Opinion 07-11 vs 22 teams

[Seeds]

Yeah, you could probably make that argument. Stokes' best years did come after 07/08.

His best years years were 2013-14 when he played up the ground. He was only ever an average foward pocket during the flag years.

 

[Pollywaffle]

His best years years were 2013-14 when he played up the ground. He was only ever an average foward pocket during the flag years.

Saw Stokes live playing against PA in 08 and he was one of our best I thought. Working hard, doing a lot of unheralded stuff that doesn’t get on the stats sheet.
Made some important contributions in those earlier years. ‘Average’ doesn’t do him justice IMO.

 

[Mr Meow]

2008 was the best single-season side I have ever seen, of any club, anywhere. Utterly brilliant players on every line.

2022 is a well-oiled and well-drilled machine with a lot of good players, playing well-defined roles, in a way that fitted together beautifully.

If you were to pick a full side from the two GF teams, I'd pick:

B: Enright, Scarlett, Tuohy
HB: Milburn, Taylor, Stewart
C: 2008 Selwood, Ling, Dangerfield
HF: Chapman, Cameron, Johnson
F: Stengle, Hawkins, Stokes
R: Ottens, GAJ, Bartel
INT: Blicavs, Duncan, Guthrie, Mackie

2011/2022 mixed team for fun:

B: Enright, Scarlett, Bews
HB: Mackie, Taylor, Stewart
C: Smith, 2011 Selwood, Duncan
HF: Chapman, Cameron, Close
F: Stengle, 2022 Hawkins, Johnson
R: Ottens, Dangerfield, Bartel
INT: Blicavs, Corey, Kelly, Tuohy

Bews might surprise but I think having one tough lockdown small would be better for team balance (and interchangable with the more attacking Tuohy anyway). Either that or the height of Henry as a third tall.

The 2022 team has more genuine wingmen even if they're silver foxes - Holmes if available you'd put in for his unique attributes. It's debatable whether there should be a forward on the bench like Stokes or Varcoe, but in this theoretical team Bartel and Smith would spend time at half forward.

I'd love to have seen Close in some of those '07-'11 sides, I think his pace, workrate and nous would work perfectly.

 

[Baudolino]

Stokes and Varcoe both being severely underrated in this thread.