Prediction Pick 6 at a time

[E Shed]

As we roll on toward finals I've been thinking about the best team we can take into September.
My way of getting a best 22 is to pick 6 for each part of the ground with one spare who goes on the bench. It kind of focuses my thinking on each group without worrying about the big picture of who makes it. My thinking goes like this.

Best back 6.
McPharlin, Dawson, Johnson, Ibbo, Spurr, Sutty.
Spare Sherro.
Clancee and Duffield probably the next cabs off the rank and possibly Grey if Spurr isn't available in the hardman role

Mids (includes starting centre square setup, wings and spare)
Sandi, Fyfe, Mundy, Neale, Hill, Weller.
Spare Barlow.
Dan Pearce and Suban unlucky here but this is my preferred setup going forward.

Forwards (you include your resting ruck here or as spare)
Pav, A Pearce, Walters, Balla, Mayne, Crozier.
Spare Griff.
I'm actually very tempted to name Langdon instead of Crozier as Croz has been underwhelming to say the least and I think Langdon is potentially a very damaging, pacy high half forward. Crozier does offer an aggressive approach and the ability to kick a clutch goal.

Which gives a bench of Sherro, Barlow, Griff
Sub - Dan Pearce - could potentially be a real game breaker coming on as sub. Could crash and burn too!
Emg - Clarke, DeBoer, Suban, Blakely - Really wanted to get Blakely into the starting 22, could possibly replace Dan Pearce.

I understand this is not a likely team but its how I see our best combination of talent, youth and experience and how I'd love to see us line up soon.

 

[Scham]

As we roll on toward finals I've been thinking about the best team we can take into September.
My way of getting a best 22 is to pick 6 for each part of the ground with one spare who goes on the bench. It kind of focuses my thinking on each group without worrying about the big picture of who makes it. My thinking goes like this.

Best back 6.
McPharlin, Dawson, Johnson, Ibbo, Spurr, Sutty.
Spare Sherro.
Clancee and Duffield probably the next cabs off the rank and possibly Grey if Spurr isn't available in the hardman role

Mids (includes starting centre square setup, wings and spare)
Sandi, Fyfe, Mundy, Neale, Hill, Weller.
Spare Barlow.
Dan Pearce and Suban unlucky here but this is my preferred setup going forward.

Forwards (you include your resting ruck here or as spare)
Pav, A Pearce, Walters, Balla, Mayne, Crozier.
Spare Griff.
I'm actually very tempted to name Langdon instead of Crozier as Croz has been underwhelming to say the least and I think Langdon is potentially a very damaging, pacy high half forward. Crozier does offer an aggressive approach and the ability to kick a clutch goal.

Which gives a bench of Sherro, Barlow, Griff
Sub - Dan Pearce - could potentially be a real game breaker coming on as sub. Could crash and burn too!
Emg - Clarke, DeBoer, Suban, Blakely - Really wanted to get Blakely into the starting 22, could possibly replace Dan Pearce.

I understand this is not a likely team but its how I see our best combination of talent, youth and experience and how I'd love to see us line up soon.

I can't disagree with any of that.

The question marks would be on Balla (whether he'll be back in time), D Pearce (finals form) and Croz (form), so Blakely is in with a real chance. Reckon he'll be travelling emergency this week (providing the rumours on his calf aren't true)

 

[calaisking]

Not a bad list E Shed. I can't see D.Pearce being pushed out to the sub role though

 

[Spoken4]

Best back 6.
McPharlin, Johnson, Dawson, Ibbo, Spurr, Hill.
Spare: Sutcliffe and Grey.

Mids (includes starting centre square setup, wings and spare)
Sandiland, Fyfe, Mundy, Neale, Barlow, Sheridan.
Spare: Blakely.

Forwards (you include your resting ruck here or as spare)
Pav, A Pearce, Walters, Mayne, Crozier, Griffin.
Spare: Weller.

Which gives a bench of Weller, Sutcliffe and Blakely
Sub - Grey
Emg - Clarke, D Pearce, C Pearce
Inj - Ballas

 

[ydraw]

I get the feeling it's unlikely that all of Dawson, McPharlin, Johnson and Ibbo will play in the same defense. Seems a bit top heavy. Historically at least one of them has always been injured.

 

[go_the_dockers]

I get the feeling it's unlikely that all of Dawson, McPharlin, Johnson and Ibbo will play in the same defense. Seems a bit top heavy. Historically at least one of them has always been injured.

I wouldn't mind going in just McPharlin, Johnson and Ibbotson and then C Pearce. I know this is a risk against the taller forward lines, but I think it is worth the Risk. With A Pearce, and Mundy in the side they could be pushed back to help if needed.

 

[Moist Biscuit]

My Best 22
Spurr, McPharlin, Ibbotson
Mundy, Johnson, Sutcliffe
Sheridan, Barlow, D.Pearce
Mayne, A.Pearce, Ballantyne
Walters, Pavlich, Griffen
Sandilands, Fyfe, Hill
Int- Neale, Crozier, Suban
Sub-Weller
Suban gets the nod over De Boer and C.Pearce.
Alex Pearce to go back if needed. I don't think Dawson is best 22 anymore, doesn't provide enough offensively.

 

[Schauermann]

I get the feeling it's unlikely that all of Dawson, McPharlin, Johnson and Ibbo will play in the same defense. Seems a bit top heavy. Historically at least one of them has always been injured.

And it worked so well early on I'd like to see it again when Johnson is back.

Only reason to have Dawson in in finals would a really tall opposing forward line or a rawer more basic approach to finals football...

 

[pavsbootlace]

The backline is where it gets interesting. We played our best footy this year with Mcpharlin, Johnson and Ibbotson but without Dawson. I'm not sure that adding Dawson in for a small is the best outcome

For me:

Johnson, McPharlin, Ibbo
Spurr, Sutty, Mzungu.
Spare: Clancee

I know Mzungu's form hasn't been startling, but it's tricky to be in and out of the team

 

[beetz]

I am not even going to attempt this, it'll do my head in hahaha

 

[ydraw]

The backline is where it gets interesting. We played our best footy this year with Mcpharlin, Johnson and Ibbotson but without Dawson. I'm not sure that adding Dawson in for a small is the best outcome

For me:

Johnson, McPharlin, Ibbo
Spurr, Sutty, Mzungu.
Spare: Clancee

I know Mzungu's form hasn't been startling, but it's tricky to be in and out of the team

Sheridan's form has been much better than Mzungu imo.

 

[GilG]

My Best 22
Spurr, McPharlin, Ibbotson
Mundy, Johnson, Sutcliffe
Sheridan, Barlow, D.Pearce
Mayne, A.Pearce, Ballantyne
Walters, Pavlich, Griffen
Sandilands, Fyfe, Hill
Int- Neale, Crozier, Suban
Sub-Weller
Suban gets the nod over De Boer and C.Pearce.
Alex Pearce to go back if needed. I don't think Dawson is best 22 anymore, doesn't provide enough offensively.

This is the list I like most — and Weller would add a real burst of energy as the sub. As much as I wish Zac Clarke would make it impossible to leave him out of the side, because of his mobility and athleticism, he just hasn't done that this year. Would love to have Tendai in there, too, but he got unlucky. Although...Sutcliffe better be in top-notch form. I also like the hardness factor Suban has. Zac Dawson? Really questioning his in-game judgment after last week. Don't want to see him giving away silly free kicks or 50s in the Finals — if you remember the 2013 Qualifying Final, he gave away a free to James Podsiadly before the opening bounce, which could've turned out to be costly.

 

[Pusswah]

As we roll on toward finals I've been thinking about the best team we can take into September.
My way of getting a best 22 is to pick 6 for each part of the ground with one spare who goes on the bench. It kind of focuses my thinking on each group without worrying about the big picture of who makes it. My thinking goes like this.

Best back 6.
McPharlin, Dawson, Johnson, Ibbo, Spurr, Sutty.
Spare Sherro.
Clancee and Duffield probably the next cabs off the rank and possibly Grey if Spurr isn't available in the hardman role

Mids (includes starting centre square setup, wings and spare)
Sandi, Fyfe, Mundy, Neale, Hill, Weller.
Spare Barlow.
Dan Pearce and Suban unlucky here but this is my preferred setup going forward.

Forwards (you include your resting ruck here or as spare)
Pav, A Pearce, Walters, Balla, Mayne, Crozier.
Spare Griff.
I'm actually very tempted to name Langdon instead of Crozier as Croz has been underwhelming to say the least and I think Langdon is potentially a very damaging, pacy high half forward. Crozier does offer an aggressive approach and the ability to kick a clutch goal.

Which gives a bench of Sherro, Barlow, Griff
Sub - Dan Pearce - could potentially be a real game breaker coming on as sub. Could crash and burn too!
Emg - Clarke, DeBoer, Suban, Blakely - Really wanted to get Blakely into the starting 22, could possibly replace Dan Pearce.

I understand this is not a likely team but its how I see our best combination of talent, youth and experience and how I'd love to see us line up soon.

The beauty of our defence is that it picks itself. The forward line does too a little since we don't have too much better.

Weller ahead of Barlow though, for finals?
We're not talking about developing a team here throughout the year and getting games into a young bloke, we're talking the bash and crash of finals footy. I'm not sure that on the back of a single game where we were playing a team that never really threatened to seriously win and the pressure wasn't a shade on September we should be annointing Weller.
Don't get me wrong, I like the kid but I don't know that it's an accurate representation of what to expect. Maybe it'll feel different in a few weeks time if he plays the eagles and kangaroos.

 

[Deveraux]

Hill has been sensational bouncing out from down back.. with the emergence of Sheridan & Weller I feel it's where Hill will be best used.

 

[Freoforever86]

Hill has been sensational bouncing out from down back.. with the emergence of Sheridan & Weller I feel it's where Hill will be best used.

I think his kicking i50 is too good to put him on half back permanently. Just filling that role till Johnson is back and it's shuffled to normal.
Hill on a wing/in the guts is best suited.

 

[go_the_dockers]

Against Hawks, assuming we play no loose man what is our back 6 to match up on this Hawks forward line (I think against the Hawks we can't play a loose man)

F: Rioli Roughead Gunstan
HF: Puopolo Hale Luke Breust

B: Spurr McPharlin Ibbotson
HB: Sheridan Johnson Sutcliffe

or
B: Spurr McPharlin Johnson
HB: Ibbotson Dawson Sutcliffe

 

[E Shed]

The beauty of our defence is that it picks itself. The forward line does too a little since we don't have too much better.

Weller ahead of Barlow though, for finals?

I have Barlow in the midfield rotations contesting centre bounces. Its where I think he does his best work. He just starts on the bench which he does quite often anyway.

 

[Freoforever86]

Against Hawks, assuming we play no loose man what is our back 6 to match up on this Hawks forward line (I think against the Hawks we can't play a loose man)

F: Rioli Roughead Gunstan
HF: Puopolo Hale Luke Breust

B: Spurr McPharlin Ibbotson
HB: Sheridan Johnson Sutcliffe

or
B: Spurr McPharlin Johnson
HB: Ibbotson Dawson Sutcliffe

Option B for sure.

 

[gungho]

It's interesting, I had Crozier and Sheridan to replace deboer and Duffield in the best 22 at the start of the year and some people were roasting me. Anyway, here is my take on best 22 as it stands. It's just an opinion obviously, so feel free to critique it.
Spurr Macpharlin Ibbotson
Hill Johnson Sutcliffe
Neale Barlow Weller
Mayne A Pearce Walters
Griffen Pav Crozier
Ruck Sandilands, Fyfe, Mundy.
Int: Mzungu, Suban, Clancee Pearce. Sub: Sheridan.
Controversial: D Pearce replaced by Weller: Just reckon that Dan Pearce has a track record of not performing in high pressure games (finals). Of course, there is absolutely no guarantee that Weller will be better but in my opinion it is worth the risk. Griffen to replace Clarke because he will absolutely give his all in finals and might even be worth a goal or two if he can get his marking going. Hill on a back flank so he can set up a lot of our movement out of the backline. All hard nuts on the bench - good for finals. Crozier would definitely need to lift to guarantee a spot but am hoping he can improve. Has shown to be able to kick goals from 50, so is an upgrade forward on deboer. I think Ballas will not make it back into the side in time for finals.

 

[theGav56]

I think our best 22 for this years finals will look different from the best 22 for the start of next year, and potentially not just tinkering, but structurally different. There is no way that I could justify having Weller or Blakely in the best 22 for finals, primarily because of the fitness issues which will come after pre-season work. But I can see them pushing that door open regularly in 2016 at the expense of the usual suspects.

Same with Dawson. I would have him in the finals without a doubt. He is terrific on the ruckman style forwards. Depending on what happens with SuperMac next year, and what happens with recruiting a forward and/or how Pearce/Apeness/Taberner develop he may or may not be best 22 in the future. Silvagni may come into play.

 

[schnoods]

All these lists are close to the money, the 2nd ruck is missing though, it will be fine against a few teams that play the 1 ruck, but in most cases the ruck-forward can cover 40 odd percent of the ground and change up with Sandilands for a break or swinging back as loose man in defence.

 

[Alfonz]

I find it very hard to think that Ross will leave his lovechild Dawson out if he is available. Nor will D.Pearce be left out, though I share people's concerns on his fumbling style in finals.

Clancee was in great form early and fell away after the North game. He was a big reason why we were on fire ... as the old saying goes, you're only as good as your bottom 6. I'd like to see him get back in the side and recover some of his mojo.

Mzungu hasn't set the world on fire, but he hasn't had a proper extended run. I'd like to see him get a few games in a row, though I imagine he'll be the first one out when Fyfe returns.

Duffield seems finished, but might come into consideration as we really need good kicks in the team. Our kicking efficiency has been woeful.

I find it hard to pick the team, but I'll go with the following. Though I fully expect Suban will make the side. I count 14 absolute locks (including Ballantyne) ... to be honest I'm not sure if it would make much difference if we swapped the entire remaining 8 spots with those in my "other options" list.

Backs - McPharlin, Ibbotson, Johnson, Spurr, Dawson, Sutcliffe // Clancee
Midfield - Fyfe, Mundy, Barlow, Hill, Neale, Sandilands // D Pearce
Forwards - Pavlich, Walters, Mayne, Ballantyne, A Pearce, Griffin // Crozier
Sub - Sheridan
Other options - Duffield, Mzungu, Suban, Blakely, De Boer, Weller, Clarke, Taberner

 

[manpurple]

Backs
McPharlin, Dawson, Johnson, Ibbo, Spurr, Sutty.
Spare Sherro.
Clancee the next cab off the rank and
Grey if Spurr isn't available in the hardman role

Mids
Sandi, Fyfe, Mundy, Neale, Hill, D Pearce.
Spare Barlow.
Weller and Suban unlucky

Forwards
Pav, A Pearce, Walters, Balla, Mayne, Griff.
Spare Crozier.
I'm most unsure about Crozier and I would consider Duffy if he has had enough game time in the WAFL

Which gives a bench of Sherro, Barlow, Crozier
Sub - Weller - others have stated why this, IMO also, is such a great move
Emg - Grey, C Pearce, Suban, Clarke (only if a ruck is down).

 

[Unique Name]

Backline
McPharlin, Johnson, Dawson, Ibbo, Spurr, Sherro,
Spare: Sutty
Clancee next cab off the rank.

Mids
Sandi, Fyfe, Mundy, Neale, Barlow, Hill
Spare: D Pearce


Forwards
Pav, A Pearce, Mayne, Walters, Crozier, Weller
Spare: Griffin
If Crozier doesn't show some improvement I'd give Duffy a shot sooner rather than later.
Would probably prefer Clarke to Griffin but I'm happy at the moment for Griff to stay in. He's performing well and doesn't deserve to be dropped.

Sub: Suban (Would probably prefer Blakely/Langdon but that won't happen)

 

[freodocker5]

I just can't see Ross changing the make up of the team to something that we haven't seen this year. Whether we like it or not, he seems fairly set on playing DP and one of Clancee, MDB or Suban to play run with role in the middle. We pretty much always start the game with Sandi, Fyfe, Mundy and one of Clancee/MDB/Suban. Neale and Barlow pretty much never start on the field - so in my prediction, they are listed as my 'spare' even though they are clearly starting 18 players. It is also worth noting that Barlow is rarely playing as part of the true midfield group. Again, whether we like it or not, Micky probably will play as a high HF for this season (even with Fyfe out - Barlow still rarely played in the guts against GWS).

I would love to see a team with Weller and Blakely in it, as they probably offer more than Clancee, DP, Suban and MDB. But, to an extent, I can see why Ross is sticking to the more mature bodies. How many premiership sides would have fielded two first year players and second year key position player on GF day? (assuming we pick AP) At this time of year, Ross would be focused on getting his structures right with the players he feels will stand up in finals footy - which we all know is different kind of beast to the H&A season.

For this reason, rightly or wrongly, I'd say the team we take into the finals and hopefully the GF will be:
Backline
McPharlin, Dawson, Johnson, Ibbotson, Spurr, Sheridan,
Spare: Sutcliffe

Mids
Sandilands, Fyfe, Mundy, DP, Suban, Hill
Spare: Neale

Forwards
Pavlich, A Pearce, Mayne, Sonny, Clarke, Ballantyne
Spare: Barlow

That means our bench would be Neale, Barlow, Sutcliffe and then the sub is really a toss of the coin between anyone out of Crozier, Clancee, Duffield, Weller, MDB, Blakely