Analysis Best back lines in 2024

[Orange crush]

We’ve had mids and forward lines … so have at it

Carlton would probably be number 1, but gws, dees and pies all solid

 

[bungalow_bill]

Lions in the mix -
Andrews
Payne
Starcevich
Coleman
Wilmot
McKenna

and late '24 Doedee

 

[Foucault1989]

Melbourne.

Lever and May are a brick wall down back. So hard to score against.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Pies backline probably the best. Remind me of the Adelaide premiership side where their players are comfortable on talls & smalls.

Would go.
1 Pies
2 Dees
3 Lions

 

[My Tilly]

Pies backline probably the best. Remind me of the Adelaide premiership side where their players are comfortable on talls & smalls.

Would go.
1 Pies
2 Dees
3 Lions

That Adelaide side was simply brilliant.
Nigel Smart is rarely spoken about. Absolute gun.

I guess the only drawback was you never really had a 'gorilla-sized' full back capable of doing the job on the full forwards. Jameson was a goer but often beaten and Caven was a makeshift utility who just so happened to play his best ever game on Wayne Carey in the 1998 grand final.
Shaun Rehn was so often deployed to drop back into the leading forwards path and he did so for many years showing extreme courage.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Crows not amongst the best, but we had the most inexperienced backline in the last month of the season due to injuries & they stood up.

We have an up & coming backline, which looks very promising once they all hit 50+ games.

B: Michalanney, Murray, Hinge
HB: Milera, Worrell, Curtin
I: Nankervis

Spare key defenders - Butts, Keane, Burgess, Borlase

Butt/Keane cover for Murray til he returns.

Spare small defenders - Hamill, Parnell, Edwards, Ryan.

Jones & Smith can always move from wing to defence if needed.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

That Adelaide side was simply brilliant.
Nigel Smart is rarely spoken about. Absolute gun.

I guess the only drawback was you never really had a 'gorilla-sized' full back capable of doing the job on the full forwards. Jameson was a goer but often beaten and Caven was a makeshift utility who just so happened to play his best ever game on Wayne Carey in the 1998 grand final.
Shaun Rehn was so often deployed to drop back into the leading forwards path and he did so for many years showing extreme courage.

I have been saying for a while I want to model the Crows defence on the Cats side where we play more taller types who can play on smalls as gives more marking power & flexibility. Think with the likes of Worrell, Michalanney, Hinge & Curtin we now have the personnel.

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

Docherty Weitering Williams
Saad McGovern Newman

Kemp

Pretty handy if all stay on the park

 

[Orange crush]

Docherty Weitering Williams
Saad McGovern Newman

Kemp

Pretty handy if all stay on the park

Yeah I like your back line …. I think gws can be better next year with Idun and Buckley showing development

 

[Gavin Excell]

Melbourne.

Lever and May are a brick wall down back. So hard to score against.

Melb
Easily

 

[rye]

Melbourne.

Lever and May are a brick wall down back. So hard to score against.

i think taylor and buckley are just as strong, if not better than the melbourne duo. may and lever whilst very good, are aided a fair bit by just how defensive melbournes gameplan is. taylor and buckley function in a team that has a much greater emphasis on attacking surge football and hold up just as well as lever and may IMO.

gws have better small defenders / rebound than melbourne as well through idun, whitfield and perryman. add himmelberg who can simultaneously man an opposition key forward and generate plays through his field kicking, i think giants have the best defensive unit of any side.

1.gws
2. st kilda
3. melbourne

 

[Ash1337]

Pies still the one to beat. Murphy, Moore, Howe, Maynard, Quaynor, Noble. Not including Naicos because we wont know how much time he'll spend down back. Safe to say he'll be mostly midfield though next season. However they don't have much depth in that area.

Dees 2nd best with Lever, May, Rivers, Petty, Salem, and have plenty of depth but the rest are not as highly rated even though solid.

Lions 3rd with Andrews, Payne, Coleman. Have okay depth but like Dees except a few less solid options.

If I go for 4th it might be Giants. Taylor, Himmelberg, & Ash. With good solid support though their depth in keys is unproven.

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

Yeah I like your back line …. I think gws can be better next year with Idun and Buckley showing development

Idun an absolute gun. Would love him on our team

 

[Orange crush]

Idun an absolute gun. Would love him on our team

Big thing is Buckley is the oldest of our defence at just 25 …. Lots of growth. But I still like your group as well … especially if pony boy makes a successful return

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Docherty Weitering Williams
Saad McGovern Newman

Kemp

Pretty handy if all stay on the park

Well balanced defence.

thought Doherty is playing more midfield now?

 

[My Tilly]

I have been saying for a while I want to model the Crows defence on the Cats side where we play more taller types who can play on smalls as gives more marking power & flexibility. Think with the likes of Worrell, Michalanney, Hinge & Curtin we now have the personnel.

You just need one to become a gun and everything else falls into line.
It's no different at Collingwood. Without Moore, I'm not sure they are the same team.

Geelong would be absolute certainities to drop right away in 2024 and beyond if they did not draft Sam De Koning. He alone can completely sure up the back half which gives much freedom for lesser types to develop into their roles in the coming years.

 

[Dazb86]

Probably Melbourne

 

[Engimal v3]

North Melbourne

 

[TheUnicorn]

Melbourne
GWS
Brisbane
Carlton
Collingwood

are the ones that spring to mind.

 

[Lsta062]

Melbourne
Collingwood
Carlton
Brisbane (with Doedee)
GWS

I’d have them as the top 5 at this stage

 

[bradfisher14]

I think GWS will be #1 next year if their midfield can limit the amount of inside 50s they face.

 

[King_Steele]

Wilkie Howard Stocker
Sinclair Battle Wanganeen

Not the best but certainly not the worst

 

[Freomaniac]

Pies backline probably the best. Remind me of the Adelaide premiership side where their players are comfortable on talls & smalls.

Would go.
1 Pies
2 Dees
3 Lions

Lions with the top 3 backline in the comp?

I thought the back line was their weakness.

 

[Bradkli]

Lions with the top 3 backline in the comp?

I thought the back line was their weakness.

Their backline is elite & has a heap of depth. Quality players won’t be getting a game in 2024

Andrews and Payne as key defenders are a quality duo. With Marcus Adams out, Payne became of the best key backs last season.

Darcy Gardner can play key position or medium size and is solid

Their medium to smalls are as good as their are in the comp- Coleman, McKenna, Answerth, Starcevich, Wilmot, Lester and now Doedee is an elite group.

 

[Milanista28]

McGrath McKay Ridley
Redman Reid Martin

We might run with something like this, hasn't got the runs on the board yet but I don't hate it.

GWS, Carlton, Pies, Dees and Lions all very good.