First 22 in 2023

[lionshine]

Team for Round 1 with Gardiner and Ah Chee confirmed to be out injured -

B Rayner Andrews Rich
HB Coleman Payne Starcevich
C Berry McCluggage Bailey
HF Zorko Hipwood McCarthy
F Gunston Daniher Cameron
R McInerney Neale Dunkley
I Ashcroft Robertson McKenna Wilmot

Sub one of Fort, Tunstill, Sharp, Lyons, Prior?

Good news for guys like Dev and Wilmot with them likely to get a look in early now. If Zorko doesn’t get up either it really opens up an opportunity for guys like Prior, Sharp and Tunstill as well to stake a claim.

Good to see Lohmann is back this week as well. He has had an interrupted pre season so will likely need some reserves footy to catch up but I’d love for him to put himself in the frame for senior selection early as well.

 

[lionshine]

Team for Round 1 with Gardiner and Ah Chee confirmed to be out injured -

B Rayner Andrews Rich
HB Coleman Payne Starcevich
C Berry McCluggage Bailey
HF Zorko Hipwood McCarthy
F Gunston Daniher Cameron
R McInerney Neale Dunkley
I Ashcroft Robertson McKenna Wilmot

Sub one of Fort, Tunstill, Sharp, Lyons, Prior?

Good news for guys like Dev and Wilmot with them likely to get a look in early now. If Zorko doesn’t get up either it really opens up an opportunity for guys like Prior, Sharp and Tunstill as well to stake a claim.

Good to see Lohmann is back this week as well. He has had an interrupted pre season so will likely need some reserves footy to catch up but I’d love for him to put himself in the frame for senior selection early as well.

I should mention Answerth is back this week as well so he has a couple weeks of training to get his name back in the selection frame for the early rounds plus a game this week if named v Cats(Or for the reserves if they have a praccy match?)

 

[Mighty Lions]

Team for Round 1 with Gardiner and Ah Chee confirmed to be out injured -

B Rayner Andrews Rich
HB Coleman Payne Starcevich
C Berry McCluggage Bailey
HF Zorko Hipwood McCarthy
F Gunston Daniher Cameron
R McInerney Neale Dunkley
I Ashcroft Robertson McKenna Wilmot

Sub one of Fort, Tunstill, Sharp, Lyons, Prior?

Good news for guys like Dev and Wilmot with them likely to get a look in early now. If Zorko doesn’t get up either it really opens up an opportunity for guys like Prior, Sharp and Tunstill as well to stake a claim.

Good to see Lohmann is back this week as well. He has had an interrupted pre season so will likely need some reserves footy to catch up but I’d love for him to put himself in the frame for senior selection early as well.

Lohman a good chance to be playing against Geelong.

 

[mattsmob]

Lohman a good chance to be playing against Geelong.

Any position/role change for Lohmann this season? Pretty tough forward line to crack into.

 

[Dalions]

Any position/role change for Lohmann this season? Pretty tough forward line to crack into.

Rayner down back and Zorko unlikely so there is a spot there.

 

[mattsmob]

Rayner down back and Zorko unlikely so there is a spot there.

Still thinking of Rayner as a forward, how long was Zorko out for? Both Ashcroft and Dunkley take up another spot in that mid/fwd rotation as well. I think on talent alone Lohmann is probably best 22 and he’s awesome to watch so I hope he finds his way in there.

 

[M Malice]

Rayner down back and Zorko unlikely so there is a spot there.

From our 2022 forward line.

Outs- McStay, Rayner.

Ins- Gunston, Lohmann.

 

[twhowler]

Lohman a good chance to be playing against Geelong.

Interesting! Has seemed to have quite an interrupted pre season so must mean they are keen to get him in to the forward line.

 

[Section 5]

Good to see a few players available for this week's 2 games.
Hope they all get through without any issues.
I will be very surprised if Lohman gets an AFL spot round 1.

 

[Dalions]

Good to see a few players available for this week's 2 games.
Hope they all get through without any issues.
I will be very surprised if Lohman gets an AFL spot round 1.

With his lack of match practise up to this point.
I would be surprised if he was selected to play Geelong.

 

[p4p1]

The big question that will need to be answered this year is how do we handle a transition for some of our older players like Rich and Zorko, who have been great for the club, if they aren't in our best 22 come finals time? I'm not saying they won't be, but stranger things have happened.

 

[M Malice]

Hurry up already.

 

[M Malice]

The big question that will need to be answered this year is how do we handle a transition for some of our older players like Rich and Zorko, who have been great for the club, if they aren't in our best 22 come finals time? I'm not saying they won't be, but stranger things have happened.

Barring injury I can't see it happening but if it does I think we have them covered.

Daniel Rich- Coleman can play his role now and we have enormous depth in that position of the ground even though some of it has not been fully tested if at all yet eg. Wilmot, McKenna, Prior, Fletcher, Michael, Madden, Answerth.

Dayne Zorko- Hard to replace the inform version of Zorks, Bailey can play a similar style, Ashcroft has that burst of space out of stoppages and Zork like intensity.

 

[KissKiss]

Its weird to hear Lohman getting a round 1 spot but it also wouldnt be the first time someone has got locked in without being seen much externally. I hesitate to say it but it does suggest to me (on the outside) that the coaches play favourites from the training track rather than whats delivered on field.

On the wing I will still maintain that the balance was better with Clugg out there more. I also thought Prior has done better there than many others and I personally think his size and shape would be an asset there

 

[knaf]

I am not a subscriber to the coaches play favorites theory.

surely the coaches pick the side they believe most likely to beat the opposition. I guess they would consider selecting players who might strengthen the side in the short or longer term if they are exposed to AFL level rather than VFL level. For example giving weight to players who have delivered in the past and who are coming back from injury; or to a developing player who needs the experience.

Of course supporters, commentators, players not selected etc will disagree with decisions and with hindsight point to mistakes.

Coaches won’t get it right every time, but to me playing favourites is the strategy of a coach who won’t be around for long.

 

[p4p1]

I am not a subscriber to the coaches play favorites theory.

surely the coaches pick the side they believe most likely to beat the opposition. I guess they would consider selecting players who might strengthen the side in the short or longer term if they are exposed to AFL level rather than VFL level. For example giving weight to players who have delivered in the past and who are coming back from injury; or to a developing player who needs the experience.

Of course supporters, commentators, players not selected etc will disagree with decisions and with hindsight point to mistakes.

Coaches won’t get it right every time, but to me playing favourites is the strategy of a coach who won’t be around for long.

It's human nature that coaches will play favourites. I doubt they set out to play favourites but there will be a weak justification for choosing a player over another player that may offer more.

Need we forget Ross Lyons adoration for Zac Dawson?

 

[M Malice]

The coaches play their favourites narrative is a falsehood, although I do think they give credits to proven players who have a down period, which is fair enough IMO. If a newbie has 2-3 down games on the trot they are much more likely to be dropped than a 150+ game player.

 

[Mighty Lions]

Its weird to hear Lohman getting a round 1 spot but it also wouldnt be the first time someone has got locked in without being seen much externally. I hesitate to say it but it does suggest to me (on the outside) that the coaches play favourites from the training track rather than whats delivered on field.

On the wing I will still maintain that the balance was better with Clugg out there more. I also thought Prior has done better there than many others and I personally think his size and shape would be an asset there

Doubt right now that Kai would be best 22 come Round 1 but the club highly rates the young lad and would not be surprised come an injury or poor form from one of our smalls in the forward line and he gets his chance to come in again. He was unlucky with injury last year otherwise he would have played more games 100%.

 

[dlanod]

It's human nature that coaches will play favourites. I doubt they set out to play favourites but there will be a weak justification for choosing a player over another player that may offer more.

Need we forget Ross Lyons adoration for Zac Dawson?

From the outside: coaches play their favourites.

From the inside: coaches pick the players that tick some internal boxes which we don't have access to.

Given how well Lyons rates defensive effort and reliability and did not care about attacking, it's not really a surprise that Dawson ticked his boxes and continued to do so.

 

[Viceregal]

From the outside: coaches play their favourites.

From the inside: coaches pick the players that tick some internal boxes which we don't have access to.

Given how well Lyons rates defensive effort and reliability and did not care about attacking, it's not really a surprise that Dawson ticked his boxes and continued to do so.

And sometimes they pick them not for what they bring now but for what they perceive they will bring in the future (eg early Rayner) or because they provide a structural purpose (eg McStay) or because they need someone to play in that position and player x can hear thunder and see lightning (eg some of the teams we picked during the most recent iteration of the dark days).

The frustration from the fan persective comes when we see a player through one prism but the coaches through a different one (eg Linc based on the B&F results) and it is a lot easier to blame it on 'playing favourites' rather than either understanding the coaches persepective or having to trust that they are at least doing it accoring to some kind of plan (even if that plan is being driven by corporate needs (need to be exciting/competative/entertaining in a fickle market) or Board directives (you will play in finals within x years or the coach sacked) or self preservation (perception they will sack me if my win-loss records goes too low so playing for wins now not more strategic wins later))

That being said there will be coaches who totally have their favourties and have no idea what they are doing but they will be as rare as an actual AFL player really being a spud.

 

[Sanchez365]

From the outside: coaches play their favourites.

From the inside: coaches pick the players that tick some internal boxes which we don't have access to.

Given how well Lyons rates defensive effort and reliability and did not care about attacking, it's not really a surprise that Dawson ticked his boxes and continued to do so.

Reading the line "given how well Lyons rates defensive efforts" too quick almost had me questioning your sanity on poor Jarrod.

 

[martinson]

Obviously coaches will pick the team they believe has the best chance of winning any particular game but it doesn't mean they don't get it wrong from time to time like anyone in any sporting field or business.

Here's one I'm sure had you scratching your head for a couple of years if you're around 3KZ..Noel Mugavin.

 

[Sproj]

Is it Berry’s shoulder keeping him out today? That’s very, very concerning if so.

 

[vic_LION]

Good that Neale is back out after last week, was wondering if that'd rest him just to be sure, but a good sign

Know it's only a practice game, but very pumped for tonight's match! Haha

 

[twhowler]

Well with the side named v Geelong and the next game a real one we can turf out our fantasy teams and go with a realistic one for round one! I can at least.

Our depth getting a little bit of an early test with 3 best 22s from last year out (4 if Zorko doesn't get up), and another 3 borderline needing to get some games under their belts. Not the walking wounded but a few more than you would like to start the year with.

McKenna was the one i have least faith in just because he looked very rusty, possible they go with Tunstill instead.

FB: Starcevich Andrews Rayner
HB: Coleman Payne Rich
C: Robertson Dunkley Bailey
HF: Cameron Daniher Hipwood
FF: McCarthy Gunston Zorko
Foll McInerney Neale McCluggage
Interchange: Ashcroft Wilmot McKenna Prior
Sub Tunstill
Emergencies Fort Sharp Madden Joyce

Unavailable: Berry, Gardiner, Ah Chee
Need fitness to be considered: Lohman, Answerth, Lyons, Fletcher