I like it. Byrne when available.

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I am as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!!!

Casboult shouldn't be in our best 22.

Barlow should be a certain starter in the 22

Get him for 1+1 years while we get our midfield sorted

So, get him for 2 years?

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@cecil_anderson

That definitely looks around the mark to me. Every year we say it in the off season but it's not a bad side on paper.

Encouraging to have the likes of Palmer, Smedts, Armfield, Byrne, Thomas, Kerridge, Graham, Phillips and pick 25 not named in the side too. Hopefully the 2s are much more competitive in 2017.

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Don't blame it on the sunshine, don't blame it on the moonlight, don't blame it on the good times, blame it on the WIGGINS!

Whatever fans think of the 2 ruckman structure. Can't see Phillips missing if he's fit. He's already our no. 1 ruckman.

2 things i really want to see from the way our team line up next year:
1. Better team balance with talls and smalls. We seemed to be the only team last year that was rotating our key backs. That is an extra small and extra run we are robbing ourselves off by playing a Simon white of the bench. Also Kreuzer and Philips both don't offer enough up forward. We can only play one with Casboult as our second ruck key forward.
2. Play the kids as much as possible. This is where we are going to get our improvement from as a side over the coming years.

Its a difficult one for TC Stefchook.

I have always been a fan of 2 ruckmen in a GF, and any important game.
Then there's the match ups against the opposition to be considered ie if the opposition don't have a dominant ruckman.

It seems that Bolton's preference is 2 ruckmen.
If one goes down he doesn't have to meddle with his structure.

I think Phillips is No 1 ruck in 2017...unless Kreuzer finally has his break out year.

You have to give Kreuzer accolades for his never say die attitude around the pack. I just wish he got his hands on it more.

Phillips seems the better mark, but he's no Goldstein or Gawn.

I hope they both have a fantastic preseason and Phillips needs to build a bit of strength, but both need work on their marking.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Bolton was happy to go with Casboult plus 1 ruckman until Casboult injured his knee.
If a hybrid ruckman/forward can stand up and be reasonably effective, I suspect he'll be happy to go that method again.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

I do prefer 2 genuine KPFs ad a 3rd tall being a forward-ruck who is mobile with a good defensive game.

With Marchbank Plowman and Weitering occupying the tall defensive posts Rowe is released and may play that 3rd tall role, or maybe one of the KPF posts.

Rowe can kick straight and therefore he has something Casboult doesn't have.

I don't think McKay will cement his spot in the 22 in 2017.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I agree. I think the primary reason we played two ruckman for the back-end of the season was that Casboult's knee could not stand up to the rigours
of ruck work. I expect (hope) that we will return to 1 plus hybrid combination next season. That hybrid would most probably be Casboult but given
the extra tall defensive options we now have it could be Rowe. As someone else has said, at least he knows how to kick straight.

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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

Or maybe both Rowe and Casboult up forward. If we need a real big defender Rowe can get swung back and that way if one of them or the main ruckman (be it Kreuzer or Phillips) goes down or whatever it doesn't mess to much with the structure to get relief from the other key forward - whereas if a key defender is your 3rd ruck option and needs to be called upon it can make a mess of your defensive structure.

No thanks

What a fascinating post.

We did head that way post Fevola with Judd Stevens Gibbs Murphy and early days Kreuzer as a ruck rover, and Setanta and his little helpers.
Setanta wasn't a star but he bought the ball down to his feet where the smalls would swarm.
Of the Amigoes Walker Yarran Garlett and Betts could play short stints in the midfield with success.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

B: Plowman Marchbank Smedts
HB: Docherty Weitering Simpson
C: Buckley Murphy Sumner
HF: C. Curnow Casboult Palmer
F: Wright Rowe Pickett
R: Kreuzer Cripps Gibbs
I: Phillips E. Curnow Silvagni Pick 5
Byrne comes in towards the end of the year.

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Essendon-Only team to have ever been found guilty of salary cap breaches in a premiership year!

For me it's a no to:
Smedts in defence
Murphy in the guts
2 ruckmen

How about
Docherty Marchbank Rowe
Simpson Weitering Plowman
Gibbs Cripps Murphy
Pickett "JAKSCH" Silvagni
"CASBOULT" C Curnow Wright
Kreuzer Smedts E Curnow
Armfield Cuningham Palmer Pick 5

With the Casboult and Jaksch spots up for grabs to be taken by the best performed of the tall forwards/ruckmen in the preseason, at least one of whom has to be able to take a spell in the ruck. Unless another tall defender steps up in which case we could look at Rowe forward for one of those spots.

I would have thought my side had more outside run, hence I included 2 ruckmen. You need to expand more on your reasons for the nos. I think Jaksch is being prepared for the backline atm, so I would go for Rowe up forward, but more likely at both ends, inclusion pending. Having Jaksch and Charlie as the 2 key forwards is risky considering their inexperience in games and time there.

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Essendon-Only team to have ever been found guilty of salary cap breaches in a premiership year!

Geelong have tried to turn Smedts into a defender with little success. He came to the Geelong as a mid/forward and that is where he should be played IMO.
I think Murph should be played outside more to limit the injury risk and hopefully get more games out of him.
The 2 ruckmen costs us in run. I get that your side has plenty of run but the impact of the 2 ruckmen is very hard to counterbalance and I'd rather not have to try. Then the additional outside run can be a positive not merely an attempt to balance off a negative. That said the team needs someone capable of playing decent minutes as a relief ruck and step in if the main ruck is injured etc.
Take your point re Jaksch and CC being an inexperienced pairing and your comment re Jaksch being primed as a defender. I think he is looked at as a swingman, the problem he has not come on as hoped at either end. But I do like the structure of a swingman at either end, it helps in case of injury, matchups not working and opposition structures being altered from what we expect.

A bit tough there on Smedts ian.
He's been plagued by injuries from going in too hard and coping it.

He seems to be up and about.
He can play anywhere.
Was described as the next Stevie J in he started not long ago.

This guy is good and hge's been covered at Geelong in his absence.
Now we can use someone like him, when fit.

Our job is to get him in tip top condition for round 1.
Talking about swing men. He plays everywhere.
Mixed it in the midfield at the Cats.
Lock him in for round 1...imo.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue