We've still got plenty of good players to choose from, don't worry

I feel a lot better now.

We've still got plenty of good players to choose from, don't worry

The problem is that our players are fairly consistently overrated on this board, and when they fail to live up to the inflated expectations people are savage in their disappointment. You say we have plenty of good players left to choose from. I say where are they? We have a number of players who are very highly rated by fans on this site, but who have yet to truly prove themselves. We have a solid (if small) core of B+ senior players who can be relied upon to hold their own most of the time. I look at the list and see nobody who is a proven A grade AFL player. Plenty who might get there, and probably should, but none who have done so yet.

A number of people have Lynden Dunn in their 22. I must have been at the wrong game yesterday, as all Dunn did was confirm why he's a class below being an AFL footballer.

agree totally, how was that shot on goal, enough to make you gnaw your own foot off.. don't need blokes like him out there

The problem is that our players are fairly consistently overrated on this board, and when they fail to live up to the inflated expectations people are savage in their disappointment. You say we have plenty of good players left to choose from. I say where are they? We have a number of players who are very highly rated by fans on this site, but who have yet to truly prove themselves. We have a solid (if small) core of B+ senior players who can be relied upon to hold their own most of the time. I look at the list and see nobody who is a proven A grade AFL player. Plenty who might get there, and probably should, but none who have done so yet.

Very close: Davey, Sylvia

Solid B+: Green, Bruce, McDonald, Jamar, Jones, Moloney, Rivers, Warnock, MacDonald?

Should get there: Morton, Grimes, Jurrah, Frawley

Might get there: Bate, Petterd, Garland, Wonaeamirri, Cheney

Everyone else is a spud or just too young for judgement right now, obviously expect something from Watts/Sculgove

Not in terrible shape

agree totally, how was that shot on goal, enough to make you gnaw your own foot off.. don't need blokes like him out there

So you'll be getting rid of Davey, Trengove, Bate and Maric as well then?

Very close: Davey, Sylvia

Solid B+: Green, Bruce, McDonald, Jamar, Jones, Moloney, Rivers, Warnock, MacDonald?

Should get there: Morton, Grimes, Jurrah, Frawley

Might get there: Bate, Petterd, Garland, Wonaeamirri, Cheney

Everyone else is a spud or just too young for judgement right now, obviously expect something from Watts/Sculgove

Not in terrible shape

Not in terrible shape in 2-3 years when (hopefully) some of these guys have lived up to the hype, but in the next half a dozen games? We are in serious trouble for the start of the season. I think we'll be lucky to get out with a 1-5 record at this point. Once more key player down and we're no chance of winning one.

So you'll be getting rid of Davey, Trengove, Bate and Maric as well then?

Trengove/Maric just kids and both already better than him anyway

Davey 1000x better than Dunn no matter how many goals he misses

Bate overrated also but at least he has played some good games for the MFC

did I really need to post that sheesh

Unfortunately that team is nor going to win anything

yes it will......the wooden spoon

B Bennell, Jamie Frawley, James Warnock, Matthew

HB Macdonald, Joel Rivers, Jared Garland, Colin

C Grimes, Jack Moloney, Brent Bruce, Cameron

HF Davey, Aaron Miller, Brad Green, Brad

F Bate, Matthew Newton, Michael ® Petterd, Ricky

R Jamar, Mark Jones, Nathan McDonald, James

I Scully, Tom Trengove, Jack Martin, Stefan Dunn, Lynden

E Strauss, James Cheney, Kyle Maric, Addam

Dunn has shown way too little. Wouldn't build any team hopes on him regardless of position.

Bate, last chance. Just hanging around waiting for it to happen. Seems to be treading water after a few generous years.

FB : Bennell Warnock MacDonald

HB : Davey Frawley Rivers

C : Grimes Jones Trengove

HF : Petterd Miller Bate

FF : Maric Martin Green

Foll : Jamar Moloney McDonald

Int : Scully Bruce Strauss Cheney

In the backline: Warnock, Frawley, Rivers, MacDonald all pick themselves. The club seems to be preferring Bennell to Cheney at the moment, and I've cheated by using one of the Half Back Flanks for a midfielder (Davey, but could just as easily be Grimes/Bruce/whoever).

In the midfield: Jamar is our most important name on the team-sheet this year. He's finally putting it together as a bash-and-crash ruckman, and giving us a chance at the stoppages, something none of the other options (PJ, Martin, Meesen, Spencer) have managed to do. Junior is the old hand, Moloney and Jones have the seasoned bodies, and then it's youth youth youth with Grimes, Trengove and Scully. That group will show flashes of brilliance, but won't put together four quarters of great footy for a long while yet.

In the forward line: God, it's a mess. Miller is the luckiest man in football to still be necessary at CHF (if Jurrah and Sylvia were fit, I'd have him at Casey), though if Bate could just learn to play 5 centimetres taller, he could probably steal the job. Martin at Full Forward is obviously a massive problem, but the club is persisting. I just wish they'd stick to their guns and keep him down there long enough for him to either: 1) learn how to do it, or 2) make it obvious that he'll never learn how to do it. Petterd and Bate are no-brainers on the flanks, and Maric has the edge on Jetta purely because of fitness (that will be an interesting selection battle to keep an eye on through the year, I reckon). Finally, a question for those who've been at some of the pre-season games: has the club shown ANY indication that they'll play Brad Green forward this season? Seems like everybody on this forum believes it's the most obvious thing to do to help plug the gaping chasm in our forward 50, but is there any evidence that Bailey thinks so too?

Bruce on the bench as the ultimate spare parts man, with Strauss and Cheney both fortunate to get in due to injuries to others.

So, yeah, that's how I see it.

Dunn has shown way too little. Wouldn't build any team hopes on him regardless of position.

Bate, last chance. Just hanging around waiting for it to happen. Seems to be treading water after a few generous years.

Agree on Dunn.

You are kidding on Bate aren`t you??

Jamar is our most important name on the team-sheet this year. He's finally putting it together as a bash-and-crash ruckman, and giving us a chance at the stoppages, something none of the other options (PJ, Martin, Meesen, Spencer) have managed to do.

He's also really improved his work around the ground, and is one of the only genuine pack-markers in the side.. again those other options are all shocking in this area by comparison. If he gets injured I will just about give up.

What an example in patience is the Jamar, has come a very long way one piece at a time

He's also really improved his work around the ground, and is one of the only genuine pack-markers in the side ...

... What an example in patience is the Jamar, has come a very long way one piece at a time

When he kicked 5 against Carlton last year me and my mates were all giggling like idiots because he's been the butt of a lot of jokes over the years ... we're gonna have to pick a new bloke to ridicule amongst ourselves! Maybe Fitzpatrick ...

B Frawley Warnock Bennell

HB MacDonald Rivers Bruce

C Davey Moloney Trengove

HF Bate Miller Petterd

F Green Jamar Maric

R Spencer Jones J McDonald

Int Scully, Strauss, Grimes, Martin/Dunn

Emg Jetta, Mckenzie, Cheney

Garland won't be ready yet, neither will Jack Watts.

Sylvia and Wonna playing matches for Melb or Casey in a few weeks.

Jamar can hopefully provide a forward target and produce another carlton rd21 performance.

Dunn/Martin/Strauss and Spencer are the players who might fight for a spot for r1 with Jetta, Jordie Mac and FettaCheney also in contention for places.

Dunn has shown way too little. Wouldn't build any team hopes on him regardless of position.

Bate, last chance. Just hanging around waiting for it to happen. Seems to be treading water after a few generous years.

Completely disagree re: Bate.

A few generous years? He's only played 4 seasons and two of them have yielded top 4 finishes in the Bluey. One of our more underrated players IMO

B Bennell, Jamie Frawley, James Warnock, Matthew

HB Macdonald, Joel Rivers, Jared Garland, Colin

C Grimes, Jack Moloney, Brent Bruce, Cameron

HF Davey, Aaron Miller, Brad Green, Brad

F Bate, Matthew Newton, Michael ® Petterd, Ricky

R Jamar, Mark Jones, Nathan McDonald, James

I Scully, Tom Trengove, Jack Martin, Stefan Dunn, Lynden E Strauss, James Cheney, Kyle Maric, Addam

Bate seemed to address all his weaknesses last year and was playing some great footy for us. Finally played some consistent quality games that he had only hinted at in seasons past.

FB: Cheney Warnock Martin

HB: Bennell Frawley Macdonald

C: Trengove Moloney Davey

HF: Bruce Rivers Dunn

FF: Bate Miller Green

Foll: Jamar McDonald Grimes

Int: Maric Jones Scully Petterd

Just hope a few players get through this week at Casey, I wonder if guys like Bruce, Bate and Davey will play this weekend. Anyway my Round 1 team

Macdonald Frawley Warnock

Strauss Rivers Bennell

Davey Grimes Trengove

Green Miller Bate

Petterd Martin Maric

Jamar Moloney Jones

McDonald Bruce Scully Dunn

Cheney Bail Bartram

I can't believe I am going to say this, but we could really do with 2 Jamar's next weekend.

One to take some big pack marks against an undersized Hawks backline and kick 4.

And another to dominate their woeful ruckmen and give our mids first use.

With the absence of Roughhead and Franklin, we should leave Warnock out, so we can have more run.

Mitchell should be tagged by McDonald & Bartram.

Jamar and Martin swapping Ruck and Full Forward.

Hard running midfielders regularily changing off the bench.

ff- Petterd Jamar Jetta(if fit)/maric

chf- Bate Miller Davey

c- Green Grimes Bennell

HBF- Bruce Rivers Strauss

bb- Cheney Frawley J McDonald

fol- Martin Moloney Capt.Mcdonald

bench, Jones Scully Trengove Bartram

Garland may need a full game at Casey

Well it's only 10 days away now and I'm getting excited to see who our 22 will be that run out onto the park on April 27 against the Hawks?

From what I've seen (intra club match and match against West Coast at Casey) and heard (media) here is what I expect our 22 for round 1 might look like:

FB: Frawley, Warnock, Bennell

HB: Jo. MacDonald, Rivers, Green

C: Scully, Moloney, Davey

HF: Trengove, Miller, Petterd

FF: Bate, Martin, Maric

FOLL: Jamar, Bruce, Jones

INT: Grimes, Ja. McDonald, Spencer, Strauss

EMERG: Cheney, Dunn, MacKenzie

Three debutants for round 1, down 1 on last year but a team that I think could be capable of an upset???

Well, I may as well chuck in my 2c worth:

B : McDonald© Frawley Bennell

HB : Rivers Warnock MacDonald

MID: Trengove Grimes Bruce

HF : Davey Miller Bate

FF : Green Martin Petterd

FOL: Jamar Jones Moloney

INT: Jetta Scully Strauss Dunn

EMG: Spencer Maric Bail

I don't like Martin at FF (definitely a defender), but it's what the FD seem to be pushing for.

Well, I may as well chuck in my 2c worth:

B : McDonald© Frawley Bennell

HB : Rivers Warnock MacDonald

MID: Trengove Grimes Bruce

HF : Davey Miller Bate

FF : Green Martin Petterd

FOL: Jamar Jones Moloney

INT: Jetta Scully Strauss Dunn

EMG: Spencer Maric Bail

I don't like Martin at FF (definitely a defender), but it's what the FD seem to be pushing for.

I spent a year hearing the same about Petterd...