I think Cloke will play rnd 1..if he does ok in the wizzer cup...
Agree on Setanta......gives us some grunt and his skills are on the improve and I would have him in my team every week.
Gibbs will be an automatic...if he ever plays reserves footy I will be surprised.
Josh Kennedy would be another automatic IMHO.....
re: Houlihan wouldnt be in my automatics but I would expect him to start in the seniors in Rnd1...

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"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

FB Edwards Hartlett Bower
HB Walker Thornton Scotland
C Simpson Bentick Waite
HF Murphy Kennedy Gibbs
FF Whitnall Fevola Lappin
Ruck Ackland Stevo Blackwell

Int Kouta Wiggler Betts Hampson

I reckon this will prove to be our best team wether it's R1 or R22. The two most inportant players are Hartlett and JK. If these blokes can perform to a half decent level it will release Lance and Thornton to play positions they should have been playing for years.

No Houla or Carrazzo or Fisher - that's a plus as far as I'm concerned.

Some of us have opinions (and will never change them under any circumstances).

Some of us know what's going to happen.

Like anything, if you take the emotion out of it, (and often your opinion as to what you think should happen) your chances of being right sky rocket.

Some people have trouble accepting others opinions.

Black is white/white is black and all that.

I don't. It's one thing to have an opinion, and another thing to logically analyse something.

It's not about who "deserves" to be in the team, it's about analysing those players who are automatic selections and those who aren't.

Apply a theory (casting aside your opinion) to our list and come up with your own automatic selections. It's not that hard.

alot of skin and bones and minimal muscle in that group...

my first on the list will be kouta, scotland, carrazzo, fevola, wiggins, bannister, ackland, saddington, whitnall , stevens and bentick. [11]

lappin and houlihan for experience and skill [2]

then the talented youth:

murphy, gibbs, walker, simpson, thornton, waite, betts and fisher [8]

next tier:
o'hailpin, russell, blackwell, kennedy, bower, cloke [6]

the rest need time...

B: Carrazzo Thornton Saddington
HB: Scotland Whitnall Walker
C: Simpson Murphy Stevens
HF: Kouta Waite Lappin
F: Betts Fevola Fisher
R: Ackland Gibbs Bentick
IC: Wiggins Houlihan Kennedy Bannister

For mine, I can't place Saddington as an automatic selection based purely on his selection history.

The beauty is with a strong showing in the pre-season he could easily be in the Round 1 team as he is already in section B. If he fails to perform then he drops out of contention.

Not many in the A group will drop out of contention even with a poor pre-season showing. eg even if Lappin has a shocker against the Dons, his selection history puts the odds heavily in his favour of being in the team Round 1. Given Bentick had a 100% selection rate last year (20 out of 20 available games) his odds of being in the Round 1 team if fit are better than evens. And so on for the whole 16 in the first group.

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There's so much I could say...

Welcome to the internet!

I agree with some of that.

Except the talented youth-- Simpson (22), Waite (24 in 2 days), Thornton (23), and Fisher (22) are older than Bentick (21). My talented youth list would probably consist of: Murphy, Gibbs, Walker, Betts, Bentick, Bower, O'hAilpin, and Kennedy.

Bannister isn't an automatic selection. Unlike most posters, I would like to see him as a regular in the backline, but he hasn't been consistent enough.

Saddington is definitely not an automatic selection.

My team:

B: Bower Thornton Carazzo
HB: Walker Whitnall Waite
C: Scotland Bentick Stevens
HF: Simpson Kennedy Lappin
F: Betts Fevola Fisher
R: Ackland Gibbs Murphy

Bench: Wiggins, Cloke, Koutoufides, O'hAilpin

I like your thinking especially re: Kennedy and Edwards. JK is the type of player we can build a team around. he's the number one reason I will be going to as many games as I can this year. Edwards could be anything.

I'll base my team on training reports:

B: Russell Carlos Thornton
HB: Scotland, Bower, Walker
C: Gibbs, Bentick, Simmo
HF: Waite, Whitnall, Fisher
F: Betts, Fev, Kennedy

RCK: Ackland, Stevens, Murphy

INT: Kouta, Houlihan, Blackwell, Lappin

I think HBK needs to gain a bit of confidence before playing seniors this year, string an uninterupted run of 6 games together at full back and then think about prompting him.

JFK should be protected from CHF for another year, let him develop next to Fev and let Lance do all the hard yards and leading up the ground.

Gibbs and Simmo on the wings give us quality disposal with Murph and Stevo, Bentick and Kouta can rotate on ball as the clearance kings.

JR gives us height and pace in the back pocket, time for JR to be given a position to make his own IMO. He will be quality!!!

The great thing is the kids underneath are all quality and will push hard for selection. Can't remember the last time we could real off a dozen talented kids playing for the Bullants.

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Mjonc signing off at 8888

From all reports I've read on TC and heard, Carrazzo has been unstoppable as a midfielder...clearly the most outstanding midfielder showing great evasive skills' poise and better disposal. Also has been described as "a ball magnet" in competitive drills.



Interesting too is that Hampson has shown a bit more than some of the above, and certainly more than anyone expected in his first preseason (albeit a bit skinny); Waite training as a running defender; Cloke shaping as a second ruck ...but her's in competition for that position with Hampson.

But I like your side mjonc.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Could we just switch Bentick and Murphy?

Gibbs, Murphy, Simmo

Apart from that minor change, I'd be very happy with this team.

Who'd relieve Ackland in the ruck? Kouta?

_________________
"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

I'm personally looking forward to seeing who'll be our starting ruckman.

I'm guessing it'd be Ackland but he'll need back-up. Would that be Cloke?

Might be a bit far-fetched but i wouldn't be surprised to see Hampson start either. Looking pretty good!!!!!

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

Agree it will be Ackland with Cloke as backup and I think Cloke will also be backup for Kennedy in case of injury.
I see Hampson getting a game late in the year just to give him a taste but not much else......unless we have a bad run of injuries.

_________________
"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

This is speaking in the dark yo a degree at this early stage....

B. Bower O'hAilpin Carrazzo

HB Scotland Waite Thornton

C Walker Stevens Simpson

HF Gibbs Whitnall Houlihan

F Kennedy Fevola Betts


R Ackland Kouta Murphy

INT Lappin Wiggins Bentick Cloke/Hampson


Would love an excuse to include Anderson or Grigg based on NAB Cup form.

A: 14/16 - Kouta would be playing if fit and Bentick should be playing.

B: 4/7 with Wiggins a possibility. Carrazzo appears to have moved up into the A group, and Bentick may be hovering somewhere between A and B. I would think that O'hAilpin is definitely in the A group now. Kennedy could get up there, or he may be forced into the A group to aid his development.

C: GIBBS! Good to see they have pushed him straight in from the get go. From the sounds of Russell's training yesterday, he'll be a good chance to play. Hartlett an outside chance.