For mine either Stewart sits it out or Hooker goes back. Neither option is going to be popular but modern footy is built on fast ball movement and pressure. Four talls isn’t going to get it done.
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Stringer is the same height as Tom Lynch (Adel). Would be pretty much the same forward line setup as them. Worked pretty well for them most of the year.
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I’ll put my two cents in, very dependant on players coming back from injury etc
McNiece Hartley Hurley
Saad Ambrose McKenna
Smith Heppell McGrath
Stewart Daniher Fantasia
Tippungwuti Hooker Green
Bellchambers Merrett Parish
Zaharakis, Stringer, Gleeson, Goddard
Bench is basically my mid rotations/Defence cover to possibly release a couple of guys up the ground at times
With a view to the future.
A. FRANCIS - P. AMBROSE - M. BAGULEY
C.MCKENNA - M. HURLEY - A. SAAD
A. MCGRATH - D. HEPPELL - D. ZAHARAKIS
J. STRINGER - C. HOOKER - D. SMITH
O. FANTASIA - J. DANIHER - A. TIPUNGWUTI
T. BELLCHAMBERS - D. PARISH - Z. MERRETT
K. LANGFORD - J. LAVERDE - B. GODDARD - M. GLESSON
J. STEWART - J. BEGLEY - M. REDMAN -
Hope Francis gets match fit, and if so i feel like he needs games pumped into him.
Baguley is still a tough nut. Vital element to have in any backline. And for this such reason is why i have Ambrose at full back.
I would play Begley, Redman & Ridley, as often as i could.
As you all know, it’s a hard 22 to crack at the minute. Be interesting to see how it pans out next year.
Cheers.
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I would rather give Langford a shot at the midfield position than Myers next year. Myers dominated VFL but that is just a case of too big and too strong, however he is not that against an AFL midfield. Unfortunately he is not quick both in terms of actual leg speed but also regarding awareness and quick thinking. He always goes on the left and long. He also has one position which is midfield.
I hope I am wrong but I just don’t see it with him in the modern game. We can carry one slowish midfielder and that should be Heppell.
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I reckon thats pretty close. Maybe Baguley out and McNeice in if fir and firing.
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Props to those who have put forth teams.
To those who have put Francis in their “best 22”, you do realise it’s best 22 not best team based on potential?
I’d love to have him in the team. If he was worthy of inclusion, the two Adelaide teams would have offered a top 20 pick. The fact they didn’t serves as a warning for him not to waste potential and buckle down and train.
I’m hoping we can have at least a couple of players force their way in. Whether it’s Mutch, Francis or Redman I’m not fussed. As long as there is pressure from below.
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B: Baguley Ambrose Saad
HB: Mckenna Hooker Hurley
C: McGrath Heppell Zaharakis
HF: Stringer Daniher Tippa
F: Fantasia Stewart Smith
Foll: Bellchambers Merrett Parish
Bench: Myers Goddard Gleeson Colyer
Emerg: Langford Begley Laverde Hartley
Hooker will alternate between the forward and back lines for mine. We have heaps of pace, heaps of flexibility and lacking mid grunt obviously and relying on Myers, Bird and Langford (Fyfe mk 2) doesn’t inspire me.
Still the ball is in Worsfolds court now. He needs to make this team hum and loom out if he does!
B: Mark Baguley, Michael Hurley, Adam Saad
HB: Conor McKenna, Michael Hartley, Andrew McGrath
C: David Zaharakis, Dyson Heppell, Brendon Goddard
HF: Jake Stringer, Joe Daniher, Devon Smith
F: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Cale Hooker, Orazio Fantasia
R: Tom Bellchambers, Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish
INT: James Stewart, Patrick Ambrose, Jayden Laverde, Kyle Langford
NOTES: The Bombers’ three big name recruits – Jake Stringer, Adam Saad and Devon Smith – fit in nicely to what the club already has built in recent years. Stringer and Smith will give the forward line more potency and the Bombers are hopeful they can add to their midfield depth, while Saad’s arrival will allow Andy McGrath to spend more time in the midfield. Essendon’s midfield still lacks some bigger bodies, but the responsibility rests with fourth-year players Jayden Laverde and Kyle Langford to step up in that area.
REMAINING SENIOR LIST: Josh Begley, Craig Bird, Mitch Brown, Dylan Clarke, Matt Dea, Aaron Francis, Josh Green, Ben Howlett, Matthew Leuenberger, Jackson Merrett, Alex Morgan, Kobe Mutch, David Myers, Mason Redman, Jordan Ridley
REMAINING ROOKIE LIST: Sam Draper, Luke Lavender, Jake Long, Shaun McKernan, Ben McNeice - Callum Twomey
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As if Cal has left out Gleeson.
Lock in our back 6 and he doesn’t even have him in the depth list…
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Colyer
Yep. Great list there. You can see that the main spine is aging - Hurls/TBell/Hooker. Because they are talls, replacements will take longer to develop, or, they will be pricier to source. This is why I am of the opinion that our main requirement right now, is to look to tall KPDs. Draper & Lavender may come on, or may not. But we don’t really have a 196cm+ backman in the pipeline., aside from Hartley, and he is still ‘iffy’.
Want to elaborate? Money problems, or some other reason?
B: Saad Ambrose Gleeson
HB: McKenna Hartley Hurley
C: Stringer Heppell Zaharakis
HF: D.Smith Hooker Stewart
FF: Fantasia Daniher Walla
R: Bellchambers Merrett Parish
I: Baguley Goddard McGrath Colyer
-I don’t see Begley, Laverde, Francis and Langford in our best side… yet! Fully expect at least two of em to be in it 2nd half of the year.
-Hooker and/or Stewart to play 2nd ruck. Joey has to play a full season 100% up fwd.
-We have to have two KPD +Hurley. Hurls struggled to play man-on-man beaten easily by Brown, Jenkins and Sinclair in that final.
I dont see Stringer coming back fit enough to play as a ( full time) outside mid like a Zaka, Darcy, BJ or Zerret can. If he comes back that fit, Wowee, we really will have the full package.
I expect he might have a tank in 2 years time and will need to drop 6-8 kegs over the years to do that.
In the meantime if we can morph him into a clearance winning stoppage specialist, that would do me. Failing that, 50 goals a season would do just fine.
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I just ran a word count over the 42 teams named over the last couple of weeks. Here are the results (after aggregating nicknames, abbreviations etc):
42 merrett, hurley, hooker, heppell, fantasia, daniher
41 zaharakis, tipungwuti, stringer, smith, parish, mckenna, mcgrath
40 saad, bellchambers
39 goddard, gleeson
36 stewart
31 ambrose
28 baguley
21 langford
18 hartley
16 begley
13 francis
12 colyer
10 laverde
9 green
8 myers
2 leuenberger
1 mutch, mcniece, watson, stanton, hocking, kelly, sambono, bonar and ivandrago,
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So the “consensus team” looks something like this:
B: Saad (40) - Hooker (42) - Gleeson (39)
HB: Mckenna (41) - Hurley (42) - Goddard (39)
C: Heppell (42) - Zaharakis (41) - Mcgrath (41)
HF: Smith (41) - Stewart (36) - Stringer (41)
F: Tipungwuti (41) - Daniher (42) - Fantasia (42)
Foll: Bellchambers (40) - Merrett (42) - Parish (41)
Int: Ambrose (31) - Baguley (28) – Langford (21) – Hartley (18)
Emerg: Begley (16) - Francis (13) - Colyer (12) - Laverde (10)
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More to the point, who were the pelicans that determined Parish and McGrath didn’t make the squad.
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Bagley Ambrose Gleeson
Saad Hurley Mckenna
Mcgrath Heppell Zaharakis
Fantasia Daniher Stringer
Stewart Hooker Tippa
TBC, Merrett, Parish
Smith, Goddard, Green, Langford
Backline
I think the preference will be to go Hurley and Ambrose but Hurley will need to significantly improve his one on one work from last year. Ideally we won’t need to play Hartley however it may be a horses for courses situation between Hartley and Gleeson. If Bagley falls off the perch I’d like to see Redman get a run.
Midfield
I am hoping more than trusting that Heppel, Parish, Langford, Goddard can win enough contested ball. Stringer, Zaharakis, Smith could also rotate through the contested type mid positions, will be fascinating to see how this plays out. What’s clear is that Heppel must have a very big year and own the number 1 contested mid role. If we struggle obviously Myers will come in.
Forward
Will we offer enough defensive pressure including Stringer in the forward line. He won’t be the main man so will need to improve his defensive work. We should see an increased flexibility with Stringer, Green, Smith, Tippa and Fantasia rotating through their and the midfield. Certainly have the talent to be the best fotwadline in the league.
I like the looks of that side.
Woosha should select the team by crowdsourcing on Blitz.
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