- Jan 17, 2013
- 7,541
- 8,205
- AFL Club
- GWS
Caldwell needs to build his tank significantly. Hately will get a game before Caldwell.While I realise that it's not simply a case of replacing a departing player with a similar player (and especially because Leon tends to select the best players and work out positions afterwards), Shiel's departure surely opens up a spot for an inside/outside midfielder to some extent. Taranto could specifically fill the role, in which case it would shift slightly to a midfielder/forward - but largely the same players would be in the mix for both roles (not really being that different). So, both Bonar and Shipley from last year's draft crop, and Hately, Caldwell & O'Halloran from this year's certainly have something to focus on during their pre-season preparation. Caldwell for mine is the closest like-for-like replacement for Shiel, so if he is injury free and can show his best at training, he could certainly grab a spot early. If so, you'd think he'd get rested at some point due to his U18 injury history, so there would certainly be chances for others. Bonar, if he can get his tank up a bit, is a big chance I think for that forward/midfield role - could be devastating bursting out of centre clearances - and showed in 2018 that he can take a good grab forward. Hately a solid chance - probably not so much x-factor but a more solid (and durable) player - to get that early nod. We do really need one or two of these guys to really show something in 2019 to drive the team forward rather than stagnate (which would see us drift backwards).