Alrighty its time for your 2010 team rd 1..........if all fit

[eggbeater]

probables
b2, lrt, mattner, irish, eski, ted
kirk, mcveigh, shaw, jack, b1, seaby, mumford
gooses, white, bevo, bradshaw,

possibles
smith, pike
mod (more likely a probable seeing he got into the telegraph), hanners, kennedy, bulldog, mcglynn
vespa, jetta, tdl, rohan

easy

rok?

[stellation]

Just realised I forget Bird. But looking at it I can't really find a spot for him to be honest.

I have to rib you here, Robbo. Jetta averaged around 15 disposals at WAFL level last year and that equates to him tearing it up in a tougher league than Canberra so he must play, Bird averaged around 16 disposals at AFL level last year and that sees him go to Canberra?

I love your Jetta passion, I can't imagine how excited you must have been when we picked him!

[Alibi Monday]

I think this is still a very hard exercise, even having seen two games. But the chances of going in with one ruck if 4 are fit must be as close to zero as makes no difference. I also think that a backline comprising 4 players who are essentially half-back flankers won't work. Even though he isn't cemented in our best 22 yet, for balance I think you need a Nick Smith back there. Who else is going to play on Milne? Grundy's form has him as a definite starter but Richards too might squeeze his way onto the bench. I am not sure there is going to be a spot for all 4 of our taller defenders in every game this year but on merit, each has a decent claim on a spot. To accomodate a smaller defensive player, as well as at least three taller defensive players, a couple of the HBFers will need to move up the ground or rotate off the bench. I'd move Mattner into the midfield and have the other three rotating through there (ie one starts on the bench) unless Shaw can play a more defensive role down there than he did last year.

I don't know if he is quite in the best 22, but on pre-season games form, I think O'Dwyer deserves a spot. Ahead of Jetta/Rohan if necessary. Those two might be more certain longer term senior players but MOD deserves a chance to show what he's got and from his own admission, this is a make or break year from him. In terms of absolute contribution, as opposed to tantalising glimpses of the future, he has contributed more than either Rohan or Jetta in the two pre-season games (notwithstanding the fact that Jetta essentially won the Blues game for us).

Hannebery, Vez and maybe even Meredith could well force their way into best 22 contention as the season unfolds, but to date none has had a chance to stake their claim.

I don't therefore think that identifying our best 22 if all fit is really possible yet. But my shot at a 22 for round one based on team balance, who's had a chance to show something (and for older players, what we know they can do) would be somethng like

Grundy Bolton Smith
Malceski LRT Kennelly
Mattner Bolton McVeigh
Jack Goodes McGlynn
Bevan Bradshaw White
Seaby Kirk ROK

Shaw Richards Mumford MOD

I'd like to squeeze one or other of Jetta or Rohan in there but there doesn't seem to any room.

I agree Liz, but I would be astonished if Kennedy doesn't make it to the interchange bench. Roos has never not played a trader player from the start with the assurance that they'll be given several weeks to find his feet. So who gets replaced? Well, I agree with your sentiment that Bevan won't be dropped while they're developing him as a forward, which realistically leaves MOD or Smith. If MOD gets plenty of the ball in the last 2 Challenge matches, I think they'll go with him ahead of Smith and move Mattner further back.

If Bradshaw doesn't make it up, I think Rohan will get the nod primarily because of his forward pressure and he's a leading target. I just can't see anyone getting dropped to give Jetta a shot. The scrutiny will be focussed on MOD and Bevan for the first 2 games, if either fail to have an impact, Jetta will probably come in.

Grundy Bolton Mattner
Malceski LRT Kennelly
MOD Bolton McVeigh
Jack Goodes McGlynn
Bevan Bradshaw White
Seaby Kirk ROK

Shaw Richards Mumford Kennedy

[Auntie.Gerald]

i like that team you picked Alibi...........it ooses a solid conservative approach

BUT i cant see us playing with two talls on the bench.........despite the good form of Richards if we want to beat a team like the Saints !!

we need serious legs from the bench.

For me though we need to find out what we have in the first five rounds and build a foundation for the season by letting 2 or 3 of the young future stars have ago !

TDL, Jetta, Kennedy, Rohan, MOD etc etc but we have nothing to loose putting TDL up front for pressure in defence let alone attack where he has shown he has some freaky ability

We have nothing to loose against the Saints rd 1 - ie a team full of Bevan, Jack, McGlynn etc playing upfront will not win it for us unless the bench has a couple of the Rohans, Jetta, TDL or MOD etc - our conservative starting midfield is very slow - ie we can contain most teams for 80% of the game but we need spark to finish of a top 5 team ! not loose by 6 or 12pts !

we have all seen that Jetta and Rohan do not look out of place............their pressure alone up front is a killer compared to anyone else in the team. If Roos saids focus on pressuring the opposition and then it the later minutes of a qtr play wide of your man...........welll who knows.......we might just shake a tail feather !

All of this is said within the context of our opposition in the first 6 rounds also !

If we win 4 out of 6 in the first 6 rounds carrying say Jetta and Rohan into the games (off the bench) and they do as good as anyone else upfront then we have a base for the rest of the season me thinks................

Saints - we need x factor to win a real AFL game !
Richmond - smash them
Adelaide - we got them
North - we can beat them with the right mix of team
West Coast - rubbish (i saw their trial when I was in perth against the bombers) terrible !!
Brisbane - Richards will probably play this game !! with their new forward line ! - will be a tough game

rd 7 Geelong !!!!!!!!!! they have older legs and could be on the way down ! - youngs legs can win ! maybe

[liz]

I agree Liz, but I would be astonished if Kennedy doesn't make it to the interchange bench. Roos has never not played a trader player from the start with the assurance that they'll be given several weeks to find his feet.

He's never before traded in 5 "experienced" players at one time. Nor has he previously traded for an "experienced" player as inexperienced as Kennedy. He is still very young and raw and I believe he was recruited more for what he will bring in the future than necessarily what he brings right now. I think he'll be in the mix for a round 1 game but I doubt he's been guaranteed games right from the start.

[Plugger46]

Putting aside the fact he's a pretty reliable performer (when fit, as he is now and was for the whole of last season), LRT's height wins him a spot before practically every other defender in our team. So many teams have a key forward who is around the 195cm height, or taller, and many will also play a ruckman down there too. Bolton, Grundy, Richards have no chance of competing in the air consistently with players that tall. LRT not only can, he usually does.

Yeah, LRT is a certainty.

[Plugger46]

He's never before traded in 5 "experienced" players at one time. Nor has he previously traded for an "experienced" player as inexperienced as Kennedy. He is still very young and raw and I believe he was recruited more for what he will bring in the future than necessarily what he brings right now. I think he'll be in the mix for a round 1 game but I doubt he's been guaranteed games right from the start.

Yeah, I wouldn't think he's been guaranteed a game from the start either. His numbers last year were pretty good though - played the last 9 games in a row and had 20+ possessions on 5 occasions. I know stats don't tell the full story but it certainly shows that he's capable of finding the footy at this level.

[Bleed Red Blood]

I'd line them up as:

Smith - C. Bolton - Grundy
Kennelly - LRT - Shaw
Mattner- J. Bolton - O'Keefe
Malkeski - Goodes - Jack
Bradshaw - White - Moore
Mumford - Kirk - McVeigh
Seaby - Kennedy - Jetta - O'Dwyer

No doubt Richards and Bevan will be in the team tho - Probably at Moore or Kennedys expense, I think we need the latter for his clearance work especially without Bird.

I hope Mal plays just forward of the ball, drilling the first proper kick clear of a clearance into a forwards arms.

[Robbo]

I have to rib you here, Robbo. Jetta averaged around 15 disposals at WAFL level last year and that equates to him tearing it up in a tougher league than Canberra so he must play, Bird averaged around 16 disposals at AFL level last year and that sees him go to Canberra?

I love your Jetta passion, I can't imagine how excited you must have been when we picked him!

Different types of players. Jetta only needs 10-15 posessions a game to be damaging. I would much rather 10 posession from Jetta than 16 from Bird.

[stellation]

Different types of players. Jetta only needs 10-15 posessions a game to be damaging. I would much rather 10 posession from Jetta than 16 from Bird.

What were your views on Davo?

[Robbo]

Nick Davis? I will remember him as a talented player who was too lazy to realise his potential.

Can't see what that has to do with anything though. I just think Jetta has shown an awful lot of promise in the first two pre-season games and is easily good enough to play senior footy straight away. It's got nothing to do with him being from WA either.

[stellation]

Nick Davis? I will remember him as a talented player who was too lazy to realise his potential.

Can't see what that has to do with anything though. I just think Jetta has shown an awful lot of promise in the first two pre-season games and is easily good enough to play senior footy straight away. It's got nothing to do with him being from WA either.

It was just the comment about being happy with 10 disposals from Jetta because they're so damaging.

I'm not trying to be an arse, I honestly am excited (about Jetta as well myself!) for you that someone you were so gung ho on ended up with the Swans.

[ShockOfHair]

Roos on selections:

Bradshaw on track for round 1

Against Essendon, Mattner likely for midfield, Mel to spend some time forward.

After that he expects to narrow the squad to 24, 25 players.

"I'd suggest that apart from Braddy, if you?re not playing next week [ie, at Narrandera], it will be pretty hard to get a game in round one."


Round one flickers for Bradshaw - AFL.com.au


No mention of Nick Davis

[UglyDuckling]

Alright ill have a go but this has become extremely difficult.

FB - LRT Grundy Kennelly

HB - Shaw Bolton Malcheski

Mid - ROK McVeigh Jack

F - Jetta Goodes McGlynn

FF - Bradshaw White Rohan

Fol - Mumford Bolton Kirk

Bench - Richards Mattner Kennedy Seaby

I think most of the team for rounds one picks its self really its just exceedingly difficult to choose players for the last few places that arn't an automatic lock there are lots of players that deserve a game. For mine there are only really 2 places that are up for grabs and that is jetta and rohan, they could easily be replaced by Hanners (if he plays well this week), MOD, beavan, moore or smith. i went with jetta and rohan because they are unique for our team, Paul Roos has mentioned that there is an imbalance in the team and we lack some pace and flair things that the two have in spades. If they play well in the next few weeks it is a distinct possibility that they will play.
The other really contested positions are Kennedy and McGlynn however i think that Roosy will give them a go early, an opportunity to earn a spot in the team because you dont trade in players to win reserves games.

However i could easily be wrong and i think the composition of those last 4 spots will be largely be determined by form over the next few weeks. Personally i want to see Hanners, Rohan, Jetta and Smith take the last spots because we need pace, foot skills and good decision making.

[Alibi Monday]

I agree Liz, but I would be astonished if Kennedy doesn't make it to the interchange bench. Roos has never not played a trader player from the start with the assurance that they'll be given several weeks to find his feet. So who gets replaced? Well, I agree with your sentiment that Bevan won't be dropped while they're developing him as a forward, which realistically leaves MOD or Smith. If MOD gets plenty of the ball in the last 2 Challenge matches, I think they'll go with him ahead of Smith and move Mattner further back.

If Bradshaw doesn't make it up, I think Rohan will get the nod primarily because of his forward pressure and he's a leading target. I just can't see anyone getting dropped to give Jetta a shot. The scrutiny will be focussed on MOD and Bevan for the first 2 games, if either fail to have an impact, Jetta will probably come in.

Grundy Bolton Mattner
Malceski LRT Kennelly
MOD Bolton McVeigh
Jack Goodes McGlynn
Bevan Bradshaw White
Seaby Kirk ROK

Shaw Richards Mumford Kennedy

I think going by this quote from Roos - "I would suggest apart from [Bradshaw] that if you're not playing next week it would be pretty hard to get a game in round one." And being that MOD's not listed to play this weekend means that MOD's pretty much out of the running (fairly surprising). The door is now open for Currie, Hanneberry, Moore, Smith, Barlow, Jetta and Rohan. If Bradshaw doesn't make it up, I still stand by Rohan, but add Currie to the mix, if both play well this weekend.

It's fairly wide open at the moment.

Grundy Bolton Mattner*
Malceski* LRT Kennelly
??? Bolton McVeigh
Jack Goodes McGlynn
Bevan Bradshaw White
Seaby Kirk ROK

Shaw Richards Mumford Kennedy

??? = Most likely Jetta or Rohan for pace, then Moore, Smith, MOD, Barlow

* to shift upfield to accomodate Smith if he gets the place.