Prediction Best 22 - 2026

[Suburbanhack]

I think most punters have fairly similar best 23 with conjecture over perhaps 4 or 5 players and a few positions. While you should always pick your best available team, I think you need to keep one eye on the future without gifting selections. As such I prefer younger mids (Garcia/Box/Hall) to Macrae. Tauru has shown plenty and while still a bit raw is a starter. I rate Carrol and if fit he plays. From all accounts he is tearing it up this at pre-season. Camineti stiff and with doubts over JSOS and King he probably plays Rd 1 anyway. A decent ‘next up’ list which indicates depth the best it’s been for a while. VFL might actually be watchable this year.

B: Tauru Howard Wilkie
HB: Sinclair Silvagni Hill
C: Windhager Hall Wilson
HF: Ryan Marshall Phillipou
F: Higgins King Owens
Foll: TDK NWM Flanders
Int: Carroll Garcia Sharman Wood Boxshall

Next Up: (in no particular order)
Camineti
Macrae
Hastie
Keeler
Stocker
Clark
Trav
Butler
Dodson
Dow

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

I think most punters have fairly similar best 23 with conjecture over perhaps 4 or 5 players and a few positions. While you should always pick your best available team, I think you need to keep one eye on the future without gifting selections. As such I prefer younger mids (Garcia/Box/Hall) to Macrae. Tauru has shown plenty and while still a bit raw is a starter. I rate Carrol and if fit he plays. From all accounts he is tearing it up this at pre-season. Camineti stiff and with doubts over JSOS and King he probably plays Rd 1 anyway. A decent ‘next up’ list which indicates depth the best it’s been for a while. VFL might actually be watchable this year.

B: Tauru Howard Wilkie
HB: Sinclair Silvagni Hill
C: Windhager Hall Wilson
HF: Ryan Marshall Phillipou
F: Higgins King Owens
Foll: TDK NWM Flanders
Int: Carroll Garcia Sharman Wood Boxshall

Next Up: (in no particular order)
Camineti
Macrae
Hastie
Keeler
Stocker
Clark
Trav
Butler
Dodson
Dow

Hill has already been tried in the backline, didn't work.
Macrae will be ahead of 19 y.o Boxshall.
That midfield is all under 25 y.o, bar Tdk.
So, good to have an old head rotating through there.

 

[The Punter]

% correct as I just don't rate him and think without a lot of injuries he will struggle to get a game

I'll leave this particular topic of discussion with this: as long as you want him to succeed if we find ourselves in a position where he has to play.

There have been St Kilda players over the course of the journey who I don't particularly rate, but I always preferred for them to prove me wrong rather than me be right about them but not play well for the club I love.

 

[gringo2011]

Byrnes needs to be around 28-30 on our list

Or improve to a point where he pushes others out there.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Keep changing it up, position wise anyway.

B. Tauru Caminiti Wilkie

H.B. Windhager JSos Sinclair

C. Flanders Phillipou Wilson

H.F. Wood Marshall Ryan

F. Sharman King Higgins

Foll. Tdk NWM Hall

I/C. Macrae, Owens, Garcia, Butler, Henry

 

[Speck]

As others have said Hill will absolutely be best 23 to start the year, and the coaches will craft a role for him if need be. When we're struggling to move the ball quickly he is always the one to he running past to propel us forward (almost an on field coach for transition). If he can keep his kicks a little more simple (he's lost some his penetration) and not be isolated in the back half too much he can still play an important role for us.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

As others have said Hill will absolutely be best 23 to start the year, and the coaches will craft a role for him if need be. When we're struggling to move the ball quickly he is always the one to he running past to propel us forward (almost an on field coach for transition). If he can keep his kicks a little more simple (he's lost some his penetration) and not be isolated in the back half too much he can still play an important role for us.

If Henry can get over his knee issues, then hoping he can takeover Hill's role asap.

 

[The Punter]

If Henry can get over his knee issues, then hoping he can takeover Hill's role asap.

I think the issue for Henry is, if he gets fit, Hall has taken his role.

Wilson is the Hill replacement, or perhaps Windhager.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

I think the issue for Henry is, if he gets fit, Hall has taken his role.

Wilson is the Hill replacement, or perhaps Windhager.

Henry started as a hbf with Freeo. Then played his best football on a wing for them, before coming to us.
If he hasn't lost any speed, seems like a good Hill replacement to me.
But yes, Wilson & Windhager can take a wing role also.
And can't see the Henry/ Hall comparison tbh.

 

[The Punter]

Henry started as a hbf with Freeo. Then played his best football on a wing for them, before coming to us.
If he hasn't lost any speed, seems like a good Hill replacement to me.
But yes, Wilson & Windhager can take a wing role also.
And can't see the Henry/ Hall comparison tbh.

I reckon Henry was recruited to be a crafty forward 50 ball deliverer. Has played mostly in that role when in the RWB.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

I reckon Henry was recruited to be a crafty forward 50 ball deliverer. Has played mostly in that role when in the RWB.

He played a few early games coming out of the centre for us & was explosive. Hope he can get back to that.

 

[The Punter]

He played a few early games coming out of the centre for us & was explosive. Hope he can get back to that.

It'd be great, but that sounds a lot like what Hall was doing for us last year.

 

[Saints4ever]

I think Hall has taken Henrys spot and he’s going to have to work his ass off to get back in the 23.

I really like Henry will be a huge shame if he doesn’t make it.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Zero Hangar- Essendon f.c. best 23
Gresham not named in it

 

[saintmike65]

Henry started as a hbf with Freeo. Then played his best football on a wing for them, before coming to us.
If he hasn't lost any speed, seems like a good Hill replacement to me.
But yes, Wilson & Windhager can take a wing role also.
And can't see the Henry/ Hall comparison tbh.

Liam Henry has been in the system for 6 years, shown glimpses but how long does a player have the potential tag put on him.
If he's not careful he may have a shortened career!

 

[Veer Right]

Zero Hangar- Essendon f.c. best 23
Gresham not named in it

Many of their fans on bigfooty want him delisted.

 

[Veer Right]

Liam Henry has been in the system for 6 years, shown glimpses but how long does a player have the potential tag put on him.
If he's not care he may have a shortened career!

Henry is past potential and an established quality player when fit based off the back half of the 2023 season.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Henry is past potential and an established quality player when fit based off the back half of the 2023 season.

If we can get Henry, King & Pou fit & relatively injury free.
We really could climb up the ladder fast.

 

[gringo2011]

I think the issue for Henry is, if he gets fit, Hall has taken his role.

Wilson is the Hill replacement, or perhaps Windhager.

Henry played his best footy at Freo as a wing. Hill at St Kilda played best as a roaming high HF. Hall is that but should play more out of the centre. Wilson looks like a wing/HF, Windhager a true wingman or defensive mid.

Wood is still best as a wingman too although he played mostly inside 50 last year. Then Trav who looks suited to outside run and even Hastie who probably suits that more than back half due to his kicking.

There are going to be plenty of options and flexibility.

 

[gringo2011]

If we can get Henry, King & Pou fit & relatively injury free.
We really could climb up the ladder fast.

To me the guys that will propel us come from the established young group with gears to go up- NWM, Garcia, Owens, Windhager, Caminiti, TDK, Wilson, Flanders, Phillipou etc could all have massive upwards jumps.

Then you've got a pool with Boxshall, Travaglia, Tauru, Collard, Keeler types coming up behind them. Keep the core fit with Ryan and JSOS types solidifying what we have and the growth potential is huge.

There is also a pool of existing talent that have been written off that could still add more in Clark, Carroll, Dow, Henry, Butler, Howard, Stocker too.

King is a bonus and won't make or break our season. Surely with that much potential for growth we get a few surge up and then you're in real contention.