2016 GF Team vs 2020 Best 22

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2016 Premiership Side:

B: Jason Johannisen Joel Hamling Matthew Boyd
HB: Shane Biggs Dale Morris Easton Wood
C: Lachie Hunter Marcus Bontempelli Liam Picken
HF: Jackson Macrae Zaine Cordy Jake Stringer
F: Tory Dickson Tom Boyd Clay Smith
Foll: Jordan Roughead Luke Dahlhaus Tom Liberatore
Int: Toby McLean Fletcher Roberts Josh Dunkley Caleb Daniel
Coach: Luke Beveridge

Injuries: Bob Murphy Mitch Wallis Matthew Suckling Lin Jong (great VFL GF, but a Q on the shoulder) Marcus Adams Stew Crameri (ASADA)
Depth: Minson, Redpath, Campbell, Collins, Stevens, Hrovat, Prudden, Hamilton, Honeychurch (ALL Gone within 2 years)



Definition: > = means replacing, not necessarily better than.



2020 (my) Best 22 Side:

B: Jason Johannisen Lewis Young Matthew Suckling ----- (Lewis Young > Joel Hamling, Matthew Suckling > Matthew Boyd)
HB: Hayden Crozier Alex Keath Easton Wood ----- (Hayden Crozier > Shane Biggs, Alex Keath > Dale Morris)
C: Lachie Hunter Marcus Bontempelli Caleb Daniel ----- (Caleb Daniel > Liam Picken)
HF: Sam Lloyd Aaron Naughton Josh Schache ----- (All > Jack Macrae, Zaine Cordy, Jake Stringer)
F: Bailey Dale Josh Bruce Toby McLean ----- (All > Tory Dickson Tom Boyd Clay Smith
Foll: Tim English Jackson Macrae Josh Dunkley ----- (All > Jordan Roughead, Luke Dahlhaus, Tom Liberatore)
Int: Ed Richards Bailey Smith Tom Liberatore Patrick Lipinksi ----- (All > McLean Roberts Dunkley Daniel)
Emerg: Bailey Williams Jackson Trengove Mitch Wallis Taylor Duryea/Tory Dickson
Coach: Luke Beveridge

Depth: Cordy, West, La Young, Jong, Hayes, Greene, Gowers, Vandermeer, Lynch, Cavarra, Porter, Khamis, Sweet, Pick 13 & 53



Players from 2016 GF: 11 (with 6 retired, 4 traded/free agency, 1 delisted shortly)

Backline/Defenders: Looks a little more mobile. Probably more intercept ability.

Forwardline/Forwards: Overall looks more potent, three talls who play varying styles. Two of them very good contested marks.

Mids/Followers: A lot of the 11 in the 2016 side have continued to develop well. Bonts another BF & AA, Hunter BF, Macrae AA, Daniel & McLean are continuing to develop. Bonts, Macrae & Dunkley racking up 100+ disposals a game easily in this year.

Newer Players: Dunkley is now a gun, Lipinski also impressing, Smith has grunt, run and carry and is a beast, English adds a fair bit too, Naughton & Schache with Bruce will get to another level. Pick 13 should bring in another good player who might surprise with plenty of first year games like Naughton, Dunkley, Richrds & Smith.

Experience: Wood, Trengove, Suckling, Duryea, Bruce, Libba, Wallis, Keath, Dickson.
Age 25+: 15 players
100+ Games: JJ, Libba, Wood, Bontempelli, Hunter, Trengove, Suckling, Wallis, Macrae, Crozier, Duryea, Dickson (McLean, Lloyd & Daniel May get to 100 next year) - up to 15 players by years end.
50-100 Games: Up to 10 players by years end.

Players from other teams: Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Fremantle, Brisbane, Richmond, St Kilda, Hawthorn, Carlton (via Footscray)
VFL Teams drawn from: Footscray, Williamstown, North Adelaide, Bendigo


If the gameplan is right. If the selections are right. If our injuries are managed well. The team next year, I think, compares favourably with the skill and ability of the 2016 team, leaving aside some amazing performances by individual players (some who never got near that level again). With the age profile, we still have a very many players with significant development to come from 2020 onwards. A bunch of exciting kids coming into the squad in next year too, and the (now called) Martin Money ($700,000) in spare salary cap. The expectation of top 4, is it in 2020 or 2021?