Prediction 2021 Consensus Best 22 [DONE FOR ANOTHER YEAR]

[FlowersByIrene]

I wrap it up and move on to the backs today. Patience, Danielsan.

FIRE IT UP

 

[Matty411]

The votes are in!

With understandably the highest votes, our starting on-ballers will be Crippa (157 votes), Setters (152) and Sam Walsh

18

Sam Walsh

Age

23

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.1

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

11.6

5star

M

5.1

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

3.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

26.2

5star

K

15.4

5star

HB

10.8

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

4.8

5star

(153). The makeup of this group won't be exact and will move around due to their flexibility, but the other 2 x starting mid/wings will be new Blue Zac Williams (144) and Ed Curnow (122).

Rounding out the rotation will be SPS, who tallied the sixth highest ahead of a large group of chasers with 49 votes.

Honourable mentions were: Murphy (38), Martin (21) and Dow (19).

OP updated and defenders vote coming very soon.

 

[Matty411]

Far smaller group this time so it's really only a choice (realistically) between 8 or 9 players.

Came down to a toss up for me between Marchy and Newman. I went the latter but could easily go the other way (as it did in consensus/real vote last year).

Taking Simmo, SPS out and not having Williams made it a little simpler.

 

[Stamos]

Backline is by far the easiest to pick

Plow, Jones, Doc
Saad, Weiters, Marchy
Willo

 

[Jabba73]

Jones and Weitering get the monsters, Marchbank the third tall, Plowman for versatility, Saad for run, Doc to organise and Willo for mongrel and that clearing kick.

Think a few have forgotten how good Marchbank is when fit.

 

[Brutalitops]

Jones and Weitering get the monsters, Marchbank the third tall, Plowman for versatility, Saad for run, Doc to organise and Willo for mongrel and that clearing kick.

Think a few have forgotten how good Marchbank is when fit.

Ive got a fit Marchbank over Newman as well.

 

[Stamos]

Think a few have forgotten how good Marchbank is when fit.

This

 

[Arr0w]

Jones and Weitering get the monsters, Marchbank the third tall, Plowman for versatility, Saad for run, Doc to organise and Willo for mongrel and that clearing kick.

Think a few have forgotten how good Marchbank is when fit.

No one has forgotten, he has his strengths and weaknesses, so I still have a fit Newman in front of him

 

[El Topo]

Silly buggers overrating SPS and mucking up the backline vote!

 

[Matty411]

Silly buggers overrating SPS and mucking up the backline vote!

Thought that, too until a calmer man reminded me that it just guarantees Willo into the side, who we all likely would've had anyway. SPS was always going to make it, too - be that here or in the mids (as it was).

So this vote will likely come down to who misses out - Newy or Marchy. I suspect one of them will make the true Round 1 side. History says we'll also get it wrong haha

 

[Coona Blues]

I don't feel right leaving Newman out, very under rated and his penetrating kicking gives us offensive options, but the consensus is pretty much correct on exposed info (Kemp the outrider if they insist on playing him back)

 

[FlowersByIrene]

I'm actually very excited to have Marchbank back in the side.

 

[Pablito]

I don't feel right leaving Newman out, very under rated and his penetrating kicking gives us offensive options, but the consensus is pretty much correct on exposed info (Kemp the outrider if they insist on playing him back)

Newman has shown a lot more than Marchbank so far.

Also I understand this is our "ideal" best 22 going forward, but if anyone thinks Murphy doesn't play round 1 you are very misguided.

 

[BlueGum]

Weird not having Simmo as an option

 

[TerryWallet]

Newman has shown a lot more than Marchbank so far.

Also I understand this is our "ideal" best 22 going forward, but if anyone thinks Murphy doesn't play round 1 you are very misguided.

Everyone knows Murphy has a very good chance of playing Rd1.

But we have the luxury of picking our preferred/best 22 without having to worry about the politics of it all lol.

 

[Jabba73]

Newman has shown a lot more than Marchbank so far.

Also I understand this is our "ideal" best 22 going forward, but if anyone thinks Murphy doesn't play round 1 you are very misguided.

Murphy will play at least 15 games if relatively fit enough to get on the ground, starting with round one.

Whether he should or not is a whole other discussion

 

[Stamos]

Newman has shown a lot more than Marchbank so far.

This is simply not true

 

[Ash24]

Anyone else think we would be too tall or slow in the back line with Weiters, Jones, Marchy and Plowman?

 

[Jabba73]

Anyone else think we would be too tall or slow in the back line with Weiters, Jones, Marchy and Plowman?

Nope. Plowman is far from slow, gets to more contests than most and runs midfielder kms, often plays on smaller players. Can be found out for top line speed from the very best runners, we got Saad to fix that.

Jones has very good closing speed.

Marchbank and Weitering read the ball so well that it is rare that speed is an issue.

Doc plays small and Willo can play either. We should be okay if the midfield plays more accountable footy when we don’t have the ball.

 

[Pablito]

This is simply not true

It's objectively true, check the stats.

 

[JustaBattler]

My view:
Plowman Jones Docherty
Saad Weitering Williams

and one of SPS|Newman|Marchbank is a deep finals defensive and rebound structure

listening to Amos:

Williams will rotate midfield/HBF - and will be brought back to HBF as required according to Amos.

Newman is rated highly much higher than this board rates him.
Williamson is pencilled in as a potential wingman ( he may have to wait for 15 games )
Kemp won't be rushed into AFL and at this stage and the Club wants to see him develop in defence.
Marchbank will be good to go - how long does he stay on the park is an open question.

LEVI is the insurance policy for Weitering/Jones - Amos loves him as a defender as we all should.


Midfield is still our Achilles heel, unfortunately - we need one of Stocker/Dow/LoB/Philp/Cottrel /Honey etc to be able to play for 4 quarters decent football just to be competitive against better sides - I expect both Gibbons and Newnes to play more AFL than the above.

TDK having a big preseason is really important - he has the leap to match it with any ruckman in the game and the mobility and ground game to become a factor X player for us.

We need something from Dow/Lob/Stocker or maybe the new bloke from Geelong in '21 - or a bolter from nowhere like Honey/Ramsay/Cottrell to ice the cake.

 

[Pablito]

Everyone knows Murphy has a very good chance of playing Rd1.

But we have the luxury of picking our preferred/best 22 without having to worry about the politics of it all lol.

I don't think it's political to say that a 250+ game midfielder still playing well isn't in our best 22, it's either nativity or indulgent optimism to think we've gone past him entirely. He was top 5 in most midfield stats that mattered this year. The only one he wasn't (and never really has been) is tackles.

 

[TerryWallet]

I don't think it's political to say that a 250+ game midfielder still playing well isn't in our best 22, it's either nativity or indulgent optimism to think we've gone past him entirely. He was top 5 in most midfield stats that mattered this year. The only one he wasn't (and never really has been) is tackles.

Everyone has a valid opinion.

Mine is that i don't know how anyone can watch the current version of Murphy play and think that he is a positive for a contending team. People want to say that our wings are defensive wings, yet we kept getting opened up regularly. His standards are shocking for a senior player imo. His skills no better, and more than his fair share of stats are as cheap as they come.

I'm resigned to another 15 games, but i can still hope that we can move forward in being fair dinkum quicker than that.

If anyone disagrees with this, they are more than welcome to that opinion. I might be wrong and they may be right. But i deadset reckon he has the politics of selection stitched up. At least for 15 games max. Alas.

I think we can do better from Rd1.

 

[gandaal]

It's objectively true, check the stats.

Objectively and factually.

 

[Brutalitops]

I don't think it's political to say that a 250+ game midfielder still playing well isn't in our best 22, it's either nativity or indulgent optimism to think we've gone past him entirely. He was top 5 in most midfield stats that mattered this year. The only one he wasn't (and never really has been) is tackles.

I dont have him as best 22. And its not indulgent optimism to want to have Dow and LOB to start getting some games strung together so we can make a better and more informed assessment of them.

I really appreciate his service to the club and he'll always be a club legend to me but i feel hes costing a list spot thats gonna hurt developing and promising youngsters.

But it is what it is. Maybe in 2021 he can have a Crawford-like send off.