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Starting Midfield Unit & Depth

Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

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What does your club's starting midfield unit look like going into 2020? Who has the strongest midfield in the AFL?

We've broken down every side's starting 4 and depth.

YOUR CLUB'S STARTING MIDFIELD UNIT AND DEPTH

Melbourne club banner

Max Gawn 
Clayton Oliver 
Jack Viney 
James Harmes 

Next in: Nathan Jones, Angus Brayshaw, Adam Tomlinson, Ed Langdon, Christian Petracca

The league’s best 'hit-out to advantage' player in Gawn gets Oliver, Harmes and Viney to aim at and subsequently they'll be constantly licking their lips. That quartet will begin most games as Melbourne’s on-ball starters. Nathan Jones is no stranger to spending plenty of time in midfield, despite moving to a more peripheral position in his twilight years, while Brayshaw will roll through and Petracca will often be used for some grunt. New additions Tomlinson and Langdon will be sliding by on the outside ready to receive anything from the insiders. Gawn receives little assistance but you can expect to see Tom McDonald occasionally pinch-hit in the ruck if Braydon Preuss remsin in the VFL.

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    25 minutes ago, Demonland said:

    What does your club's starting midfield unit look like going into 2020? Who has the strongest midfield in the AFL?

    We've broken down every side's starting 4 and depth.

    YOUR CLUB'S STARTING MIDFIELD UNIT AND DEPTH

    Melbourne club banner

    Max Gawn 
    Clayton Oliver 
    Jack Viney 
    James Harmes 

    Next in: Nathan Jones, Angus Brayshaw, Adam Tomlinson, Ed Langdon, Christian Petracca

    The league’s best 'hit-out to advantage' player in Gawn gets Oliver, Harmes and Viney to aim at and subsequently they'll be constantly licking their lips. That quartet will begin most games as Melbourne’s on-ball starters. Nathan Jones is no stranger to spending plenty of time in midfield, despite moving to a more peripheral position in his twilight years, while Brayshaw will roll through and Petracca will often be used for some grunt. New additions Tomlinson and Langdon will be sliding by on the outside ready to receive anything from the insiders. Gawn receives little assistance but you can expect to see Tom McDonald occasionally pinch-hit in the ruck if Braydon Preuss remsin in the VFL.

    Maybe it's my rose coloured glasses but if that midfield is able to stay mostly fit then that looks pretty damn good to me. My only knock is disposal efficiency, for many of our games we didn't have any trouble getting it into the forward line, it was just constantly coming straight back out because of more decision making and bad kicking.

    We need to start making our entries count for something, hopefully that's something that can additionally be rectified by TMac having a better year and Fritta playing as a forward.

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    Harmes from all training reports will be playing off a half back flank.

    Jordan will play midfield this year. Could be a Smokey to win the rising star if he gets a gig round 1.

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    6 minutes ago, Wrecker45 said:

    Harmes from all training reports will be playing off a half back flank.

    Jordan will play midfield this year. Could be a Smokey to win the rising star if he gets a gig round 1.

    I’d say great Sparrow also will be earmarked to take the next step

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    How about AvB, if fit (fingers crossed) will add a good bit of grunt to the midfield!

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    Gus back in the middle with Viney and Oliver. Harmes can now roll through if we need someone shut down, I think now most of us are confident in Harmes’ ability to play just about anywhere. Then there’s Trac, all the talk sounds exciting at the moment, just bounce the ball already.

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    1 hour ago, Wrecker45 said:

     

    Jordan will play midfield this year. Could be a Smokey to win the rising star if he gets a gig round 1.

    My boy. Picked him last year as an improver and have stayed on him.

    Edited by Redleg

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    I think Sparrow is next in line at depth.

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    I think we will see Jackson running through the midfield at times this year...

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    There seems to be a clear gap between the top 7:

    Gawn, Oliver, Viney, Petracca, Brayshaw, Langdon, Vanders and Tomlinson and the rest, but it’s still early days. 

    It’s a long season so Harmes likely ends up back in the midfield for some part of the year.

    Jordon, Sparrow and Dunkley should push for games. And Jones will have his moments if made to work for a game and then used correctly. 

    Im still a believer in Oskar Baker having some strong afl qualities. If they get his body right and give him a catch up preseason he could provide something in the second half of the year. 

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    1 hour ago, DeeSpencer said:

    There seems to be a clear gap between the top 7:

    Gawn, Oliver, Viney, Petracca, Brayshaw, Langdon, Vanders and Tomlinson and the rest, but it’s still early days. 

    It’s a long season so Harmes likely ends up back in the midfield for some part of the year.

    Jordon, Sparrow and Dunkley should push for games. And Jones will have his moments if made to work for a game and then used correctly. 

    Im still a believer in Oskar Baker having some strong afl qualities. If they get his body right and give him a catch up preseason he could provide something in the second half of the year. 

    If Vanders  and Tomlinson are in our top 7 mids we might be in trouble...  Vanders I love, but hes never on the field.  Tomlinson is a solid role player and nothing more.

    Did you leave out Harmes by accident?  I know theres talk of him playing off half back but I hope its incorrect.. why would you take one of your best mids out of the midfield.

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    1 hour ago, JakovichScissorKick said:

    If Vanders  and Tomlinson are in our top 7 mids we might be in trouble...  Vanders I love, but hes never on the field.  Tomlinson is a solid role player and nothing more.

    Did you leave out Harmes by accident?  I know theres talk of him playing off half back but I hope its incorrect.. why would you take one of your best mids out of the midfield.

    He will probably play off half back and maybe have a run in the mids at times...this also opens up the forgotten man, Salem to do more or more of the same...

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    • Love 1
    1 hour ago, JakovichScissorKick said:

    If Vanders  and Tomlinson are in our top 7 mids we might be in trouble...  Vanders I love, but hes never on the field.  Tomlinson is a solid role player and nothing more.

    Did you leave out Harmes by accident?  I know theres talk of him playing off half back but I hope its incorrect.. why would you take one of your best mids out of the midfield.

    5 mids in to 4 inside mids spots just doesn’t work. Oliver and Viney aren’t getting shifted. Brayshaw plays his best on ball. Petracca needs an extended run in the midfield to show he can do it. 

    Half back where Harmes can use his run and ability to compete isn’t that much different to the midfield in importance. Makes sense to use him there. 

    Langdon on one wing. Tomlinson on the other where he’ll be asked to do a role I’d imagine.

    Vanders a bit of everything as a utility mid/forward. Yes Vanders is a risk but everyone else is unproven, although the young guys should do very well at Casey. Bennell the even bigger question mark and the dream scenario would be him coming in to the midfield mix during the season. 

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    11 hours ago, Wrecker45 said:

    Harmes from all training reports will be playing off a half back flank.

    Jordan will play midfield this year. Could be a Smokey to win the rising star if he gets a gig round 1

     He's a smokey to win a rising star nomination, let alone miraculously win the rising star ? (I'm guessing you did not mean that, given Rowell will put up Sam Walsh numbers all year)

    Edited by John Demonic

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    2 hours ago, John Demonic said:

     He's a smokey to win a rising star nomination, let alone miraculously win the rising star ? (I'm guessing you did not mean that, given Rowell will put up Sam Walsh numbers all year)

    Well bet on him him if you think he is a certainty.

    I’ve said in a number of threads I think Jordon will be in our best midfield by the end of the year.

    I said he is a Smokey for the rising star not a a sure thing.

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