What does the best 22 look like for the second half of 2016?

[Little Richard 6,262]

Personally think the bye can't come soon enough for Maxy. Looks pretty ragged and fair enough, he has been carrying a huge role for the last 9 weeks. Might even be worth playing Spencer alongside him for a couple of weeks to take some weight off, if it doesn't throw out the balance of the team too much. 

Obviously he's a lock for the best 22.

[Satyriconhome 10,878]

32 minutes ago, Django said:

Personally think the bye can't come soon enough for Maxy. Looks pretty ragged and fair enough, he has been carrying a huge role for the last 9 weeks. Might even be worth playing Spencer alongside him for a couple of weeks to take some weight off, if it doesn't throw out the balance of the team too much. 

Obviously he's a lock for the best 22.

Was thinking that myself this week with only Jackson Trengove in the ruck for Port, tag team him, from what I've read from Casey Pencil is even kicking goals when forward

[MadAsHell 4,212]

15 hours ago, AngryAtCasey said:

Difficult to say really. But I'm going with

FB: Wagner, TBA*, Jetta

HB: Vince, T. McDonald, Hunt

C: Bugg, N. Jones, Tyson

HF: Harmes, Hogan, Kent

FF: Watts, Dawes, Garlett

FOLL: Gawn, Oliver, Viney

INT: Petracca, Salem, Stretch, Trengove

* One of Dunn, Frost, Garland or Oscar to try and secure

EMERG: Brayshaw, Kennedy, Pedersen

Meaning running around out at Casey would be a team that could look like

FB: Three of the * four

HB: Lumumba, White, Terlich

C: M. Jones, Michie, Grimes

HF: Vandenberg, Weideman, Kennedy

FF: Hulett, Max King, Kennedy-Harris 

FOLL: Spencer, Brayshaw, Neal-Bullen 

INT: Newton, Pedersen, Smith

Mitch King & Melksham gone for the year.

Given the news about Salem, I would have said Brayshaw to half back, but we don't know how long he'll miss either.

Would love to say Vandenberg or Kennedy into my 22, but given Salem mainly plays across half back I'd have to give the nod to H assuming he's over his issues.

[P-man 13,366]

11 minutes ago, AngryAtCasey said:

Given the news about Salem, I would have said Brayshaw to half back, but we don't know how long he'll miss either.

Would love to say Vandenberg or Kennedy into my 22, but given Salem mainly plays across half back I'd have to give the nod to H assuming he's over his issues.

You'd have Hunt AND Lumumba?

I can see the logic in Hunt or Lumumba as line breaking dashers that provide a point of difference, but I wouldn't have both. It's a bit too captain risky having both. Neither are all that flash defensively.

[MadAsHell 4,212]

6 minutes ago, P-man said:

You'd have Hunt AND Lumumba?

I can see the logic in Hunt or Lumumba as line breaking dashers that provide a point of difference, but I wouldn't have both. It's a bit too captain risky having both. Neither are all that flash defensively.

Rotating between half back & wing yes, but ideally not not half back at the same time.  Would want a Vince or Jetta alongside them at all times.  And as I said, would rather Salem or Brayshaw in the side first, but we just don't know where they're at.

If Mitch White were to get promoted off the rookie list however, I'd be very happy to see him at half back.

[djr 1,503]

5 hours ago, ManDee said:

djr, do I know you?  I live in Mansfield, you may recognise my business logo?

I was thinking the same. is the business logo the tyre place in town?

[H_T 3,047]

It's a great topic, because I think as a collective here at group think Demonland, we all acknowledge that there is a bit of sorting out to do with our back six by the end of the year. 

I think what we'll see is just a few rotate through during the second half of the season. I think the FD would be prudent to maintain strength down back when required but also use a few games as an opportunity to develop a couple when necessary as we move into 2017. They'll try not to destabilise defence but work on transition now and then whilst maintaining stability. 

Already we've seen the introduction of the likes of Wagner, Hunt with roles and they've impressed. We are still to see the likes of Grimes and Trengove and that will happen at some stage. Lumumba, Salem, Dunn, Garland, McDonald, Jetta and Vince have played the bulk so far with recent additions such as Michie, O.McDonald. Obviously depending upon who we play, the FD and coaching group will select players coming in on form, on opposition analysis and development needs.

[ManDee 7,153]

42 minutes ago, djr said:

I was thinking the same. is the business logo the tyre place in town?

That's me.

[Skuit 10,031]

I know this exercise gets mixed up between preferences and predictions but Omac or Frost at full-back in almost every listed best 22? Frost hasn't played a single game for us back there and has been otherwise unconvincing and Omac looked green enough on the weekend that you'd think he had the flu as well. Think finals. Who would you want back there then? Lynden Dunn is still our number one full-back.

[Members' Wing 1,106]

38 minutes ago, Skuit said:

I know this exercise gets mixed up between preferences and predictions but Omac or Frost at full-back in almost every listed best 22? Frost hasn't played a single game for us back there and has been otherwise unconvincing and Omac looked green enough on the weekend that you'd think he had the flu as well. Think finals. Who would you want back there then? Lynden Dunn is still our number one full-back.

Except the football club no longer think so.

[Skuit 10,031]

1 hour ago, Members' Wing said:

Except the football club no longer think so.

Although that may not be necessarily true.

[Little Richard 6,262]

9 minutes ago, Skuit said:

Although that may not be necessarily true.

How so? He struggles to hold his spot.

[DemonDave 1,089]

55 minutes ago, Django said:

How so? He struggles to hold his spot.

Dunn, Garland, Frost and O Mac have all been dropped this year.  And therein lies the crux of the issue they've all had problematic seasons

[Skuit 10,031]

1 hour ago, Django said:

How so? He struggles to hold his spot.

Could be he's been asked to work on a couple things in the seconds. Could be an attitude or fitness issue. Could be trying to run some kids in the firsts for the sake of their development. Or a combination of all thereof. But none of that necessarily concludes he's not our best full-back. Just as a thought experiment, who do you think would be selected in the back-line if we were playing finals?

[Adam The God 30,261]

14 hours ago, Clint Bizkit said:

The lack of vandenBerg in most teams is disturbing.

Fringer unless he cleans up his disposal big time. I'd even have Harmes ahead of him at this stage. Good, solid depth.

[Adam The God 30,261]

13 hours ago, Django said:

Personally think the bye can't come soon enough for Maxy. Looks pretty ragged and fair enough, he has been carrying a huge role for the last 9 weeks. Might even be worth playing Spencer alongside him for a couple of weeks to take some weight off, if it doesn't throw out the balance of the team too much. 

Obviously he's a lock for the best 22.

Agreed. I think this'd be a good idea. Need to give him a chop out and another bit of a motivator to bring it each week. Spencer breathing down his neck for the number one position ought to do it. Gawn is too dominant when playing well to leave out though, so I think they have to play together over the next few weeks.