On Paper - 2018: Best and Worst Defense, Midfield and Forward Lines?

[Rack Watts]

G'day BFFs from BF.

Just wondering who everyone thinks has the best and worst defense, midfield and forward line 2018 on paper?

I think West Coast have the best defense.
Geelong have the best midfield.
Adelaide have the best forward line.

North Melbourne have the worst defense.
Gold Coast have the worst midfield.
Western Bulldogs or Collingwood have the worst forward line.

Who do you guys think looks best/worst on paper?

 

[LeppaMessiah]

I would definitely be editing that OP before the Richmond supporters come along and find out you don't rate them the best at anything.

 

[adammania9]

Midfield
Best - Geelong (Ablett, Selwood, Dangerfield, Duncan)
Worst - Gold Coast (no stars, no leaders)

Highly rate Richmond's, GWS' and Adelaide's midfield too as the next best

Back line
Best - Richmond (led by Rance, supported by Grimes/Astbury, quality service from Houli, Grigg, Broad etc)
Worst - again, Gold Coast (too many similar types, only May is an established stopper, rest tend to be attackers/rebounders hence why they concede so many points)

Most teams have pretty stable back lines I think, the other best few being Power, Swans and Crows.

Forward line
Best - Crows (Bombers close, but the Crows forward line is top of the line yet again)
Worst - Carlton (all over the joint, still relying on mostly midfielders to deliver the goods)

Like Essendon's, Port and Sydney's forward lines.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

G'day BFFs from BF.

Just wondering who everyone thinks has the best and worst defense, midfield and forward line 2018 on paper?

I think West Coast have the best defense.
Geelong have the best midfield.
Adelaide have the best forward line.

North Melbourne have the worst defense.
Gold Coast have the worst midfield.
Western Bulldogs or Collingwood have the worst forward line.

Who do you guys think looks best/worst on paper?

I wouldn't have said north's defence is that bad. If you said worst midfield, I wouldn't have disagreed too much.

 

[Rack Watts]

I wouldn't have said north's defence is that bad. If you said worst midfield, I wouldn't have disagreed too much.

Cunnington and Ziebell is better than what the Suns have at the moment IMO. My boys would kill for either of those two. I guess Tarrant is a gun and McDonald goes alright, really struggling with the defense one.

 

[juss]

I'm not sure about "on paper", but games aren't won on paper.
In practice, Richmond have the best defence in the league.
Rance, Astbury, Grimes, Ellis, Vlastuin, Houli and Broad.
These guys kept Geelong to 40 points, GWS to 67 and Adelaide to 60 points in finals.

Say what you will about the talent of the makeshift forward line and such, but the defence is absolute rock solid, and rarely beaten.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Cunnington and Ziebell is better than what the Suns have at the moment IMO. My boys would kill for either of those two. I guess Tarrant is a gun and McDonald goes alright, really struggling with the defense one.

Agreed with defences, they are really hard to judge in comparison to the other two lines.

 

[Rack Watts]

I'm not sure about "on paper", but games aren't won on paper.
In practice, Richmond have the best defence in the league.

By that logic, you also have the best forward line and best midfield.
I am saying, who has the best individual pieces in the defensive team.
On paper, beyond Houli and Rance your defense is average IMO even though Vlastuin had a REALLY good grand final.
I guess Rance is one of those rare players who adds +3 to DEF to each player around him, he has an aura.

 

[Rack Watts]

Agreed with defences, they are really hard to judge in comparison to the other two lines.

I think that's why the "on paper" thing is cool, seeing as it's the off-season and we only have the strength of individual pieces to go by.
On paper, Essendon's defensive pieces in Hooker, Hurley, Ambrose, McGrath, Gleeson and McKenna look good, however in practice Hooker, an AA CHB played forward, McGrath will probably go to the midfield and Ambrose our negator was injured most of the year.

 

[JayJ20]

Best midfield:
Geelong

Worst midfield:
Gold Coast

Best forwardline:
Essendon

Worst forwardline:
Carlton

Best defence:
Richmond

Worst defence:
Brisbane

 

[Lsta062]

I am not going to do the worst for now, but I'll try the best off the top of my head, so there could be a few I could have left out.

Midfield: Geelong.
Others: GWS, Adelaide, Richmond, Port Adelaide

Forward line: Essendon.
Others: Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane (contentious, but I personally rate Brisbane's forward line highly)

Defence: Richmond.
Others: Sydney, Essendon, Port Adelaide, Melbourne.
I have included Essendon because their actual back 6 are a pretty decent group on paper.

 

[Rack Watts]

Port's midfield is pretty underrated, that's a good point Lsta062
Maybe we underrate the Dogs midfield too.

 

[Lsta062]

Port's midfield is pretty underrated, that's a good point Lsta062
Maybe we underrate the Dogs midfield too.

See, that is why I put the "off the top of my head" disclaimer because I forgot about the Bulldogs. Their midfield is definitely up there IMO.

 

[Power Raid]

yep would agree re the best being the eagles, cats and the crows

 

[Rack Watts]

See, that is why I put the "off the top of my head" disclaimer because I forgot about the Bulldogs. Their midfield is definitely up there IMO.

Yeah, you did well. I actually forgot about Melbourne's defense.
Neville Jetta, Oscar McDonald, Jake Lever, Sam Frost, Michael Hibberd.
STRONK.

Neville Jetta would be the best negating small/medium defender in the league apart from Nick Smith.
Hibberd is a rebounding freak, Lever is too. Sam frost and Oscar McDonald are rocks.

 

[DontArgue4]

By that logic, you also have the best forward line and best midfield.
I am saying, who has the best individual pieces in the defensive team.
On paper, beyond Houli and Rance your defense is average IMO even though Vlastuin had a REALLY good grand final.
I guess Rance is one of those rare players who adds +3 to DEF to each player around him, he has an aura.

Didnt rate astbury and grimes this year? two of the better stoppers in the league. Also underselling Vlastuin big time.

Might help to pay attention a little more when you watch us play, as amazing as Rance is hes definitely not a one man band.

Best Mid: Cats
Worst Mid: Suns

Best Fwd: Crows
Worst Fwd: Blues

Best Defence: Tigers
Worst Defence: Suns

 

[Rack Watts]

Didnt rate astbury and grimes this year? two of the better stoppers in the league.

It's not that I don't rate them, I just think that they're good, average players, who Rance makes look better.

I think that Melbourne, Geelong, West Coast, Essendon, Adelaide and Sydney with all their players played in position look better on paper.

 

[Thats Wright]

Wood Waite Higgins

.......Brown .....

Turner, Garner, Simpkin

On its day as good as any forward line but yes, Waite is hard to judge.

 

[Lsta062]

Yeah, you did well. I actually forgot about Melbourne's defense.
Neville Jetta, Oscar McDonald, Jake Lever, Sam Frost, Michael Hibberd.
STRONK.

Neville Jetta would be the best negating small/medium defender in the league apart from Nick Smith.
Hibberd is a rebounding freak, Lever is too. Sam frost and Oscar McDonald are rocks.

Yep, and adding Lever may just end up rocketing their defence to the top 3-4 in the league. This strengthening of their defence would be huge IMO in the context of their 2018 season.

 

[Rack Watts]

Wood Waite Higgins

.......Brown .....

Turner, Garner, Simpkin

On its day as good as any forward line but yes, Waite is hard to judge.

Brown is an exceptional player.
Higgins is very good, as is Garner.

The rest (even though Wood has the makings of a star) are just potential at this stage IMO.

On its day, does it beat

H: Tom Lynch, Taylor Walker, Riley Knight
F: Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, Mitch McGovern

or

HF: Jake Stringer, Joe Daniher, Devon Smith
F: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, James Stewart, Orazio Fantasia

?

Copied from http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-10-21/best-22-how-your-club-could-line-up-in-2018

 

[Rack Watts]

Is Adelaide's forward line too tall now?

 

[Thats Wright]

Brown is an exceptional player.
Higgins is very good, as is Garner.

The rest (even though Wood has the makings of a star) are just potential at this stage IMO.

Considering both Brown and Waite have both been considered the best forward in the caper at stages over the last 2 years, it's a good starting point for a paper line.

Wood has been pushed between the cracks to a degree of sharing with resting ruckmen and space cloggers like Thomas.

 

[Lsta062]

Wood Waite Higgins

.......Brown .....

Turner, Garner, Simpkin

On its day as good as any forward line but yes, Waite is hard to judge.

That's actually quite a decent forward line.

 

[Thats Wright]

Brown is an exceptional player.
Higgins is very good, as is Garner.

The rest (even though Wood has the makings of a star) are just potential at this stage IMO.

On its day, does it beat

H: Tom Lynch, Taylor Walker, Riley Knight
F: Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, Mitch McGovern

or

HF: Jake Stringer, Joe Daniher, Devon Smith
F: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, James Stewart, Orazio Fantasia

?

Copied from http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-10-21/best-22-how-your-club-could-line-up-in-2018

You do have to take into account midfield supply, rebound, delivery, coaching, tactics, ladder etc but the smalls output hasn't reached their potential.

Would be up there though, at least for next season and weighted for Waite.

 

[Substance]

I would definitely be editing that OP before the Richmond supporters come along and find out you don't rate them the best at anything.

Won't matter to them they have the best pressure all over the ground which is more important.