I think the issue is that those other positions require you to be damaging. The wing requires some speed and efficient use of the ball and Trav has never been the most damaging player forward of centre.
Opinion The Evolution of Your Best 23 for 2024
- Thread starter RossFC
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I think switch Bergman and Jones’ positions and that will be it.
I’d also have Mitch in ahead of Lord but he probably gets a few weeks in the magoos to get some match fitness / confidence in the knee back.
SPP lurking hopefully gets the best out of McEntee and DBJ for 4 weeks then one drops out.
- Mar 26, 2007
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R1:
FF: McEntee, Marshall, Rioli
HF: DBJ, Dixon, Butters
C: Boak, JHF, Burgoyne
HB: Bergman, Aliir, Houston
FB: Jones, BZT, Ratagolea
R: Soldo, Wines, Rozee
INT: Farrell, Finlayson, Drew, Jones
Sub: Mead
FF: McEntee, Marshall, Rioli
HF: DBJ, Dixon, Butters
C: Boak, JHF, Burgoyne
HB: Bergman, Aliir, Houston
FB: Jones, BZT, Ratagolea
R: Soldo, Wines, Rozee
INT: Farrell, Finlayson, Drew, Jones
Sub: Mead
- Jul 31, 2017
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FB: Ryan Burton | Esava Ratagolea | Brandon Zerk-Thatcher
HB: Dan Houston | Aliir Aliir | Kane Farrell
C: Travis Boak | Ollie Wines | Miles Bergman
R: Ivan Soldo | Connor Rozee | Zak Butters
HF: Jason Horne-Francis | Todd Marshall | Jed McEntee
FF: Willie Rioli | Charlie Dixon | Mitch Georgiades
I: Willem Drew | Darcy Byrne-Jones | Lachie Jones | Jase Burgoyne
S: Jackson Mead
E: Dylan Williams | Ollie Lord | Josh Sinn
HB: Dan Houston | Aliir Aliir | Kane Farrell
C: Travis Boak | Ollie Wines | Miles Bergman
R: Ivan Soldo | Connor Rozee | Zak Butters
HF: Jason Horne-Francis | Todd Marshall | Jed McEntee
FF: Willie Rioli | Charlie Dixon | Mitch Georgiades
I: Willem Drew | Darcy Byrne-Jones | Lachie Jones | Jase Burgoyne
S: Jackson Mead
E: Dylan Williams | Ollie Lord | Josh Sinn
- Jan 20, 2015
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This team for me too but finlayson in for Burgoyne.
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I feel like our forward line looks too clogged up with 4 talls, I would only be playing 3 of Dixon, Marshall, Georgiades, Lord, Finlayson and Sweet
- Jan 20, 2015
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Possibly, but if we kept Dixon as that stay at home deep, any of Marshall, finlayson and Georgiades and more than capable of roaming high and delivering it forward, and 1 probably on the bench or covering ruck at any given time. I am probably not on the same page as the coaches but I just feel that it offers us a flexibility that another small runner doesn’t.
This is pretty close to how I have it, but I have Bergman and Jones the other way round.
Harsh on Williams, but Jones probably showed enough last night to justify his spot. I also think Butters will be fine, so that will push Drew to the bench and unfortunately Mead out of the team (either to the sub or emergency) - although I think DBJ is extremely lucky to keep his spot. I suppose DBJ offers some flexibility now.
I suspect Visentini will be cleared for the SANFL trial. It will be interesting to see the how Visentini and Sweet work together in the SANFL. 2 recognised rucks will mean a proper 2-ruck rotation and a more balanced team overall. Not that rubbish last year when Hayes, Teckle and Visentini had managed minutes.
- Oct 8, 2004
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Week 1
FB: Ryan Burton | Esava Ratagolea | Brandon Zerk-Thatcher
HB: Dan Houston | Aliir Aliir | Kane Farrell
C: Travis Boak | Ollie Wines | Miles Bergman
HF: Jason Horne-Francis | Todd Marshall | Jed McEntee
FF: Willie Rioli | Charlie Dixon | Mitch Georgiades
R: Ivan Soldo | Connor Rozee | Zak Butters
I: Willem Drew | Darcy Byrne-Jones | Lachie Jones | Jase Burgoyne
S: Jackson Mead
E: Dylan Williams Josh Sinn F. Evans Clurey
When back SPP replaces McEntee.
FB: Ryan Burton | Esava Ratagolea | Brandon Zerk-Thatcher
HB: Dan Houston | Aliir Aliir | Kane Farrell
C: Travis Boak | Ollie Wines | Miles Bergman
HF: Jason Horne-Francis | Todd Marshall | Jed McEntee
FF: Willie Rioli | Charlie Dixon | Mitch Georgiades
R: Ivan Soldo | Connor Rozee | Zak Butters
I: Willem Drew | Darcy Byrne-Jones | Lachie Jones | Jase Burgoyne
S: Jackson Mead
E: Dylan Williams Josh Sinn F. Evans Clurey
When back SPP replaces McEntee.
Recon they'll go with Finlayson over MG, not what id do but it's what I'm expecting.
Burgoyne out, Mean into the 22 and Williams sub. Personally id start Williams but after his lack of game time in our preseason games I'm assuming the club doesn't have him in the 22 to start the year.
Rioli Dixon Finlayson
JHF Marshall McEntee
Farrell Wines Drew
Bergman Allir Houston
Burton Ratogalea Zerk Thatcher
Soldo Rozee Butters
Int . Mead , Jones , Sweet , Byrne Jones
Sub Boak
For round 1
Georgiades and Powel Pepper in probably around the same time
JHF Marshall McEntee
Farrell Wines Drew
Bergman Allir Houston
Burton Ratogalea Zerk Thatcher
Soldo Rozee Butters
Int . Mead , Jones , Sweet , Byrne Jones
Sub Boak
For round 1
Georgiades and Powel Pepper in probably around the same time
No 2nd ruck? I'd have Finlayson in for Burgoyne who fights it out with Mead for sub. Boak is fit and gets another chance to prove himself on the wing but there are a couple of others hot on his heels for that position.
Otherwise looks good to me. Fingers crossed now that Dixon can stay/get fit for at least the first half of the season with Lord not available as a ready replacement. Wines, Georgiades, JHF and Bergman in particular.
Grudgingly accept that McEntees preseason form sees him starting up forward. SPP replaces he or DBJ depending on form in round 5.
Can't wait to see how our back line gels and what form particular players show with natural development, return from injury or fully fit after an injury hampered season.
Mutha F
Club Legend
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I would be playing 2 rucks. Finlayson is a complete spud who looked very ordinary at the end of last year and in the one trial. He is a massive liability in ruck. So nothing to offer up forward and less than nothing in ruck. A second quality ruck feeding our midfield against their part timer and doing no less than Finlayson when forward worth way more.
- Aug 21, 2007
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I'd hope we're rucking Dixon as a 2nd ruck. He's a good ruckman, very serviceable as a ruck/fwd.
- Jan 14, 2008
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No BZT or Sweet
Mutha F
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He WAS an excellent ruckman. But he'll last 5 minutes these days and we'll be a rotation down
Yes our leading goalkicker from last season has nothing to offer up forward. Good call. He was ordinary towards the end of the season although he wasn't an orphan there. Christ knows what he was going through personally. He had an ankle injury requiring surgery on 1 Feb but perhaps you feel he should still have been setting the world on fire in our preseason???
The idea with playing a part time ruck is that they ruck part time. Maybe 15% of the game and then they have something to offer somewhere else around the ground. Playing two full time rucks conditioned to play 85% of the game in ruck who to date have offered little around the ground is not a winning move.
Finlayson is not a great ruck true. But against the opposition part timer he is serviceable and will fulfill his role. He is very good in clearances, is mobile and skilled in the midfield. He is an opportunist forward who has averaged 1.5 goals a game and a goal assist over the last 3 seasons. To call him a complete spud is laughable.
He deserves the opportunity to start as forward/2nd ruck with Dixon probably doing the forward ruck work anyway.
Mutha F
Club Legend
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Time will tell.
Every other club has woken up to his "not competing" in the ruck shenanigans. He won't get away with it this year. Let's see how often the other team gets a run on when he goes in.
And yes you need to show you are ready to go in the preseason if you get picked round one.
If that's due to injury so be it, unless you are rozee or butters.
I think the beginning of last year was his ceiling and later the norm.
Just my thoughts regarding football ability. Nothing to do with circumstances outside of footy that are of course significant and indeed way more important.
If Finny is our second ruck, we are going to be smashed for that time. As you've said, he's been found out.
Mutha F
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A big issue last year was the lack of depth in the squad. We had no ability to rotate players and therefore played injured or exhausted or under performing players. Some of that has been addressed with the additions of Sav, BZT, Soldo and Sweet.
Tall forwards we actually look ok for - Dixon, Marshall, Georgiades, Finlayson, Lord + Scully and Walsh to develop.
With Clurey and McKenzie as spares and Marshall and McCallum developing, there is some key back depth.
Soldo, Sweet and Visentini sure up our ruck stocks.
However, our midfield and forward depth looks slim. Narkle is the only mid not in the team who is AFL ready. Jackson and Sinn might get there, and gees we need them to, but they seem constantly injured. Evans and McEntee are still early in their careers but are currently fringe at best. DBJ is sometimes a good small forward… we’ve got SPP to come back in and boy do we need him.
So we have some work to do to build this list yet. We need to get time into Mead and Sinn. Jackson too if he can get fit. And we may have to accept some average games from these three as they develop. We may also need to look for a ready to go state mid at the mid season draft if a spot becomes available.
Tall forwards we actually look ok for - Dixon, Marshall, Georgiades, Finlayson, Lord + Scully and Walsh to develop.
With Clurey and McKenzie as spares and Marshall and McCallum developing, there is some key back depth.
Soldo, Sweet and Visentini sure up our ruck stocks.
However, our midfield and forward depth looks slim. Narkle is the only mid not in the team who is AFL ready. Jackson and Sinn might get there, and gees we need them to, but they seem constantly injured. Evans and McEntee are still early in their careers but are currently fringe at best. DBJ is sometimes a good small forward… we’ve got SPP to come back in and boy do we need him.
So we have some work to do to build this list yet. We need to get time into Mead and Sinn. Jackson too if he can get fit. And we may have to accept some average games from these three as they develop. We may also need to look for a ready to go state mid at the mid season draft if a spot becomes available.
Finlayson was second ruck for 14 of our 79 stoppages during which he had 3 HTA and 3 clearances. He also had 15 possessions, 8 contested, 6 marks, 2 contested and 4 shots on goal. Granted he is down on confidence and his kicking at goal is atrocious right now.
But tell me, which spud are you going to put in the ruck for 17% of the game and play around the game for the rest that is going to so drastically improve our performance? Sweet or Dante? Coz I guarant*******tee you 9 games out of 10 everyone will be bitching about the fact they didn't even get enough possessions to be called a spud.
Right now you have your view on Finlayson and our tactical approach as articulated by a couple of potato chips and I have mine. So be it.
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Mutha F
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You don't pick players who are out of form. Sends a loser message.
