All Australian squad of 40

[soupman]

I'd be more than happy to have Danger, Dusty and the Bont in my forward line ahead of most other forwards in the league.

Yeah thats not the point of the side though is it? The side is meant to be a snapshot of the best players of the year collated into a team which could theoretically take the field.

Yes Dangerfield, Bont, Petracca, Martin, Fyfe etc. would all be good forward and no one would say no to playing them there, but this is a representative side of the best players this season and naming three of those guys forward is not representative of where they predominately played this year nor where they had the most impact (and thus the reason they were selected in the lineup for starters).

I mean as an example Bont was great this year, and is deserving of selection, but would he even be the best performed forward at our club? No. Would he be the best performed mid? Yes. So why is he named as a forward? I don't disagree that naming a mid/forward or two in the side is somewhat representative of how modern sides line up, but they shouldn't just be shoehorned in there because they rest there occasionally and there certainly shouldn't be three of them named in the starting lineup. In Bonts case most of our worst quarters coincided with him resting forward, and can anyone remember a single game he played this year where he was the best forward on the ground? English has arguably had more impact forward than Bont and would anyone consider him to be in AA forward form?

The side has long had a reputation for featuring a goalkicking midfielder or two on the half forward flank, which is borderline ok, I mean maybe one or two of those types is representative of how teams setup now, but to only have 3 forwards named in the entire lineup while 12 mids/rucks are named is ridiculous. If they want the side to favour mids that's fine, but cram them onto the bench. For someone like Dan Butler to have the amazing season he did, but miss out because they insisted on naming 3 mids ahead of him in his position, then two inside mids ahead of him on the bench, then a second solo ruck in the lineup is dumb. If they want to just shove the top 22 players regardless of positions into a side thats fine, but make it a top 22, not a side where you just name players in positions they rested in for maybe a quarter a game.

[GVGjr]

I just had a quick check, the average scoring effort for the forwards selected is just a combined 8 goals

Wouldn't you expect the best of the best to score a bit more heavily?

[Axe Man]

Caleb must be happy with the extra inches the photoshop guy has given him.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Caleb must be happy with the extra inches the photoshop guy has given him.

He's taller than Guthrie.

Fancy putting him next to a ruckman.

[EasternWest]

Caleb must be happy with the extra inches the photoshop guy has given him.

I'd be annoyed. What absolute whitewashing of one of the defining factors in his remarkable story.

[Axe Man]

I just had a quick check, the average scoring effort for the forwards selected is just a combined 8 goals

Wouldn't you expect the best of the best to score a bit more heavily?

Not really a great measure given the likes of Dusty, Danger and Bont would have inevitably kicked more goals as full time forwards.

Perhaps an extra forward and one less mid in the forward line would have been a better balance.

[bornadog]

He's taller than Guthrie.

Fancy putting him next to a ruckman.

I was walking into a local coffee shop late last year and Gawn was walking out. I can tell you I am taller than Caleb (not by a lot) and Gawn is a monster to look up at him.

[jeemak]

Nic Nat is tiny!

[comrade]

Liam Ryan towering over Dustin Martin is also a funny one.

[bornadog]

Liam Ryan towering over Dustin Martin is also a funny one.

and towering over Hawkins

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Interesting they photoshopped Caleb to look taller but they didn't bother photoshopping a neck onto Guthrie.

[Rocket Science]

Caleb must be happy with the extra inches the photoshop guy has given him.

Rad how the AFEL managed to gather everyone together on the set of Tron.

[Go_Dogs]

The forwards debate is an interesting one - my counter is: how many forwards to most sides actually play? I’d say most play 4 specialist forwards on the field at any given time.

[Bulldog4life]

Congrats to Jack, Marcus and Caleb. Great effort to them and also our Club to have 3 representatives in the 22.

[soupman]

The forwards debate is an interesting one - my counter is: how many forwards to most sides actually play? I’d say most play 4 specialist forwards on the field at any given time.

I took a random round this season and looked through all the sides. The average that round was 4.75 proper forwards in teams named sides, rising to 5.18 if you included second rucks that spend the majority of their time forward.

Only one side named less than 4 forwards, which was Hawthorn (although if you add Ceglar it brings it up to 4). 3 teams named 6, and a further 4 named 5 plus a second ruck that would play mostly forward. Just three sides named 4 with no second ruck.