mead-Burton

 

[Schulzenfest]

FB: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

HB: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

C: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

HF: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

FF: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

FOLL: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins

INT: Ratkins, Ratkins, Ratkins (McEntee)

I have exactly one problem with this best 22, otherwise all good.

 

[MALTSY]

F: Rioli…..Georgiades……DBJ

HF: Rozee…..Lukosius……SPP

C: Lorenz……Wines……Burgoyne

HB: Farrell…..Aliir…..Evans

B: Bergman…..BZT……Jones

R: Sweet….Butters…..JHF

Int: Drew…..Sinn…..Richards…..Lord

Sub: Mead

EMG: Visentini…..Boak…..Burton

I like this. Just wish we had a marking medium forward. Rioli, DBJ, Rozzee and SPP aren’t great overhead. A Toby Greene type forward would be ideal.

 

[PJ Power]

I like this. Just wish we had a marking medium forward. Rioli, DBJ, Rozzee and SPP aren’t great overhead. A Toby Greene type forward would be ideal.

That’s why I like Bowman with pick 50 in the upcoming draft. Hotton could also be used in that capacity early in his career. JHF resting forward too.

 

[Chewy316]

B: Jones BZT Bergman
HB: Evans Aliir Farrell
C: Burgoyne Wines Boak
HF: SPP Lukosius Rozee
F: Rioli Lord Georgiades
FOLL: Sweet JHF Butters
INT: Sinn DBJ Drew Richards
SUB: Mead

AFL calibre depth:
Burton, Finlayson, Lorenz, Marshall, Ratugolea, Soldo, Vistentini

Depth to use only in case of an emergency:
Clurey, Williams, McEntee, Atkins

Unknowns due to lack of opportunity or age:
Anastasopoulos, Charleson, Jackson, Walsh

Boak really shouldn't be getting a game ahead of Lorenz by mid-year. If they can add at least another two prospects in the draft who can play AFL next season they'll be fine from a depth standpoint. The best team looks very good. I don't see how you can play four talls in the forward line as an every day system when a significant chunk of the season is played in difficult conditions for talls. And not sure how you only play a 3 tall setup of Lukosius, Marshall and Georgiades given none of them can play in the ruck.

None of this matters until Hinkley goes, but they're going to remain competitive next year, and I'd be shocked if they had any major drop-off to the point of missing the 8 like some have postulated on here.