Our best lineup (players & positions) to take us through the finals in 07...

[JudesaGun]

In your opinion, what is it?

Here's mine:

B: Ben Matthews, Leo Barry, Lewis Roberts-Thomson
HB: Tadgh Kennelly, Craig Bolton, Nick Malceski
C: Luke Ablett, Brett Kirk, Amon Buchanan
HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Michael O’Loughlin, Nic Fosdike
F: Adam Schneider, Barry Hall, Nick Davis
Foll: Darren Jolly, Jude Bolton, Adam Goodes
I/C: Peter Everitt, Jarrad McVeigh, Ted Richards, Sean Dempster

EMG: Tim Schmidt, Paul Bevan, Matthew Laidlaw

And I note:
- One of the best HB lines in the comp, great speed, skill and drive.
- One of the most potent F line in the comp when firing.
- One of best tap ruckman coming off the bench. Great tandem of Jolly and Everitt.
- Good medium-sized bodies off the bench and a vastly improved tagger (McVeigh) to relieve the likes of Ablett, Kirk and Matthews
- Richards over Schmidt on the basis of experience and flexibility. Richards can go forward or back while Schmidt merely provides another midfield option.
- IMO Bevan is just too much of a liability come finals time. His form has been good and he can be a great tagger but he has the potential to give away silly free kicks and/or make mistakes at crucial times which, when playing as a backman, can cost you a game. Dempster is more relaible, has better skills and can play on a medium sized or small forward option. He is a perfect replacement for Malceski or Kennelly when they need a rest.
- Laidlaw lacks game experience but come finals time you need runners so I'd rather him as an EMG over Grudy or Vogels. In any case, we have a number of guys in our starting 22 who can play F or B should we need to mix things up e.g. Richards, LRT, Goodes.

Thoughts?

[hammo]

Thoughts?

You are glowing of our half back line, forwards and ruckmen but glaring in their absense is our stellar midfield?? Perhaps therein lies the reason why we might struggle to win the flag.

[JudesaGun]

You are glowing of our half back line, forwards and ruckmen but glaring in their absense is our stellar midfield?? Perhaps therein lies the reason why we might struggle to win the flag.

Could have said that last year and the year before. If anything our midfield has stayed on par while we have improved our rucks and forwards. Would that not lead to the inevitable conclusion that we are a better chance of winning the flag this year?

[AnnieH]

You haven't got Jesus H Christ in your line up.
We're gunna need him as well.

[Plugger46]

I wouldn't have Dempster or Bevan in our best 22. I'd only have LRT against certain teams too. He is tall and can take a mark, but offers little else.

Teddy is the other one who I would seriously look at.

And while I'm not a fan, Mathews has done enough this season to warrant selection.

[Captain]

Where's Crouch? He is easily in our best 22.

[j s]

You haven't got Jesus H Christ in your line up.
We're gunna need him as well.

We've got his cousin though!

[Ludwig]

Pretty much the team we are fielding Saturday, except Bevan in for Dempster.

Would probably rank Crouch, Bevan, Dempster then Schmidt for the 22nd spot in that order, based at least in part on hardness at the ball, a critical factor in finals. But really not that much between them. But any of them would be okay.

Bevan has been doing the job on the field, so I just have to relent in my criticism for now. Actually think he's been proving me and a lot of us wrong by his recent efforts. Coming around to Connolly's point of view on Bevo.

Bevan, Dempster and Richards all lack a bit of awareness at times. Something that Crouch and Schmidt are good at and in their favour for selection.

I feel pretty comfortable choosing from our top 25 and think we can match it with just about anyone, except the Cats, at the moment, but obviously, the next 4 games will really tell where we are at.

Don't think we can make the GF without Hall and LRT performing near their best. Saturday night should be a good indication of how we will go. We really need to perform against better teams, something we haven't done this year.

[originalswan]

Could have said that last year and the year before. If anything our midfield has stayed on par while we have improved our rucks and forwards. Would that not lead to the inevitable conclusion that we are a better chance of winning the flag this year?

I would question whether the Everitt/Jolly combination is better than the Ball/Jolly combination and would seriously doubt (especially on this years form) whether Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin still have the same output as they did in 2005. Hall in particular seems to have lost some pace and consistency.

Jared Crouch would definetely come into the line up once he has regained fitness and some conditioning (especially based on his fantastic 2005 Finals performances).

[Plugger46]

I would question whether the Everitt/Jolly combination is better than the Ball/Jolly combination and would seriously doubt (especially on this years form) whether Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin still have the same output as they did in 2005. Hall in particular seems to have lost some pace and consistency.

Jared Crouch would definetely come into the line up once he has regained fitness and some conditioning (especially based on his fantastic 2005 Finals performances).

I'd say Everitt/Jolly is about the same as Ball/Jolly.

I think O'Loughlin is having a fantastic year, as he did in 2005. Hall, not quite the same. Can't put my finger on why this is the case. He seems to be moving freely, and he's not showing the signs that most players show when they're coming towards the end. He just looks down on confidence to me. If he continues to work hard, I'm confident his form will turn around.

[NMWBloods]

Could have said that last year and the year before. If anything our midfield has stayed on par while we have improved our rucks and forwards. Would that not lead to the inevitable conclusion that we are a better chance of winning the flag this year?

I don't think our team is as good as the previous two years.

Hall is well down.

O'Keefe is down a little.

J Bolton is struggling badly.

Kirk is down a little.

McVeigh well below his 2006 performance.

No Crouch.

MOL is slightly down.

Buchanan has been down.

Malceski is well in front of last year.

[Industrial Fan]

I would say Micky O and Kirk have been above their previous seasons.

Maybe not in raw numbers, but certainly their influence on games.

O'keefe has been working harder again this year too.

Bolton and Baz have been down, as has McVeigh. Jolly is hot and cold.

[JudesaGun]

Nothing like a bit of positivity...geez....no wonder I stopped posting here. Too many "I-like-to-call-myself-a-realist-but-really-I-am-an-angry-pessimist-who-loves-to-think-the-worst-because-the-suprise-in-things-turning-out-well-is-so-much-better-without-the-chance-that-I may-actually-be-dissappointed"

Longest name of a "type of person" ever...

[Triple B]

Nothing like a bit of positivity...geez....no wonder I stopped posting here.

Whilst I agree that there is way too many half glass empty posters here, you have to understand it's hard to take anybody with your board name seriously.

[JudesaGun]

What does a board name have to do with the price of fish?

Surely you judge a book by its contents and not its cover. Yet again, I have read the comments of some of the posters here...