Not seriously a best 22 at the moment, but trying to take a different approach, with McNiece being my most original suggestion, which is a little ambitious for round I, but we are short on genuine small backs, Jerrett, may be coming along in this department too. I think our two extremes of ruck and small back are the two easiest routes into the side at the moment.
McNiece Hartley Ambrose
McKenna Hurley Gleeson
Colyer Watson Parish
McKernan Heppell Zerrett
Walla Daniher Stewart
Fantasia Hooker Laverde
I: Green, Zaharakis, Stanton, Goddard.
Emerg: Hocking, Langford, Kelly, Dea
I think McNiece could be a weapon getting us out of defence more efficiently as could McKenna. I think speed and precision of ball movement is our potential strength, and holding up the ball in the forward line and making the most of our opportunities, is the best way of frustrating the Hawks attack.
Having Smack, Stewart and JD sharing the ruck, while not ideal could help them all share the intensity required to compete in the ruck and for all of them to have something left to be effective mobile forwards when not rucking (pinched this idea from @munna1 ).
I can see that I’m leaving out too much strength and experience in the emergencies, but I am deliberately erring on the side of speed and youth. If Cyril or Puopolo get loose, Raz could go back for McKenna and maybe Walla for McNiece, with Green and McKenna staying forward. Against sides with 2 deadly small forwards, having the option of sending our smalls forward or back is potentially very helpful, especially if we are not playing all 3 forward simultaneously.
However not having Langford in the side seems unjustified, but I only see him playing in a side with only one of McKernan and Stewart.
EDIT: Forget I didn’t put Bags in: I didn’t look up this until after the above.