Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

[Before I Die]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

I am making the assumption that players we trade for play, so Coffield and Harmes play. If Sanders is good enough to play first up, that means two extra midfielders into what’s already a crowd. Then there is the challenge of finding a spot for Darcy. I like JOD at CHB, so it comes down to Darcy or Lobb. For Round 1 Lobb wins.

So I have:

Coffield Jones Richards
Dale JOD JJ
Poulter Treloar Williams
Sanders JUH Smith
Weightman Naughton Lobb

English Bont Libba

Int: Daniel Scott Harmes Macrae
Sub: West

[Missing-Dog]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

I wouldn’t be opposed to Buku as the designated sub. Gives cover if one of the KPFs go down mid-game, allows us to start with only Jones and JOD as tall backs and come in if we need and extra tall(ish) back or no be screwed over by an in game injury. Can play as a small/mid too if he needs to replace a non-tall.

[Guest]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

Wondering what everyones thoughts are regarding Sanders for round 1 and how he will fit into our current midfield set-up. He looks ready-made for AFL.

I'd be going with

Coffield Jones Richards
JJ JOD Williams
Gallagher Treloar Williams
West Naughton Baz
Weightman Marra Lobb

English Bont Libba

Daniel Mcrae Cleary Sanders
Sub: Harmes

[SPower]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

Wondering what everyones thoughts are regarding Sanders for round 1 and how he will fit into our current midfield set-up. He looks ready-made for AFL.

I'd be going with

Coffield Jones Richards
JJ JOD Williams
Gallagher Treloar Williams
West Naughton Baz
Weightman Marra Lobb

English Bont Libba



Daniel Mcrae Cleary Sanders
Sub: Harmes

I'd be gobsmacked if Bailey Dale misses out.

[Mantis]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

Wondering what everyones thoughts are regarding Sanders for round 1 and how he will fit into our current midfield set-up. He looks ready-made for AFL.

I'd be going with

Coffield Jones Richards
JJ JOD Williams
Gallagher Treloar Williams
West Naughton Baz
Weightman Marra Lobb

English Bont Libba

Daniel Mcrae Cleary Sanders
Sub: Harmes

Nice effort.

You’ve listed Williams twice… assume you want him on a wing with Dale taking his spot at HB who is an obvious omission.

On Sanders I guess we wait and see how he performs throughout the preseason but everything so far pints to him being selected early on which makes for some healthy competition for spots.

[Mantis]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

Double post

[Grantysghost]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

Coffield Naughton Daniel
Dale Jones Richards
Poulter Macrae Baker
Smith Marra Harmes
A.Jones Lobb Weightman

English Bont Libba

Int: West, Treloar, JOD, JJ

Sub : Scott

[Bornadog]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

Coffield Naughton Daniel
Dale Jones Richards
Poulter Macrae Baker
Smith Marra Harmes
A.Jones Lobb Weightman

English Bont Libba

Int: West, Treloar, JOD, JJ

Sub : Scott

Nice try - and where is McNeil

[hujsh]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

Let's do one for round 1 this time. Realistic goggles on.

B: Johannisen L. Jones Coffield
HB: Richards O'Donnell Dale
C: Williams Macrae Bedendo
HF:Treloar Naughton Harmes
F: Lobb Ugle-Hagan Weightman
R: English Bontempelli Liberatore
I: Sanders Smith Daniel Arthur
S: Scott
E: Darcy Poulter Duryea Clarke

Well maybe a little bit of hope in a few spots

I could have put Poulter ahead of Bedendo and Scott ahead of Jones (and but I think there's reason to hope a few players might jump the queue over the course of pre-season.

The back 6 (7 if you include Daniel) pretty much picks itself. Unless you feel we need another tall in the system those are our best defenders on paper.

Wings. Williams seems the best bet to hold a spot. Baker and Poulter offer something but are just OK. Maybe Poulter will show more with a full pre-season in the system and I'm underestimating him but he seems lacking in something. Urgency? Competitive edge? I think it's easy to get lost in the wing role if you're not prepared to force yourself into the game. So why Bedendo ahead of him? Running capacity. Even if you're not fast, if you can run all day you can be an effective wingman. Like Hunter. Bedendo has come back and won the 2k so I'm going to go out on a limb and back him in to win a spot for round 1. If he can keep it once he's in the team is another question.

Mids/bench/Half forwards. Not what I'd want ideally/structurally. If all of Sanders, Macrae, Smith and Harmes demand selection (and with the possible exception of Sanders they should all do so) then we need to take a page from 2016's book and start heavily rotating players through there again. With maybe the exception of Libba everyone should be spending a decent chunk of time outside the main mid trio. Maybe Harmes/Treloar/Smith to spend a bit of time on a wing to relieve the wingers. All of Macrae, Bont, Harmes, Smith, Treloar, Sanders and even occasionally Libba need to be prepared to play forward for 30% or more of their on field time. If everyone does that there should also be less reason to whine about not getting minutes in the middle. There shouldn't be 3 players hogging it all for themselves (or being the only ones trusted maybe). Maybe it even means Weightman gets time in there to get the rotations working. Or Daniel but that interferes with the balance of the defensive rotations.

If Sanders doesn't make the round 1 team either a specialist forward comes in (Clarke? Scott?) or Daniel moves into the mid rotations and Dureya becomes one of the 7 defenders.

Forwards. Naughton, Lobb, JUH and Weightman. Assuming Lobb holds his form he stays in. If not Darcy is hopefully banging on the door.

Bench. Only player not mentioned so far is Jones. Was tempted to put Clarke in the 22 and Scott is also a very realistic chance of being ahead of him but this is effectively Clarke's first pre-season so he may not quite be there round 1. There's clearly something the club really likes about Jones. They had a spot ready for him after his pre-season last year and brought him straight in once fit. I think with another pre-season under he belt he should leapfrog Scott and earn a spot as our pressure forward, maybe rotating into the wings for stints and developing a bit in that role with an eye for the long term.

Scott becomes the ideal sub. Can fit in pretty much anywhere on the ground apart from key position posts.

[Grantysghost]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

Nice try - and where is McNeil

Naughton forward throws us so off balance I'll never understand it.

We will score goals.

Doesn't matter who kicks them.

Net goals for will be the same....

Naughton to defence...

Net goals against will drop.

It's so obvious it's making my hair go as grey as my beard BAD!

McNeil is coach.

[azabob]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

It would have been Aza messaging him that, they're super tight.

Playing catch up. We both do love a beer at the Ascot Vale Hotel.

[Guest]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

I knew I missed one, He can replace B.Williams double at hb

[Guest]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

I'd be gobsmacked if Bailey Dale misses out.

I knew I missed one, He can replace B.Williams double at hb

[PR0408]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

Great summary. I’ll have a go at my best 23 shortly.
one thing I want to mention is arty jones is he a natural fwd when he lost confidence and went back to vfl, I watched him not touch the ball for nearly 3/4. I felt for him. Then he was moved to half back and he looked brilliant. Great run and carry along with great pressure. I think he could become like Daniel Rioli. Obviously he needs to improve his one one club contest but I think it’s worth a shot.

[Bornadog]

Re: Best/Starting 23, Round 1 2024

Great summary. I’ll have a go at my best 23 shortly.
one thing I want to mention is arty jones is he a natural fwd when he lost confidence and went back to vfl, I watched him not touch the ball for nearly 3/4. I felt for him. Then he was moved to half back and he looked brilliant. Great run and carry along with great pressure. I think he could become like Daniel Rioli. Obviously he needs to improve his one one club contest but I think it’s worth a shot.

He has been more a winger, not a forward, so may be HBF could be a role he could play.