Now 2 NAB games...but "Best 22" is looking harder

[hAyES]

I don't think Raph has a place in this side. As the third man up he's good, but it was obvious last night he's too slow. Whoever he played on, Richmond went to in the forward line. If a team as **** as Richmond can catch him out, imagine what good teams will do to him.

Despite the fact he played alright last night and didn't do anything too terrible, I'd have to say he is THE most over-rated player on this forum. Really do not think he has what it takes to play AFL footy in a team with no injuries. While I am sure he has talent, I really do not think he has done much more to show. Had a few years now, injuries aside, to prove his worth and I seriously do not think he is going to be anything except a 2nd or 3rd reserve defender. Yes, he didn't stuff up last night, but didn't see him do much else either to warrant a place when we already have Hudghton, Maguire, Gram, 2 Fishers, Gilbert and Baker who can also drift down back and then Attard when he returns from injury. I've said it once before, but I just don't get why people rave on about Raph Clarke, in my eyes he is nothing special, and if he even has 1/2 as bad a season as last year we will be in trouble with him on our side because he will cost us too many turn-overs.

I completely agree with you. I've never seen any reason for why Raph gets so much support around here. He's way too slow and makes bad decisions, and there are too many better options than him.

[Quixote]

Armitage is in our best 22.

Great job in the trenches last night.

Other to join is Geary.

Obviously a player.

Leigh Fisher, Raffa, Rix - look out.

[saintsRrising]

B: R. Clarke, M. Hudghton, J. Geary
HB: J. Gram, M. Maguire, S. Fisher
C: L. Montagna, N. Dal Santo, B. Goddard
HF: C. Gardiner, N. Riewoldt, X. Clarke
F: S. Milne, J. Koschitzke, F. Gehrig
Foll: S. King, L. Hayes, L. Ball
I/C: R. Harvey, S. Baker, M. Gardiner, S. Gilbert

Can't get a game : A. Schneider, J. Blake, C. Jones, A. Fiora, L. Fisher, S. Dempster, S. Birss


Shisen.

We have some depth.

I think that Schneider will be in....but yes your team above does well illustrate the point that to get into the 22 that players will need to be delivering to a higher standard than in 2007.

Geary is looking good, but I don't think he would kep Schneider out. He may well keep Raph out though.

Still early days for Geary though.....but it is healthy knowing that we do seem to have some good kids coming through.

[bigcarl]

mad saint guy wrote:
I don't think Kosi's best work is done as a stay at home forward. He is most influential playing as a floating ruckman who cuts off opposition forward entries.

look at the big picture and see how much better the forward line will function with a guy who is capable of taking a big contested grab down there for the whole match.

it gives us the option of kicking long TO A CONTEST rather than always trying to find riewoldt or fraser laces up ... a predictable tactic that has brought predictable results.

the opposition will have to play their best tall defender probably on kosi, freeing up riewoldt and gehrig to wreak havoc.

add in c. gardiner or allen or gilbert as a "medium" and it ought to be like shooting fish in a barrel for our forwards this year. many reliable and consistent avenues to goal.

we have tall forwards that are the envy of almost every other club.

we should use them in a way that stretches opposition defences to their absolute limits.

kosi forward reduces our complete reliance and dependence on riewoldt and gehrig to kick us a winning score ... something that has cost us big time in the past

[Armoooo]

Where does Rix fit in our team now?
Does he have a place?...

played mainly as a key defender last night...didnt do to bad either

looked hilarious in his short shorts

Loved watching him get stuck into Richo
I was sitting just behind the Richmond cheer squad and they were loving it

[saintsRrising]

Well two NAB games now......

No X, King or Gardi this time.....but the good news on depth continued.

With X out Armo stepped up a few more notches to look like a genuine mid.

Geary continued on.... and C Gardiner played another game worthy of someone with best 22 aspirations.....and yes Blake played another serviceable game in the backline


And the other youngters all looked like they were heading in the right direction.


Compared to 2007.....early days yet but it would seem that we have a few more players pushing for the best 22. Now that is pushing......not that they are certain starters yet.

C Gardiner (I have been pleasantly surprised by his 2 NAB games)
Armo
Geary
King
M Gardiner

and Schneider we assume is a safe bet.

Dempster is still in the unkown category.


Very healthy signs.....

[Otiman]

In bold are the players we were missing today. Have included Gehrig as he only got 1 kick before getting injured.

B: R. Clarke, M. Hudghton, J. Geary
HB: J. Gram, M. Maguire, S. Fisher
C: L. Montagna, N. Dal Santo, B. Goddard
HF: C. Gardiner, N. Riewoldt, X. Clarke
F: S. Milne, J. Koschitzke, F. Gehrig
Foll: S. King, L. Hayes, L. Ball
I/C: R. Harvey, S. Baker, M. Gardiner, S. Gilbert

I'd still like to squeeze Blake in there ahead of Raph, and Schneider in there, perhaps ahead of Milne or C. Gardiner. Armitage is unlucky to miss, but I can't see him replacing any of our mids unless Ball or Goddard aren't 100%.

There's a huge battle for 20th through 26th spot on the team, hopefully we don't have to dig any deeper than that for injury relief.

Here are some position 'fights'

Backs: L. Fisher vs Geary vs Raph Clarke vs Blake
Mids: Armitage vs Baker vs Harvey vs Ball (fitness) vs Goddard (fitness)
Forwards: Milne vs Gardiner vs Schneider vs Jones

Harvey is no guarantee for being the best 22 on form alone, but his presence on the field is greater than that of three players.

[Unforgiven]

Harvey is no guarantee for being the best 22 on form alone, but his presence on the field is greater than that of three players.

Wont be surprised this year when he gets rested for a week or so, just for the sake of it. Though Harvs is in the best 22 no doubt i think.

[F_Q_F]

Think Schneider will be in the 22. We wouldnt have wasted pick 22 on a player that Ross Lyon knows and have him play for Casey. If he wasnt going to be in the first 22 I think we would have gone with a younger player we could develop. I would personally have Schneider ahead of Milne just cause he seems a lot stronger round the ball.

[older saint]

In bold are the players we were missing today. Have included Gehrig as he only got 1 kick before getting injured.

B: R. Clarke, M. Hudghton, J. Geary
HB: J. Gram, M. Maguire, S. Fisher
C: L. Montagna, N. Dal Santo, B. Goddard
HF: C. Gardiner, N. Riewoldt, X. Clarke
F: S. Milne, J. Koschitzke, F. Gehrig
Foll: S. King, L. Hayes, L. Ball
I/C: R. Harvey, S. Baker, M. Gardiner, S. Gilbert

I'd still like to squeeze Blake in there ahead of Raph, and Schneider in there, perhaps ahead of Milne or C. Gardiner. Armitage is unlucky to miss, but I can't see him replacing any of our mids unless Ball or Goddard aren't 100%.

There's a huge battle for 20th through 26th spot on the team, hopefully we don't have to dig any deeper than that for injury relief.

Here are some position 'fights'

Backs: L. Fisher vs Geary vs Raph Clarke vs Blake
Mids: Armitage vs Baker vs Harvey vs Ball (fitness) vs Goddard (fitness)
Forwards: Milne vs Gardiner vs Schneider vs Jones

Harvey is no guarantee for being the best 22 on form alone, but his presence on the field is greater than that of three players.

Harvey not in our best 22? Can I please have some of what you are smoking. Was usual accumulater last week and will continue to make a difference at some stage in every game he plays.

While yesterday was a gutsy performance lets not get too carried away with NAB practise games. Geary will push but is no certainty. If Hayes Ball Goddard Roo etc do not play a game or 2 before the season starts you cannot go in with all of them underdone into the first game. Goddard back through Scorps . Both clarkes were good last week and I am a strong critic esp X, but both ahead of Geary.
Expect to see these teams change every week until season starts

[saintsRrising]

Yes we havea major battle for the 22 this year it seems..

For Round 1.....Baker is suspended and if we guess that Goose will be at Casey due lack of match fitness...as might be BJ.

B: Gilbert, M. Hudghton, J. Geary
HB: J. Gram, S. Fisher, R Clarke (or Blake)
C: L. Montagna, N. Dal Santo, B. Goddard
HF: C. Gardiner, N. Riewoldt, M Schneider
F: S. Milne, J. Koschitzke, F. Gehrig
Foll: S. King, L. Hayes, L. Ball

I/C: R. Harvey,, X Clarke = Midfield rotation
M. Gardiner= ruck rotation

One of Fiora , Blake (or Raph)

However for Round 1, BJ may have a fitness question mark and while I am confident about Hayes, Ball is an unkown at this stage as well????

Raph will return against the Dons......and is likely to be competing with Blake for round one berth in defence.

At this stage C Gardiner has put his hand up with some strong performances..

Fizz had a good year last year, and while he has done nothing wrong he has beena little quiet (This may however also bee due the coaching panel wanting to geta good look at the new and younger players). Charlie is eying off his spot.

All players are on notice that good consistent football will be what is required for a berth. There area few games to go.....and some players will be rested.....but those on the fringe will be out to impress.

[plugger66]

Yes we havea major battle for the 22 this year it seems..

For Round 1.....Baker is suspended and if we guess that Goose will be at Casey due lack of match fitness...as might be BJ.

B: Gilbert, M. Hudghton, J. Geary
HB: J. Gram, S. Fisher, R Clarke (or Blake)
C: L. Montagna, N. Dal Santo, B. Goddard
HF: C. Gardiner, N. Riewoldt, M Schneider
F: S. Milne, J. Koschitzke, F. Gehrig
Foll: S. King, L. Hayes, L. Ball

I/C: R. Harvey,, X Clarke = Midfield rotation
M. Gardiner= ruck rotation

One of Fiora , Blake (or Raph)

However for Round 1, BJ may have a fitness question mark and while I am confident about Hayes, Ball is an unkown at this stage as well????

Raph will return against the Dons......and is likely to be competing with Blake for round one berth in defence.

At this stage C Gardiner has put his hand up with some strong performances..

Fizz had a good year last year, and while he has done nothing wrong he has beena little quiet (This may however also bee due the coaching panel wanting to geta good look at the new and younger players). Charlie is eying off his spot.

All players are on notice that good consistent football will be what is required for a berth. There area few games to go.....and some players will be rested.....but those on the fringe will be out to impress.

You would think BJ is no hope for round one as he is still doing only 90% of training. Blake will play as I feel RL really rates his ability to play in many spots. Max and G must also have huge doubts as well.

[mad saint guy]

It really concerns me that we're likely to play Sydney without Hudghton, Maguire, Goddard and Gehrig. We may see Jimmy Gwilt back in the side to try and recreate his Brownlow vote-getting performance against Hall.

My current round one team

B: R.Clarke, Gilbert, Geary
HB: Gram, Gwilt, S.Fisher
C: Montagna, Hayes, X.Clarke
HF: Schneider, Riewoldt, Armitage
F: C.Gardiner, Koschitzke, Milne

Foll: King, Ball, Dal Santo
Int: Blake, Fiora, Harvey, M.Gardiner

Emg: Birss, Dempster, L.Fisher

Gwilt v Hall
Gilbert v O'Loughlin (I wish Miles was on the senior list)
S.Fisher v O'Keefe
Geary v Davis
R.Clarke to lend Gwilt a hand whenever needed

One match up I wouldn't mind seeing at some point is Armitage tagging Goodes. Armo doesn't have the tank to last long against him, but he would learn plenty and I imagine he'd look for any chance to clean Goodes up and rattle him.

The worst thing is, I'll be in Melbourne but won't be able to see it! Going to the Soundwave Festival on Friday and the game starts just as Incubus go on stage, followed by the Offspring.

[meher baba]

I have to admit it, but I was wrong to be distressed by the major clean out and refurbishment of our list at the end of last season.

The list looks pretty strong ATM. Injuries are, as always a worry, but most of the young guys I watched at Manuka yesterday looked pretty good: especially Armo (fantastic game), Geary (ditto) and Eljay, who I agree with some other posters really looked like he has something special in him. And young Jack Steven had a special moment he'll never forget, whatever happens with his career from here on.

I would also wish to add that Milne was fabulous yesterday: at least he looked that way from the stands. (TV doesn't always do some performances full justice.)

The other good news was that the flooding wasn't as extreme as it sometimes has been under Lyon.

Apart from the Gehrig and Kosi injuries (I was sitting right near Kosi when he felt his twinge: it didn't look too serious, but everything with Kosi is serious) it was a terrific afternoon.

[saintsRrising]

Not that we have seen McEvoy yet...but so far our recruits from last year are looking promising.

[Batnoe]

Schneider has to be in the team


Here are his stats from last year.
Kicks, handballs, possessions marks etc
Round 2 Richmond 9 6 15 6 0 2 1 0 0 0 66
Round 3 Brisbane Lions 11 9 20 6 0 4 0 1 1 1 89
Round 4 Adelaide 8 4 12 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 43
Round 5 Melbourne 10 7 17 7 0 1 0 2 2 0 75
Round 6 Kangaroos 12 9 21 6 0 3 0 1 1 1 88
Round 7 St. Kilda 11 4 15 7 0 0 0 1 1 0 65
Round 8 Port Adelaide 6 3 9 3 0 1 1 2 1 1 39
Round 9 Western Bulldogs 13 11 24 7 0 3 1 1 3 1 111
Round 10 Essendon 15 7 22 7 0 3 2 1 1 0 97
Round 11 Hawthorn 5 2 7 4 0 4 2 1 1 1 53
Round 12 Collingwood 9 5 14 4 0 7 1 1 0 1 76
Round 14 Fremantle 14 8 22 6 0 4 1 1 1 4 100
Round 15 Carlton 15 9 24 6 0 3 2 2 3 0 107
Round 16 West Coast 6 1 7 1 0 3 0 0 2 0 47
Round 17 Richmond 12 7 19 7 0 3 0 0 3 0 101
Round 18 Melbourne 17 4 21 2 0 4 1 1 2 1 92
Round 19 St. Kilda 9 2 11 4 0 7 1 1 1 0 75
Round 20 Brisbane Lions 11 2 13 5 0 3 1 1 2 3 77
Round 21 Collingwood 8 4 12 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 41
Round 22 Hawthorn 6 6 12 4 0 3 1 0 0 2 57
2007 Average: 10.3 5.5 4.8 0.0 3.0 0.8 0.9 1.3 0.9 75.0


3 games where he doesnt get double figures

4 games were he didnt score a goal

also tackles, 2 games where he got 7 tackles

[bigcarl]

My current round one team. fraser recovers quickly so i'm not ready to give him up.

B: R. Clarke, Gilbert, Armitage
HB: Blake, S. Fisher, X. Clarke
C: Gram, Dal Santo, Montagna
HF: C. Gardiner (or Allen), Riewoldt, Harvey
F: Gehrig, Koschitzke, Milne

Foll: King, Hayes, Ball
Int: M. Gardiner, Fiora, Schneider, Geary

[Batnoe]

My current round one team. fraser recovers quickly so i'm not ready to give him up.

B: R. Clarke, Gilbert, Armitage
HB: Blake, S. Fisher, X. Clarke
C: Gram, Dal Santo, Montagna
HF: C. Gardiner (or Allen), Riewoldt, Harvey
F: Gehrig, Koschitzke, Milne

Foll: King, Hayes, Ball
Int: M. Gardiner, Fiora, Schneider, Geary

Fraser just has something else in his body that no one else has

Someone that can grow a beard in a week has some amazing thing in his body that must make things grow and heal quicker

He is a monster

[saintsRrising]

Allen is promising....but he is not yet ready for Round 1 when we have a number of players that would have more influence on the game.

I can't wait to see Schneider play for us.