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Strategy 2026 | Let's Construct Our Best 23 | Part 2: Defenders

  • Thread starter Thread starter FootyGuy13
  • Start date Start date
  • Tagged users Tagged users None

Which six players should fill the defender positions in a pre-2026 Best 23?

  • #1 Steven May

    Votes: 2 5.7%
  • #3 Christian Salem

    Votes: 7 20.0%
  • #5 Xavier Lindsay

    Votes: 25 71.4%
  • #8 Jake Lever

    Votes: 17 48.6%
  • #10 Daniel Turner

    Votes: 27 77.1%
  • #14 Changkuoth Jiath

    Votes: 23 65.7%
  • #17 Jake Bowey

    Votes: 19 54.3%
  • #19 Xavier Taylor

    Votes: 15 42.9%
  • #22 Blake Howes

    Votes: 1 2.9%
  • #25 Tom McDonald

    Votes: 7 20.0%
  • #26 Jed Adams

    Votes: 2 5.7%
  • #35 Harrison Petty

    Votes: 26 74.3%
  • #38 Oscar Berry

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • #39 Ricky Mentha

    Votes: 1 2.9%
  • #45 Andy Moniz-Wakefield

    Votes: 9 25.7%

  • Total voters
    35
  • Poll closed .

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Results from Part One:

1| Harvey Langford (96.6%)
2| Max Gawn (86.2%)
3| Kysaiah Pickett (82.8%)
4| Jack Steele (72.4%)
5| Caleb Windsor (65.5%)
6| Trent Rivers (58.6%)
---------------------------------
7| Ed Langdon (55.2%)
8| Jack Viney (31.0%)
9| Jai Culley (27.6%)
10| Xavier Lindsay (13.8%)

Changkuoth Jiath, Max Heath, Tom Campbell, Harry Sharp, Bayley Fritsch, Tom Sparrow, Kalani White, Riley Onley (<10%).

It's been a long time since there's been 4 changes for the midfield in this series, Steele taking the Viney role, Langford and Windsor are a super young duo in the wings and the Origin trio in Gawn, Pickett and Rivers make up the Followers line. We'll have to check into Part 3 to see if those who got pushed out can still make the starting 18 line-up.


Part 2 is looking at the defending six:
FB: Back Pocket | Full Back | Back Pocket
HB: Half Back Flank | Centre Half Back | Half Back Flank

Please vote for the six players you'd want to fill those positions. Voting ends Feb 14th.

Framework: We are pretending that everyone on the list is fit, uninjured and unsuspended, the only thing holding players back being age and inexperience. This isn't a Round 1 team either, just the Best 23 team against a random opponent in random weather conditions in a random round.

In the poll above are every player I've seen listed as a defender in DreamTeam, SuperCoach and/or any of the 44 Best 23 sides I've seen given for the Dees so far this off-season... so Happy Voting! :smallfooty:

2020 team:
FB: Neville Jetta | Steven May | Marty Hore
HB: Michael Hibberd | Jake Lever | Christian Salem
C: Ed Langdon | Jack Viney (vc) | James Harmes
HF: Christian Petracca | Jake Melksham | Bayley Fritsch
FF: Kysaiah Pickett | Tom McDonald | Sam Weideman
R: Max Gawn (c) | Clayton Oliver | Angus Brayshaw
INT: Aaron vandenBerg | Nathan Jones | Adam Tomlinson | Mitch Brown

E: Luke Jackson | Jayden Hunt | Harley Bennell | Jay Lockhart

IN FROM 2019: Ed Langdon, Marty Hore, Kysaiah Pickett, Adam Tomlinson, Mitch Brown
OUT FROM 2019: Jordan Lewis, Oscar McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen, Kade Kolojashnij, Charlie Spargo


2021 team:
FB: Michael Hibberd | Steven May | Trent Rivers
HB: Christian Salem | Jake Lever | Adam Tomlinson
C: Ed Langdon | Jack Viney (vc) | James Harmes
HF: Luke Jackson | Sam Weideman | Bayley Fritsch
FF: Kysaiah Pickett | Ben Brown | Charlie Spargo
R: Max Gawn (c) | Clayton Oliver | Christian Petracca
INT: Angus Brayshaw | Jayden Hunt | Jay Lockhart | Tom McDonald

E: Jake Melksham | Bailey Laurie | Neville Jetta | Oskar Baker

IN FROM 2020: Trent Rivers, Ben Brown, Luke Jackson, Charlie Spargo, Jayden Hunt, Jay Lockhart
OUT FROM 2020: Neville Jetta, Marty Hore, Jake Melksham, Aaron vandenBerg, Nathan Jones, Mitch Brown


2022 team:
FB: Trent Rivers | Steven May | Jake Lever
HB: Jake Bowey | Harrison Petty | Christian Salem
C: Ed Langdon | Jack Viney (vc) | Angus Brayshaw
HF: Kysaiah Pickett | Tom McDonald | Alex Neal-Bullen
FF: Charlie Spargo | Ben Brown | Bayley Fritsch
R: Max Gawn (c) | Clayton Oliver | Christian Petracca
INT: Luke Jackson | James Harmes | Tom Sparrow | Adam Tomlinson | James Jordon (sub)

E: Jayden Hunt | Michael Hibberd | Luke Dunstan

IN FROM 2021: Harrison Petty, Jake Bowey, Alex Neal-Bullen, Tom Sparrow, James Jordon (sub)
OUT FROM 2021: Jay Lockhart, Michael Hibberd, Sam Weideman, Jayden Hunt


2023 team:
FB: Jake Bowey | Steven May | Jake Lever
HB: Angus Brayshaw | Harrison Petty | Christian Salem
C: Ed Langdon | Christian Petracca | Lachie Hunter
HF: Charlie Spargo | Tom McDonald | Alex Neal-Bullen
FF: Kysaiah Pickett | Jacob van Rooyen | Bayley Fritsch
R: Max Gawn (c) | Jack Viney (vc) | Clayton Oliver
INT: Brodie Grundy | James Harmes | Tom Sparrow | Trent Rivers | Michael Hibberd (sub)

E: Kade Chandler | James Jordon | Joel Smith

IN FROM 2022: Lachie Hunter, Jacob van Rooyen, Brodie Grundy, Michael Hibberd (sub)
OUT FROM 2022: Luke Jackson, Ben Brown, Adam Tomlinson, James Jordon (sub)


2024 team:
FB: Judd McVee | Steven May | Jake Lever
HB: Jake Bowey | Adam Tomlinson | Trent Rivers
C: Ed Langdon | Clayton Oliver | Caleb Windsor
HF: Kysaiah Pickett | Jacob van Rooyen | Alex Neal-Bullen
FF: Shane McAdam | Harrison Petty | Bayley Fritsch
R: Max Gawn | Jack Viney | Christian Petracca
INT: Jack Billings | Tom Sparrow | Kade Chandler | Christian Salem | Lachie Hunter (sub)

E: Kynan Brown | Bailey Laurie | Charlie Spargo

IN FROM 2023: Caleb Windsor, Judd McVee, Adam Tomlinson, Shane McAdam, Jack Billings, Kade Chandler
OUT FROM 2023: Brodie Grundy, James Harmes, Michael Hibberd (sub), Angus Brayshaw, Charlie Spargo, Tom McDonald

2025 team:
FB: Jake Lever | Steven May | Judd McVee
HB: Andy Moniz-Wakefield | Harrison Petty | Trent Rivers
C: Ed Langdon | Jack Viney | Caleb Windsor
HF: Kysaiah Pickett | Jacob van Rooyen | Harvey Langford
FF: Kade Chandler | Bayley Fritsch | Daniel Turner
R: Max Gawn | Clayton Oliver | Christian Petracca
INT: Xavier Lindsay | Harry Sharp | Koltyn Tholstrup | Jake Bowey | Blake Howes (sub)

E: Tom Sparrow | Christian Salem | Tom McDonald

IN FROM 2024: Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Daniel Turner, Harvey Langford, Xavier Lindsay, Harry Sharp, Koltyn Tholstrup, Blake Howes (sub)
OUT FROM 2024: Adam Tomlinson, Alex Neal-Bullen, Lachie Hunter (sub), Shane McAdam, Jack Billings, Tom Sparrow, Christian Salem

2026 team so far:
FB: Back Pocket | Full Back | Back Pocket
HB: Half Back Flank | Centre Half Back | Half Back Flank
C: Harvey Langford | Jack Steele | Caleb Windsor
HF: Half Forward Flank | Centre Half Forward | Half Forward Flank
FF: Forward Pocket | Full Forward | Forward Pocket
R: Max Gawn | Kysaiah Pickett | Trent Rivers
INT: Interchange | Interchange | Interchange | Interchange | Interchange

E: Emergency | Emergency | Emergency

IN FROM 2025: Jack Steele
OUT FROM 2024: Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Judd McVee
 
Round 1 back 6 Salem, Lindsay, Lever, Jiath? Petty, Turner. Lose track of who is injured or not but realised back Jiath might be injured, not sure of the seriousness. Probably have Howes in if Jiath isn't fit for round 1. I know it's over the year but I decided who will be available for round 1 to make it easier.
 

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Youth plz.

FB: Taylor - Petty - Jiath
HB: Lindsay - Turner - Bowey (AMW)
 
Went for

Jiath - Petty - Bowey
Lindsay - Turner - Lever

Taylor on the bench but could quickly come into the team if he's ready to go. Would love AMW to come in but I suspect he'll take a bit to come in from his knee. Which leaves us with Salem, who hopefully would benefit from a more agressive game style where he can't just hold onto the ball and wait for a dinky sideways pass.
 

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