2013 Team

[Melbourne Lion]

Interesting, I like the 22 you've put together but at the same time based on last year I can't see Lester not being in the team. Yeo is the one I would swap him for, he had good evasive skills but his kicks the ball pretty high which he needs to sort out.

Yes, you're probably right Gibbo.

I like Lester (pretty obvious Voss does too) so he is probably the logical sub to replace,say, a non performing Harwood for example.

Just kinda like the idea of giving a Yeo/Karnezis/Polec(if fit) a run as the sub as I think they offer a little more upside and see them as better impact players.

In reality though, Lester and even Polkinghorn are probably in front of all three of them.

 

[chopperduck]

For those who had Staker in their side for round 1, who do you have replacing him?

Only a Paps or a Mayes for mine, someone that will play a similar long lead up role. Otherwise i think we will just run with Brown/Lisle/Martin.

 

[POBT]

Only a Paps or a Mayes for mine, someone that will play a similar long lead up role. Otherwise i think we will just run with Brown/Lisle/Martin.

I would have thought Lester, Karnezis etc could play a similar role?

 

[dlanod]

For those who had Staker in their side for round 1, who do you have replacing him?

I was honestly going to respond "Menzel or Mayes"...

...then realised we weren't in the SC/DT thread.

Looking back at the team I named, I went with Lester over Staker anyway so nothing's changed.

 

[chopperduck]

I would have thought Lester, Karnezis etc could play a similar role?

Don't think either of them fit the bill. They might be able to play that roll, but Mayes and Paps are more naturals for it, IF they are up for a few senior games.

 

[Grimreepah]

For those who had Staker in their side for round 1, who do you have replacing him?

He hasn't played much in two years. I would like him to get his touch back in the reserves first. He wasn't in my team anyway.

 

[getgaff]

Sorry to intrude guys but i'm always bang up for a best 22 discussion. Whatever team it is. Here's my go at at Brisbane's

BACKS: Patfull - Merrett - Golby

HALF BACKS: Adcock - Maguire - McGrath

Thats a settled back 6 there and with some real experience bar Golby who i think will be a good player. Docherty and Harwood in the mix as smaller defenders

WINGS: Beams - Hanley

CENTRE: Rich

Beams i like as a player and i think Vossy's a fan to. Seems suited to inside mid but could also play as a shut down mid when Raines is off or in the back half. Hanley was a massive upside for 2012 and uses his run effectively

Rich is a star and will benefit from having Moloney in the team

HALF FORWARDS: Rockliff (midfield rotation) - Lisle - Zorko

FORWARDS: Martin (back up ruck) - Brown - Green

That third tall forward role i've tossed up a lot between Staker, Longer and Martin. Needing a back up ruckman ruled Staker out for me unfortunately and Martin's just got more experience for mine over Longer who i've got no doubt will be a star ruckman in the future. Rest of the forwards pick themselves

FOLLOWERS: Leuenberger - Raines - Redden

I really hope Leuenberger's footy doesnt suffer to much from missing most of 2012. And not just for my fantasy footy. His a genuinely good young ruckman. Raines as the main stopper in the midfield 6 and Redden continues to impress. Moved up another level in 2012. Suited to a tougher inside game but his increased disposal efficiency means he could play outside to

INTERCHANGE: Moloney - will suit the Lions needs well and ease inside pressure off Rich and Redden
Polec - Has shown glimpses of why he was such a high draft pick so far. Needs to bring out more consistently and when he does Brisbane will be better. Can be a real stand out outside midfielder. Looks like his bulked up to
Bewick - Similar to Polec in that they are both left footers who are suited to outside midfield roles
Black - Trojan horse nearing the end of a stellar career. Even though he is still a star player, will take more of a back seat midfield role in minutes played to keep his body right. Still so vital to Brisbane's success after a 10 to 15 year career

Unlucky ones (good depth here)

Most unlucky is Mayes. I'm sure he will get a look in at some stage
Docherty
Harwood
Longer - Developing year still but might play against lower ranked team to give Luey a rest
Staker - If his body can hold up he will be a handy acquisition
Yeo - Surprised in 2012 but still maybe a bit light on
Polkinghorne - Him and Beams are fighting for one spot. The unlucky one to drop out for Moloney
Lester - His versatility is good. May well get a look in ahead of Polec

Question marks???

Cornelius - Will this bloke ever make it? The Lions have invested a lot of time into him. Presuming his not going to be the monster
forward to replace a retired Brown
Banfield - Has slipped in the pecking order of small forwards behind Zorko and Green and some extent Bewick

 

[Haso]

Nice work getgaff. Some genuine knowledge of our players there

 

[Haso]

For those who had Staker in their side for round 1, who do you have replacing him?

If Staker was to play the third tall role with Brownie and a resting/rotating ruck (Leuey and Lisle/Martin), then maybe Cornelius has a shot at putting his hand up for it? Or Bewick will shift up to a 3rd tall -ish type role again?

 

[Grimreepah]

I favour mobility over height in the forward line, hence why I have Bewick (who plays taller than his 183cm would suggest) as the 'third tall'.

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

I favour mobility over height in the forward line, hence why I have Bewick (who plays taller than his 183cm would suggest) as the 'third tall'.

Agree with your observations. Only needs to increase his output slightly (from 1.1 goal average to 1.5, i.e 30+ per game) and he will be a really useful forward option. A hard match up given his mobility and marking and the fact that he has the running power to rotate thru the midfield or play on the wing when required is a real bonus.

 

[chopperduck]

Agree with Grim, Bewick was a standout the last half of the season, plays much taller than he is. However, if Martin can do what we want him to do, if love to see us be proactive and use our talls to our advantage. If we have a Brown/Lisle key forward setup, I think we can use Martin and his athletic abilities to work up the ground, create space in behind and relief Bergs in the ruck. This leaves Bewick, Green, Zorko, Rocky and I think Ash as our smaller forwards all rotating through, all of them can be goal kickers, very potent forward setup. Also all of those smalls can push up into the midfield. Bewick getting the 4th defender will be a mismatch every time with his gut running and marking ability.

Lets make the defenders on the other team think about how they are going to cover our forwards instead of worrying if we are too tall to cover the defenders.

 

[POBT]

I guess I was hoping for a "Karnezis is tearing up the track" type training report to support an optimistic view.

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

 

[whizkizz]

I'll have a ping at our Round 1 side:

FB: Adcock Merrett Patfull
HB: Golby Maguire Yeo
C: Karnezis Raines Rich
HF: Zorko Martin Rockliff
FF: McGrath Brown Cornelius
R: Leuenberger Redden Moloney
INTER: Black Beams Docherty Green (s)

Unlucky:
Bewick - I like him, but is probably in competition with Cornelius for the forward gig, or Karnezis on the wing.
Lester - can't find a spot for him in the backline. May be competing with Karnezis as one of our flexible players.
Hanley - not sure why he sat out the intraclub game, but would probably force Docherty out of the side.
Polec - another interrupted pre-season, I've given his spot to Docherty for now.
Lisle - Martin gets first crack, as he's got more senior experience, and edges him out as backup ruck.
Crisp - probably will get his chance if/when and injury occurs to a player that's part of the midfield rotation.
Polkinghorne - can't find a spot for him?
Harwood - injury extent unknown. Bad timing for him, he'd be competing with Yeo and Golby down back.
Mayes - didn't play the intraclub game, so haven't included him here.
Staker - Cornelius takes his spot for now, it's up to Ace to hold Staker out of the side.
Paparone - bit of an unknown quantity
Banfield - has to impress his way through the reserves.

Hello depth! Where have you been all these years??

 

[whizkizz]

FB: Adcock Merrett Patfull
HB: Golby Maguire Yeo
C: Karnezis Raines Rich
HF: Zorko Martin Rockliff
FF: McGrath Brown Cornelius
R: Leuenberger Redden Moloney
INTER: Black Beams Docherty Green (s)

Immediately after posting that, I thought Martin at CHF could be a bit of an issue.

I'd probably prefer Lisle at CHF, but Martin as second ruck, which squeezes Ace back out of the team.

Competition is hot!

 

[Grimreepah]

B: Adcock, Merrett, Docherty
HB: Golby, Patfull, Maguire
C: Redden, Moloney, Hanley
HF: Rockliff, Brown, Zorko
F: McGrath, Lisle/Martin, Bewick
R: Leuenberger, Black, Rich
I: Beams, Raines, Green
S: Lester

Might have to try and find a spot for Karnezis. Not sure where though.

 

[POBT]

Might have to try and find a spot for Karnezis. Not sure where though.

Docherty out and Hanley into defence? Lester out? Ash or RoBew out?

 

[whizkizz]

Docherty out and Hanley into defence? Lester out? Ash or RoBew out?

Amazing to think a premiership 'veteran' player with almost 200 games experience is no longer a lock anymore.

That's quite scary, and rams home exactly how much better our position is than previous years.

 

[Ironmonger]

Amazing to think a premiership 'veteran' player with almost 200 games experience is no longer a lock anymore.

That's quite scary, and rams home exactly how much better our position is than previous years.

I've been thinking McGrath might make a good sub.

His acceleration and ability to find space would make him a headache for team's to deal with late on. Endurance not really his strong point. Getting to the stage of his career when longevity becomes an issue.

I know we like to give the kids a run as the sub to give them some action while protecting their bodies, but in purely tactical terms I reckon Ash is a good option.

I think I'll wait until the end of the NAB Cup to update my team. Won't be squeezing Karnezis in there until he's made his mark on a couple of pre-season games.

 

[chopperduck]

Has to be a midfield position if he does force his way in. Needs to follow this up with a solid NAB cup showing to be thought of for round 1 for me. Competition for spots is at an all time high, hopefully everyone lifts as a result.

 

[POBT]

I still have Ash in my round 1 side as I think that, irrespective of pre-season form (and let's face it, pre-season has never been too kind to him!), Voss will look to maintain a reasonable mix of experience and youth. But the squeeze for spots is on - we've got lots and lots of guys on the fringe of senior selection who are no longer wet behind the ears.

If you were drafted between 2007 and 2010, you'd be seeing this as the time to secure a spot in the best 22. Someone is going to miss out and, based on training reports, a fair number of them are stepping up to ensure they get first crack.

 

[ULittleBeauty]

Interesting to see some have named both Lisle and Martin. I can't see this happening, even if Staker is out.

Here's my side. Would have liked to have been able to find a spot for all three emergencies as well as even say ACorn who seemed to play well today.

B Docherty Merrett Patfull
HB Golby Maguire Adcock
C Polec Rich Hanley
HF Karnezis Martin Zorko
F Bewick Brown Green
Foll Leuy Rockliff Redden
Int Moloney Black Raines
Sub McGrath
Emerg Beams Yeo Harwood

Btw I can't believe we are currently showing as even money vs the Bulldogs for round 1. With this side we will smash them

 

[The Flying Belgian]

​

After today this is my closest guess, but I hate/love that I have to leave out Beams, Polec, Yeo and a few others.

I've gone relatively small in the forward line, but in my line-up McGrath plays as a leading forward. Lester makes the cut due to his versatility and endurance. The choice of sub will no doubt change in my mind between a few of the aforementioned unlucky ones. Merrett & Maguire are pretty much interchangeable depending on opponent.

Oh and the choice of Longer is a personal one, but I think, initially at least, we'll look to nurse Leuey through a bit. Therefore I've gone with the more traditional ruckman in Longer, although Martin would be in with a decent shot.

Not sure how Staker fits into that side when he come s back though. Maybe, as others have suggested, McGrath to sub and Staker in?

Golby    Maguire    Patfull
Hanley    Merrett    Adcock
Raines    Rich        Rockliff
Bewick    Brown      Black
Zorko    Leuenberger McGrath
Longer    Redden      Moloney
Docherty  Green      Lester
Karnezis

 

[Dylan12]

I still have Ash in my round 1 side as I think that, irrespective of pre-season form (and let's face it, pre-season has never been too kind to him!), Voss will look to maintain a reasonable mix of experience and youth.

I'm with you POBT regarding McGrath. I am as excited about our next generation of players as the next Lion supporter, but that has to be countered with experience. As potentially good as some of are younger players are, and I agree that in time, some may overtake Ash, most are not proven at the senior level or as versatile and for that reason, are still ways behind him. I acknowledge, like most players, Ash can go missing or make very stupid mistakes, but you can't undervalue his experience. I doubt if Ash wasn't in Voss's plans, especially for 2013, he would not have been offered a new two year contract.

I'm still in the camp that would prefer Ash play up forward, not exclusively, as he can be equally effective down back.

Interesting to see some have named both Lisle and Martin. I can't see this happening, even if Staker is out.

Either can I, unless both Brown and Leuenberger are injured. My preferred preference is Lisle. I have watched as many Melbourne games on Fox over summer as I could to become more familiar with he and Moloney and still I am not impressed or sure why we got him. Happy to be proven wrong of course, but I'd go Lisle as the CHF, with short bursts in the ruck, and Brown and Cornelius (as the third tall). Cornelius is a must for me, although I have been pushing that for years...who says I don't have blinkers on.

 

[Ray Button]

Amazing to think a premiership 'veteran' player with almost 200 games experience is no longer a lock anymore.

That's quite scary, and rams home exactly how much better our position is than previous years.

I can see your thinking, and am really happy to see the pressure that our new found depth is putting on established seniors, but to my way of thinking if Ash can't be fitted into the defence, he would be the first small forward selected.

He can do it all better than any other option up there - he is a brilliant leading mark for a small man, loves kicking goals, and if a defensive forward is required I'd back him over any of the younger guys still.