Our forward set up come Finals time

[Beast]

Assuming all the players are up and running by then I believe our most dangerous forward line set up would consist of Reid at FF, Cloke at CHF, Patty as our own version of Gunston, Goldsack to do the bullocking work and provide the pressure and Fas and Billy to provide harassment and excitement as crumbers.
White floats in and out when he isn't occupying the second ruck position.
To me this is an ideal mix that incorporates class, grunt, x-factor and strong marking and would make our attack as potent as Sydney's and Port's.

[watt price tully]

^ who is Patty?

Without knowing who that player is it looks talented but a bit slow to me.

[Lazza]

[3rd degree]

[RudeBoy]

FF: Reid White Elliott

HF: Swan Cloke Goldsack


The great thing about this line-up is that all 3 big marking forwards are very quick and mobile. If Swan finds his best form and fitness he is obviously better in the midfield which could open up a spot on the forward line for Blair, who is playing good football. The smoky is clearly Karnezis, but since he's a few weeks away and i haven't seen him play, he's not in my preferred forward line....atm.

[Collingwood Crackerjack]

Surely Rusling should be ready by then?

A lot of quality to fit in; I'm a Fas fan and would love him up there come the pointy end, but he played poorly on the weekend, and then you have Goldy and Jamie as certs, ditto Cloke and Reid....a tough line to break into.

Reckon Cloke needs to show something soon for it to really matter anyway

[Damien]

I think this thread shows that we have lots of options. It'll come down to form and fitness obviously. Cloke and Elliott are the Certs as forwards and probably white but all the others mentioned could find themselves down back or midfield

[AN_Inkling]

Not sure about going with Karnezis and Goldsack. My feeling is that if Karnezis plays then Blair gets the spot as the defensive forward.

Karnezis is a virtual unknown at this stage, so will have to prove himself to be selected ahead of Blair or Goldsack, and flashes of brilliance isn't going to cut it.

And speaking of flashes, that's one issue with the 7 man forward line you've named. 4 of those players are skilled but not great defensively and can go missing for large periods of a game (Karnezis, White, Fasolo, Elliott). It's nice for attacking purposes but in big games that might not be enough. It isn't often that these types really stand up in a tough final, playing 4 of them may be overkill.

I also think that lineup could hinder our midfield depth.

[John Wren]

[AN_Inkling]

^^I probably would too. But not sure I'd include him in a forward line with Karnezis, Reid, White and Cloke.

[Beast]

Some valid points raised so far.
The only way to address the lack of speed is to have BenKen there as none of Mooney, Freeman or Marsh are likely to be considered.
I'm clearly speculating by having Patty there but I have a feeling his form will demand a spot as long as his body holds up.
Swanny is an option of course but we would need one of JT or Adams to cement a spot as our midfiled will be light on sans Swanny.
And as been mentioned the Sack is a must to stay due to his versatility.
His presence puts fear into opposition defenses and allows us to flexible with Reid.

[AN_Inkling]

Also, I'm mostly trying to pretend they don't exist for the moment, because who knows if they'll be available, but if they are, Freeman and/or Scharenberg may need to fit into the team somewhere. I could see Scharenberg playing forward given the strength and depth of our backline - question mark on pace though. Freeman doesn't really look a forward, but he is quick, so could be a chance also.

Ideally, I'd like one of Kennedy, Broomhead or Freeman in our forward line. Hungry young players who can also play midfield.

[stui magpie]

[Doc63]

Time may run out for Patty this season. He had no pre-season, and now will be out for about another 4 weeks.

Its a shame, as I was really looking forward to him coming into the team.

[AN_Inkling]