WOOF Selectors Table - R1 2024

[Bullies]

It’s a position we don’t have a great plan for historically from a strategic stand point as a lay person watching us play. Really keen to see who we pick and why, and what role they play, come round one. Probably the most intriguing (and maybe less important) selection contemplations for us.

I still think long term JOD will be a wingman. Has all the attributes especially his speed and size. I can see him being the go to player out of defence and will be very hard to match up on.

[Happy Days]

Bevo wouldn?t have the balls to drop a VC, hence why Macrae was dropped from leadership group. Makes it easier to not pick him now. From whst I saw of Sanders against hawks in Launceston, no way does Macrae get picked ahead of him. I think he will be lucky to play 10 senior games this year.

You can accuse Bevo of a lot of things but a lack of balls at selection is definitely not one of them.

[GVGjr]

I still think long term JOD will be a wingman. Has all the attributes especially his speed and size. I can see him being the go to player out of defence and will be very hard to match up on.

I wouldn't rule that out either.

[meenies]

Bevo wouldn?t have the balls to drop a VC, hence why Macrae was dropped from leadership group. Makes it easier to not pick him now. From whst I saw of Sanders against hawks in Launceston, no way does Macrae get picked ahead of him. I think he will be lucky to play 10 senior games this year.

I think Mitch Wallis would disagree, plus many others from the leadership group in the past - Hunter, Trengove, Redpath, others?

[Mofra]

Bevo wouldn?t have the balls to drop a VC

Mitch Wallis begs to differ

[Bigdog]

I don?t think the result is the be all and all. If we are serious we will have changed our style over the off season (we looked to move the ball quicker in the trial games). With a tinkering of style there is likely to be teething issues and it may take time getting the balance right.

I do think this is the fittest this group has gone into Round 1 since 16.

[jazzadogs]

Bevo wouldn?t have the balls to drop a VC, hence why Macrae was dropped from leadership group. Makes it easier to not pick him now. From whst I saw of Sanders against hawks in Launceston, no way does Macrae get picked ahead of him. I think he will be lucky to play 10 senior games this year.

I don't think he's competing with Sanders for a spot. He has taken Bailey Smith's spot.

Macrae is primarily competing with Harmes, imo.

[GVGjr]

If competition for spots is a sign of strength then we are in a good place at the moment.
Lets have a look at some of the conundrum the selectors are faced with

Backline
Can we play both Duryea and Bramble or is one or the other and if so which one?
Can we play 4 tall defenders against the Dees? Jones is a walk up start, I suspect Coffield is as well but can we really round out the tall defenders with both Khamis and O'Donnell?
Then we have a question mark on Dale fitness. How much of a risk are we prepared to take? Next weeks training is a huge indicator.

Midfield
Is Macrae still a midfielder in our selectors eyes?
Who players on the wings? Williams is just about a lock but Gallagher has emerged as a counter against Baker and Poulter.
Could Bramble be given a role on a wing for a week or could Harmes be used there?
Bontempelli, Liberatore, Treloar and now Sanders are locks for the main midfield rotation but Harmes will no doubt get involved as well.
Is Daniel part of a midfield rotation or is he now primarily a forward or spare parts player for us?

Forwards
Does it get any better than Lobb vs Darcy for a key forward and back-up ruckman role? Can we play both of them?
Marra, Naughton, Weightman and Harmes are locks but we also have McNeil, West and Vandermeer to add to our defensive efforts and goal kicking options plus if Daniel plays it will be mainly as a forward.

This is the most open R1 selection challenges I can recall with at least 28 players genuinely in the mix and that isn't including Scott who's acknowledged as a very good depth player and with Baz Smith out for the season with an injury and Arty Jones with a skill set we really rate.

The selectors have some challenges in front of them this week.

[Prince Imperial]

My round 1 team based on practice match form and match fitness:

Coffield Jones Bramble
Johannisen Khamis Richards
Williams Liberatore Harmes
West Naughton McNeil
Lobb Ugle-Hagan Weightman
English Bontempelli
Treloar
Sanders Daniel Macrae O'Donnell
Scott (sub)

O'Donnell is my last one picked. I think we don't need him this week against the Melbourne forward line with its lack of quality talls but we are going to need him thereafter including in Round 2 given GC's three tall forwards and playing at the AFL level will help with that. It's not just about round 1.

I assume Dale won't be fit and nobody else is really knocking down the door except for Darcy who won't be picked due to team balance (I don't think Gallagher is ready). Pickett ran amok against us last year when Duryea was in the team. If Dale is fit, however, I would play him against the Demons rather than JOD because of his quality and real attacking ability.

[Jeanette54]

Inline with my regular beef about us long bombing to the forwards, I want Caleb Daniel somewhere he can regularly deliver the ball into the forwards. All of the talls (Naughts, Lobb and Marra) are so much better when they can run onto a ball. Pack marks look great, but are highly ineffective as a means of maintaining possession. Both Marra and Naughts have a great vertical leap, and well, Lobb is just tall. It also protects them somewhat from contact injury.

Also, with our poor goal kicking record, it would help immensely if we didn't deliver it to them at difficult angles to goal.

Also is it possible Tim or Rory might employ "Grundy tactics" to negate Max Gawn at the centre bounces? It seemed to stop Melbourne exploding out of the center bounces. I was a bit surprised that the umps deemed it a legal tactic.

[angelopetraglia]

If we have players who will be making their debut in our colours, I'm sure it will be drip fed through the week. A little like Melbourne did last week. I'm not too sure we are going to have to wait until Thursday to see all of the team.

[jeemak]

Are we changing this back to the Always Right MC thread this week?

[jeemak]

Inline with my regular beef about us long bombing to the forwards, I want Caleb Daniel somewhere he can regularly deliver the ball into the forwards. All of the talls (Naughts, Lobb and Marra) are so much better when they can run onto a ball. Pack marks look great, but are highly ineffective as a means of maintaining possession. Both Marra and Naughts have a great vertical leap, and well, Lobb is just tall. It also protects them somewhat from contact injury.

Also, with our poor goal kicking record, it would help immensely if we didn't deliver it to them at difficult angles to goal.

Also is it possible Tim or Rory might employ "Grundy tactics" to negate Max Gawn at the centre bounces? It seemed to stop Melbourne exploding out of the center bounces. I was a bit surprised that the umps deemed it a legal tactic.

It's a bit of a conundrum as to whether we move the ball more quickly and effectively, and therefor to better forward positions if we have Daniel getting it moving in the defensive thirds of the ground versus the forward thirds. Don't know the answer.

[Mavericks]

It's a bit of a conundrum as to whether we move the ball more quickly and effectively, and therefor to better forward positions if we have Daniel getting it moving in the defensive thirds of the ground versus the forward thirds. Don't know the answer.

Smarter ball movement looking at angles like swans did in second half is the deal against the Dees with Lever and May. Daniel has to play a high half forward/wing role for me.

[Mofra]

If we have players who will be making their debut in our colours, I'm sure it will be drip fed through the week. A little like Melbourne did last week. I'm not too sure we are going to have to wait until Thursday to see all of the team.

May as well get the obvious ones - Sander & Harmes - out the way early.

The 'maybes' (Bramble & Gags) will have to wait