Our Best 22

[Axe Man]

Re: Our Best 22

Depending on practice match and training form I would be tempted to swap Josh Schache for Rhylee West. Give Schache room to move, and an area to lead into. Bruce's opponent is then left an unenviable choice. It would certainly assist both players to play one out and avoid being two teamed. However Rhylee West is much to good a prospect to leave out. I would drop Mitch Hannan (for now) for Rhylee in the forward pocket, rotating through the midfield. Our new Clay Smith if you like.

No way we can play Bruce, Naughton, English and Schache forward. 3 of them may already be too many.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Our Best 22

I want to find a way to get Richards into the back six. He can actually defend and is good in contested situations, which Crozier/Williams/JJ/Cordy are not. Richards' biggest issue is staying involved/accumulating enough ball further up the field, but he competes well and his highlights would show him winning 1-v-1s and 1-v-2s more often than not.

The back 6 really, REALLY concerns me.

Keath - Best of the lot, picks himself, but should be a second KPD who can read the play to take intercept marks. He can't play to his strengths under our current setup.

Williams - Good player who can take a mark and rebounds well, but still isn't a great defender.

JJ - Questionable if he's consistently in our best 22. At his most prolific sure, but we don't see it enough. He's not a good defender at all.

Daniel - Good defender and does almost everything right, but size counts against him. The Saints final burns and is an insight into how even ordinary players (Geary) can exploit this.

Crozier - Decent player but had a poor 2020 for the most part. He isn't a great defender but his ability to leap hides this a little.

Wood - Questionable he's best 22. No longer an intercept player, has done some OK lockdown roles at times.

Cordy - Shouldn't be best 22. Not a good defender at all. Has some aggression which is the reason he gets games (along with the fact that we have so few KPD options).

Duryea - Agree he does go to ground too often, but he's really our only small-medium defender who defends first, attacks second. Injury prone which doesn't help. I think we need him because of how imbalanced we are and I rate his leadership.

[comrade]

Re: Our Best 22

My back six for round 1 is:

Williams Keath Crozier
Daniel Gardner Richards

with both Duryea and JJ on the bench.

I think half back will be the making of Richards as a player. Just doesn't have the ball winning ability to play further up the field and under pressure, his kicking can be very hit and miss. Setting up from defence, he has more time and space to use his speed and left peg as a weapon.

It's a very precarious defensive group and can easily get torn to shreds if the midfield doesn't do it's part.

[Rocket Science]

Re: Our Best 22

I want to find a way to get Richards into the back six. He can actually defend and is good in contested situations, which Crozier/Williams/JJ/Cordy are not. Richards' biggest issue is staying involved/accumulating enough ball further up the field, but he competes well and his highlights would show him winning 1-v-1s and 1-v-2s more often than not.

The back 6 really, REALLY concerns me.

Keath - Best of the lot, picks himself, but should be a second KPD who can read the play to take intercept marks. He can't play to his strengths under our current setup.

Williams - Good player who can take a mark and rebounds well, but still isn't a great defender.

JJ - Questionable if he's consistently in our best 22. At his most prolific sure, but we don't see it enough. He's not a good defender at all.

Daniel - Good defender and does almost everything right, but size counts against him. The Saints final burns and is an insight into how even ordinary players (Geary) can exploit this.

Crozier - Decent player but had a poor 2020 for the most part. He isn't a great defender but his ability to leap hides this a little.

Wood - Questionable he's best 22. No longer an intercept player, has done some OK lockdown roles at times.

Cordy - Shouldn't be best 22. Not a good defender at all. Has some aggression which is the reason he gets games (along with the fact that we have so few KPD options).

Duryea - Agree he does go to ground too often, but he's really our only small-medium defender who defends first, attacks second. Injury prone which doesn't help. I think we need him because of how imbalanced we are and I rate his leadership.

In furious agreement, not least of all with regard to who replaces Duryea & Wood who, despite our keenness to move on both still command a spot because our ranks of blokes who can actually defend is anxiety inducing and the fact we've still no natural opponent for any quality tall or small who happens to be in the mood and needs quelling.

Maybe the plan is to simply play a lot of 'keepings off' this year.

[comrade]

Re: Our Best 22

So how do we see it after today's game?

For mine, I think our best 22 for rd 1 looks like this right now:

Williams Keath Duryea*
Daniel Naughton Richards
Smith Libba Hunter
Bont English West
Wallis Bruce Cavarra
Martin Macrae Treloar
Dunkley JJ Vandermeer Lipinski

* I have Crozier missing

How I think we'll line up:

Williams Keath Scott
Daniel Gardner Duryea
Macrae Libba Hunter
Dale Naughton West
English Bruce Wallis
Martin Bont Treloar
Dunkley Smith Vandermeer Lipinski

[Ozza]

Re: Our Best 22

B: Williams; Keath; Wood (if available)
HB: Daniel; Gardner; Scott
C: Hunter; Bont; Smith
HF: Lipinski; Naughton; Liberatore
F: Wallis; Bruce; English
R: Martin; Macrae; Treloar
Int: Dunkley; McNeil;Dale; West

[comrade]

Re: Our Best 22

B: Williams; Keath; Wood (if available)
HB: Daniel; Gardner; Scott
C: Hunter; Bont; Smith
HF: Lipinski; Naughton; Liberatore
F: Wallis; Bruce; English
R: Martin; Macrae; Treloar
Int: Dunkley; McNeil;Dale; West

Vandermeer misses due to injury or not in your best 22?