If soldo has to play on the ground and on the bench we are in trouble.Round One team:
Vlas Tarrant Grimes
Short Balta D Rioli
Baker Cotchin McIntosh
Lambert Lynch Bolton
Martin Riewoldt Castagna
Nankervis Graham Prestia
Edwards Soldo Broad Stack
EMG: Pickett RCD Ross Mansell
Round Twenty-Three team (my hopes and dreams)
Vlas Tarrant Broad
Short Grimes D.Rioli
McIntosh Graham Ralphsmith
Lambert Balta Bolton
Martin Lynch Riewoldt
Soldo/Nankervis Prestia Baker
Extended bench: Stack Cotchin Edwards Miller RCD Nyuon Ross Mansell Brown
Round Twenty-Three team (somewhat realistic)
Vlas Balta Grimes
Short Tarrant D. Rioli
McIntosh Graham Ralphsmith
Lambert Lynch Bolton
Martin Riewoldt Stack
Soldo Prestia Baker
Edwards Soldo Cotchin Broad
EMG: RCD Castagna Miller Mansell
Delistings:
Will Martyn
Josh Caddy
Marlion Pickett??
Noah Cumberland
Jake Aarts
Matthew Parker
Retirements:
Jack Riewoldt
Trent Cotchin
Trade bait:
Jack Ross
Marlion Pickett
Trade targets:
Ben 'Oh you thought Lynch was the doozy? itshappening.gif' King
Tom Green
Ely Smith
Willie Rioli
Nathan Murphy
Unpopular opinion and obligatory "Balta forward when???" rant:
I don't think Nank will make it through the season. He has copped some sort of injury annually since 2019, and I have serious doubts on him being able to remain fit for the entirety of '22. Soldo's top-notch preseason form means he'll at least be in a two-ruck rotation. And I'm so so sorry to say it, but he is not a two-ruck guy, he shoulders 80 per cent of the load with some relief from the third tall.
I reckon we will at one point this season realise that:
a) Lynch needs a proper forward partner as Jack is cooked;
b) Soldo and Nank in the same side isn't working as neither can really play as a forward;
c) Biggy Nyoun and Ben Miller are really feckin' good and need to get senior minutes;
d) Noah Balta is the perfect modern day centre half forward.
This will probably happen all at once. I love Noah at full back but I think our issues are in the forward line. His pace, athleticism, long kicking, vice like marking and rucking ability work as perfect foil to Lynch's bear-in-the-square and lead-up styles. Add Jack in there as a 'third forward' who kicked 50 goals last year and we are formidable. Then you get to Dusty and Shai. And maybe a fit Stacky....
Point is, the development at lockers #46 and #47 could unlock (pardon the pun) our cobbled-together forward line.
But I don't think we will go for it, because there is a very, very real chance we throw the absolute mortgage at Ben King.
Shorter notes and predictions
- Ralphsmith as a wing works so well with a defensive-minded bloke on the other side in McIntosh. Adds a goalscoring dimension to the outside.
- We will bite the bullet on the lack of an outstanding inside mid developer (because I don't trust RCD and Ross), and throw Baker in there before the bye.
- Tom Brown plays 8-10 games of AFL footy, no other draftee debuts.
- Biggie Nyuon parachutes in and shows f*n heaps.
- I have no idea about Tom Dow.