2025 Starting Line-Up

[Brody23]

Confident for a reason.

I'm gonna call truce before I say anything else I'm gonna regret.

Also confident for a reason and this (MJP perspective) is more in line with my experiences in multiple environments.
I can see how if you were in recruitment or talent ID you may be looking at skill sets etc
anyway great discussion, enjoy the passion.

[Grantysghost]

For me, its not that we should initiate a trade - but if he has a desire to move clubs, then we need to be extracting maximum value in return for him because he has so many elite traits. His last two seasons are seriously just better conversion away from being near AA conversations, imo (EF not included, that was trash).

Are we really going to trade Marra for Butters or Gulden? No, I wouldn't have thought so - but if it happens, the return needs to be immense.

Fair.

Here's a question for you if you had to choose.

Marra or Bevo?

[Rusty12]

Pretty sure for a while there Gallagher was the lowest rated player (please - can we not debate the accuracy or otherwise of the CD rankings and just acknowledge they are ONE measure of a players impact on games) to have ever played 10+ games in a season...or something. If I wasn't so lazy I'd look it up.

He certainly got a LOT of games last year that he did not necessarily earn through on-field performance.

Anyway - he seems like a nice person and I think we all hope for improved on-field output in 2025.

100% agree with you here. Hopefully the investment last year, pays off this year.

[jazzadogs]

Fair.

Here's a question for you if you had to choose.

Marra or Bevo?

Hmmm...there are too many factors in there. My answer is...whatever Bont wants.

[Rusty12]

Okay, so with training reports coming in, the best 22, for the start of the year is......
Combination of my own bias and training reports.

Backs:
Bramble - Jones - JOD
Dale - Lobb - JJ

Outside: Williams - Freijah

Inside: English - Bont - Trelor - Libba

Forward:
Weightman - Darcy - West
VDM - Naughton - Richards

Int: Marra - Mcneil - Sanders - M Kennedy

Sub: Garcia

Int: Kamis - Davidson - L Kennedy - Gallagher

[mjp]

Okay, so with training reports coming in, the best 22, for the start of the year is......
Combination of my own bias and training reports.

Backs:
Bramble - Jones - JOD
Dale - Lobb - JJ

Outside: Williams - Freijah

Inside: English - Bont - Trelor - Libba

Forward:
Weightman - Darcy - West
VDM - Naughton - Richards

Int: Marra - Mcneil - Sanders - M Kennedy

Sub: Garcia

Int: Kamis - Davidson - L Kennedy - Gallagher

SO:

Who is the back rotator or does Williams/Freijah slide and McNeil (or someone) primarily play that outside mid role?

You have a lot of mids with inside bias: Bont - Trelor - Libba - Kennedy - Richards - Sanders...how do you see this playing out?

I actually think it's all pretty much fine and if you moved Freijah to the bench as the defensive rotator, selected the 2nd winger you wanted and lost a player from the bench it would be a pretty balanced/versatile side. Once again I think Garcia and Sanders are going to be pushing s uphill to get into the midfield given the construction of our team and - whilst everything will work out by round 8-12 - some players are going to have very good pre-seasons but be unable to get a game because of balance.

I'm actually struggling with the inside mid combination right now because I think Richards (last year) was better than Liber...I'm curious as to how it plays out.

[azabob]

Can anyone help me make a case for Khamis over O'Donnell as the third tall?

I really like the attacking nature Khamis brings in the air and as the season progressed Khamis one-on-one defending improved.

[Rusty12]

SO:

Who is the back rotator or does Williams/Freijah slide and McNeil (or someone) primarily play that outside mid role?

You have a lot of mids with inside bias: Bont - Trelor - Libba - Kennedy - Richards - Sanders...how do you see this playing out?

I actually think it's all pretty much fine and if you moved Freijah to the bench as the defensive rotator, selected the 2nd winger you wanted and lost a player from the bench it would be a pretty balanced/versatile side. Once again I think Garcia and Sanders are going to be pushing s uphill to get into the midfield given the construction of our team and - whilst everything will work out by round 8-12 - some players are going to have very good pre-seasons but be unable to get a game because of balance.

I'm actually struggling with the inside mid combination right now because I think Richards (last year) was better than Liber...I'm curious as to how it plays out.

Good Question: Keen to see others teams too.
Firstly, I used inside and outside!

100%, I have Williams and Freijah dropping back as needed.
I have Richards outperforming Libba and Trelor next year, and just defaulted to Libba and Trelor in the inside spot, and one half forward spot as that 4th inside key rotation. Subtle way of saying I would rather Richards receiving the ball, and being the one delivering inside 50.

Definitely inside mid heavy, but if Sanders, Garcia and M Kennedy are going to play, they have to fill role similar to Jack Mcrae/Daniel last year, and if Freijah or Williams have to go back, then need the cover. Putting some faith in the opinions of others Mcneil can fil more than just a small forward role. If they can't function in those Mcrae/Daniel minutes, like you say, it is a log-jam and the VFL mid-field group is going to be scary.
In the absence of really good outside players, I guess use the talent you have and do the best with it.


Do you see someone like Davidson as a red hot chance considering this? Or this explains the investment into Gallagher last year?

[mjp]

Good Question: Keen to see others teams too.
Firstly, I used inside and outside!

I appreciate you!

100%, I have Williams and Freijah dropping back as needed.

Yep - makes sense. I think using an outside mid as the 7th defender helps keep our best players on the ground as well...3x players in an outside mid rotation really doesn't work - they NEED an extra role to keep game time up over 75%...including them with the backs makes this pretty simple.

I have Richards outperforming Libba and Trelor next year, and just defaulted to Libba and Trelor in the inside spot, and one half forward spot as that 4th inside key rotation. Subtle way of saying I would rather Richards receiving the ball, and being the one delivering inside 50.

Same. I'm kind of curious right now if Macrae 2024 and Liber 2025 end up with similar sort of game-time numbers? I don't know - I think Richards HAS to be inside the square at CBD's...

Definitely inside mid heavy, but if Sanders, Garcia and M Kennedy are going to play, they have to fill role similar to Jack Mcrae/Daniel last year, and if Freijah or Williams have to go back, then need the cover. Putting some faith in the opinions of others Mcneil can fil more than just a small forward role. If they can't function in those Mcrae/Daniel minutes, like you say, it is a log-jam and the VFL mid-field group is going to be scary.
In the absence of really good outside players, I guess use the talent you have and do the best with it.

I'm at the same point. I just wonder if we would be better off picking players for their roles rather than trying to force the best 23 players into the side...I kind of think if we already have Liber, Bont, Richards, Treloar and M. Kennedy, well - we just don't 'NEED' both of Garcia and Sanders...we might not need either (particularly if Weightman spending time in the mids is anywhere near our plans). It's a real challenge right now.

Do you see someone like Davidson as a red hot chance considering this? Or this explains the investment into Gallagher last year?

I have barely watched Davidson play so it's hard to say. Gallagher is down the list for me because I think he got too many games he shouldn't have last year...I think this year he needs to nail a role.

Honestly - I think if Davidson or Gallagher (or even McNeil) COULD play outside mid and we played Freijah and Williams in floating outside mid/running defender roles then we're really starting to get somewhere in terms of having a balanced side with defined roles for each player...Whilst I DO want to see a few more going through the inside roles (Weightman, West + the likes of Sanders and Garcia and even Gallagher) if we can't 'lock down' the rest of the side we are going to be flipping magnets all season...

[Mofra]

Are we banking on Naughton to 100% be ok for round 1? He seems to have spent most of the pre-seson in the rehab group and for a guy who plays up the ground, it's concerning.

[Garbs_7]

Are we banking on Naughton to 100% be ok for round 1? He seems to have spent most of the pre-seson in the rehab group and for a guy who plays up the ground, it's concerning.

Hugely important player so I hope so. I think the slower pre-season start is fully expected and planned out from all reports and still plenty of time to get a big fitness base behind him before round 1.

[Uninformed]

Okay, so with training reports coming in, the best 22, for the start of the year is......
Combination of my own bias and training reports.

Backs:
Bramble - Jones - JOD
Dale - Lobb - JJ

Outside: Williams - Freijah

Inside: English - Bont - Trelor - Libba

Forward:
Weightman - Darcy - West
VDM - Naughton - Richards

Int: Marra - Mcneil - Sanders - M Kennedy

Sub: Garcia

Int: Kamis - Davidson - L Kennedy - Gallagher

Thanks for yours and MJP's input. Really enjoyed being a fly on the wall for the discussion following this.

[jeemak]

Feeling more and more that we need to play Sanders no matter what if he's in ripping condition and has a great match simulation and preseason match form line under his belt. So while I agree we should try to avoid just squeezing our best players into roles that don't suit them where we can, he's an exception.

Libba and Treloar may not be trustworthy physically pretty quickly, I'd prefer him to be rolling into the inside role having been playing at the level for a while.

[weltschmerz]

FB: Duryea, Jones, Buss/JOD
HB: Bramble, Lobb, Dale
C: Williams, Libba, Richards
HF: VDM, Naughton, West
FF: Weightman, Darcy, JUH
R: English, Bont, Treloar
IC: Freijah, MKennedy, Sanders, Garcia
Sub: JJ

[Jasper]

FB: Duryea, Jones, Buss/JOD
HB: Bramble, Lobb, Dale
C: Williams, Libba, Richards
HF: VDM, Naughton, West
FF: Weightman, Darcy, JUH
R: English, Bont, Treloar
IC: Freijah, MKennedy, Sanders, Garcia
Sub: JJ

Good team but I have a question or two. I keep hearing in the training reports that perhaps Busslinger is a bit of a Jones clone. Can we play both at the same time and Lobb?
Also Freijah is lighting up the place, sure he has to start? No Duryea?