2025 Starting Line-Up

[Uninformed]

Is it better to rotate 6-8 mids through there for more energy, or keep the obvious best 4 there for longer game time?

[Guest]

So Gards as back up for if Jones or Lobb get injured?

I think he still sits behind JOD, Buss and Buku

[Guest]

Appreciate the comments mate - love talking this stuff!



That's fine - so are you dropping Jones or Lobb?

We can't play with 4-tall backs. This is why MC is hard - at this time of year there aren't enough spots for all the 'good players'. After round 6 we don't have enough depth to name 22! I'm all for your plan of JOD and Buss and that's probably the future. I just can't see how it's 2025.



Happy enough with this explanation I just don't see Sanders as a forward. To me he is 'clever' in traffic but not great at finding space ahead of the ball...basically I don't think he has the craft to make it as a full-time forward and he doesn't hunt the oppo enough to make it as a pressure forward...plus - he 'wants' to get the ball 25x ('cos that's what he's always done). It sounds stupid I know but sometimes you need role-players who are happy to go on dummy leads 70m out of position where the ball is UNLIKELY to go just to create space...VDM in particularly will do that. Because Sanders wants to HAVE the footy, he (seemingly) wont.



West has certainly done well in that role. Weightman is just a good player. Garcia is a mid though, let's be honest and whilst he plays tenacious footy hunting the oppo isn't really his go. He's a ball winner first/second/third.

Jones and Lobb are both at the back end of their careers its a difficult call, the reality is we have healthy competition for key backs. We can only hope that McNeil and VDM’s disposal improves I agree they spread the ground really well and open up play. Weightman always teases to be amazing but needs consistency. Garcia had glimpses of brilliance playing as that pressure forward similar traits to Clay Smith but yes he is an inside mid. Sanders is a good ball user and will get his opportunity with macrae out but agree isn’t a forward. You just hope come Round 1 everyone is healthy as at selection time it’s a good problem to have.

[Danny Delre]

How do we fit jones, lobb, buss and jod in the one team. I guess we can choose between jod and buss based on form

[Grantysghost]

How do we fit jones, lobb, buss and jod in the one team. I guess we can choose between jod and buss based on form

I don't think they all can be in the one team.

You'd probably expect Jones, JOD and Lobb to be the first cabs off the rank if history is any guide.

[GVGjr]

I think he still sits behind JOD, Buss and Buku

I think so as well but unless there is a specific match-up in mind.
Given training runs so far he's preparing for a ruck future.

[mjp]

Is it better to rotate 6-8 mids through there for more energy, or keep the obvious best 4 there for longer game time?

The problem isn't runnibg 6-8 through there...the problem is having 6-8 who genuinely embrace the secondary roles they need to play.

I guess that's called being a team but it isn't always easy. I think (for example) Adam Treloar is ALL team...but he is just so much better at playing inside mid than he is at doing anything else...I think ideally MORE rotate through but you can't afford to become worse at two positions whilst the change-overs happen...

[mjp]

Sanders is the one that I think I would change based on the feedback.

I think we all love Sanders but he needs to get ahead of Richards as a mid and Richards go back to half-back...

Of course, that means he needs to play at an AA level ('cos that's what Richards did). If he does that - and he is talented enough - then we win the flag as long as Bont, Darcy and English stay on the park. it's pretty simple right??

[Rusty12]

Updated best starting 22, after some well-made arguments above.
Backs:
Bramble - Jones - JOD
Dale - Lobb - Freijah

Wing: Truck - M Kennedey

On-Ball: English - Libba - Bont - Trelor

FWD:
Weightman - Darcy - West
McNeil - Naughton - Richards (High half forward, 4th Mid/usually a 5 man forward line anyway)


Int: Sanders - Duyrea - Marra - JJ
Sub: Gallagher
Emerg: Bus, Harmes - Garcia

[Uninformed]

The problem isn't runnibg 6-8 through there...the problem is having 6-8 who genuinely embrace the secondary roles they need to play.

I guess that's called being a team but it isn't always easy. I think (for example) Adam Treloar is ALL team...but he is just so much better at playing inside mid than he is at doing anything else...I think ideally MORE rotate through but you can't afford to become worse at two positions whilst the change-overs happen...

Would that be an argument to have Cody run through there. Good at two positions. Then it might follow that Richards is good at two positions as is Bont. But Libba and Treloar are one position players. Sanders strikes me as a pure inside mid. But Kennedy plays mid and forward.

Balancing a team sure ain't easy!

[The Bulldogs Bite]

How do we fit jones, lobb, buss and jod in the one team. I guess we can choose between jod and buss based on form

Lobb would be first picked, the rest are an unknown. Jones has been great but I thought he had a shaky second half of the year and he struggled in the final (granted, most did).

I'm not yet convinced on JOD. Shows some signs but I would probably pick Khamis over him.

Buss is an interesting one. I don't have a strong enough read on him yet but I'm not sure he would fit Lobb and Jones. He isn't quick, and I'm not sure what his intercept game is like.

The way I see it;

Lobb - a lock. He can play in all areas of the ground.
Jones - a lock for now but time catches up quickly.
JOD - shows promise but can still get lost defensively, isn't an offensive weapon despite having nice skills.
Khamis - good intercept game, poor defensively.
Buss - unknown. Slow, but appears to be able to use angles OK.

[BontlowSzn]

I'm not yet convinced on JOD. Shows some signs but I would probably pick Khamis over him.

I agree with this. I was really bullish on him, but his year was underwhelming for mine. I know he had some injury issues and was thrown around a bit. I expected much better from him this year.

Artie Jones is one I think may surprise a few and end up in the round 1 side. He has what we need. Hoping he has a really strong pre season.

[Grantysghost]

I agree with this. I was really bullish on him, but his year was underwhelming for mine. I know he had some injury issues and was thrown around a bit. I expected much better from him this year.

Artie Jones is one I think may surprise a few and end up in the round 1 side. He has what we need. Hoping he has a really strong pre season.

It's interesting how most would have him ahead of Buku despite Khamis probably having a better season this year.

I think they're neck and neck for a spot and maybe Buku a tad in front.

[mjp]

Would that be an argument to have Cody run through there. Good at two positions. Then it might follow that Richards is good at two positions as is Bont. But Libba and Treloar are one position players. Sanders strikes me as a pure inside mid. But Kennedy plays mid and forward.

Balancing a team sure ain't easy!

I am all in - like 100%- on Weightman spending 25% of a game in the midfield.

He kicks all his goals in the first quarter then gets locked down. This MUST happen.

[mjp]

Updated best starting 22, after some well-made arguments above.
Backs:
Bramble - Jones - JOD
Dale - Lobb - Freijah

Wing: Truck - M Kennedey

On-Ball: English - Libba - Bont - Trelor

FWD:
Weightman - Darcy - West
McNeil - Naughton - Richards (High half forward, 4th Mid/usually a 5 man forward line anyway)


Int: Sanders - Duyrea - Marra - JJ
Sub: Gallagher
Emerg: Bus, Harmes - Garcia

So...

Sanders is your mid rotation?
Duryea is your defender.
Marra is your forward.
JJ is what??? Or he flips back and Freijah comes up as an outside mid? So effectively we have an extra defender?

The only thing about this is I still think we are lacking pressure in the forward half...we have West and McNeil I guess but they have no relief and there will 100% be times when you end up with 1 or potentially both of them off the ground...I just think we are going to lack ground ball...

I don't have any view of Matt Kennedy as an outside mid either but I think he's going to be forward or inside.

I think we need 7x backs (3x tall defenders, 3x medium, 1x small/lockdown).
1x Ruck
4x inside mids
3x outside mids (one simply MUST be able to play as a medium back).
3x tall forwards (one helps in the ruck).
3x medium forwards (one as the 5th inside mid)
1x genunine small forward. (We prob don't have one on the list).

Then you select an experienced running player as the sub.