Prediction Best 22 for Round One, 2017

[THE_GUN]

The area of improvement will/should come from our midfield

We have brought to the club 2 best 18 players that will slot straight into the midfield in Caddy & Prestia

Time has also come to now have Vlastuin & McIntosh getting more midfield time as both offer bigger bodies that we need and both have now been at the club for 4 years and have the body and should have the tank and ability to play in this position both players will be 23 in april.

There is 2 other players that are also big bodies and hope both can have an input and both could really suprise in 2017

Graham - Even though he is a 1st year player he has the build and also the hardness of a 3rd 4th year player and looks to be a player that will leave nothing in the tank and looks like a natural inside mid that has that ability to get the ball and get it alot with good vision

Townsend - Most and including me have written him off as a failed selection but he still has another year left and has the chance to change things and re start his career. I believe that this 'protect' cotchin , Hit hard & Bowl people over mentality may have worked against him and not allowed him to play as a true ball winning mid. With the new players at the club and more inside depth perhaps he might just change or the coaches might change his role and he could become a run with player or a ball winning midfielder . No guarantee but will be interesting to see in his last remaining year,

Starting Mids - Cotchin,Caddy,Martin,Prestia
Rotational Mids - Vlastuin,McIntosh,Miles,Graham,Conca,Edwards,Cellis,Townsend

If somehow 3-4 of the secondary mids can step up and have breakout years we could be in for some really interesting times

 

[ShadowBoxer]

FB: Vlaustin - Astbury - Grimes
HB: McIntosh - Rance - Houli
C: Grigg - Cotchin - Bellis
HF: Lemon - Griff - Lloyd
FF: Rioli - Riewoldt - Edwards
R: Hampson - Martin - Prestia
Int: Caddy - Markov - Menadue - Cellis

 

[Squibbs]

Would love to see Bolton and Rioli in the forward line together round 1

 

[tigertigertiger]

Why is BEllis in the forward pocket?


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Because he needs somewhere to be for rotations

 

[prodigy]

Because he needs somewhere to be for rotations

Does the interchange not suffice?


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[Tango67]

I just don't see the love for Short. Yes he played well when we were decimated... but I don't see him starting over Houli, McIntosh, Markov or Vlastuin. With our change in game plan, it actually wouldn't surprise me to see Bachelor as our lockdown 4th defender. With Houli, McIntosh, Markov and vlastuin rotating to provide the rebound.


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Having a 4th lockdown defender.? Are you kidding, are you Dimmer in disguise, no wonder we can't score, the most you should have is 3 but preferably 2 the rest need to balance between run and defend, Grimes and Rance or Astbury depending on matchups the rest need to be runners.

 

[Tango67]

The area of improvement will/should come from our midfield

We have brought to the club 2 best 18 players that will slot straight into the midfield in Caddy & Prestia

Time has also come to now have Vlastuin & McIntosh getting more midfield time as both offer bigger bodies that we need and both have now been at the club for 4 years and have the body and should have the tank and ability to play in this position both players will be 23 in april.

There is 2 other players that are also big bodies and hope both can have an input and both could really suprise in 2017

Graham - Even though he is a 1st year player he has the build and also the hardness of a 3rd 4th year player and looks to be a player that will leave nothing in the tank and looks like a natural inside mid that has that ability to get the ball and get it alot with good vision

Townsend - Most and including me have written him off as a failed selection but he still has another year left and has the chance to change things and re start his career. I believe that this 'protect' cotchin , Hit hard & Bowl people over mentality may have worked against him and not allowed him to play as a true ball winning mid. With the new players at the club and more inside depth perhaps he might just change or the coaches might change his role and he could become a run with player or a ball winning midfielder . No guarantee but will be interesting to see in his last remaining year,

Starting Mids - Cotchin,Caddy,Martin,Prestia
Rotational Mids - Vlastuin,McIntosh,Miles,Graham,Conca,Edwards,Cellis,Townsend

If somehow 3-4 of the secondary mids can step up and have breakout years we could be in for some really interesting times

Agree, what we need is all of our mids to be inside, Cotchin and Prestia are both and our HF and HB flankers to provide the outside run, that's why Rioli, Bolton, Markov, Menadue, Drummond and Houli can be valuable....
Linking the inside grunt provided by 5 midfielders instead of 2.

Look at last years stats, inside 50's and clearances were the biggest common denominator for the top 8, getting the ball and sending it inside 50 more than the opposition and either scoring or keeping it in there is the secret to the modern game.

 

[Metapod]

B: Short -- Astbury -- Grimes
HB: Houli -- Rance -- Markov
C: McIntosh -- Miles -- Cotchin
HF: D.Martin -- Griffiths -- Edwards
FF: Lloyd -- Riewoldt -- Rioli
R: Nankervis -- Caddy -- Prestia
Int: Grigg, Bolton, Vlastuin, Graham

A few notes:

- I have omitted Menadue, Batchelor, Lennon, Drummond and CEllis from the starting team as I want to see a bit more from them in order to include them.
- My surprise omission is BEllis. I want to see him get back to that 2013-2014 and to get there I'd want the club to give him some time in the VFL to start off with, depending on how he goes in the pre-season.
- I don't have Hampson in the side depending on how Nankervis goes.
- If Garthwaite shows promise, then I'll have him take over Astbury in the backline.
- I put Bolton in, but if he (or Stengle) are not ready for some senior action then I don't mind putting in Lennon. But with the lineup that I have put, we'd need a small forward like Bolton or Stengle in the side IMO.
- If Graham is not yet up to senior action, then I'd have him out for BEllis. If Graham is and McIntosh is injured/not up to it, then I'd have BEllis in for him.
- I feel that Short and Castagna are interchangeable in this instance - I'd have whichever is performing better in the side.

Interesting that this time last year I was commenting on how average our side looked on paper, and now I am commenting on how surprisingly decent our side looks on paper. Without trying to be bias, I feel that we are an underrated side with many players looking like heading into their prime or already in their prime. Also, it seems that we actually have better depth this year - especially in the midfield. Obviously our KPP depth is thin, but we could rectify that next year.

If we implement a fast-pace gameplan with off-the-ball acts such as tackling, shepherding and one-percenters a high priority, I actually think we can finish in the top 8 and challenging for the top 4-6 range.

I particularly like how we are coming into this season with zero expectations. I too thought our side looked average on paper at the start of last year yet many footy experts were tipping us to push top 4. This year we look a lot better on paper especially with the inclusion of Prestia and Caddy and no one expects us to achieve anything. I think coming into the season without that expectation will finally allow us to start the season with a bang (rather than disappointment as has been the case the last few years).

 

[Lsta062]

I particularly like how we are coming into this season with zero expectations. I too thought our side looked average on paper at the start of last year yet many footy experts were tipping us to push top 4. This year we look a lot better on paper especially with the inclusion of Prestia and Caddy and no one expects us to achieve anything. I think coming into the season without that expectation will finally allow us to start the season with a bang (rather than disappointment as has been the case the last few years).

Yeah we certainly don't have the hype that we had last year, so we can just go about our business. Additionally, our coaching panel looks different, suggesting to me that we are going to go with a better gameplan.

Better gameplan + better list + easier draw = a much better performance IMO. I hope I am not being delusional though lol but I feel that this is the case with us.

 

[Metapod]

B: Short -- Astbury -- Grimes
HB: Houli -- Rance -- Markov
C: McIntosh -- Cotchin -- B. Ellis
HF: LLoyd -- Griffiths -- Caddy
FF: Rioli -- Riewoldt -- Bolton
R: Nankervis -- Martin -- Prestia
Int: Vlastuin -- Grigg -- Graham -- Miles
Emer: Hampson -- Lambert -- Edwards -- Garthwaite

I like the look of that team.
Backline: Would love Garthwaite to take over Astbury. He should be given every opportunity. Short I like and think we need a small shutdown defender (we need someone to defend the likes of Betts, Rioli, LeCras etc). That is Short's role. Markov is emerging as a gun and can't wait to see him carrying the ball out of the backline.
Centre / Rucks: Firstly I hope we gift Nank as our top ruckman. I think Dimma will reward Hampson for his good performance this year, but I hope Nank takes over as the year progresses. McIntosh and Ellis in the wings will give us much needed run. Cotch, Martin, Prestia, Caddy, Vlas, Grigg, Miles & Graham are gonna look fantastic rotating through the mid and finally looks like we will win most contested possession counts.
Forward: Firstly, can't wait to see Rioli and Bolton crumbing together in the pockets. Think a lot of people are underrating this duo. We need Griffiths to crash the pack. If he is not doing this, put Nank in the forward line and Hampson as ruck.


Realistically though, Dimma will probably make our starting 22 look like this:
B: Morris -- Astbury -- Grimes
HB: Houli -- Rance -- Vlastuin
C: B. Ellis -- Cotchin -- Grigg
HF: Martin -- Griffiths -- Edwards
FF: Rioli -- Riewoldt -- Lloyd
R: Hampson -- Caddy -- Prestia
Int: Miles -- Lambert -- Hunt -- Conca

 

[jreesosb]

The area of improvement will/should come from our midfield

We have brought to the club 2 best 18 players that will slot straight into the midfield in Caddy & Prestia

Time has also come to now have Vlastuin & McIntosh getting more midfield time as both offer bigger bodies that we need and both have now been at the club for 4 years and have the body and should have the tank and ability to play in this position both players will be 23 in april.

There is 2 other players that are also big bodies and hope both can have an input and both could really suprise in 2017

Graham - Even though he is a 1st year player he has the build and also the hardness of a 3rd 4th year player and looks to be a player that will leave nothing in the tank and looks like a natural inside mid that has that ability to get the ball and get it alot with good vision

Townsend - Most and including me have written him off as a failed selection but he still has another year left and has the chance to change things and re start his career. I believe that this 'protect' cotchin , Hit hard & Bowl people over mentality may have worked against him and not allowed him to play as a true ball winning mid. With the new players at the club and more inside depth perhaps he might just change or the coaches might change his role and he could become a run with player or a ball winning midfielder . No guarantee but will be interesting to see in his last remaining year,

Starting Mids - Cotchin,Caddy,Martin,Prestia
Rotational Mids - Vlastuin,McIntosh,Miles,Graham,Conca,Edwards,Cellis,Townsend

If somehow 3-4 of the secondary mids can step up and have breakout years we could be in for some really interesting times

Just to quickly add that I think Nankervis will be our number one ruck by halfway through the season and this will improve our midfield too.
Just my hunch

 

[HumanMeatball]

Best 22
B: Grimes Rance. Astbury
HB: Houli. mcintosh Markov
C: Grigg Cotchin, B Ellis
HF: Caddy Griffiths. Edwards
F: Lennon, Riewoldt, rioli
Foll: Nankervis, Prestia, martin
INT: vlaustin(midfield) Cellis, lloyd, miles
Pushing hard for a spot: drummond, bolton, graham, garthwaite, short, conca, menadue

 

[Bobby Sands]

Macintosh is so bloody unique.

He could be a loose tall down back, a pure winger or even an inside beast with more exposure.

Amazing how important he is, given where he has come from.

Love him

 

[Bobby Sands]

Might as well give it a go:

Backs: Short Garthwaite Grimes
HB: Houli Rance Markov
Centres: Grigg Cotchin Menadue
HF: Martin Lloyd Edwards
F: Rioli Riewoldt Astbury
R: Hampson Prestia Caddy
Int: Griffiths Vlaustin Miles Conca

Would like to see Astbury tried in the forward line again. A better option that Griff who is only in due to his role as a back up ruck.
Want to see how Garthwaite does as he looks like a player.

Wot

 

[Tango67]

Macintosh is so bloody unique.

He could be a loose tall down back, a pure winger or even an inside beast with more exposure.


Amazing how important he is, given where he has come from.

Love him

granted he has size and endurance but he doesn't have the smarts or skill set to be a top notch mid and doesnt have the defensive traits or experience to be a defender...
just because someone has the frame or the size to play a certain position doesn't mean they can...
Deledio, Vickery, Elton and Mcbean are classic examples

 

[UpTheTigs]

I think you can just about lock this Rd 1 22 in, barring injuries.

Grimes Rance Short
Houli Astbury Vlastuin

McIntosh Cotchin Bellis

Edwards Griffiths Caddy
Rioli Riewoldt Lloyd

R: Hampson Martin Prestia

INT: Grigg Markov Miles Lambert

Reserves: Nankervis, Graham, Conca, Cellis, Bolton, Menadue, Butler, Drummond, Garthwaite etc

 

[THE_GUN]

I think you can just about lock this Rd 1 22 in, barring injuries.

Grimes Rance Short
Houli Astbury Vlastuin

McIntosh Cotchin Bellis

Edwards Griffiths Caddy
Rioli Riewoldt Lloyd

R: Hampson Martin Prestia

INT: Grigg Markov Miles Lambert

Reserves: Nankervis, Graham, Conca, Cellis, Bolton, Menadue, Butler, Drummond, Garthwaite etc

So Lennon doesnt even make it into the top 31 players - Wow

Team i would like to see Round 1 rather that who will actually be

B: Grimes - Rance - Short
H: Markov - Astbury - Houli
C: Grigg - Caddy -Cotchin
H: Martin - Griffiths - Rioli
F: Lloyd - Riewoldt - Edwards
F: Nankervis - Cotchin - Prestia
I: Bellis - McIntosh - Vlastuin - Graham

 

[Squibbs]

B: Grimes Rance Short
HB: Houli Astbury Markov
C: McIntosh Caddy Menadue
HF: Martin Griffiths Edwards
F: Rioli Riewoldt Lloyd
R: Nankervis Cotchin Prestia
Int: Vlastuin B. Ellis Graham Bolton

Missing - Grigg, Hunt, Hampson, Lennon, Morris, Batchelor; a lot of the whipping boys and supposed duds. No Miles either, who could be swapped for Graham quite easily. Looks a very promising team.

 

[THE_GUN]

Cant wait to smash carlton round 1

 

[theflea]

FB-Batchelor, Astbury, Grimes
HB-Houli, Rance, Markov
C-BEllis, Caddy, McIntosh
HF-Martin, Griffiths, Lennon
FF-Rioli, Reiwoldt, Edwards
R-Hampson, Prestia, Cotchin
I-Vlastuin, Lloyd, and then from Conca, Grigg, Graham, Bolton, Short, C Ellis.

Have selected Batch purely as a small lockdown defender, so Vlastuin go into the midfield mix. If he doesn't do this then he doesn't play. Right now still think Hampson gets the first crack, with Markov the new runner from the backline. Could add another tall on the bench, but the 3rd tall is Lennon, and he needs to perform that role well to stay. Not sold on Short as a defender, hence he is not playing and Batch gets the gig. All he has to do is defend the smalls, and Grimes has to take the third tall.

 

[UpTheTigs]

So Lennon doesnt even make it into the top 31 players - Wow

Team i would like to see Round 1 rather that who will actually be

B: Grimes - Rance - Short
H: Markov - Astbury - Houli
C: Grigg - Caddy -Cotchin
H: Martin - Griffiths - Rioli
F: Lloyd - Riewoldt - Edwards
F: Nankervis - Cotchin - Prestia
I: Bellis - McIntosh - Vlastuin - Graham

Lennon is included in the "etc" bracket until further notice. For a guy who's tried to leave twice I think that's more than fair.

Caddy isn't a full time midfielder, he plays a lot of HF. Nankervis has a bit more to do to put Hampson into the VFL. Graham would need to improve on his kicking majorly to be there Rd 1.

 

[tigertigertiger]

Does the interchange not suffice?


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Just as much as the forward pocket does in his case with a team overflowing with mids

 

[Bobsleder]

granted he has size and endurance but he doesn't have the smarts or skill set to be a top notch mid and doesnt have the defensive traits or experience to be a defender...
just because someone has the frame or the size to play a certain position doesn't mean they can...
Deledio, Vickery, Elton and Mcbean are classic examples

Agree, McIntosh has some deer in the headlight moments, which will occur less with more experience. I think he is best suited to the wing at this stage and let him run his arse off. As he displays more composure, send him down back if needed to allow another runner onto the wing.

 

[Snooza 100]

Out, Hardwick.
In, any one that
tells the team to tackle!!

 

[Snooza 100]

So Lennon doesnt even make it into the top 31 players - Wow

Team i would like to see Round 1 rather that who will actually be

B: Grimes - Rance - Short
H: Markov - Astbury - Houli
C: Grigg - Caddy -Cotchin
H: Martin - Griffiths - Rioli
F: Lloyd - Riewoldt - Edwards
F: Nankervis - Cotchin - Prestia
I: Bellis - McIntosh - Vlastuin - Graham

Lennon=Lemon