Unofficial Preview SEASON 2025 - Best 22, Game Plan, Personnel

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Yeah agreed.
Maybe Cox is of the thinking that sometime the guys that start as forwards, but they go to the backline do tend to be better forwards later on.
I'm just not convinced due to his health. If his concussion history wasn't a thing, I would be all for it.
When Cox played at West Coast during the great Eagles/Swans rivalry, they had a few flexible players who switched around between forward and back. Chick was one one but the most effective example was Hunter who was always a thorn in our side.
 

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Fun fact:

If Snell debuts this year, our backline could feature numbers 41 (Snell), 42 (Fox), 43 (Melican) & 44 (Lllllooooooyd).

And if Hanily were to break-out as a small defender, we could have 40-44 in our back 50.

I doubt that has ever happened before in the history of the world.
Why would Hanily be a defender ?
 
How can we not be able to properly develop Campbell he has a 60m boot on him but struggles to find the ball and get into the contest...
I don't think his game suited to forward running. By that I mean the way defenders run is straight forward. But mids and forwards have to make it up on the run and run both ways. I think he will be suited to forward/Mid

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I wonder how much, if at all, this line-up in the match sim is indicative of Cox's plans for the Opening Round game.

There's a lot to like about it IMO.

Have made no secret I'd love to see Mills, Heeney & Rowbottom being our main midfield trio, with Warner spending more time forward. I'd like us to be more open to a smaller forward line with more speed and pressure, so the Cleary inclusion with only two talls is promising. And McKirdy suggested that Paton & Florent will be vying for the same spot, and whether that's true or not I don't know, but if nothing else it will surely mean someone like Florent is made more accountable for his place in the team.

I suppose the questions that remain would be over: the talls in the forward line if, say, three of them are available; all of the flankers, most of whom aren't even named in this starting 18; and the 'surplus' mids like Sheldrick & Adams, and whether there's a spot for either.


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I get it is a pre-season training setup, but that backline does not scream premiership winners to me.
 
How can we not be able to properly develop Campbell he has a 60m boot on him but struggles to find the ball and get into the contest...
Excuses for this bloke are laughable at times

He just isn’t senior quality besides a few glimpse’s ATM and to date

If he wasn’t a top 5 he wouldn’t never been talked so highly and still struggling to get a game

He wasn’t a big possession getter in juniors
 
Excuses for this bloke are laughable at times

He just isn’t senior quality besides a few glimpse’s ATM and to date

If he wasn’t a top 5 he wouldn’t never been talked so highly and still struggling to get a game

He wasn’t a big possession getter in juniors
Explanations based on reality can be excuses if you are just looking to outright dismiss yet another player or others, I guess.

He's been largely played out of position, which you would know if you looked into his junior footy. And then played as a backup, unless holding a defensive role not known for racking up touches. Not that we're playing fantasy footy anyway.
 
Explanations based on reality can be excuses if you are just looking to outright dismiss yet another player or others, I guess.

He's been largely played out of position, which you would know if you looked into his junior footy. And then played as a backup, unless holding a defensive role not known for racking up touches. Not that we're playing fantasy footy anyway.
I am somewhat in two minds about Campbell.

I am firmly of the belief that Campbell hasn't been given a chance in his preferred position of inside mid yet, and I don't believe you can ever truly write someone off, or assess the quality of a player, until you've seen how they go in their preferred position. Some of the best players we have had were only one-position players who wouldn't have been much if not ever played in the position they eventually went on to star in.

On the flip-side, this is the AFL system, not the "Braeden Campbell experiment system." It is tough luck but it is how the sport goes. If there isn't a spot for you at your club, then you really only have three options if you want your career to go anywhere: try and reinvent yourself in other positions, leave your club for another that will have a spot for you, or stay at your club and remain in the VFL until a spot in your preferred position opens up.

I think the problem is that we have tried to defy those three options. Campbell hasn't managed to reinvent himself in any of the other roles or positions we've tried him in. We just re-signed Campbell for an additional three years, so he won't be going anywhere. And he's been in the best 23 almost every week and barely played VFL in his preferred position.

Circumventing those three options has really led to Campbell just being in this constant state of limbo. Never really improving much, never really finding or locking down a position or role within the team, never really being out of the selection equation either. Campbell is, like David Byrne once said, on a road to nowhere.
 

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I am somewhat in two minds about Campbell.

I am firmly of the belief that Campbell hasn't been given a chance in his preferred position of inside mid yet, and I don't believe you can ever truly write someone off, or assess the quality of a player, until you've seen how they go in their preferred position. Some of the best players we have had were only one-position players who wouldn't have been much if not ever played in the position they eventually went on to star in.

On the flip-side, this is the AFL system, not the "Braeden Campbell experiment system." It is tough luck but it is how the sport goes. If there isn't a spot for you at your club, then you really only have three options if you want your career to go anywhere: try and reinvent yourself in other positions, leave your club for another that will have a spot for you, or stay at your club and remain in the VFL until a spot in your preferred position opens up.

I think the problem is that we have tried to defy those three options. Campbell hasn't managed to reinvent himself in any of the other roles or positions we've tried him in. We just re-signed Campbell for an additional three years, so he won't be going anywhere. And he's been in the best 23 almost every week and barely played VFL in his preferred position.

Circumventing those three options has really led to Campbell just being in this constant state of limbo. Never really improving much, never really finding or locking down a position or role within the team, never really being out of the selection equation either. Campbell is, like David Byrne once said, on a road to nowhere.
I may come across as his #1 fan, but I don't think he's been a great backup half back/winger, and his time as a small defender was mixed too. He's been serviceable with some glimpses of what he can actually do, most often when he's tackling or around F50.

But that first paragraph is where I'm at. He needs to be given a chance to show what he can do in his draft position. Except he was never really an inside mid. He was an outside mid (the more attacking of 3) / half forward.

It's the latter where he is likely to have more opportunity, I've been on this wagon since his debut year and it hasn't been fun. And it's not as if we couldn't have used him more there last year. I thought his Bombers game late, mostly forward, was his best, along with the GWS cameo, but we reverted to him floating around, filling in mostly.

The last 4 years have been the experiment, hopefully Cox puts an end to it and plays him at half forward.
 
I am somewhat in two minds about Campbell.

I am firmly of the belief that Campbell hasn't been given a chance in his preferred position of inside mid yet, and I don't believe you can ever truly write someone off, or assess the quality of a player, until you've seen how they go in their preferred position. Some of the best players we have had were only one-position players who wouldn't have been much if not ever played in the position they eventually went on to star in.

On the flip-side, this is the AFL system, not the "Braeden Campbell experiment system." It is tough luck but it is how the sport goes. If there isn't a spot for you at your club, then you really only have three options if you want your career to go anywhere: try and reinvent yourself in other positions, leave your club for another that will have a spot for you, or stay at your club and remain in the VFL until a spot in your preferred position opens up.

I think the problem is that we have tried to defy those three options. Campbell hasn't managed to reinvent himself in any of the other roles or positions we've tried him in. We just re-signed Campbell for an additional three years, so he won't be going anywhere. And he's been in the best 23 almost every week and barely played VFL in his preferred position.

Circumventing those three options has really led to Campbell just being in this constant state of limbo. Never really improving much, never really finding or locking down a position or role within the team, never really being out of the selection equation either. Campbell is, like David Byrne once said, on a road to nowhere.

Well re-commited for a further 3 years so either Cox can identify a role for him and develop a skillset for his position or will end up being a list clogger on a reasonable contract.

One thing for certain is sucks for us to have a down season where the entire haul of that draft year is looking awful 5yrs on.
 
One thing for certain is sucks for us to have a down season where the entire haul of that draft year is looking awful 5yrs on.

Yep not exactly stellar.
I know the COVID draft and players would have been affected as such, but it's not as if we have multiple players jumping out of the pack once they got into the system.

I believe;
Only B&F, Gulden, 2023.
Only AA, Gulden, twice.


Would still take Logan (assuming Errol an academy pick) at pick 4.
Admittedly a KPF surcharge.

Who else?
I like Max Holmes (pick #20), McCreery (#44) handy, but apart from that the pickings are very slim.

As it happens Josh Treacy (#7 in the rookie draft) is the one in hindsight that clubs missed.
Ginnivan also went in the rookie draft at #13.
 
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Yep not exactly stellar.
I know the COVID draft and players would have been affected as such, but it's not as if we have multiple players jumping out of the pack once they got into the system.

I believe;
Only B&F, Gulden, 2023.
Only AA, Gulden, twice.


Would still take Logan (assuming Errol an academy pick) at pick 4.
Admittedly a KPF surcharge.

Who else?
I like Max Holmes (pick #20), McCreery (#44) handy, but apart from that the pickings are very slim.

As it happens Josh Treacy (#7 in the rookie draft) is the one in hindsight that clubs missed.
Ginnivan also went in the rookie draft at #13.

Logan real range is probably 10-15

Campbell is 25-30 player

Treacy is a absolute steal

Holmes was a great pickup at 20

Obviously Gulden is pick 1.
 
Thought it was worth posting this given McKirdy was on it


That possible best 22 looks good, but someone on the bench needs to make way for a key defender. McKirdy seems to imply as much, saying we're still trying to figure out our defence this year. That makes me think the pre-season trial games could be influential in deciding how a Francis or a Hamling or even a Snell or Edwards goes, depending on how much game-time they get.

Cox is supposedly so big on defence, so I just can't see him being satisfied with a key defence group of Melican, Rampe & Blakey. That's a weaker defence than we had last year.
 
Thought it was worth posting this given McKirdy was on it


was interesting to listen to. Main points were

-Paton looks to have done enough to get a spot in the back.
-Sheldrick dominating the stoppages against Heeney and Mills
-Logan just about ruled out for round 1
-While Cox said McCartin may just be training down forward, McKirdy feels the club is putting too much effort into training him to be a forward for it to just be about experience
 
Sheldrick and Cleary must start in the 22. Anything else would make a mockery of what we’re hearing about as the new values system from Cox. Also it will reinforce that the GF abomination was acceptable.

Take your pick who they replace, don’t really care.

Also, Gulden and Chad better not get near a centre bounce for a very very very long time. Both were soft as in the GF, we need grunt not onlookers.

I like strong tacklers.
 
That possible best 22 looks good, but someone on the bench needs to make way for a key defender. McKirdy seems to imply as much, saying we're still trying to figure out our defence this year. That makes me think the pre-season trial games could be influential in deciding how a Francis or a Hamling or even a Snell or Edwards goes, depending on how much game-time they get.

Cox is supposedly so big on defence, so I just can't see him being satisfied with a key defence group of Melican, Rampe & Blakey. That's a weaker defence than we had last year.
That's why this is a waste of time and he's only filling content, still reckon he's GWS
 

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Unofficial Preview SEASON 2025 - Best 22, Game Plan, Personnel


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