Post-draft Best 22

Well it’s official:

Pick your best 22

March 2, 2017 4:30 PM

essendonfc.com.au/news/2017-03-02/pick-your-best-22

Competition for spots in the Essendon line-up will be fierce in 2017.

The returning stars are back and the coaches also have to consider a host of players who excelled last season.

Now it’s time for the fans to have their say.

Two ruckmen or one? How many key defenders can you play? Walla, forward or back? What does the starting midfield look like?

It’s your turn to answers these questions by submitting your ‘Best 22’ for 2017.

When you’re selecting the team, assume all listed players are fully fit and available.

An Essendon Legend is also busy studying the form and the entry that matches (or is closest to) the side picked by this Bombers great will win a signed 2017 jumper.

In the event of a tie, the entry received first will be the winner.

Simply fill out the form below for your chance to win.

essendonfc.com.au/news/2017-03-02/pick-your-best-22

Just wanna see this set up...

Laverde Daniher Langford
Begley Francis Fantasia

Not enough TIPPA! instaban

Adam Cooney’s best 22 thoughts on SEN

Skip to 12:05 for the start of the discussion, and to 13:40 for when he (finally start)'s naming the team.

Cooney’s best 22 is stupid.

The callers in are worse.

edit: if im gonna slag off people might as well put myself up.

B: Gleeson/Dea Hartley Bags/McG
HB: Kelly Hurley Stanton
C: Parish Hepp Colyer
HF: Raz Joe Lang
F: Lav Hooker Green
R: Leun Zerrett Watson
I: Hocking Zaka Tippa/Walla Fridge (off his performance last week)

Bags won’t miss round 1. Who would play on Rioli?

I assume Goddard is an oversight? Was (close to) our best player last week.

Otherwise, I like the team. I think if Lav plays first up (which I am coming around to) then Fridge will need to work his way into the team.

I don’t think we’ll make finals this year, so i’m doing a take on experience and youth with a look to 2018.

What is his best 22

Baguley Hartley Gleeson
McGrath Hurley Goddard
Colyer Heppell Zaharakis
Tipungwuti Hooker Parish
Brown Daniher Fantasia
Luenberger Watson Z Merrett

Dea Kelly Green Stanton

Apart from Hocking it seems reasonable

2 Likes

Who are the followers?

Sorry

Luenberger Watson Z Merrett

I just don’t like his bench. Green and Dea either need to make it into the 18, or shouldn’t be in the side.

And who among us have McGrath and Goddard as their two starting HBF’ers… anyone???

And Gleeson is taking the 3rd tall? No chance. But you move Brown back in that spot, stick Gleeson on the HBF, and put McGrath on the bench it looks better. But why name the squad that way in the first place?

Because it’s Adam Cooney and who cares?

I would have thought he might have some insight into the players on the list and what the coaches think of them.

I thought it was a good side, he included McGrath, Brown, Dea and Gleeson which I didn’t include but are obviously in the mix.

I went with Ambrose, Lav, Fridge and Langford which he didn’t, so I favoured generally more attacking options where other than leaving out Ambrose, he went with more defensive options.

Which is interesting for someone who mostly played mid /forward for us last year and knows we need to kick goals.

The best 16 seemed to pick themselves… well, they did for me anyway. But selecting the last two on-field positions and the bench was almost impossible. I even checked player heights and weights in the hope that it would make selection easier. Here’s what i ended up with…

FB Baguley (178, 81), Hartley (198, 102), [Ambrose (193,92) ]
HB Gleeson (191, 84), Hurley (193,92), Kelly (183, 85)
CEN Zaharakis (180,75), Watson (191, 93), Parish (180, 78)
HF Tipungwuti (171, 76), Daniher (200, 95), Colyer (175, 75)
FF Fantasia (177, 77), Hooker (197, 101), [Green (178, 77)]
FOLL Leuenberger (202, 105), Heppell (189, 82), Z Merrett (180, 80)

INT: McGrath (178, 78), Laverde (191, 88), Goddard (193, 94), Stanton (183, 82)
EME: Langford (191, 90), Brown (196, 95), Hocking (186, 90), Begley (188, 94)

I’ve given Ambrose the 3rd defender position in the starting 18 based on last year’s form but worry about the Hartley/Ambrose combination being too defensive. Hopefully Hartley can be a bit more attacking this year otherwise Brown might have to take Ambrose’s spot. McGrath gets a spot on the bench in case we have to cover a smaller forward line or need more run out of defence.

I’ve given the last forward position to Green based on his JLT form, although it makes the forward line very short. Laverde gets a spot on the bench in case we need more height up forward.

The last two bench spots go to Goddard and Stanton - they’re both quality players with a lot to offer in terms of experience and versatility.

Langford was unlucky to miss but I think his decision making under pressure can be a bit slow. Hocking gets a run if we need a defensive mid. Brown comes in if we need more intercept marking. And Begley gets the nod if we need more goal-scoring firepower. (He’s only played one JLT game I know… but wow, what a game!).

3 Likes

FB: McGrath Hartley Ambrose
HBF: Gleeson Hurley Kelly

CEN: Colyer Watson Goddard
FOLL: Bellchambers Heppell Z.Merrett

HFF: Laverde Daniher McDonald-Tipungwuti
FF: Fantasia Hooker Francis

BENCH: Langford Parish Stewart Zaharakis

My current best 22 IMO, with 1 eye on the future.

We are lucky enough to have a best 26 or so this year, however if all these players were 100% fit that’s how I’d line up in Round 1.

Stants?

As much as it’s not the ‘sexy’ look, I just can’t see Baguley and Stanton left out of the team.

I think you have 2 of the 3 in any given game, out of bags, stants and kelly.