Happy new years to everyone.

It’s day one 2011, a good time to put together our starting line-up for round one vs the Swans.

Instead of making judgements on who is better than what (or Watts) I thought I’d be totally objective and pick my round one line up using one simple selection criteria – games played in season 2010.

For example: Jones played all 22 games; Bail only played 9. Therefore I would find a place in the starting line-up for Jones before I would select Bail. And so on.

I then placed them in a position that resembles where they played last year.

Here’s the line-up. 2010 Games are in brackets ( ).

B: Bartram (21), Frawley (21), Garland (20).

HB: MacDonald (17), Rivers (18), Bennell (19).

C: Scully (21), Jones (22), Davey (20).

HF: Trengove (18), Dunn (18), Sylvia (15).

F: Green (22), Watts (15), Bate (15).

R: Jamar (22), McKenzie (19), Moloney (18).

IC: Grimes (14), Warnock (13), Morton (10).

S: Bail (9).

E: Wonaeamirri (8), Jurrah (8), Petterd (6).

Note: Jetta played as many games as Petterd but I selected Petterd due to his higher total of career games.

Observations:

1. It’s possibly our best list of 25 at the moment, but they’ve got no reason to feel complacent. At various times in 2010 we had Warnock, Bate, Bennell, Morton, Bail and Wonaeamirri struggled to hold their place in the side.

2. We are a bit short. There is no adequate 2nd ruckman in this line-up and please MFC do not put Sylvia in the ruck in 2011. No wonder they picked up Campbell from Hawthorn.

3. The average number of total games per player is 65 – not bad. But we are desperately short of experienced players outside of this line-up. We only have 3 other guys who have played more than a total of 10 games; Jetta (21), Martin (29) and Maric (12).

4. It’s still a young line-up. With the possible exception of Green, all the players could line in a preliminary final for the Dees in 2013 if their form warrants selection.

We have 8 players on the senior list who’ve never played a game, plus another 4 first-time rookies. Gysberts, Strauss and Spencer are also pushing for spots. They all show promise but it’s going to be very difficult to force their way into the starting line-up.

I hope they can, as long as they are chosen on their performances, not their potential.

Well, its objective, but obviously not what the team would be...see Jurrah.

The team seems pretty set other than the forward line and it will be very interesting to see where a guy like tapscott is in the coach's estimation.

and myself for sydney

FB: Bartram, Frawley, MacDonald

HB:Bail, Rivers, Grimes

C: Trengove, Jones, Davey

HF: Sylvia, Watts, Gysberts

FF: Green, Jurrah, Petterd

R: Jamar, Scully, McKenzie

I/C: Morton, Garland, Wonaeamirri

S: Bennel

Ahhh, can't get Moloney in the team, sorry...but b/w him and Jones for me...and Jones just does more. (note - moloney is a top 10 guy getting it off the hand of the ruckman, but outside of stoppages I'm just not sure - real pity he didn't start playing in the 1990s)

Edit: Incl Bail twice initially - Deleted from Sub, Bennel from HF to Sub, Gysberts to HF

and myself for sydney

FB: Bartram, Frawley, MacDonald

HB:Bail, Rivers, Grimes

C: Trengove, Jones, Davey

HF: Sylvia, Watts, Bennel

FF: Green, Jurrah, Petterd

R: Jamar, Scully, McKenzie

I/C: Morton, Garland, Wonaeamirri

S: Bail

Ahhh, can't get Moloney in the team, sorry...but b/w him and Jones for me...and Jones just does more. (note - moloney is a top 10 guy getting it off the hand of the ruckman, but outside of stoppages I'm just not sure - real pity he didn't start playing in the 1990s)

Well, let me be a little more adventurous.

FB: Bartrum Rivers. Garland

HB: Morton. Frawley. Grimes

C: Trengove Scully. Gysberts

HF: Wonna. Jurrah. Watts

FF: Green. Jamar. Petterd

Foll: Campbell. Maloney. Jones

Int: Sylvia. Davey. Dunne

Res: Bail

How the hell can somebody leave out Jurrah? It makes zero sense...

How the hell can somebody leave out Jurrah? It makes zero sense...

that team was by games played in 2010 and Jurrah didnt play many due to injury

that team was by games played in 2010 and Jurrah didnt play many due to injury

Ahh yes.. Maybe I should read the post instead of just looking at the team. My apologies

Well, its objective, but obviously not what the team would be...see Jurrah.

The team seems pretty set other than the forward line and it will be very interesting to see where a guy like tapscott is in the coach's estimation.

Imagine if they left Jurrah out of the side for round 1. There'd be a riot. Although i remember Jurrah had an ordinary match against Freo in the NAB cup last year - some fumbles and a possible lack of confidence.

I'd also be surprised if Petterd wasn't selected for round 1 based on his form last year.

I'd Love to see Tapscott showing off his kicking skills in the majors this year but he's done most of his pre-season training with the development group. Check Mark Williams' upcoming reports on the website for details.

I've got a soft spot for Sam Blease. Good to hear he's in a training group with Jones and Scully - perhaps the two fittest runners in the club.

2011 OPENING TEAM:

B: BARTRAM WARNOCK RIVERS

HB: GRIMES FRAWLEY MACDONALD

C: MORTON MOLONEY GARLAND

HF: GREEN WATTS BATE

FF: DAVEY JURRAH CAMPBELL

R: JAMAR McKENZIE SCULLY

I: DUNN (S) PETTERD SYLVIA JONES

EMERG: WONA BAIL GYSBERTS TRENGOVE

Captain: Green

V/C- Davey

V/C-Moloney

Think I'll have a go at this the competition for selection is fierce something

that hasn't been present for a while. This will surely push the side forward.

B: Bartram Frawley Garland

Hb: Rivers Macdonald Grimes

C: Maloney Morton Davey

HF: Green Sylvia Wonaeamirri

FF: Watts Jurrah Campbell

R Jamar Mckenzie Scully

Int: Jones Trengove Dunn sub Bennell

Emergency: Bail Petterd Warnock Bate

Wow, an extremely difficult enterprise if we work on the list being 100% fit and available.

Having to think about team balance, matchups and interchange rotations i have come up with the following:

B: Bartram Frawley Garland

HB: Grimes Rivers MacDonald

C: Morton Moloney Davey

HF: Dunn Watts Sylvia

F: Jurrah Green Bennell

R: Jamar Scully Trengove

Int: McKenzie Jones Campbell

Sub: Bail

Emg: Wonnaeamirri Bate Strauss Warnock

Reasoning:

I believe with the loss of Bruce and McDonald, experienced heads and bodies are even more important- especially early in the season.

I was tossing up in regards to Campbell as it is yet to be proven that his knee will stand up to the rigours, but then again he was drafted for a reason and i don't think they will waste him down at Casey too much if he is right to go. He can always be subbed off during the second half of a game.

I believe that because Petterd was out for so long, he will require some match fitness through Casey first.

Likewise but to a lesser degree with Gysberts.

With experienced players like Wonna, Bate, Warnock and Petterd in the ressies it creates great pressure on spots and they will be desperate to get back to their best and get back in a team on the improve.

Then along with young players in Gysberts, Blease, Tapscott, Nicholson (who i back for the mid year rookie promotion), Gawn, Spencer and Howe there is hunger and drive to break in and cement a spot.

Then there is those on the list who have been around a while and need to start performing in Jetta, Maric and Martin and it makes for a really interesting season with some substantial selection table headaches.

I tell you what, Casey will have a fair team this year too...

that team was by games played in 2010 and Jurrah didnt play many due to injury

shows how bad that formula for picking the team is

B: Bartram Frawley Garland

HB: Grimes Rivers MacDonald

C: Morton Moloney Davey

HF: Dunn Watts Sylvia

F: Jurrah Green Bennell

R: Jamar Scully Trengove

Int: McKenzie Jones Campbell

Sub: Bail

Emg: Wonnaeamirri Bate Strauss Warnock

I'll have what you're having but squeeze out Bail (though I rate him) for Ozzie. Jurrahmirri is just too good to watch.

I am too hung over to pick a side right now!!! But i have noticed that we have a fantastic list to choose from.

For this year i am really hoping Tapscott & Blease have good quality senior games.

with a good run with injuries and some old fashioned "Footy Luck" we can definately make september this year.

As long as the whole club (on & off field) continues to improve.

Jack Watts Break Out year 2011.

Happy new years to everyone.

It's day one 2011, a good time to put together our starting line-up for round one vs the Swans.

Instead of making judgements on who is better than what (or Watts) I thought I'd be totally objective and pick my round one line up using one simple selection criteria – games played in season 2010.

For example: Jones played all 22 games; Bail only played 9. Therefore I would find a place in the starting line-up for Jones before I would select Bail. And so on.

I then placed them in a position that resembles where they played last year.

Here's the line-up. 2010 Games are in brackets ( ).

B: Bartram (21), Frawley (21), Garland (20).

HB: MacDonald (17), Rivers (18), Bennell (19).

C: Scully (21), Jones (22), Davey (20).

HF: Trengove (18), Dunn (18), Sylvia (15).

F: Green (22), Watts (15), Bate (15).

R: Jamar (22), McKenzie (19), Moloney (18).

IC: Grimes (14), Warnock (13), Morton (10).

S: Bail (9).

E: Wonaeamirri (8), Jurrah (8), Petterd (6).

Note: Jetta played as many games as Petterd but I selected Petterd due to his higher total of career games.

Observations:

1. It's possibly our best list of 25 at the moment, but they've got no reason to feel complacent. At various times in 2010 we had Warnock, Bate, Bennell, Morton, Bail and Wonaeamirri struggled to hold their place in the side.

2. We are a bit short. There is no adequate 2nd ruckman in this line-up and please MFC do not put Sylvia in the ruck in 2011. No wonder they picked up Campbell from Hawthorn.

3. The average number of total games per player is 65 – not bad. But we are desperately short of experienced players outside of this line-up. We only have 3 other guys who have played more than a total of 10 games; Jetta (21), Martin (29) and Maric (12).

4. It's still a young line-up. With the possible exception of Green, all the players could line in a preliminary final for the Dees in 2013 if their form warrants selection.

We have 8 players on the senior list who've never played a game, plus another 4 first-time rookies. Gysberts, Strauss and Spencer are also pushing for spots. They all show promise but it's going to be very difficult to force their way into the starting line-up.

I hope they can, as long as they are chosen on their performances, not their potential.

Who's your Captain?

If your naming the team, you should name your leader.

Who's your Captain?

If your naming the team, you should name your leader.

I await your team with interest- surely you will pick Jurrah in your team and Garland on the wing(ha ha )

Who's your Captain?

If your naming the team, you should name your leader.

Does it have to be from one of the guys who played all 22 games in 2010?

That means a choice between Green, Jamar and Jones.

I'll go for Green.

My team come round 23 2011, will look like this:

B: Bartram Frawley Rivers

HB: Grimes Garland Morton

C: Blease Trengove Davey

HF: Dunn Watts Sylvia

F: Jurrah Green Wonaeamirri

R: Jamar Moloney Scully

Int: Bennell Gysberts Campbell

Sub: Bail

Emg (from): McKenzie Bate Strauss Tapscott MacDonald Jones Spencer Howe Jetta Petterd Warnock

Some blokes on that interchange list that will be very stiff not to get a game.

Very hard to pick, but that's what makes it all so damn exciting.

My team come round 23 2011, will look like this:

B: Bartram Frawley Rivers

HB: Grimes Garland Morton

C: Blease Trengove Davey

HF: Dunn Watts Sylvia

F: Jurrah Green Wonaeamirri

R: Jamar Moloney Scully

Int: Bennell Gysberts Campbell

Sub: Bail

Emg (from): McKenzie Bate Strauss Tapscott MacDonald Jones Spencer Howe Jetta Maric

Some blokes on that interchange list that will be very stiff not to get a game.

Very hard to pick, but that's what makes it all so damn exciting.

Are you thinking that team will also represent the MFC come Round 1 of september 2011?

although i think they will play games throughout 2011, in my opinion blease and gysberts are unlikely to play the first match.

i think with gysberts and blease, they will both most definately be playing vfl for the start of the season, due to the fact that they have both only just recovered from injuries, and i find it highly unlikely a bloke who played 22 matches in 2010 and was recently voted into the leadership group (nathan jones) will not make the squad for round 1 barring injury.

my team goes something like this, but picking the team from a full squad is pretty tough as there are about 30 odd players who could be getting a gig.

B: Bartram Frawley Garland

HB: Grimes Rivers Bail

C: Trengove Moloney Scully

HF: Sylvia Watts Dunn

F: Jurrah Green Bennell

R: Jamar Davey Jones

INT: McKenzie, Macdonald, Campbell

SUB: Morton

Could easily slot, Petterd , Wonaeamirri, Bate, Tapscott, Strauss on the field, maybe even Spencer.

My side for Round 1:

B: Bartram, Garland, Rivers

HB: Grimes, Frawley, Morton

C: Davey, Moloney, Scully

HF: Petterd, Watts, Green ©

F: Dunn, Jurrah, Wonaeamirri

Foll: Jamar, McKenzie, Sylvia

Int: Trengove, Jones, MacDonald

Sub: Bennell

Emergencies: Campbell, Bate, Bail, Warnock

That was pretty tough. Plenty of young names that I wanted to squeeze in, but i think this side is pretty close to what we'll see round 1, injury permitting.

OK....My team

B: Bartram, Garland, MacDonald

HB: Grimes, Frawley, Bail

C: Davey, Moloney, Scully

HF: Petterd, Watts, Green ©

F: Dunn, Jurrah, Maric

Foll: Jamar, McKenzie, Sylvia

Int: Trengove, Gysberts, Petterd

Sub: Rivers

Emergencies: Campbell, Jones, Warnock, Bennell

I honestly think this may just be the side considering match-ups.

Only thing I found tuff was Moloney or Jones.

Far too early to call obviously, a lot of of players will firm and drift in the pre-season and players such as Howe, Cook, Gysberts, Blease and Campbell could come into calculations with good pre-seasons. I tip that one or two of those will press for a spot. Most have Watts and Trengove as automatic selections, both will need solid pre-seaon form IMO.

My tip is Blease, Gysberts and Tapscott to stake some claims for selection early in the season....and chances are that injuries will free up a couple of spots.

My best guess is,

B: Bartram Garland Rivers

HB: Grimes Frawley MacDonald

C: Davey Moloney Bennell

HF: Bate Green Sylvia

F: Dunn Jurrah Petterd,

Foll: Jamar McKenzie Scully

Int: Campbell, Jones, Trengove,

Sub: Bail

Emergencies:Blease, Morton, Watts, Warnock,

Are you thinking that team will also represent the MFC come Round 1 of september 2011?

Doyou mean finals?

Tapscott will take a bit more time to build his running capacity to the required standard I think.

He'll find it hard to break into this side until he does.