Next week team selection

[UpTheGuts]

Someone quick in.
Gordon for Lloyd a chance, I'd reckon

 

[Wackelpudding]

Someone quick in.
Gordon for Lloyd a chance, I'd reckon

I wouldn't mind this, especially if Lloyd was to be the sub. Gordon has had good impact as a sub before and his pace might expose North late.

 

[GoTigers2015]

That's why I posted the link for some unknown reason the stats got jumbled in cyber space

Using the snipping tool, gets around that

 

[TigerImposter]

Using the snipping tool, gets around that

That sounds dangerous and too technical for me

 

[GoTigers2015]

That sounds dangerous and too technical for me

If you have Windows just type "snipping" in the text box where start menu is. Can be dangerous!!!

 

[GoTigers2015]

Someone quick in.
Gordon for Lloyd a chance, I'd reckon

Windup?

 

[Grizzly02]

Someone quick in.
Gordon for Lloyd a chance, I'd reckon

Hard to see any changes this week. I think Lloyd has been pretty good too. Very clever player and deserves to keep his spot. Gordon doesn't force him out at this stage. I like Conca and Knights but they are too much risk this week. I'm backing the round 23 squad in.

 

[Dr Awkward]

Okay, so let's unpack this a bit further then.

Of the entire 44 man playing list (38 senior, 6 rookies), the following players have retired and are not available for selection:

Nathan Foley - senior
Ricky Petterd - senior
Chris Knights - senior

We have 6 rookie listed players, of which we've elevated the maximum that we can, Kane Lambert and Matt Thomas. The other 4 (Castagna, Short, Soldo, and Arnot) are therefore not available for selection.

So already just based on that, we're down to 37 available players, to field a team of 22.

Of those remaining 37 players, here are players currently injured and unable to play senior footy (not including aforementioned retirees and rookies who might be on the injury list):

Nathan Drummond
Ben Griffiths
Corey Ellis
Reece Conca

That leaves us with 33 senior players who are available for selection.

Now, given form throughout the season, of those 33, we can safely assume that the following players are locks for Best 22 action atm:

Brett Deledio
Dustin Martin
Trent Cotchin
Jack Riewoldt
Shane Edwards
Alex Rance
Ivan Maric
Troy Chaplin
Bachar Houli
Shaun Grigg
Tyrone Vickery
Taylor Hunt
Jake Batchelor
Anthony Miles
Brandon Ellis
Kamdyn McIntosh
Nick Vlastuin
Ben Lennon
Kane Lambert

So that's 19 guys out of that remaining 33 who you'd probably say deserve their current spot. But there's still 3 spaces remaining, so we need 3 players out of the remaining 14 to fill those spots. The remaining 14 players are:

Matt Thomas
Shaun Hampson
Steven Morris
Nathan Gordon
Sam Lloyd
David Astbury
Matthew Dea
Todd Elton
Matthew McDonough
Liam McBean
Reece McKenzie
Daniel Butler
Connor Menadue

and of course, Chris Newman.

TI, out of those remaining 14 players, who would you have ahead in actual output over Chris Newman? Remember, there has to be at least 3 in order to have Newman's spot on the team compromised, but probably closer to 4 or 5 in reality, to account for recent form as well.

Forget potential, or getting games into some of the younger ones for experience, we're in a finals series now. I'm talking about tangible performance + experience here.

There is some talent in those last 14 names, and I think it will hold us in good stead in years to come (Newy has already announced he is leaving at the end of the year, so his spot in the future is up for grabs).

But as a 250+ gamer, even if he isn't impacting games as well as he used to in his prime, do you honestly think that there are 3 guys in that list of 14 players who would perform better than him, not to mention bring the leadership qualities that he has as well?

Hell, I'll extend the olive branch a bit further, and we'll even forget about the leadership qualities for a moment, and focus PURELY on his stats and output in a game....

Again, I repeat my question to you; Have any of those players in that last list of 14, let alone 3 of them, ever had a game in the AFL senior team, that is better than an average Chris Newman game?

I whole-heartedly agree that Newman is a fringe player right now. But he's a player with a ton of experience, and his form still justifies him being in the 22 man squad, in my opinion.

Whilst for future development of players, he probably shouldn't get a game over a younger kid with a slightly lower current output, in a finals series we need all the old heads we can get, and Newman is still a quality football player, albeit well past his absolute prime of course.

He will perform better in a final than probably a vast majority of those 14 players listed. His position in our team all year has been a 20th-22nd best player, and that's where it's at now.

What this shows is that we don't have much depth at the moment. A lot of young players and players that are generally not up to the grade. Not many guys who can make Newman earn his spot. That being said, I would have been playing McDonough ahead of Newman all year.