If Kreuzer goes down then Levi is the obvious choice for ruck duties, Weiters could also be swung forward to help out the forward line if that happens

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Carlton - Nothing's changed
I still love you, oh, I still love you
Only slightly, only slightly less
Than I used to, my love

Plowman Marchbank Byrne
Docherty Weitering Simpson
Murphy Cripps Kerridge
SPS Casboult Thomas
Wright C. Curnow Silvagni
Kreuzer Gibbs E. Curnow
Armfield Palmer Cunningham Graham

It's one of the two reasons why I think we will see Rowe playing unless he is unavailable or right out of form or one of the kids really jumps up. If we run one ruck and he goes down then either Rowe can go into the ruck or Casboult can (assuming he is playing) and the other be the tall forward / relief ruck. Even if we run 2 ruckmen and one goes down we need someone to provide relief rucking and if that's Casboult (again assuming he is playing) we may need Rowe to provide a forward target rather than resting the ruckman forward. A fortiori if Casboult is not playing as whoever takes his spot is going to be less of an option to even take a spell in the ruck.

The other reason why I think Rowe plays is that unless JGM comes on in leaps and bounds we don't have anyone else near the height of the BIG key forwards. I know smaller guys can cover effectively on many occasions but it is nice to have that tall defensive option.

the afl appear to be banning the 3rd man up (or is this just a pre season trial?)
In any event - wondering which of our ruckmen are most advantaged/disadvantaged by this (apart from Gibbs and Cripps!)

Kruezer is most effective in the ruck when used as a step ladder - so we must be disadvantaged

Hopefully Kruezer will excell, new ruling favours traditional Ruck contest should be more enjoyable long overdue.
2017 may just be Matty's year.

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Go Blue Boys

Not sure how this rule would help Kreuzer. Love his willingness to compete and scrap at ground level, but he's pretty average as a ruckman.

I agree. 3rd man up is used by Gibbs and Cripps because Kreuzer can't get both feet off the ground at the same time. IMO it will benefit Phillips who is coming along nicely but it will seriously benefit the jumpers like Natanui and of course the hyper tall blokes like Sandilands.

It was also used as a set play in front of goals by most teams.

Stupid rule change.

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Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)

If Kreuzer plays he has to get on his bike, take marks around the ground and run his opponent into the ground. He's stuffed otherwise.

Good idea, except Kreuzer doesn't really take marks.

3rd man up was introduced by coaches to help players such as Kruezer against the 'dinosaur'. Unfortunately, unless you're a monster like Mumford or a 'tall tap' ruck you will struggle around the ground.

IF?

Lock unless he's injured.

Ruck means nothing if you have a midfield supported up a soup can like Jordan Roughead. Would still be an insult to Longley if you called Roughead the Luc Longley of rucks.

How can a non-contributor be a 'lock' ?

B: Plowman - Weitering - Sheehan
HB: Docherty - Marchbank - Simpson
C: SPS - Cripps - Curnow
HF: Boekhorst - Curnow - Thomas
F: Silvagni - McKay - Wright
R: Kreuzer - Gibbs - Murphy

I: Palmer - Kerridge - Cunningham - Rowe

Levi will line up at FF

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Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)

Hoping for,
Simpson - Weitering - Plowman
Byrne - Marchbank - Docherty
Cuningham - Cripps - SPS
Pickett - McKay - CCurnow
SOJ - Casboult - LeBois
Kreuzer - Murphy - Gibbs
Anyone from; ECurnow - Palmer - Wright - Smedts
Rowe - Kerridge - Sumner - Boekhorst - Phillips

Different best 22 that is far too tall.

Who has the best defence? We rank every club

A fit Marchbank should take White's spot and allow us to select another mid with Phillips an emergency. Would give us a midfield that could keep us off the bottom and compete with higher rated outfits. Palmer, Cunningham, Fisher and Graham to add more possessions and set up with Boekhorst, Pickett and SPS who will add the speed and skill that was sorely lacking last year. Need Plowman to step up and play as Mackie or Birchall running defender beside three KPP.

Injuries to key players would see us fall off the pace like last year.

Rowe can play that role and be the big bodied player who takes the hits as a KPP/ruck whilst the young talls develop. Even Jones will do it in the interim. Levi shouldn't be a lock for a spot. We moved past Everitt who was locked into our best 22 for 2016. With Alex Silvagni picked up and White on the list, Jaksch is another who will be trialled as a key forward.

Charlie Curnow has a young body and isn't super quick, but I'd give him a go as a roaming CHF/half forward who can clunk them and split the middle. Has the endurance to run all day. The tried and true set up with a few mature KPP will allow C.Curnow and SOSOS to push further up the ground.

What a ridiculously unbalanced team the afl website has posted, do they just get any one of the street to write this stuff. 5 key defenders in one team.
Most teams play 3 tall, 3 small in defense and i think from 2018 we would have plowman, weiters, marchbank locking down those spots but whilst giving weiters one more year to develop you would play Rowe as well next year to take the monsters. I also think Marchbank is closer to a running defender then plowman. He played on a wing in his juniors and is more athletic. Plowman showed good signs last year when locking down on players, even when undersized he knows how to use his body.

Levi will line up at FF.

_________________
Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)