Ok so thought I would start a posters rolling best 23 based on training form, injuries and tend to have gut feel about the makeup of the team, feel free to contribute given current knowledge and opinions. Currently this is my round 1 team

B Lever, Petty, Jiath

H.B Taylor Disco, Salem

C Langdon, Langford, Windsor

H.F Fritta, JVR, Sparrow

F Jeffo, Mihocek, L.Picket

R Max, Culley, Kossy,

Inter, Rivers, Heath, Steele, Mentha,Lindsay

Thats it

Edited Sunday at 03:064 days by picket fence

FB: Taylor May Lever
HB: Salem Turner Lindsay
C: Langdon Culley Windsor
HF: Langford Jefferson L. Pickett
FF: Fritsch JVR Chandler
R: Gawn Rivers K. Pickett
INT: CJ Steele Melksham Sparrow Tholstrup

INJURED: Bowey, Petty (?), Viney (?), Miohcek (?)

Wasn't too sure who to go with for the 5th spot on the bench

Flip a coin between May and McDonald for full back if Petty is unavailable

Edited Sunday at 02:324 days by adonski

12 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Ok so thought I would start a posters rolling best 23 based on training form, injuries and tend to have gut feel about the makeup of the team, feel free to contribute given current knowledge and opinions. Currently this is my round 1 team

B Lever, Petty, Jiath

H.B Lindsay Disco, Salem

C Langdon, Langford, Lindsay

H.F Fritta, JVR, Sparrow

F Jeffo, Mihocek, L.Picket

R Max, Culley, Kossy,

Inter, Rivers, Heath, Steele, Taylor, Howes

You've got too many Lindsay's PF!

14 minutes ago, adonski said:

You've got too many Lindsay's PF!

Fixed

52 minutes ago, adonski said:

You've got too many Lindsay's PF!

You can never have too many Lindsays.

FB: Taylor McDonald Jiath

HB: Salem Turner Lindsay

C; Langford Rivers Langdon

HF: Chandler JVR Laurie

FF: L. Pickett Jeffo Fritsch

Foll: Gawn Steele K. Pickett

Int: Lever, Windsor, Culley, Sparrow, AJ

Emer: Adams, Howes, Kentfield, Kolt, Mentha

Unavailable: May, Petty, Bowie, Viney, Mihocek, Melk

Howes Petty ( if fit) lever

Salem turner lindsay

Culley rivers windsor

Latrelle jvr sparrow

Chandler jeffo fritsch

Gawn langford kosi

Inter: jiath langdon kolt steele ( taylor or lawrie as 5th)

Round 1.

If Petty, Melks, Viney and Mihocek aren’t available

B: Taylor McDonald(petty) Jiath

HB: Rivers Disco Lindsey

C: Langdon Steele Windsor

HF: Chandler JVR Langford

F: Fritsch Kentfield(Mihocek) L.Pickett

R: Gawn Culley K.Pickett

I/C. Salem AJ Lever Sparrow(Viney) Mentha (Melks)

Although I doubt king debuts that many round 1? (Yes Goodwin did it)

B: Lever Petty Jiath

HB: Salem Disco Lindsay

C: Langdon Steele Langford

HF: Chandler JVR Laurie

F: Fritsch Kentfield L.Pickett

R: Gawn Culley K.Pickett

I/C. Taylor Rivers Windsor Jefferson Sparrow

Assumed not ready: Bowey, Viney, AMW, Mihocek, Campbell, Melksham, McAdam, Henderson

I’d have Petty as a forward in round 1 particularly if Mihocek misses the early rounds.

One of the man reasons he was swung forward in round 5, and permanently remained there, was because he was quite frankly poor as a key defender, particularly his infamous performance V Geelong. Therefore I’m not sure why he’s going back.

He’s the best contested mark that our forward line has to offer and will kick 35 goals if he plays an entire season as a forward.

Disco, T Mac, Lever, May and Adams provide plenty of options down back to cover Petty.

9 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

I’d have Petty as a forward in round 1 particularly if Mihocek misses the early rounds.

One of the man reasons he was swung forward in round 5, and permanently remained there, was because he was quite frankly poor as a key defender, particularly his infamous performance V Geelong. Therefore I’m not sure why he’s going back.

He’s the best contested mark that our forward line has to offer and will kick 35 goals if he plays an entire season as a forward.

Disco, T Mac, Lever, May and Adams provide plenty of options down back to cover Petty.

Hope you're well...Simon

37 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

I’d have Petty as a forward in round 1 particularly if Mihocek misses the early rounds.

One of the man reasons he was swung forward in round 5, and permanently remained there, was because he was quite frankly poor as a key defender, particularly his infamous performance V Geelong. Therefore I’m not sure why he’s going back.

He’s the best contested mark that our forward line has to offer and will kick 35 goals if he plays an entire season as a forward.

Disco, T Mac, Lever, May and Adams provide plenty of options down back to cover Petty.

BBP I’m pretty sure that Petty was one of our best against Cats pulled down around a dozen marks in defence from memory however I could be wrong.

3 minutes ago, DeeZone said:

BBP I’m pretty sure that Petty was one of our best against Cats pulled down around a dozen marks in defence from memory however I could be wrong.

Sorry BBP I was wrong, he played poorly v cats in ‘25.!

Love your work Picket. It wouldn’t be a best 23 without my contribution.

B: Lever, May, Lindsay

HB: Taylor, Turner, Jaith

C: Windsor, Steele, Culley

HF: Chandler, van Rooyen, Langdon

F: Fritsch, Jefferson, L.Pickett

FOLL: Gawn, Langford, K.Pickett

IC: Rivers, Salem, Sparrow, Tholstrup, Laurie

EMERG: Howes, Johnson, McDonald

Reading through all of these posters “ best 23” teams it seems there's almost 19 locks - jvr salem lindsay langford windsor lever steele turner gawn culley jiath langdon taylor rivers fritsch sparrow latrelle kosi chandler

The biggest queries seem to be the positions of full back and full forward, plus a couple for the bench. Obviously recovery from injury will play a big part. These are the players i see fighting for the last 4 spots - May kolt lawrie melky ( if fit) jefferson howes tmac mihocek sharp petty ( if fit) AJ kentfield AMW (13)

I havent considered due to injury or form or not ready for seniors- viney bowey matthews mcadam adams heath campbell white berry mentha onley henderson

Comments?

13 minutes ago, The analyser said:

Reading through all of these posters “ best 23” teams it seems there's almost 19 locks - jvr salem lindsay langford windsor lever steele turner gawn culley jiath langdon taylor rivers fritsch sparrow latrelle kosi chandler

The biggest queries seem to be the positions of full back and full forward, plus a couple for the bench. Obviously recovery from injury will play a big part. These are the players i see fighting for the last 4 spots - May kolt lawrie melky ( if fit) jefferson howes tmac mihocek sharp petty ( if fit) AJ kentfield AMW (13)

Out of those 19 locks for round 1, I have queries about the two Xaviers for round 1 - Lindsay and Taylor. Only going by training reports but I haven't heard any positive reports for Lindsay (comparable to others) and he's been in rehab a fair bit. Meanwhile Taylor sounds like he might need some development at Casey before being considered for AFL selection.

Out of the 13 players fighting for the last 4 spots, does anyone have intel on Melksham or Mihocek's chances for round 1? What are their plans in February in terms of ramping things up?As I intimated earlier, I can see Petty starting the year up forward if Jeffo doesn't have a good practice match series and Kentfiled isn't ready (assuming Melk/Checkers are unavailable)

I don't see Sparrow as a lock for round 1 this year. King said that it was a clean slate for round 1 so if Kolt, Laurie or any other player shows more during this preseason, they deserved to be picked over him. Of course, the same applies for all our players. I feel that under Goodwin, there were games that he (and definitely some other premiership demons) did not earn but were given based on pre-2022 form.

That being said, I think he is a very capable player and in the right role and with some good form, he can be a good contributor this season. From the vision I have seen and the training reports I have read, he seems to be looking good this preseason. My only concern is that I have had the same thought every preseason over the last few years but when the season begins, he hasn't been able to make his mark or show any growth. I really hope this year is different and he can take his game to the next level, I would love nothing more than to eat my words and see him have a stellar season.

I dont think we have the list depth to keep Sparrow out.

His development has been frustrating. After 2023 I expected him to jump to averaging 20 disposals a game, but he went backwards. He seems to have been given a defensive related role under goodwin, so his numbers might not tell the full story.

Maybe King will free him up?

Year, average disposals, sc points, tog.

2020 = 11.2 d, 43.6 p, 61.8%

2021 = 8.9 d, 40 p, 45.2%

2022 = 16.1 d, 66.8 p, 68.5%

2023 = 17.2 d, 67.2 p, 73.8%

2024 = 14.9 d, 64.9 p, 71.9%

2025 = 13.1 d, 61.1 p, 79.7%

21 minutes ago, BAMF said:

I dont think we have the list depth to keep Sparrow out.

His development has been frustrating. After 2023 I expected him to jump to averaging 20 disposals a game, but he went backwards. He seems to have been given a defensive related role under goodwin, so his numbers might not tell the full story.

Maybe King will free him up?

really, he should be the logical 'replacement' for viney in the midfield

i'm yet to be convinced he will be

B: Christian Salem, Harrison Petty, Daniel Turner
HB: Blake Howes, Jake Lever, Xavier Lindsay
C: Ed Langdon, Jack Viney, Caleb Windsor
HF: Kozzy Pickett, Brody Mihocek, Jake Melksham
F: Kade Chandler, Jacob van Rooyen, Bayley Fritsch
Foll: Max Gawn, Harvey Langford, Trent Rivers
I/C: Tom Sparrow, Jack Steele, Changkuoth Jiath, Jai Culley, Tom McDonald

Emerg: Latrelle Pickett, Koltyn Tholstrup, Steven May, Xavier Taylor

Some big-name departures over the off-season have made for a fresh start at the Demons, with the exits of midfield mainstays Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver opening the door for a new era in the engine room. Defender Trent Rivers and livewire forward Kozzy Pickett are set for increased midfield minutes, while young gun Harvey Langford and recruit Jack Steele are also expected to feature heavily. Jai Culley has been tearing up the track this pre-season, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he earns a spot in the starting 18 come round one, but veteran Jack Viney gets the nod at this stage. With Rivers set to be unleashed into the midfield, a spot starting spot across half-back is up for grabs, with second-year player Xavier Lindsay or recruit Changkuoth Jiath likely contenders. Jake Bowey would be a certain starter, but a Lisfranc injury is expected to sideline him until at least the middle of the season. How the rest of the backline shapes up remains equally intriguing, with an abundance of tall options at Steven King's disposal. The Dees tried to offload Steven May last trade period which suggests he could be down the pecking order at selection, with Jake Lever, Daniel Turner and Harry Petty likely ahead of him. However, Turner and Petty's ability to play forward keeps the door ajar for May if needs arise. Tom McDonald will also be heavily considered. First-round pick Xavier Taylor is unlucky to miss here, but he'll be given ample opportunity in his debut season. - Alison O'Connor

B: Xavier Taylor, Harrison Petty, Daniel Turner
HB: Blake Howes, Jake Lever, Xavier Lindsay
C: Ed Langdon, Jack Steele, Caleb Windsor
HF: Kozzy Pickett, Brody Mihocek, Latrelle Pickett
F: Kade Chandler, Jacob van Rooyen, Bayley Fritsch
Foll: Max Gawn, Harvey Langford, Trent Rivers
I/C: Tom Sparrow, Koltyn Tholstrup, Changkuoth Jiath, Jai Culley, Tom McDonald

Taylor in for Salem. L Pickett in for Melksham. Tholstrup in for Viney.

There's your 23. If Salem is fit, toss up between Taylor and Howes for the remaining defender's spot.

On 26/01/2026 at 00:40, WERRIDEE said:

Love your work Picket. It wouldn’t be a best 23 without my contribution.

B: Lever, May, Lindsay

HB: Taylor, Turner, Jaith

C: Windsor, Steele, Culley

HF: Chandler, van Rooyen, Langdon

F: Fritsch, Jefferson, L.Pickett

FOLL: Gawn, Langford, K.Pickett

IC: Rivers, Salem, Sparrow, Tholstrup, Laurie

EMERG: Howes, Johnson, McDonald

This is more like it. Those who are selecting a team without May at FB are deluded!

8 hours ago, Harvey Wallbanger said:

B: Xavier Taylor, Harrison Petty, Daniel Turner
HB: Blake Howes, Jake Lever, Xavier Lindsay
C: Ed Langdon, Jack Steele, Caleb Windsor
HF: Kozzy Pickett, Brody Mihocek, Latrelle Pickett
F: Kade Chandler, Jacob van Rooyen, Bayley Fritsch
Foll: Max Gawn, Harvey Langford, Trent Rivers
I/C: Tom Sparrow, Koltyn Tholstrup, Changkuoth Jiath, Jai Culley, Tom McDonald

Taylor in for Salem. L Pickett in for Melksham. Tholstrup in for Viney.

There's your 23. If Salem is fit, toss up between Taylor and Howes for the remaining defender's spot.

Seriously Chandler has done zilch in match sims this season, underwhelming to say the least!

37 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Seriously Chandler has done zilch in match sims this season, underwhelming to say the least!

Your 23?

32 minutes ago, Harvey Wallbanger said:

Your 23?

UM,.. check the top of the page for the authors best 23, that'll do me!!