2020 Best 22's

Best 22

I've resisted the urge to include any of the first year draft picks, after watching them in the first trial match, a year or two in our NEAFL team will all do them a world of good and I think there's no rush now we've actually recruited depth players for the positions we've lost.

FB - Brand in, Melican out, Brand seems to have fit into our system well and coming from a well coached side like Hawthorn, I think he'll be a more natural fit than Gould in his first year. O'Riordan over Melican as he gives more versatility and is a better disposer of the ball.

HB - unchanged - hard to see Mills moving out of HB, unless we play Dawson there, which I think would waste his running ability and also his accurate kicks further down field.

C - Going forward, I think this will be our workhorse, Florent has shown he can be a ball magnet, Parker is silky as always. Hewett probably needs to learn how to be a two-way play a bit more but he's shown signs he's capable, and when required can play a lock down role.

HF - Gray in, Reid out. Gray, Blakey and Dawson are all runners, can cover down back, dispose of the ball beautifully and are intelligent footy players.

FF - Taylor in, Hayward out. Like Gray, I think Taylor is a more intelligent player than Hayward, though not as accurate with goal kicking, he has an engine and can essentially act as box-to-box midfielder if required.

INT - Heeney, Reid, Cunningham and Sinclair offer a mix of different roles, Heeney Mid/fwd, Reid as a FF/FB, Cunningham HB/HF, and Sinclair as Ruck/FF.

Emerg - Hayward, unlucky to be injured last year, but also lacking consistency and that ability to impact a game when not receiving the ball. He is where Papley was a couple of years ago, could impact early but then disappeared for the rest of the match. Needs to improve this part of his game, and with proven players such as Gray and Taylor, this might be the opportune time for him to develop this in the NEAFL. McCartin similarly could begin to really nail down his position rather than be the all purpose player we've been using him as, let him learn his craft. Knoll I think will really challenge Sinclair for the second ruck/ff position and could be a smokey for the 22 if he has a break out year. Clarke can be a similar type to Taylor with the ability to lockdown like Hewett, I think if he can improve his disposals, he can really push for that midfield role and possibly replace Cunningham.

Note on debutants: A lot has been made about the fact we've blooded so many players in recent years, I feel more out of necessity than anything else. The reality was that our depth was so low during injury periods, that we simply didn't have the capacity to replace those players with anyone better. Now we have players who have played senior footy, and good amount, I think they're a better choice this year than exposing our youngsters straight away. Stephens, Gould, E Taylor, and Warner could all use NEAFL time, Bell, Wicks, Ronke, McInerney all showed signs they are capable but need to really push this year. Fox needs to find a role.

I think we have a much more balanced team this year, one that has experience and while we might not make finals, definitely improve on last year, I'd be happy with a mid-table finish.

ROUND 1 - BEST 22

EDIT - So I figured it was time to review this now that we're approaching the Marsh games. Stephens came in for Cunningham on the bench and Harry going to the bench. Sounds like Stephens is having no respect for houses and the quality of their construction in training so he gets the nod for Round 1.

Franklin being injured has me thinking he won't be playing in Adelaide, and will likely be ready for Round 2. I'm interpreting this list as a Round 1 Best 22 so he's not there. He's obviously a lock otherwise. McCartin goes into the starting lineup. Clarke goes to the bench, Gould goes to the emergencies. Reid and McCartin are both talls that can go down back if we need them to and that extra versatility means we can get away with Sinclair as the lone tall on the bench.

Taylor gets the nod over Gray as he's also been doing things to domiciles in preseason

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OVERALL/END OF SEASON BEST 22

By the end of the season I don't think we'll see much change, but I think Rowbottom will be starting in the middle over JPK, who'll be coming off the bench for a stable veteran presence to lengthen his career. Rowy looks phenomenal in pre-season vids and photos. I think we'll stick with a double ruck setup using Sinclair/Naismith. Clarke will continue to develop into the non-stop tagging player. But won't be used regularly. Gould will be an emergency as I think his endurance levels need a full season to develop. But I think he'll play 10 games or so and will look good doing it. I'm also tipping Ronke rediscover his 2018 form and force Taylor and Gray to the 2's. I think Bell will get 5 or more games, and Maibaum and Ling should make their debuts this year. But will play a good stretch in the NEAFL and will be around the emergency level for us, with a view to making 2021 their breakout years.

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Here's my go at a best 22.

The thing I noticed is our depth will be stretched over the year I think. No different to last year though - and we did pretty well considering the injuries to our backline + Franklin out of action most of the year.

See us getting to finals, honestly, but I'm usually optimistic. But we may just miss and get top 10.

Round 1 Best 22:

Back Mills, Rampe, O’Riordan

Half-Back Lloyd, Aliir, Dawson

Mid Heeney, Kennedy, Florent

Fol Naismith, Parker, Rowbottom

Half-Fwd Papley, Reid, Gray

Fwd Blakey, Sinclair, McCartin

Int. Hayward, Hewett, Cunningham, Gould

I think Gould probably pushed his way in over Melican for that last spot, but it could go either way. Lewis Taylor, Clarke, Robbie Fox and Thurlow are all there too, and obviously if Buddy was fit he’d be in there as well.

This is my attempt at a best 22:

It seems a bit tall, but I chose McCartin there because he can play well at either end, so offers a bit more flexibility. Stephens or Taylor can be swapped in as well.

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FB: Rampe, Melican, Lloyd

HB: Dawson, Aliir, Mills

C: Florent, Heeney, Parker

HF: Papley, Franklin, Blakey

FF: Hayward, Reid, Gray

FOLL: Naismith, Kennedy, Hewett

INT: Sinclair, Cunningham, L. Taylor, Rowbottom

Didn’t want to leave out McCartin, but the side was looking too tall – in any case, him, Reid and the two primary rucks will probs act as cover for each other in the case of injuries.

Side looks a little one-paced in the midfield, though that’s probably where the likes of Stephens and (fingers-crossed) Ling come in down the line.

Can see the likes of Stephens, Gould, Warner, Ling, Ronke, Stoddart (I want to believe) and Bell pushing for selection, while the likes of Brand, Clarke, O'Riordan, McClean, Knoll and Fox provide (some) depth.