How do you see the 2015 team?

[S.R.J 418]

Personally I don't care who plays as long as this side plays there heart out and gives it everything. No more weak as [censored] efforts plus lots of 2 way running

[tappysquads 618]

Dawes is not next in line for round one, he is suspended. Tool - him not you.

Really a necessary post? Yeh he's suspended, that's why he isn't in the 22 or emergencies...... Good contribution though

[stevethemanjordan 6,952]

A positive about doing this exercise is that I found it very hard to fit in players like Garland, Grimes, Matt Jones, McKenzie, Terlich etc.

I had a half backline of Salem, McDonald and Lumumba which to me is much more exciting and an upgrade on what we had this year. Really we need Salem there for his footskills and defensive skills. Lumamba and McDonald whilst not having the greatest footskills will at least break lines which will create easier targets to hit rather than the stagnant stop start play from the backline we saw this year.

Grimes and Garland are two that should be genuinely worried for their starting positions. Goes for many players really. The sooner our more talented youngsters get their fitness up to an AFL standard, there will be no need for the list fillers we still have running around. Hard to see McKenzie getting a game this year.

Edited December 12, 2014 by stevethemanjordan

[nutbean 8,837]

A positive about doing this exercise is that I found it very hard to fit in players like Garland, Grimes, Matt Jones, McKenzie, Terlich etc.

I had a half backline of Salem, McDonald and Lumumba which to me is much more exciting and an upgrade on what we had this year. Really we need Salem there for his footskills and defensive skills. Lumamba and McDonald whilst not having the greatest footskills will at least break lines which will create easier targets to hit rather than the stagnant stop start play from the backline we saw this year.

Grimes and Garland are two that should be genuinely worried for their starting positions. Goes for many players really. The sooner our more talented youngsters get their fitness up to an AFL standard, there will be no need for the list fillers we still have running around. Hard to see McKenzie getting a game this year.

Footskills footskills footskills - worth repeating 3 times. Crucial out of the back half.

I like that we have noticeably increased the talent pool and hopefully any make progress next year.

McKenzie will be a great litmus test for us. I like his endeavor but we know his limitations and you want him to struggle to get a game because it means there are 6-8 mids with more talent who are playing up to their ability.

[rpfc 27,501]

I think Garland is too handy to have down there, releasing Lumumba and/or Dunn, but Grimes was a centreman in his youth - I think he should go for a role in the midfield.

Crying out for older heads in there and he is being pushed out of that defence.

If Roos is think of Lumumba as a wingman, I think that experiment will last three weeks - he is good at running off and providing spark, I think he will struggle with having to play up the field and run back into the backline...

[Redleg 37,691]

I think you could put up an argument for having two predicted sides: the best on exposed form and the other adding speculated talent, as yet unproved. Therefore Petracca and Brayshaw for example, go into the second side.

[P-man 13,224]

Surely the Grimes in the midfield experiment is done and dusted. Regardless of what he did as a youngster, he was diabolical. If he can rediscover his early career form then there is still a spot for him in the backline. His game against Adelaide this season needs to be his benchmark.

Edited December 14, 2014 by P-man

[P-man 13,224]

Footskills footskills footskills - worth repeating 3 times. Crucial out of the back half.

It would be nice to fast forward a couple of years and see Oscar and possibly Mitch White in the back six.

This concept of Melbourne defenders who can not only account for their opponent but break open the play with their passing sounds foreign to me, but I like it..

Casey is going to be a pretty decent side next season me thinks.

[titan_uranus 22,454]

A positive about doing this exercise is that I found it very hard to fit in players like Garland, Grimes, Matt Jones, McKenzie, Terlich etc.

I had a half backline of Salem, McDonald and Lumumba which to me is much more exciting and an upgrade on what we had this year. Really we need Salem there for his footskills and defensive skills. Lumamba and McDonald whilst not having the greatest footskills will at least break lines which will create easier targets to hit rather than the stagnant stop start play from the backline we saw this year.

Grimes and Garland are two that should be genuinely worried for their starting positions. Goes for many players really. The sooner our more talented youngsters get their fitness up to an AFL standard, there will be no need for the list fillers we still have running around. Hard to see McKenzie getting a game this year.

Agreed. I'm not 100% sure how or where Garland and Grimes fit into our side, which is sad in a way as they really should be staples of the team, but good in a way too as it (maybe falsely, given it is December after all) suggests stronger competition for spots.

M Jones should be down the midfield pecking order now with the arrival of Newton, Brayshaw and Petracca. Depth is necessary though, and I'm sure we'll be seeing him in 2015.

I still don't rate Terlich at all and if he 'clogs' a spot on the 2015 list by hardly playing at all then that will be a good thing IMO. Same with McKenzie.

I think Garland is too handy to have down there, releasing Lumumba and/or Dunn, but Grimes was a centreman in his youth - I think he should go for a role in the midfield.

Crying out for older heads in there and he is being pushed out of that defence.

Whilst I agree that it is starting to look like Grimes is going to be pushed out of the back line, I'm not sure the answer is to put him in the midfield. I haven't seen anything in his AFL career to suggest he's got what it takes to be a mid. His stints there over the last couple of years haven't worked. His best football has always been when he slots into the backline, either running with a smaller forward, playing loose and zoning off, or giving some drive off half-back.

If it comes to it and there's no spot in the backline for him, then I'm not sure there'll be a spot for him in the middle either.

[rpfc 27,501]

Surely the Grimes in the midfield experiment is done and dusted. Regardless of what he did as a youngster, he was diabolical. If he can rediscover his early career form then there is still a spot for him in the backline. His game against Adelaide this season needs to be his benchmark.

How/when was he 'diabolical'?

A tad hyperbolic...

Whilst I agree that it is starting to look like Grimes is going to be pushed out of the back line, I'm not sure the answer is to put him in the midfield. I haven't seen anything in his AFL career to suggest he's got what it takes to be a mid. His stints there over the last couple of years haven't worked. His best football has always been when he slots into the backline, either running with a smaller forward, playing loose and zoning off, or giving some drive off half-back.

If it comes to it and there's no spot in the backline for him, then I'm not sure there'll be a spot for him in the middle either.

Grimes is losing his spot in the backline because he can't take one of the three talls, Jetta locks down the small dangerous bloke, and Dunn and Lumumba are far better HBFs with more reliable skills in a position where reliable skills is paramount.

The midfield is not an easier position but the list of capable mids is still thin. If Grimes was to enter there he would find himself behind only Jones, Tyson, Cross, Viney, Vince, and Bail. Whether you think the midfield platoon is 9 or 12 deep - Grimes would be up against teenagers and Michie, Riley, Newton, McKenzie, and Toumpas.

[P-man 13,224]

How/when was he 'diabolical'?

A tad hyperbolic...

I'd ask you which games where he played through the middle were highlights? I can't think of one. My memories of him playing there are of a spotlight on him being second to the ball and hacking it forward if it did happen to end up in his hands. He is tough as nails, granted, but his decision making under pressure, particularly in recent times, I would describe as diabolical.

Grimes is just not someone it want to see in the midfield when we have a raft of capable midfielders (Michie, Newton) and ready made top end talent (Brayshaw, ANB) coming through. Even as a stop gap measure, he'd just be taking up a development spot.

I guess I'd be asking for you to make a case for him, other than being an "older head". I'd quietly fancy a couple of the youngsters to be immediately better than him.

[Bombay Airconditioning 5,941]

A positive about doing this exercise is that I found it very hard to fit in players like Garland, Grimes, Matt Jones, McKenzie, Terlich etc.

I had a half backline of Salem, McDonald and Lumumba which to me is much more exciting and an upgrade on what we had this year. Really we need Salem there for his footskills and defensive skills. Lumamba and McDonald whilst not having the greatest footskills will at least break lines which will create easier targets to hit rather than the stagnant stop start play from the backline we saw this year.

Grimes and Garland are two that should be genuinely worried for their starting positions. Goes for many players really. The sooner our more talented youngsters get their fitness up to an AFL standard, there will be no need for the list fillers we still have running around. Hard to see McKenzie getting a game this year.

My halfback line read the same as yours, my mates question his fitness/age to hold down halfback, there is no argument about his talent. Considering how poorly we've been over recent years im surprised by how many people have made minimal changes in their best 22. This has hopefully been the last year for mass list changes. Edited December 14, 2014 by Al's Demons

[titan_uranus 22,454]

Grimes is losing his spot in the backline because he can't take one of the three talls, Jetta locks down the small dangerous bloke, and Dunn and Lumumba are far better HBFs with more reliable skills in a position where reliable skills is paramount.

The midfield is not an easier position but the list of capable mids is still thin. If Grimes was to enter there he would find himself behind only Jones, Tyson, Cross, Viney, Vince, and Bail. Whether you think the midfield platoon is 9 or 12 deep - Grimes would be up against teenagers and Michie, Riley, Newton, McKenzie, and Toumpas.

I'm with you on the concept of depth and that those who will also be around that spot.

I just don't see him as being able to succeed in the middle and if it came to it, I'd have Michie, Riley, Newton and Toumpas all in front of him right now, and I would also be more confident in all of them being better midfielders in the future.

[Goodvibes 3,596]

We spend so much time focused on the bottom six. I'm increasingly interested in who will push into the elite category and make up our top six. The list of possibles is longer than I am accustomed.

[Nasher 33,068]

Riley and Michie at times looked okay, but most of the time they looked well off the pace I thought. If Grimes played midfield, I'd be very, very surprised if he was behind them. Newton I can't comment on as I've never seen him.

I'm really hoping Toumpas pulls way ahead of the lot.

[BIG JIM 508]

I would never ever question grimes now that he is giving away the captaincy he is a really good football player if he just spends time on nothing but his own game. He is a very driven young man that will IMO lift his game in 2015

[beelzebub 22,225]

Going back to the basic question of the OP I'm thinking the team that will take the paddock in the first month or so might not really look like the ones many of you are supposing.

Roos is a fine ( read very good ) Engineer of teams. He knows you need to put a lot of work into the foundations etc and bring it all online gradually and with certainty.

This is not a PR ( npi ) exercise. It's not about appeasing the masses , it's about building a unit that will work, and work and WORK. Like weight loss it's better to do some things methodically and steadily thus providing steady results which build on themselves. Do it this way and you can sustain your successes, indeed continue to build on them.

The kids will be used sparingly to start I suggest. No point burning them up. Hogan is ripe to go, but hes not really a noobie. Theres a reason Roos likes a bit of seasoned. more mature talent on the list and id be looking to where he will use them.

We now have a lot more wheat and lot less chaff to select from. Some players will select themselves and coaches are always looking for this. You want players to be hungry for the game not expecatant.

Im not even going to bother to put names to paper just yet . I want to get a chance to view them at training...sense the 'vibe' ( lol )

Also to see how they start going in match trials etc. Then the NAB circus. See who is lifting.

Roos could care less about the glamour of a teams line up its all about function ( as it ought to be ) He's not interested, nor I , in the sensational, just results from hard honest application. This can be sustained. No more flashy starts immolating in the pan !! ( sts)

[Samael 560]

I'd ask you which games where he played through the middle were highlights? I can't think of one. My memories of him playing there are of a spotlight on him being second to the ball and hacking it forward if it did happen to end up in his hands. He is tough as nails, granted, but his decision making under pressure, particularly in recent times, I would describe as diabolical.

Grimes is just not someone it want to see in the midfield when we have a raft of capable midfielders (Michie, Newton) and ready made top end talent (Brayshaw, ANB) coming through. Even as a stop gap measure, he'd just be taking up a development spot.

I guess I'd be asking for you to make a case for him, other than being an "older head". I'd quietly fancy a couple of the youngsters to be immediately better than him.

I'm with you on the concept of depth and that those who will also be around that spot.

I just don't see him as being able to succeed in the middle and if it came to it, I'd have Michie, Riley, Newton and Toumpas all in front of him right now, and I would also be more confident in all of them being better midfielders in the future.

I think Viv will be played of the half back flank. Good ball getter with very good foot and hand skills. Quick thinker and sound under pressure. Particularly liked his games against Hawthorn on Lewis for the second half in a negating role. Lewis was B.O.G but I thought Viv curbed him. Against North he kept Cunnington to 16 touches for the game which was a terrific effort. May rotate thru the middle but my guess is he is going to be a defender.

[robbo24 66]

I chucked this on a Facebook page recently. Our depth chart post draft and positions based on this.

Two things I'd change, 1. Grimes out now he isn't captain, 2. Kent in (oversight when creating this the first time)

Also Gawn, Spencer and King should be found under 'depth'

[beelzebub 22,225]

the problem atm in regard to BEST is who is ? What are the parameters many here are judging by ? reputations / track records / hope ??

Only how they actually are at the time of selection will play any part in rational team selection and make-up. Thats in respect to a REAL footy team...and not fantasy footy !!

[robbo24 66]

the problem atm in regard to BEST is who is ? What are the parameters many here are judging by ? reputations / track records / hope ??

Only how they actually are at the time of selection will play any part in rational team selection and make-up. Thats in respect to a REAL footy team...and not fantasy footy !!

We, as supporters can only base our opinion on exposed form. While 'real' footy would take into account attitude, niggles, fitness, roles etc, this is information which often we aren't privvy too. We make judgement based on past performance and how we compare them to other players. It may seem like 'Fantasy Footy' but there's not much more we can read into

[beelzebub 22,225]

We, as supporters can only base our opinion on exposed form. While 'real' footy would take into account attitude, niggles, fitness, roles etc, this is information which often we aren't privvy too. We make judgement based on past performance and how we compare them to other players. It may seem like 'Fantasy Footy' but there's not much more we can read into

thats the point

what many suppose might be the best ...wont be ,for all those reasons.

Any assembly of team sheets is crystal balling if done now. Im simply suggesting some tempering and adjustment is required back to the real world...and it's effects.

[FireOath 290]

How/when was he 'diabolical'?

A tad hyperbolic...

Grimes is losing his spot in the backline because he can't take one of the three talls, Jetta locks down the small dangerous bloke, and Dunn and Lumumba are far better HBFs with more reliable skills in a position where reliable skills is paramount.

The midfield is not an easier position but the list of capable mids is still thin. If Grimes was to enter there he would find himself behind only Jones, Tyson, Cross, Viney, Vince, and Bail. Whether you think the midfield platoon is 9 or 12 deep - Grimes would be up against teenagers and Michie, Riley, Newton, McKenzie, and Toumpas.

Dunn can easily take a tall, allowing grimes to run as a HBF.

[Pates 9,537]

Does anyone here think Oscar Mc might have an impact next year?? I know his body isn't physically ready but seeing him at training gee he's got some skills

I would imagine (and hope) that OMac will be given only a taste next year and more due to regulars being unavailable. We have a bit of coverage in there now, we have Dunn who has turned himself into a very capable defender, Howe who I expect will go to the forward line this year but can be thrown back there, and Pederson who may struggle to find a regular spot but can cover positions in there.

As you said physically he might struggle and Roos has shown himself to be very patient with the young players. I'd be hoping for him to get a run perhaps in the second half of the year.

[ManDee 7,089]

Really a necessary post? Yeh he's suspended, that's why he isn't in the 22 or emergencies...... Good contribution though

Tapps, can't read or comprehend humour?

I was responding to your post saying, Round 1 team, going early.

Necessary post, are you joking? This site is full of unnecessary posts including yours by the way.

And I did say Dawes was a tool not you, should I reconsider?

No, we are all Demon supporters and sometimes we take the pizz out of each other. Every time we post we leave ourselves open to be pilloried by some idiot (take free shot here) but most of it is good fun.