I hear you, I was more musing over our lack of small backs and whether we would need to sacrifice Walker to do it. I really don't see a lot of defensive flexibility back there at the small end, and would really like to see Yarran up the field. It tells me a youngster will get a go or Joseph will again take the field for us.

Walker's 2012 was interesting. For sure injury played a role but I think a) our shocking delivery into the F50 and b) opposition blocking off his leads meant he had a poor year overall.

Joseph has not been the best listener to his coaches, I feel.
We know he has the speed and is tough enough to mix it with most smaller forwards, but I just see him getting ahead of himself at times.

If (I know, there are always if's) he dedicates himself to Malthouse I see him having a role to play. If not..................there will be no 2014 for him.

I wouldn't be surprised if Davies is given the chance to take the whipping boy mantle from Russell, Bower and Joseph. I don't rate Toovey, but Marcus could easily play that role after Malthouse developed him into a premiership defender. Has the size, grunt and endurance you need to match up against medium and small forwards who play tall. The club admitted they threw Davies out there off a short run after having a shoulder reconstruction.

I hope we at least trial Buckley as a defender/sweeper by switching him to the backline like Yarran. Dylan is still slight, but he's super quick, an OK kick and a good mark for size.

Not sure why so many have Yarran moving up the ground. It's going to take him a while to develop a big enough engine to play midfield. And he's currently our best rebounding defender. I'd be very surprised if he's moved.

Bootsma would have to be a fair chance of playing as a 'small' defender. Good height, but excellent mobility.

S'pose I'll give it a crack now.

B Armfield Jamison Laidler
HB Carrots Henderson Scotland
C Yarran McLean Simpson
HF Walker Waite Gibbs
F Betts Casboult Garlett
Foll Kreuzer Judd Murphy
Int: Menzel McInness Warnock Touhy

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B: Tuohy Jamison Laidler
HB: Duigun Henderson Yarran
C: Scotland Carrazzo Simpson
HF: Gibbs Casboult Menzel
F: Betts Waite Hampson
R: Kruezer Judd Murphy
I: McLean Robinson Armfield Walker
E: Warnock Lucas Garlett Curnow

Strong team on paper, assuming everyone is fit which is rare. I'm not normally someone to throw new recruits into the best 22, but I think Menzel offers something that we don't have - genuine footy smarts around goal and the ability to turn a game. I also think his style of play doesn't require a big body and he has already shown he can mix it with men.

For me there are two glaring weaknesses;

1. Midfield depth: We desperately need Lucas, Walker, Gibbs, etc to step up and become an A grade midfielder. Lucas is a fair way off, Walker has shown he is more a forward than a midfielder, so Gibbs is the one that is best placed to join Judd and Murphy, and to a lesser extent Carrazzo and Simpson, and our core midfield group. This is still an area that needs to be addressed in the next few years.

2. Key forward: Sorry to be cliche, but we need a key forward. Desperately. I believe our forwardline should consist of a FF, CHF and resting ruckman. Looking at the candidates for FF and CHF, I am struggling to find a combination that can hold down those positions.

Waite: Remembering that he's 27 (28?) and won't be part of our long term future, Waite has always been more of a tall flanker than a KP player. He needs space and the chance to be 3rd man in, and he won't get that in our forward line.

Casboult: He showed some signs last year and could be a real chance for CHF.

Mitchell: I'm optimistic, but I can't say that I'm as convinced as some others on this board. Although, he does strike me as the most likely FF on our list. I would be targeting a FF in future drafts / trades.

My view is that our midfield unit is too one-paced with Judd slowing down. I think opposition Coaches are progressively moving to tag Murphy, meaning we have Judd, Carrazzo, McLean, Gibbs, Bell etc as some of the main on-ballers and there is no real pace here, except for Judd in bursts, nor is there any great space-finder in congestion. Yarran may never love the tough stuff but surround him with 5 witches hats and he'll dance around. We struggle to clear when in possession and there may be a role for him. I think for us to succeed and approach Top 4 we'll need a player out of the box to become a midfielder and Yarran is our best bet.

Have been lacking a small defender for the Milne/Ballantyne types for quite some time. We've tried a few guys like Joseph, Armfield and even Russell when he was with us, but we're still yet to find someone who can fill that role.

Hopefully MM can either develop a younger player or help someone like Joseph develop his game further in to this role.

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Twitter - @johnfeeney24

Armfield was good at it. But he and the MC wanted to use him further up the field. And they may have got this one right, because he had a terrific season.

Totally agree. Reckon Army was a revelation at half forward. Has really started to find his spot in the team.

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If Menzel is ready to go Rd 1, where does Army get a gig? Menzel is a huge step up from Army. I really think Army is in a battle with Robbo for a spot in the team as I think big Tommy Bell will go ahead of both of them this year.

Many have Duigan in the team, but when Laids comes back, just can't see him being an automatic selection in our back 6. He struggled in 2012 and can't see where his improvement will come from in 2013. Depth player only in 2013, especially with McInnes in the wings.

My team:

Tuohy, Jamo, Laidler
Yarran, Watson, Scotland
Simpson, Carrots, Gibbs
Garlett, Hendo, Menzel
Walker, Waite, Betts

Kreuzer, Judd, Murphy

Inter: Casboult, Bell, McLean
Sub: Robinson

Think Menzel will have to earn his spot. Comes with a fair rep, but I reckon there will be no walk up starts under MM. I think if if it came down to Robbo vs Army, then Robbo may just have the edge.

He is an absolute wrecking ball and his skills have been improving year by year. I expect big things from Mitch in 2013.

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..i actually think that Army had a very good season, and was one of the few players that steadily improved as the season went..

..in regards to our one paced midfield, not at all.. ..not any longer i mean.. ..Malty midfields bat deep, and we have plenty with pace to run through the middle in short stints.. ..Betts and Garlett are very good inside first possession types [more'so than Yarran from what i have so far witnessed], and players like Army and Walker getting worked through the middle will likewise give plenty of pace.. ..and i wouldn't be surprised to see Yarran and/or Touhy getting small part rotations through the middle/wings as well..

..in regards to BP, i think Temay could very well be a chance..

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Army has done well on Cyril and Milne in the past. He has pace poise and a bit of animal, then when he gets the nut, he has plenty of pace to run the ball...almost like Yarran can: he breaks lines.

Problem with Army is that his competitiveness and toughness and pace means he can play back forward or midfield. The coach playes him where we have holes....wing-HF in 2012.

He could have tagged/manned up on Milne but the job was given once again to Joseph even though Milne got him a few times in the last round match at the G in 2011.

I agree with Molsey about pace needed in the middle...I mean Judd like (circa pre 2011) after burners. There's a lot of pace going round in all teams so we need to surpass that, but firstly we have to match pace for pace.

Yazza on a wing is a great idea, but I wouldn't mind seeing us mix him and some of our midfield brigade around from HB middle forward and interchange....sounds like a MM thing to do.

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I think most agree that Armfield had a good 2012, a bit of a breakthrough year for mine. His name has been raised in the discussion about the lack of small defenders. Most likely given his development as a player he wouldn't be utilised back there but he is an option that we know will work and you never know what Malthouse has plans for. Armfield's pace is more useful on the wings rather than from deep in defence; I can't recall a run from deep.

..i think there's every chance that Temay gets 'fast-tracked', his draft selection does have a certain "need' priority about it, and he certainly is a talented player by the look of him.. ..a good choice for a BP, that is more than a pure shut-down player..

..i also think your earlier comment Mols about us needing medium fwds isn't as much a worry either.. ..walker, gibbs, lucas [good overhead], Menzel a sneaky chance for opportunity, maybe Snotland since he's slowing a fraction, mids resting/rotating through a HF position etc etc..

..unless you're thinking more 191, 192 height for medium talls..?, then sure a little lacking..

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Nah that was harker. I just want a forward line that works cohesively and a midfield group that kicks to advantage, don't think I've pondered half forwards.

Please....

If we present that forward line next year it would well suggest that we have got many things right down back.
It would mean that Watson is good to go and that McCarthy isn't far off either. Is that too much to ask for?????

..ahh, maybe you were quoting him.. ..gotcha.. ..agreed, marking power up fwd is needed, but not as crucial as genuine fwds with real fwd craft.. ..that way, any dropped marks can be locked in/crumbed.. ..it's when you get non-fwds playing up there that hinders fwd cohesion..

..i think 2011 was our best offensive year because we used primarily fwds, and didn't try to turn rucks and defenders into fwds "cos they're tall"..

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If MM has his way, it appears Watto will get first digs @ CHB this year, so let's hope he stays there, too. Showed enough last year to suggest he could hold it down from 2013 onwards.

Agree Harks, that's a frightening forward line if we can have it line up like that. Having Levi's marking power as a resting fwd is a huge bonus, too.