Introducing the Greatest midfield the AFL has ever seen.

[E]

[5 from the wing on debut]

My team for round 1.

B: Crisp Moore Maynard

HB: Varcoe Howe Langdon

C: Phillips Pendlebury Sidebottom

HF: Treloar Mihocek Beams

F: DeGoey Cox WHE

R: Grundy Sier Adams

IC: Stephenson Thomas Mayne Roughead

Moore pushes Goldsack out. I feel that barring injuries to others, Goldy's days are over.

Roughead will provide flexibility.

Thomas and Mayne under pressure to hold their places.

Aish squeezed out and will have to prove himself in VFL.

Greenwood may struggle to get a game if there aren't many injuries.

Elliot, Scharenberg and Dunn will need fitness and decent form in the VFL before being considered but if fit will be banging on the door very loudly.

Wells and Reid may be just about done. Wells is silk but we have a deep midfield and can you trust his body to hold up? Reid in the same category and the recruitment of Roughead puts pressure on him.

The draftees are unknown quantities and will need good VFL form to force their way in.

[K]

[5 from the wing on debut]

[5 from the wing on debut]

[TaylorMade]

5,

It seems you prefer to lean towards a more skilled midfield, I prefer something more 'tough'. Hence, i wanted Degoey and Beams in the square with Adams. 3 ball winners + 2 outside players. Only minor tweeks though...

The problem is, again, its would be hard to ask Phillips and Treloar to rotate. Wheras if you have Treloar ( Wing ) and Stephenson ( Half - Forward ) rotations would be easier between the 2 players. I must mention Treloar and Stephenson are more dangerous than Phillips. Also both Treloar and Stephenson have played out of the goal-square on more than one occasion, Phillips has not.

Is Varcoe really in our best 18? He does offer a team lifting goal or bump here and there, although i feel he is in the ( Greenwood, Reid category ). Id like to see Pendles take Half-Back.

I cant really disagree on much, besides, Tom Phillips being selected. (And i did ask you to only pick an 18. I understand it was impossible for you to fit Phillips in the 18, which is why you selected 22.) Cheeky. It doesnt look as bad when you have Stephenson on the bench. But if you were to select Phillips in the 18 ahead of Stephenson, id say the majority of people would disagree with that. The purpose of this exercise was for you to justify selecting Phillips in the 18, or in other terms who do you see being on the ground in the last 5 minutes of a nail bitter. Selecting 22 players may have avoided you scrutiny from other posters, but not from me. As i said earlier, I analyze to the bone. So would you like to lock in your above selection as your best 18? Thus revealing to us that you believe Phillips is more important than Stephenson...

[BazBoy]

With the “wealth “ of mids and allowing for Phillips removed from contention
do we eliminate a player to run Treloar -Adams—Beams—with part timer,s used for balance or crisis situ Sidey and Pendles thru the middle

We have to take a player from somewhere if those five required—a forward maybe Thomas

Forward line with Checkers / Stevo / Cox and a fit Billy will also throw up challenges on Thurs night

[TaylorMade]

Baz

I rate Thomas higher than Phillips. Keep in mind it was his first year back. Thomas may not have the engine, however he has more positives.

Look at Josh Thomas first ever 20 games, he performed better than guys like Swan Pendles and Judd.

In Josh Thomas 4th ever game he racked up 28 touches, 6 clearences.

5th game, 25 touches 1 goal 5 clearences
6th game, 27 touches 2 goals
7th game, 21 touches 1 goal
17th game, 35 touches 1 goal

All of his other games within his first 20 were very good if not as good. Phenomenal really, I expect Jet Thomas to reach the next level this year.

[BazBoy]

TM Agree Josh has worked his ring off to resurrect his career and I would not put him out

Appears to me that we will have as I said mid combinations changing off the pine or filling a roll elsewhere

Our mids are all able to be a forward (good goal snaggers) but doubt all our mids would go into defence with same value to the team

[TaylorMade]

Not by any means, Josh Thomas is the most underrated player on our list. Can play forward, centre or wing.

Trust me, the deeper you look into this, the more apparent it becomes that Tom Phillips is the weak-link.

[Collingwood Crackerjack]

Geez gonna be tough to get a game this year for the pies, read an article of the Mongrel Punt that said our biggest concern may be keeping the squad together post 2019, given cap constraints.

TaylorMade, your post style is very familiar...if you are who I think you are, welcome back, glad to see you are in better health.

[TaylorMade]

Crackerjack,

Long time viewer, first time poster

[RudeBoy]

[TaylorMade]

Crackerjack,

Its up to the players, they'll need to play for unders to keep the team together. Geelong players were very unselfish in this regard.



RudeBoy,

Rule Number 1, avoid the Mighty Mouse

[K]