Team now

[Bleed Red Blood]

B Ben Mathews Andrew Schuable Craig Bolton

BF Leo Barry Heath James/LRT Paul Williams

C Tadgh Kennelly Brett Kirk Jared Crouch

HF Ryan O'Keefe Barry Hall Amon Buchanen/Adam Schneider/Paul Bevan

FF Micky O'Loughlin Francis Doyle Nick Davis/Adam Goodes

R Darren Jolly Jude Bolton Nick Davis/Adam Goodes

Bench Jason Ball Matthew Nicks Stuart Maxfield Ben Fixter

Eme Jarrad McVeigh Sean Dempster Luke Ablett

I want Jolly to play first ruck and Doyle to get some time on the ground at FF.

LRT should be playing all pre season at CHB and James at FB.

Dempster.Malkeski,Sunqvist to break into the team.

Fixter is in if he can get over his injuries.

Nicks to play forward,back or centre.

Looks good to me.

[Charlie]

Start of season best 22 to be slotted in wherever:
Hall
Davis
Mathews
O'Keefe
Bolton
Williams
Maxfield
Fosdike
Schneider
Doyle
Kennelly
James (if he is not delisted)
O'Loughlin
Barry
Nicks
Bolton
Schauble
Ball
Crouch
Kirk
Goodes
Bevan

Players you should be at or around the 22 by the end of the year:
McVeigh
Fixter (if he is not delisted, and he gets a decent run with injuries)
Jolly (needs to prove himself, suspect he will, Jason Ball will start the year as first ruck)
Ablett
Saddington (won't be ready to go by the start of the year, if he were he'd be in the 22 ahead of Fosdike)
Dempster
Roberts-Thomson
Buchanan
Malceski

Powell and Sundqvist omitted from this list on personal expectation that they will be the two to be delisted. Thewlis, Willoughby, Schmidt, Davis, whilst all may play, will not be near the best 22.

The 31 players I named as in or around will be the 31 who play some role in deciding where we finish next year. I'm a firm believer that premierships are won on the quality and availability of a team's best 30 odd players, rather than the best 22, which usually exists only on paper.

[liz]

Originally posted by Charlie
Thewlis, Willoughby, Schmidt, Davis, whilst all may play, will not be near the best 22.

The only certainty in all this is that there is no certainty.

At the start of 2004, anyone who suggested Bevan would be in the best 22 by the end of the year would have been laughed at.

Ditto for Schneider at the start of 2003.

Therefore it wouldn't be a surprise to see a bolter emerge - and for the team's sake I hope it is Willloughby, as I think he could add a bit of that something that is currently lacking.

That said, it is rare for a player to break through as a fulltime midfielder in his first year of senior footy. Normally they make their way via the pockets and the flanks. So if our midfield is to find an important new player it is more likely to come from the group of McVeigh, Bevan, Buchanan (and Schneider as an outsider, since I think he's got further to go with his fitness).

[BAZooka Woman]

Fosdike in the top 22? No way! He was average at best this season, and quite often the source of clangers.

[Charlie]

Originally posted by BAZooka Woman
Fosdike in the top 22? No way! He was average at best this season, and quite often the source of clangers.

Who ahead of him?

Rule out Saddington, who will be injured. Jolly is a player who very few here have seen, and with Ball and Doyle - plus Goodes to do a little around the ground rucking - it's hard to see how he slots straight into our best side.

Ablett? McVeigh? Buchanan? These three were impressive at times in 2004, particularly Buchanan... but Fosdike has the runs on the board ahead of them. He was the 22nd player named, and it must be remembered that the 22 is almost always only theoretical.

[westernswan]

WHEN DO THEY PLAY...TONITE ???

[ScottH]

Originally posted by westernswan
WHEN DO THEY PLAY...TONITE ???

117 Days and Counting!!!!!

[ihamilto]

Team Now

Originally posted by Charlie
Who ahead of him?

Rule out Saddington, who will be injured. Jolly is a player who very few here have seen, and with Ball and Doyle - plus Goodes to do a little around the ground rucking - it's hard to see how he slots straight into our best side.

Ablett? McVeigh? Buchanan? These three were impressive at times in 2004, particularly Buchanan... but Fosdike has the runs on the board ahead of them. He was the 22nd player named, and it must be remembered that the 22 is almost always only theoretical.

I think you will find Saddington will be ready for round one 2005 he is running already and from what I read he is right for the start of pre season training in November.
cheers Ian

[BAZooka Woman]

Originally posted by Charlie
Ablett? McVeigh? Buchanan? These three were impressive at times in 2004, particularly Buchanan... but Fosdike has the runs on the board ahead of them. He was the 22nd player named, and it must be remembered that the 22 is almost always only theoretical.

Fair enough. I personally would rate Buchanan ahead of Fosdike, but then I haven't been following the team long enough to have seen Nic's past form.

[Charlie]

Re: Team Now

Originally posted by ihamilto
I think you will find Saddington will be ready for round one 2005 he is running already and from what I read he is right for the start of pre season training in November.
cheers Ian

If he's fit by round 1, I'd rate him ahead of Fosdike. I was under the impression he wasn't expected until a few weeks in. Good to hear if that is not the case.

[ihamilto]

Re: Re: Team Now

Originally posted by Charlie
If he's fit by round 1, I'd rate him ahead of Fosdike. I was under the impression he wasn't expected until a few weeks in. Good to hear if that is not the case.

Of course you can;t always believe what you read and I guess it will depend on how his knee copes with the preseason.
cheers Ian

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by Charlie
Who ahead of him?

Rule out Saddington, who will be injured. Jolly is a player who very few here have seen, and with Ball and Doyle - plus Goodes to do a little around the ground rucking - it's hard to see how he slots straight into our best side.

Huh? How can you say that Jolly doesn't fit into our best side? I would have thought that was the point of trading for him, and paying a reasonably high price.

[midaro]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
Huh? How can you say that Jolly doesn't fit into our best side? I would have thought that was the point of trading for him, and paying a reasonably high price.

I'd suggest that Doyle and Jolly will fight for the "Round 1, 2nd Ruck position," during the pre-season.

IMO it is currently not a clear choice.

[chammond]

Originally posted by midaro
I'd suggest that Doyle and Jolly will fight for the "Round 1, 2nd Ruck position," during the pre-season.

IMO it is currently not a clear choice.

I think the Swans would have too much egg on their faces if Jolly was "omitted" in Round 1.

But I certainly agree that he may well have to 'prove' himself against Doyle throughout the year if there are no injuries.

[Newbie]

Jolly to take the first ruck. Doyle on the bench as the alternate ruckman. Ball in the cotton wool for about 5 weeks after which the ruck duo are whoever standing.

Would hate to see Ball to be relied on as first ruck. He is getting on. I doubt the poor man would last half of the season playing first ruck.