Best 22 for round 1 - your call.

[Hiram Cowfreak 77]

Interested to know why so many teams have Terlich in there instead of Strauss?

[old dee 23,781]

Interested to know why so many teams have Terlich in there instead of Strauss?

He is better?

[rpfc 28,262]

Interested to know why so many teams have Terlich in there instead of Strauss?

He is older, and has played better at state league level than Strauss.

Also, many don't rate Strauss. I haven't seen enough of him but he is contracted through 2014 so he has time.

[DeeSpencer 25,462]

Ok I'll update again after training today:

FB: Garland Frawley Terlich

HB: Watts McDonald Dunn

C: M. Jones Jones Grimes

HF: Sylvia Dawes Blease

FF: Howe Clark Byrnes

Foll: Jamar McKenzie Rodan

Int: Sellar, Jetta, Viney

Sub: Toumpas

Emer: Tapscott, Gillies, Pedersen

I think we play Clark even underdone and try to stretch their defense it also gives us another target with Sellar and Dawes. Big Mitch can play mainly FF as long as the club are confident on Dawes. I don't like debuting guys as the sub but I think with Toumpas he'd be a really great addition to come in when the heat is out of the game a bit. I wanted to play Kent somewhere as well but I don't want too many debutantes. I don't really know what the plans are with the 6th and 7th defender but I've gone with Terlich and Jetta off the bench but the club could just name a 6th defender and use Grimes in a rotation. A lot of spots pick themselves and we don't so much have a selection headache from too many good players but a selection headache due to too many we aren't sure about.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

surely mitch will play even if he shouldn't, just his presence makes us better, and this is a must win

[bing181 9,193]

surely mitch will play even if he shouldn't, just his presence makes us better, and this is a must win

Agree completely. The forward line looks completely different when he's there throwing his weight around. I suspect the same goes for Dawes, but as we've yet to really see him play, hard to be quite so sure.

But I would play both if they're fit (enough). We'll get more out of it in the long term than having either or both of them running round at Casey, even if they are a bit rusty.

[Biffen 12,940]

Melbourne FC just tweeted: "Jack Trengove and Mitch Clark have been removed from our injury list."

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2013-03-25/trengove-clark-5050-for-round-one.workstation

And this looks good, just 2 still injured and one of those due to be available for round 2:

Round 1 injury list

Rohan Bail (concussion) – 1 week

Max Gawn (hamstring) – test

Chris Dawes (hamstring) – test

Tom McDonald (ankle) – test

Nathan Stark (knee) – 3 weeks

Jack Fitzpatrick (concussion) – test

This year is already 3 times better than last.

This is great news.

I'm finally getting excited .

Misson partly accomplished.

[old dee 23,781]

He is older, and has played better at state league level than Strauss.

Also, many don't rate Strauss. I haven't seen enough of him but he is contracted through 2014 so he has time.

I keep making allowances for him rpfc

He has had a couple of very bad injuries.

But at this point I am under whelmed.

He fits in the group containing Tapscott and a couple of others for me.

Yet to see that they are more than average

[CBDees 3,167]

Ok I'll update again after training today:

FB: Garland Frawley Terlich

HB: Watts McDonald Dunn

C: M. Jones Jones Grimes

HF: Sylvia Dawes Blease

FF: Howe Clark Byrnes

Foll: Jamar McKenzie Rodan

Int: Sellar, Jetta, Viney

Sub: Toumpas

Emer: Tapscott, Gillies, Pedersen

I think we play Clark even underdone and try to stretch their defense it also gives us another target with Sellar and Dawes. Big Mitch can play mainly FF as long as the club are confident on Dawes. I don't like debuting guys as the sub but I think with Toumpas he'd be a really great addition to come in when the heat is out of the game a bit. I wanted to play Kent somewhere as well but I don't want too many debutantes. I don't really know what the plans are with the 6th and 7th defender but I've gone with Terlich and Jetta off the bench but the club could just name a 6th defender and use Grimes in a rotation. A lot of spots pick themselves and we don't so much have a selection headache from too many good players but a selection headache due to too many we aren't sure about.

I like [and agree with] your selections however I would also include Trengove [though I am not sure who for? It is a bit harder to select than in previous years!

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

It's been a long time since our best 22 hasn't been completely obvious/predictably settled.

We finally have some genuine competition for certain spots.

Thank you Mark Neeld.

[rpfc 28,262]

It's been a long time since our best 22 hasn't been completely obvious/predictably settled.

I think its more a case of we don't have to choose between which kid we throw to the wolves.

We can still throw them but we have the option of playing Sellar, Terlich, Magner, Couch, Matt Jones, et al over playing all the toddlers because all we had were toddlers.

[McQueen 17,864]

You're telling me...

2013 is going to be all over the place.

It's going to be a Led Zep song.

Long, crazy, but hopefully good once you get past the crap.

At least you're understanding of football appears to be better than your understanding of music.

[Ted Lasso 19,285]

Jack trengove has abit of competition for his spot now, best situation Melbourne has been in for a long while

[rpfc 28,262]

At least you're understanding of football appears to be better than your understanding of music.

Now, come on.

I love Led Zep, as I love the Dees, but when there is crap, there is crap. Dwelling on all the awesome doesn't eliminate the crap.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

My big concern is we still have too many types of players that:

1) Can find the ball but butcher it (McDonald, Macdonald, Nicholson, McKenzie, Grimes and Garland)

2) Can kick the ball but can't get hands on it (Strauss, Tapscott, Davey, Trengove, Blease and Sylvia)

[McQueen 17,864]

Now, come on.

I love Led Zep, as I love the Dees, but when there is crap, there is crap. Dwelling on all the awesome doesn't eliminate the crap.

Communication Breakdown.

[Young Dee 1,303]

My big concern is we still have too many types of players that:

1) Can find the ball but butcher it (McDonald, Macdonald, Nicholson, McKenzie, Grimes and Garland)

2) Can kick the ball but can't get hands on it (Strauss, Tapscott, Davey, Trengove, Blease and Sylvia)

Strauss, Tapscott and Davey - you need to be in the team to get touches.

Strauss - yet to recover from broken leg, I think he will improve a lot this year - the amount of disposals he gets depends on what role the coaches want him to play.

Tapscott - another who has had injury problems, struggles to get the footy I think because he is too big and that slows him down (yet to find a role - back, mid, forward? which would affect disposal)

Davey - being moulded into a small forward which doesn't need to get a lot of the ball - just needs to make use of chances (goals) and apply presure!

Trengove - needs to get more of it and use it better (last years disposal was poor)

Blease - needs more of it (I don't think he is a great kick - but usually kicks on the end of a 100m run so hard to tell)

Sylvia - nothing needs to be said

Edited March 27, 2013 by Young Dee

[DeeSpencer 25,462]

My big concern is we still have too many types of players that:

1) Can find the ball but butcher it (McDonald, Macdonald, Nicholson, McKenzie, Grimes and Garland)

2) Can kick the ball but can't get hands on it (Strauss, Tapscott, Davey, Trengove, Blease and Sylvia)

I agree, I think it's all of our concern. I think what we are doing is trying to keep the first group getting the ball but work on their disposal individually and as part of a system. McDonald and Garland are shut down defenders. Garland's skills are reasonable its just his brain that goes. I think its why Dunn and Watts are part of the backline. Grimes is similar, sometimes brilliant sometimes poor with disposal. Macdonald and Nicholson I think will be pushed out unless they improve.

The next group are more frustrating. Strauss just doesn't find the ball enough down back but again he's never had a good run at it. Davey is finished. Trengove went backwards in terms of ball winning last year. I think Blease, Tapscott and Sylvia are about playing in our forward line and not having the fitness required. I'm really hoping those 3 show more this year but unless the team does I'm not sure they will individually.

[Red N Blue Society 165]

I'm not sure what the rest of the team may look like but the forward line could potentially be a superhero forward line!

Watts Clark Kent.....any takers lol..