2018 Best 22

[aguy]

Ok. So the JLT is finished for us and now I will speculate about our round one team.

I�m sure someone will start the round one pregame thread soon but here goes with my team. Comments welcome

B: Lewis Melican , Heath Grundy, Dane Rampe
HB: Jake Lloyd, Nick Smith , Callum Mills
C: Luke Parker , Josh Kennedy, Zak Jones
HF: Isaac Heeney, Sam Reid, Oliver Florent
F: Kieren Jack, Lance Franklin, Tom Papley
R: Callum Sinclair, Dean Towers, George Hewett

I: Nic Newman, Harry Cunningham, Robbie Fox, Gary Rohan

I know I�ve said elsewhere that I think Gary Rohan as much i love him is borderline best 22 but I was tossing up between him and Hayward for the last bench spot. I think Rohan brings that little extra defensive pressure as Hayward needs to work on sticking his tackles a bit more and we all know that the game at present is all about manic forward defensive pressure.

As injuries to McVeigh and Hannebery settle I would expect to see Fox and Rohan out of the rest of the team stays the same.

Hope I haven�t forgotten anyone. That�s always a doh moment

[Auntie.Gerald]

I�m a massive Ollie Florent fan mainly because what I expect he will do in the future

Be that as it may, Hayward is more important to us based on last season. Will has been rusty in the JLT and based on the games played so far Ollie is in front and looked good yest against GWS. But will was pretty special as an 18yr skinny kid last season. I honestly believe he will be a weapon in 2019

For me the mix rotation in the backline is imperative for our transitions and Robbie fox should start with mills on the bench

Either way we have a seriously deep team this year

We are in a window and played like a team in the JLT who looks more confident with the flexible new approach in attack

Stoddart will be interesting to monitor thru 2018 a real goer and who knows just yet !

[Blood Fever]

Ok. So the JLT is finished for us and now I will speculate about our round one team.

I�m sure someone will start the round one pregame thread soon but here goes with my team. Comments welcome

B: Lewis Melican , Heath Grundy, Dane Rampe
HB: Jake Lloyd, Nick Smith , Callum Mills
C: Luke Parker , Josh Kennedy, Zak Jones
HF: Isaac Heeney, Sam Reid, Oliver Florent
F: Kieren Jack, Lance Franklin, Tom Papley
R: Callum Sinclair, Dean Towers, George Hewett

I: Nic Newman, Harry Cunningham, Robbie Fox, Gary Rohan

I know I�ve said elsewhere that I think Gary Rohan as much i love him is borderline best 22 but I was tossing up between him and Hayward for the last bench spot. I think Rohan brings that little extra defensive pressure as Hayward needs to work on sticking his tackles a bit more and we all know that the game at present is all about manic forward defensive pressure.

As injuries to McVeigh and Hannebery settle I would expect to see Fox and Rohan out of the rest of the team stays the same.

Hope I haven�t forgotten anyone. That�s always a doh moment

I know this is bordering on blasphemy, but how is Nick Smith travelling? Would hate to lose any of the young guns we have due to lack of opportunities.

[aguy]

I think nick smith still has a very important role to play for us at the moment.

[stevoswan]

B: Lewis Melican , Heath Grundy, Dane Rampe
HB: Jake Lloyd, Nick Smith , Callum Mills
C: Luke Parker , Josh Kennedy, Zak Jones
HF: Isaac Heeney, Sam Reid, Oliver Florent
F: Kieren Jack, Lance Franklin, Tom Papley
R: Callum Sinclair, Dean Towers, George Hewett

I: Nic Newman, Harry Cunningham, Robbie Fox, Gary Rohan

Good team except for......see below.

I think nick smith still has a very important role to play for us at the moment.

......agree but not at CHB. Swaps positions with Melican perhaps? Brainfart?

[jono2707]

Robbie Fox has locked himself into the best 22 for the start of the season. He's been the surprise packet thus far - looking very confident and assured. Very pleasing.

[Ludwig]

I would agree with Aguy's best 22 for round 1 except that Aliir should be in for Sinclair, sharing the ruck duties with Towers. Aliir offers so much more to the side than Sinclair, who is antithetical to the game style we want to have this year. If Sinclair does play, Aliir should come in for Fox, although I like Fox's game very much.

Hayward, Hanners, McVeigh and Dawson are all quality players who should be in the best 22 when fit, which gives us a best 22 of 26 players, a testament to the depth we have this year. The next depth level of players like Robbo, Marsh and a very promissing Riley Stoddart, come into play after that.

Any decent team can turn a stoppage into a loose ball situation with the best contested footy side winning the ball most of the time. The ruck contest is just a bit of theatre to get things going.

[707]

I know this is bordering on blasphemy, but how is Nick Smith travelling? Would hate to lose any of the young guns we have due to lack of opportunities.

When we need a gun small forward carefully minded, there is no peer in Nick Smith, not flashy but hugely valuable, one of the first picked each week. For those trying to retire Nick, he only turns 30 in June so not retiring any time soon!

[aguy]

Good team except for......see below.


......agree but not at CHB. Swaps positions with Melican perhaps? Brainfart?

Yea I didn�t really give much consideration to the exact postion in each of the forward and back halves but yes I would swap Smith and Melican.

[mcs]

Robbie Fox has locked himself into the best 22 for the start of the season. He's been the surprise packet thus far - looking very confident and assured. Very pleasing.

I've been impressed so far - like last year he seems to have had a really good pre-season and found some good early form. Hopefully he can have an extended crack at it early in the season, as I have liked what I have seen during pre-season.

[stevoswan]

I think before the season is out, Stoddart will be best 22 material. I saw this bit of play in the GWS match and thought 'we are on a winner with this kid!', explained here: Liked the look of: Eyecatchers from JLT week three - AFL.com.au

Ryley Stoddart
He's got everything the Swans want and need in a draftee � pace and quality foot skills - and one particular piece of play in the first term against GWS was enough to make people take notice. Stoddart tucked the footy under his arm on the defensive side of the centre square and took off at speed, before ducking out of traffic to deliver a brilliant pass onto the chest of the leading Kieren Jack inside 50. It's the sort of run and carry the Swans are hoping to see from the South Australian for years to come.

[707]

You'd think the VFL website could get a players state of origin correct, Stoddart is from Melbourne not South Australia. I like the look of him as well.