Don’t know, don’t care.
backing in FRANG to be there R1 clunking and kicking sausos
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My development/hype best 22:
It’s hype because I’ve thrown Baldwin & Reid straight into the side even though these kids could be the next Neagle & Kepler. But they’ve got a shipload of talent so I want them playing 15+ games if their training form is good.
B: Redman - Laverde - Kelly
HB: Hind - Reid - Ridley
R: Draper - Merrett - Parish
C: Cox - McGrath - Langford
HF: Snelling - Jones - Smith
F: Walla - Baldwin - Stringer
Int: Wright - Shiel - Caldwell - Heppell
SUB: Perkins
Emg: Francis, Durham, Stewart, Guelfi
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Changes I’d make to these 22.
I’m starting Caldwell in the middle.
Stringer to the forward line.
Cox,Perkins and from reports Reid I’m fitting in on the bench.
My pick 11 is a goal kicking small forward type and is there when either Smith or Walla aren’t performing. Ideally more in the mould of Papley, Heeney, Fritsch or Greene.
Otherwise pretty consistent with other blitzers.
B Heppell Laverde Ridley
HB Hind Stewart Redman
C Cox Stringer Shiel
HF Langford Wright Jones
FF Snelling Francis Walla
R Draper Parish Z Merrett
INT McGrath Caldwell D Smith Kelly
1 Carry over the Stringer centre bounce then swap with Langford strat
2 McG and Caldwell mid rotations, Dev fwd rotation, Kelly def rotation
3 Wright/Frang the stay at the point forwards, Jones/Frang/Wright all options to range up ground to present as targets, Stringer just does whatever he does when forward
4 Perk/Guelfi/Cutler/Waterman next up
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B Heppell Laverde, Kelly
HB Hind Riddley Redman
C Cox, McG, Shiel
HF Stinger, Jones, Stewart
FF Snelling, Wright, Walla
R Draper Parish Z Merrett
INT: Caldwell, D Smith, Guelfi/Langford
From the backline:
Captain Courageous is needed on the last line, you will not get a player who’ll give less on the field any given day efc plays. Hepp’s greatest attribute is his courage and appetite for the contest. Next to the specimen Laverde he won’t have to battle or contest much, but be smart hanging off and around packs.
Laverde is a shut down great intercept defender, as is kelly.
Hind, Redman obvious HB’s with pace and kicking skills. Riddley is CHB because you want him practicing owning that part of the ground because he will for the next 10 or so years and go down as one of our best ever backmen.
The Centre
Centre as Melbourne shows, you need two way running madmen who will not stop running for the team and are professional enough to do the hard stuff they won’t get stats for. I believe Shiel and McG share this level of professionalism and then there’s our wild card.
I think Cox is unlike any other wingman this game has seen, and will be the absolute thing of nightmares for opposition coaches planning to beat Essendon for the next 10 years. He’s confident, he’s talented, he’s silky, he LOVES a big grab, and if he’s on a smaller player in a one on one, he treats them like ants with the same disgust STringer treats hawthorn tacklers. Cherry on top is that he’s a great kick for goal and loves one.
FORWARDS
I tip him for breakout year, with Harrison Jones as well. Harry = see Riddley, but for CHF.
A player who shows the potential to pluck em like Carey did should be played at CHF and let him roam and work his man into the ground with leads and great kicking.
Stringer will rotate in and out of forwardline, with Devon Smith as well.
Stewart forward is the sort of 4D chess I hope Rutten is smart enough to do, he’s so much more of a player and mentally tougher from last time he played there and he was a semi decent fwd before injurries kept him out of the team. Let’s all remember as a third string forward that year ages ago, he would get off the chain for 3 goals more often than not, and setup 1 or 2 as well.
Think about it, 1. Harry, 2. Stringer/Wright, 3. Stewart
Wright I hope with development will bring out more of those performances, if they throw Stewart back as well, I think it would realy help him get a few bags again.
Langford/Wright/Snelling will be fighting for a spot in the forwardline. We still lack one more genuine medium/small marking threat. Hopefully Snelling takes it up a level next year and Walla finds form again.
Followers
Honestly, we have the closest Gawn/Petracca/Oliver midfield
Draper, Parish, Zerrett/Stringer is the equivalent of that centre square clearance dominating type of trio but younger and with a younger less experienced coach. Exciting stuff coming, stay tuned sports fans, this is a group of players to watch.
Da Bench
Guelfi is one of my favourite players and I’ve rated him from the start. You put him forward, he’ll kick a goal, you put him back, he’ll do a smother or 1%er that saves a goal. He’s just a handy player who does the footy things footy players should while being able to actually contain an opposition forward, and have impact up forward too.
That’s why he’s on the bench as he can be plugged in anywhere and the coaches will trust him.
Caldwell too as he’s proven jack ■■■■, so he’s on the bench
Then it’s Langford/Phillips/Bryan depending on who we’re playing and who’s in form
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I’m starting to think big Zach Reid might be a show at full forward early in 2022 - and I like the idea. Maybe he could rotate there with Francis because outside of Jones we really dont have a key position forward. Stringer is obviously our most dangerous player when forward but he’ll have lots of midfield minutes, 2MP is a ruck/forward and guys like Eyre/Baldwin are yet to debut… The team could accommodate it and could look something like;-
Laverde Stewart Kelly
Redman Ridley Hind
McGrath Stringer Shiel
Perkins Jones Snelling
2MP Reid Tippa
Draper Parish Merrett
Bench: Langford Caldwell Cox Francis
SUB: Heppell
Is this a troll?
Haha no troll 
mayne Caldwell SUB captain Heppell has to be in starting 22 I guess
Not enough devon
No harm in the young guys developing in the 2s.
Not enough love for Tippa.
Sorry
Jones is no Carey
But you never know what Baldwin could do
Or even Reid
Think next year we might see Redman play up the ground a little more. Through the back half we’ve got Heppell Hind Kelly Ridley Laverde Reid/Stewart. I’d like to see Redman up on the wing. He was drafted as a fwd wasn’t he!? 
AFL website running a best 22 for each club.
B: Mason Redman, Jayden Laverde, James Stewart
HB: Dyson Heppell, Jordan Ridley, Nick Hind
C: Nik Cox, Zach Merrett, Kyle Langford
HF: Jake Stringer, Harrison Jones, Archie Perkins
F: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Peter Wright, Devon Smith
Foll: Sam Draper, Darcy Parish, Andrew McGrath
I/C: Dylan Shiel, Jake Kelly , Jye Caldwell, Will Snelling
Emerg: Matt Guelfi, Sam Durham, Zach Reid, Aaron Francis
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Ben Rutten and the Bombers were keen to back in the development of their list this trade period, with their bid for small forward Bobby Hill being knocked back on deadline day. They have some options for their group, too, with Adelaide free agent Jake Kelly coming in as a versatile and tough defender. He was the Bombers’ only acquisition in the trade and free agency period. Michael Hurley’s future is unclear as he fights to return to the field from his nasty hip infection, but the Bombers will be planning to get back Harrison Jones , Nick Hind and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti for the start of next season after the trio missed the club’s elimination final for various reasons. - Callum Twomey
Depth is starting to look good.
Hopefully stants builds a solid vfl programme to go along with the afl list.
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Sometimes it isn’t about who is playing but who isn’t. Let’s hope we have a few unlucky players next year who miss out. Good run with injuries, some players biding their time in a full vfl season. There’s some players who haven’t played a lot of footy the last year or two.
Depth is shizen, IMHO.
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