Commenting on Ernie�s team, like several others, I can�t see Newman being omitted from the senior side. He�s had a very good pre-season and there�s no reason why he should be losing his spot from last year, despite both Cunningham and Fox also playing quite well. I think it�s possible to fit all 3 in the side for round 1 if Hayward is omitted, something I would prefer. I�m not concerned that all 3 have played mostly in defence so far this season. It just means that we will see more of the usual midfielders roll forward, which I think is a positive.
The other key point is that if Aliir is fit to play he must be in the side, whether in defence or as our ruckman. He simply offer much more than Sinclair. In our round 2 game v. PA, Aliir is a much better matchup against Ryder, who would be far too athletic for Sinclair. Aliir�s position will likely be dictated by whether Reg is fit to play round 1. He may be a bit underdone at this stage and usually has a slow start to the season anyway. There are lots of other reasons why Aliir should start the season in the senior side, but like any player, if he doesn�t show he deserves his spot he should be dropped. Aliir will get contract offers of $3 to $4 million for 5 years from some clubs even if he doesn�t play a senior game this year. We don�t want to lose him.
If Sinclair plays, it�s probably Fox who should be dropped, despite his very impressive performance so far. With at least 26 players deserving of a senior spot, several will have to miss out. Hanners and McVeigh look to be set to return early in the season, so that will create more pressure on spots after round 1.
The persistence of mythologies in society is quite remarkable and has many underlying causes. Some last thousands of years, some recent ones persist despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The myth that a team needs to have a big ruckman is one such mythology. One of the key reasons for its persistence is the constant repetition of this as fact by most commentators, who simply repeat what they hear from their peers. Some call this false narrative �thinking inside the box.�
Who could have imagined these words coming from the mouth of John Longmire last year?
"We can go with Aliir (Aliir) as well and we went with Dean Towers for five or six games last year. We'll just be creative."
Sounds like he�s come under the influence of ��..
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