B Garland Martin Whelan
HB Bruce Rivers Bartram
C Wheatley McLean Green
HF Buckley Miller Davey
F Bate Robertson Sylvia
Fol Johnson Dunn McDonald
Int Jones Morton Warnock Watts
Emg Moloney Maric Wonaeamirri
Commentary
Garland – Ideally I would like to see Garland played as mostly as a third tall defender this season and I think he needs to develop physically if we want him to take the power forwards in the future. Garland also adds great flexibility to our defence as he is quick enough to run with small forwards. While many would like to see him tried up forward I would like to see him settle in defence to build his confidence at AFL level.
Martin – I have been impressed with Martin’s athleticism, skill and courage to play in front. I would like to see him start on the opposition’s tallest forward, but as I have not picked Jamar in my 22 I think he also should be used to relieve Johnson in the ruck. While Martin may not have the size and leap of most ruckman, I think he probably has the strength to match them. Furthermore, he might be able to become a weapon around the ground as his running ability and athleticism is superior to that of most ruckmen. This may not be possible and will depend on his matchup at full back.
Whelan – Still our best small defender and one of the key leaders of the backline. Preferably he should be played on the slower of the small forwards (with Bartram taking the other).
Bruce – His endurance makes him ideal for a half back role as he is able to act as a stopper and a counter attacker. His games on Steve Johnson last year were both excellent and are evidence of how I would like him to play. He is well suited to a half back role as most teams are now pushing forwards up the ground into the midfield. Bruce would provide great versatility to the defence.
Rivers – When fit Rivers is still our best key defender and I think he should generally be used on the opposition’s second best key forward and preferably not at full back. I have never subscribed to the theory that he is not big enough for the key forwards. Most supporters believe he is our best defender and he has always played on the key forwards. Moreover, I don’t think he is quick enough for many of the third or forth tallest forwards of most sides. (i.e. Brett Burton, Steve Johnson types)
Bartram – While his disposal is definitely a liability I think his pace, accountability, discipline and tenacity are very important ingredients. He is probably our best defensive stopper and all AFL teams have a number of onballers/small forwards that we need to put the brakes on.
Wheatley – One of our best users of the ball, Wheatley is ideally suited to the wing. Many other posters have excluded him from their teams but he was consistently one of our better players last year and our highest total kick getter. He is also well disciplined and accountable.
McLean – One of our best ball winners and probably our first player tagged. He also has very good endurance and is good at getting boot to ball in the stoppages. Sometimes he needs to make decisions quicker when he has the ball as he too often gets run down from behind. Certainly future captaincy material, I would like McLean to show a bit more discipline on and off the field.
Green – Green is a very courageous and significantly underrated player by opposition supporters. Green can be used all over the ground and I would use him by Bailey as a stop gap solution depending on the opposition. (i.e. There will be times when he should be used as a loose man in defence and times when he should play at full forward.)
Buckley – Although his disposal and decision making let him down at times, I see great value in Buckley’s athleticism and ability to break lines. He needs to become more accountable and I would like him to lay more tackles given his speed (only 1.4 per match in 2008). I also think he should be used in the centre square more often, as I think acceleration and size are underrated qualities when considering in stoppage winning ability. (I think we would be better off with Buckley in the centre stoppages than either Jones or Moloney.) While I have picked him on the forward line I see Buckley playing really as an extra midfielder.
Miller – One of our most improved players and best leaders, Miller needs to continue to improve. I was not really a Miller fan before 2008, but 26 goals was a reasonable return considering the limited opportunities and poor delivery we gave him. I think he played much better when Neitz retired and he felt was able to push closer to goal. He and Robertson should be played as our only forwards always staying in the attacking half.
Davey – I see Davey’s best position either on the wing or as a forward pushing into the midfield. I would not like to see our best match winner sitting in the forward pocket starving for opportunities.
Bate – While I think Bate is in our best 22 I think he needs to keep improving to stay there. While he should be versatile given his size and athleticism, I really only see him as a one position player (lead up forward). He is not really quick enough to play in the backline or as a defensive midfielder and not skilled enough or good enough at getting the ball to play as an offensive midfielder. I would actually like to see him slim down a bit and get a touch quicker. While many posters believe Bate has good ‘sticky’ hands I am not convinced of this. In 2008 he averaged only 6 marks a game and with only 6 contested marks for the season. While I think he would be best utilised in a lead up centre half forward role, Bate should be encouraged to get up the ground and push into the midfield and defence. This would help keep our forward line open.
Robertson – Hopefully Robertson can recover as I think Robertson and Miller are easily our best key forward options. I would give them both lots of space in the forward 50, with Robertson played mostly out of the square and with Miller higher up the ground.
Sylvia – I really see Sylvia’s best position being the forward pocket. He does not have the engine and is not really good enough at reading the play to become a permanent midfielder. Like Bate, he should be encouraged to push up the ground into the midfield and defence on occasion, although I would like him to play deeper than in most cases. Given he has had a good preseason so far I see this as a really important year for Sylvia
Johnson – While many supporters lament at Johnson’s ruckwork, I am someone who believes this aspect of the game is increasingly irrelevant for the following reasons: 1) Stoppages around the ground now attract masses of players reducing the effectiveness of hit outs; 2) Very few goals are scored directly from the centre bounce. Even so, this can be somewhat combated by sending an extra man in defence at the centre bounce if need be; 3) With four boundary umpires the rucks are getting to the boundary throw in contest less, so I think athleticism in the ruck is now even more important than it was; 4) Moreover, using the third man up at stoppages has become quite popular (particularly with Bailey) which further decreases the need for a good tap ruckman. While it would be nice to have a ruckman like Sandilands or Cox, I think it is important for us to think outside the square and optimise what we have. Another potential option with the ruck would be to use Johnson for the centre bounces and then Martin around the ground (with Johnson going forward). We should experiment with various scenarios before going back to using Jamar, because I don’t think he is capable of taking us to a premiership.
Dunn – I think Dunn showed a bit as a tagger through the middle of last year and I think it is worth persisting. He is tall, athletic with good endurance and well skilled yet many supporters do not think he has a future. While he does not win enough of the ball around the ground, we really should look at his performances on a net possession basis. One thing I think he should be instructed not to do is push the limits of the umpire too early in the game (as he tends to give away too many free kicks).
McDonald – I would like to see McDonald also used in a run with role in the midfield. While many will say I am too negative with two defensive midfielders, I think that the good teams will kill us if we are not accountable at the stoppages.
Jones – I think Jones is our next best midfielder and is definitely in our best 22. He wins a spot over Moloney because I think he is slightly cleaner and has better decision making skills. His role in the midfield rotation will depend on who he is on and he should be able to be used as a tagger if he replaces Dunn, McDonald or Bartram (if he is on a midfielder). I would generally prefer to see midfielders like McLean, McDonald, Dunn and Buckley over Jones or Moloney at the centre bounce.
Morton – Cale should be used in the midfield rotation. I do not think he has the capability to do a defensive job at this stage in his career, so he really needs to be played as an attacking midfielder. I see him developing into a similar player as Cameron Bruce.
Warnock – It was a difficult decision to leave him out of the back six. While he may be a better player than Martin at this stage, I think Martin has greater upside for us. (Although maybe he should be at full back and Martin used as a second ruckman.) I am firm that Rivers best position is generally on the second best tall forward and I think Garland should be played on the third tall at this stage of his career. It therefore means that only one of Martin or Warnock really fits into the back six. Of all our key defenders, I see Warnock as the most likely to be able to go to the forward line in 2009. As such he would be quite a versatile player to have on the bench. Also it would also be good to have the ability to give Rivers a rest from time to time given his recent injuries.
Watts – While it is difficult to make a judgement on whether Watts is in our best 22 without seeing too much of him I would expect him to play AFL next year given his reported speed, endurance and skill. And after all, the number one pick generally comes in to AFL footy and makes some impact in the first year. I think he could fit into the midfield rotation (on a wing) or as a lead up forward. Given the lack of competition for key forward spots I think he will probably play more than not next year.
Moloney –Moloney was pretty stiff to miss out on my best 22, but I think a midfield including McLean, Jones and Moloney might be a bit too slow. I don’t think he is quick enough to play in defence. Moreover, it could be argued that we would be better playing Moloney than Morton if we were in premiership contention. Generally I think he needs to be told to look to take the shorter option more often when kicking, particularly when under pressure and when going inside 50. Hopefully he can get fit and prove to be a good AFL footballer.
Maric – While probably not in our best 22 yet I think he has great potential and I can see him developing into a Matty Lappin type with the ability to play all over the ground. Obviously he needs to get much bigger and stronger.
Wonaeamirri – Wonaeamirri is another who would be close to being in our best side. I see him really only as a forward, although he has played in defence in the SANFL. I am not sure he would be quick enough/read the play well enough to play in defence in the AFL. I would say Sylvia and Bate are only just ahead of him at the moment.
Jamar – Leaving out our best tap ruckman is probably my most controversial decision in my 22. I think the game has gone past players of his type. In 2008, which was probably his best year, he averaged only 8 disposals and 18 hit outs a game. I would like to see us experiment in the ruck.
Newton – I am amazed how much support he gets from supporters given his lack of effort and poor concentration. I think we made a mistake in re-signing him as I cannot see him making it as an AFL footballer for two reasons: 1) he is too slow; 2) he is hopeless when the ball hits the ground. Key forwards these days are required to get their goals largely from marks on the lead and from roving off the deck. Contested marking is no longer a highly valuable commodity. Look how many goals Franklin and Fevola kicked by roving the ball off the deck last year. In my view, the future of key forwards at AFL level is Brett Burton/Russell Robertson types with the main criteria being: excellent pace, very good in the air for their size, good on the deck and high skill level. Obviously the taller they are the better, but height is certainly now much less important than pace.
Petterd – I am not convinced Petterd will make it (but I hope I am proven wrong). His kicking/skill level is very overrated by Melbourne supporters and he is not exceptionally quick. I also think he lacks a bit of desperation when chasing/tackling. If he is going to make it I think it will be more likely in a midfield role, as he reads the game quite well.
Frawley – The jury is still out on Frawley. He could become a very good key defender or another wasted first round pick. His kicking is just ordinary at AFL level and I doubt he will ever be a good AFL kick. He needs to develop his defensive game to a level where he can shut down the best forwards in the game. Unfortunately for him he we now have good depth in the key backs role, which is the only role I can see him making it.
Bell – Bell will be 24 at the start of the year and has played 63 AFL games. Yet I don’t think he has developed the decision making skills required to be a good AFL footballer. I would initially give younger players preference at the selection table. I think he needs to be extremely fit to play at AFL level.
Valenti – While I love his heart I am not convinced Valenti has enough ingredients to make it at AFL level. Specifically I think he is not big enough, not a good enough kick and too slow. While many watchers compare him to Sam Mitchell, which is quite a good comparison, I think Mitchell has a number of key advantages – 1) he is bigger/heavier; 2) he is a better kick on both sides of the body; 3) he is the best in the AFL at reading the play at stoppages.
I have not seen enough of the others on our list to make comment but hopefully one or two can push for a senior spot over the preseason competition.
