Prediction Best 23, Round Zero 2026

[barbster]

Best 23 at round 0, Day out im guessing?

B: Hardwick, Barras, Amon
HB: Impey, Battle, Sicily

C: Weddle, MacKenzie, D'Ambrosio
R: Meek, Ward, Newcombe

HF: Moore, Dear, Ginnivan
F: Watson, Lewis, Gunston

INT: Chol, C.MacD, Scrimshaw, Nash, Morrison

EMER: Mraz, Ramsden, Butler, Nairn

Identical to mine a couple posts again so I have to give it the

 

[bigmaxi]

Best 23 at round 0, Day out im guessing?

B: Hardwick, Barras, Amon
HB: Impey, Battle, Sicily

C: Weddle, MacKenzie, D'Ambrosio
R: Meek, Ward, Newcombe

HF: Moore, Dear, Ginnivan
F: Watson, Lewis, Gunston

INT: Chol, C.MacD, Scrimshaw, Nash, Morrison

EMER: Mraz, Ramsden, Butler, Nairn

Love this, that last spot is the battle Butler and Morrison will have. Though I would probably start Nash on the ground and tell Nash to Smash.

 

[Manila_Hawk]

Let's see if Frenchie makes the starting 23.

The practice matches against the Dogs and the Cats will tell us a lot.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Let's see if Frenchie makes the starting 23.

The practice matches against the Dogs and the Cats will tell us a lot.

With Day out he needs to, for everyone's sake. We need some midfielders to emerge.

Moore can spend more time there, but that's a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul, given how good he is at the specialist HFF role.

MacDonald has needed to work on the defensive side of his game, but he should be given the opportunity to show that he has matured in that area.

IMO Watson will be more of a set-play option in the short-term.

As a group Newcombe, Nash and Ward are hardly stacking up against the likes of Neale, McCluggage, Washcroft, Dunkley, Lashcroft, Bailey, etc. So we really need some natural development in this area.

 

[peetoo]

Potentially French is our most creative midfield option

 

[Hawked Wings]

Let's see if Frenchie makes the starting 23.

The practice matches against the Dogs and the Cats will tell us a lot.

If Mackenzie isn't there round zero in the best 23 then I'd be very concerned

 

[TylerDurden]

Bailey McDonald a chance for R0?

 

[Slainte]

If Mackenzie isn't there round zero in the best 23 then I'd be very concerned

I guess you could be concerned if Mackenzie has not made best 23 for Round 0. However the other way of looking at it is not that Mackenzie is failing to progress but that someone like Butler has gotten ahead of him.

I am not concerned about Mackenzie. I am confident he will be a long term component of our best 23. Whether this is the case for R0 is neither here nor there.

 

[jaygee]

Identical to mine a couple posts again so I have to give it the

4 key backs and 4 key forwards? It's to big for mine. We will get the run around by other teams. We need to cut that back to a mix of 7 and add a runner to the team.

 

[kazzooka]

Nash has averaged 5 less touches over the last two seasons compared to his 2023 season.

However his tackle numbers have increased, and his clearance numbers have remained the same (2025) and had slightly increased (2024).

His contested possession numbers as a % have actually increased - 38.75% in 2023, 46.03% in 2024 and 47.28% in 2025.

Which suggests he has become more effective, and/or is getting less loose outside ball. Which may be what we want, given some of his disposal issues and his ability to block and shepherd. Ideally we'd have Ward, Newcombe, Day, etc. getting the handball from Nash and not the other way around.

Also worth considering - how much of the drop in raw possession numbers is simply due to playing other roles, such as relief ruck (zero hitouts in 2023, compared to some in the last two seasons)?

And finally we simply need his size in the middle. Geelong taught us a lesson there. Now we won't have Day for however long (and he may not return and play as a midfielder?) and Worpel is gone (for all his faults he was a strong and physical player). Ward isn't the biggest nor is he physically imposing. Watson is tenacious but tiny. Moore is tenacious and slightly less tiny. I think we will really need Nash in there this season.

2023 we had Finn tagging when Nash was a midfielder. Since then Nash has been the more defensively minded midfielder while Finn has played forward and wing, still as a defensive role, but hasn't been chasing blokes around like in 2023 when he took Daicos, Langdon, Josh Kelly, Clayton Oliver etc...

 

[FB19]

Keeping Reeves is interesting on a few fronts. Whichever you favour I think it would be a mistake to play both. One and Chol relieving works. Will be fascinating to see how each go throughout the year with the new rules. And what does all that mean for Ramsden. Big year for him Maginness Mackenzie Blanck BMac and Hustwaite especially.

 

[FB19]

I think the backline of Barrass Battle Sicily Scrimshaw Hardwick Impey Amon is locked in.
Forwardline I think is Lewis Chol Gunston Dear Moore Watson Ginnivan.
Midfield is Meek Newk Ward Nash Weddle Dambrosio CMac.
Extra 2 I woild have runners given tall at either end. Probably Butler and Morrison.
Emergencies Reeves BMac Maginness Mackenzie

 

[To the Hawk]

I guess you could be concerned if Mackenzie has not made best 23 for Round 0. However the other way of looking at it is not that Mackenzie is failing to progress but that someone like Butler has gotten ahead of him.

I am not concerned about Mackenzie. I am confident he will be a long term component of our best 23. Whether this is the case for R0 is neither here nor there.

I agree re: Rd 0.

But he's out of contract this year. I'll be nervous if he isn't locked into our best 23 in the second half of the year. We know there was noise from his manager last season and interest from teams.

For what it's worth I'll be shocked if he isn't comfortable in our best 23 this year. I still think he's as big a talent as most on our list.

 

[peetoo]

Keeping Reeves is interesting on a few fronts. Whichever you favour I think it would be a mistake to play both. One and Chol relieving works. Will be fascinating to see how each go throughout the year with the new rules. And what does all that mean for Ramsden. Big year for him Maginness Mackenzie Blanck BMac and Hustwaite especially.

Losing 3 genuine depth players on the off season makes those remaining slightly more secure you'd think

 

[peetoo]

This may be unpopular but our defence needs to lift a bit.

Despite being bolstered by barass and battle statistically they were only one goal per game less than the same defence with blank and frosty

 

[hr_23]

B: Dimma TB Battle
HB: Scrimshaw Sis Impey
C: Weddle Nash Mass
HF: Moore Lewis Ginnivan
F: Wiz Chol Gunners
Foll: Meek Newk Ward
Int: Croc Amon Dear Morrison Buttler

 

[Manila_Hawk]

B: Dimma TB Battle
HB: Scrimshaw Sis Impey
C: Weddle Nash Mass
HF: Moore Lewis Ginnivan
F: Wiz Chol Gunners
Foll: Meek Newk Ward
Int: Croc Amon Dear Morrison Buttler

That would be the team I would select (right now).
Let's see how the practice games go.

 

[hr_23]

That would be the team I would select (right now).
Let's see how the practice games go.

Butts & French fighting it out for the last bench spot i would have Buttsy ahead slightly due to being able to play fwd/mid

 

[Dewyyyyy]

Hardwick - Barrass - Impey
Sicily - Battle - Amon
Weddle - MacDonald - D’Ambrosio
Moore - Lewis - Ginnivan
Watson - Dear - Gunston
Meek - Newcombe - Ward
Chol - Butler - Nash - Scrimshaw - Mackenzie

 

[Roddy]

This may be unpopular but our defence needs to lift a bit.

Despite being bolstered by barass and battle statistically they were only one goal per game less than the same defence with blank and frosty

We finished eighth, but had the third lowest number of points kicked against us in the league. That’s a solid effort.

Best to compare in-year.

 

[madhawksfan]

Butts & French fighting it out for the last bench spot i would have Buttsy ahead slightly due to being able to play fwd/mid

Butler’s tackling is definitely superior. Not sure his ability to play forward will be as important with Croc, Wiz and Moore capable of splitting time between midfield and forward though. Weddle looks he might see some midfield time as well.

Frenchie did well playing rotating as a HFF a couple of years ago from memory too.

Might depend on whether the coaches want another pure ball hunter in Frenchie or Butler who has a better defensive game and endurance. GWS midfield is slowish but their HBFs are elite which will be considered. Players who can punish Oliver and Green the other way will be handy.

Nash’s role could be a factor too because he might be needed to be that inside bull who wins the ball with no Worpel and Day.

Greaves could be a bolter if he continues to perform strongly.

Good to have options either way and will be fascinating

 

[bigmaxi]

This may be unpopular but our defence needs to lift a bit.

Despite being bolstered by barass and battle statistically they were only one goal per game less than the same defence with blank and frosty

Agree, though i thought they were getting better together as the season progressed, excited to see how stingy they can be this season. Pretty confident they will be a force to reckon with.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

This may be unpopular but our defence needs to lift a bit.

Despite being bolstered by barass and battle statistically they were only one goal per game less than the same defence with blank and frosty

Scrimmers multiple concussions didn't help with that, the back six looked a lot more solid when he came back in the 2nd half of the year.

 

[tommyk72]

Scrimmers multiple concussions didn't help with that, the back six looked a lot more solid when he came back in the 2nd half of the year.

It normally takes a year or so that you players that are central to a game plan to click into place. I think that backline will go to new levels this year. Hopefully Scrimshaw included!

 

[To the Hawk]

This may be unpopular but our defence needs to lift a bit.

Despite being bolstered by barass and battle statistically they were only one goal per game less than the same defence with blank and frosty

I'm pretty sure we were rated the best team in the competition at defending inside 50s.

The difference you're referencing is we actually gave up way more inside 50s in 2025 compared to 2024. Our forwards in particular regressed significantly in trapping the ball in our forward half and we had a bottom 6 midfield at stoppages.

Our defending was elite.

I think Butler or Finn will play as a defensive forward. Maybe the ruck rules mitigate a midfield lacking depth and we can win more clearances.