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

[strauchanie59]

And look to be fair to Lizard, he picked a bad time to play one of the worst games of his career, but he did have some monumental moments and defensive efforts in the QF (and I had been very critical of him in the second half of the season).

Great moments, but means zero if he can't do it on the biggest stage in the biggest game.

 

[SSwans2011]

Great moments, but means zero if he can't do it on the biggest stage in the biggest game.

Well yeah, that's obvious but not a productive conversation.

The point his defensive capabilities shouldn't be written off and improvement and consistency from him would be a massive asset for us next year

 

[SSwans2011]

But at least they're having fun outside of footy. That's the main thing, right?

I'm still bitterly disappointed with the GF result, but this obsession with shitcanning the boys at any given opportunity that people have had since the GF seems unhealthy.

 

[strauchanie59]

I'm still bitterly disappointed with the GF result, but this obsession with shitcanning the boys at any given opportunity that people have had since the GF seems unhealthy.

Are we just supposed to be happy that we got embarrassed in yet another Grand Final? The club as a whole take us fans for fools. If our players went out there, gave it all they had and lost, then that's fine...I can deal with that. But you could argue only two players could hold their head high after the Grand Final - Fox and Rowbottom. Funnily enough, both of these guys are the closest embodiment to the Bloods culture/spirit that we have on the list. Fox, especially after being out best in 2022 and 2024, plays for his career each and every game just about. A few of our players on huge deals could take some notes on what he does.

Star players are overpaid and when they get to the biggest stage, go missing time after time. Then when these Grand Final massacres occur, internal reviews take place, "solutions" are found but nothing changes. I love the club, but spare us all the positive PR spin about "being happy to make it" and "what a season we had". It's insulting to hear! Give us interviews with genuine hard-hitting questions that require hard answers.

I'm more angry at the fact that we had to wait weeks for any form of communication/apology from the players/club about a fourth Grand Final embarrassment in a row, the second with this group of players.

We all know what will happen in Opening Round 2025. It'll be almost the same 23 players taking to the field, we'll still have this ridiculous three-tall forward line that should be done with and most of our midfielders will forego any defensive responsibility until it suits them or if they feel like it.

 

[SSwans2011]

Are we just supposed to be happy that we got embarrassed in yet another Grand Final? The club as a whole take us fans for fools. If our players went out there, gave it all they had and lost, then that's fine...I can deal with that. But you could argue only two players could hold their head high after the Grand Final - Fox and Rowbottom. Funnily enough, both of these guys are the closest embodiment to the Bloods culture/spirit that we have on the list. Fox, especially after being out best in 2022 and 2024, plays for his career each and every game just about. A few of our players on huge deals could take some notes on what he does.

Star players are overpaid and when they get to the biggest stage, go missing time after time. Then when these Grand Final massacres occur, internal reviews take place, "solutions" are found but nothing changes. I love the club, but spare us all the positive PR spin about "being happy to make it" and "what a season we had". It's insulting to hear! Give us interviews with genuine hard-hitting questions that require hard answers.

I'm more angry at the fact that we had to wait weeks for any form of communication/apology from the players/club about a fourth Grand Final embarrassment in a row, the second with this group of players.

We all know what will happen in Opening Round 2025. It'll be almost the same 23 players taking to the field, we'll still have this ridiculous three-tall forward line that should be done with and most of our midfielders will forego any defensive responsibility until it suits them or if they feel like it.

I didn't say that we were supposed to be happy with the result.

I just don't see what purpose constantly sinking the boot in serves. You do you if you want to vent, but it is a bit tiresome when every single thread is just people whinging about the GF rather than the actual topic at hand.

I feel like the last paragraph is a perfect example of the toxicity of this attitude. You've literally just invented a scenario to piss yourself off. The last few years have generally seen us pleasantly surprised with selection come the first game of the year (McDonald, Sheldrick, Roberts, etc being backed in this year or last, role changes we wanted like Heeney to mids, etc).

 

[tombomb]

It kind of feels like the entire season is going to rest on Mills coming back and playing like the 2021/2022 version.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

This is the Season 2025 thread, right?

If you are not ready to move on from last season’s GF (as bad as it was), then this is not the thread for you. Simple as that.

 

[SGBeach]

I suspect our R0 team will basically be the GF side, with Mills the only change.

Horse won’t give Sheldrick or Cleary a run & it’ll feel oh-so-flat.

disagree.. Its a new year and horse has never been scared to make two or three changes based on pre-season performances..
Sheldrick and Cleary are very much in the mix...... as is Dattoli and Bice

 

[BloodySwan]

We need to fix our kick ins. If Amartey, McDonald and McLean can improve their marking ability we'll see a staggering improvement overall

 

[caesar88]

I have said it for a while now and even before the GF - I think our team & game plan need a bit of a DNA makeover. I want to see the contest, pressure and defence be more of a priority than our ball movement and ball use. I would rather a game-plan that might not dominate the H&A season but will hold up in a grand final than the opposite scenario that I think we had last year.

 

[Punts]

So hard to have any excitement for next season atm

That might be just me though

Never going to be able to trust this club again and particularly this group to they get a flag now.

Or just show some fight

Everything leading up in my view just won’t be the same and hard to get excited about

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

I have said it for a while now and even before the GF - I think our team & game plan need a bit of a DNA makeover. I want to see the contest, pressure and defence be more of a priority than our ball movement and ball use. I would rather a game-plan that might not dominate the H&A season but will hold up in a grand final than the opposite scenario that I think we had last year.

Very insightful. DNA makeover captures it perfectly. I’m actually happy to have a rebuild year to get this DNA right so we are a chance of contesting once again in the future.

Some outside types (including our AA’s) will have to muck in, actually lay a tackle and win their own ball.

No point in changing nothing, scraping to make the 8 then wondering what happened. This will only re-infuriate the fan base.

 

[caesar88]

Our first to fourth year players return to training tomorrow, though some fifth years and above will likely show up (which is a good thing)

So to our media department I ask the same thing that I do every year... PLEASE let the focus be on the first to fourth years. This period is about them, so let it be about them, regardless of which big names return earlier than required.

 

[ScottBo]

Our first to fourth year players return to training tomorrow, though some fifth years and above will likely show up (which is a good thing)

So to our media department I ask the same thing that I do every year... PLEASE let the focus be on the first to fourth years. This period is about them, so let it be about them, regardless of which big names return earlier than required.

It's going to be a small welcoming committee...

Second year - Green, Cleary, Snell, Hanily
Third year - Buller, Mitchell
Fourth year - Sheldrick, Roberts, Warner

 

[Crust]

Well he didn’t show any leadership at all when it mattered so who knows

Hard to stop it when it is coming in uncontested from the mids. Yeah the GF was poor but during the year he provided a lot of leadership.




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[ShireSwan]

Well, the list is complete for the foreseeable future, so thought I'd have a go at what I personally would like our best 23 to look like come round 1 next year.

FULL BACK LINE
Dane Rampe - Will start best 23, but given he will be 35 next year, it'd be ideal if he didn't finish best 23. His replacement needs to start banging down the door, and I think that is either Snell or Edwards.

Tom McCartin - Pretty self-explanatory. He & Melican aren't perfect but they're the best we've got in terms of a key defensive duo.

Harry Cunningham - Like Rampe, it'd be good if we could have a replacement for his lockdown role lined up. But unlike Rampe, I don't think it's quite as urgent. Cunningham is only 30 and was one of our top 5 performers in the finals IMO.

HALF BACK LINE
Nick Blakey - Quality player but needs to keep improving and going in the right direction.

Lewis Melican - See: Tom McCartin.

Matty Roberts - Some see a midfield shift for Roberts, but I think Sheldrick & Cleary have shown a bit more chops for that sort of role. He may surprise me but I'm fine with him continuing to do as he did this year, maybe with more consistency of another pre-season. Kinda get young Zorko vibes.

CENTRE LINE
Errol Gulden - When I say put him on the wing, I mean ON THE WING. Not inside. He gets mauled and looks like a headless chook. He's too good for that. Let the boy run and distribute by foot FFS.

Callum Mills - Could be the tagger we've been crying out for. He's hard, he's tough, he's strong. More of what we need in the midfield.

Justin McInerney - I think he has another level he can go to. Arguably our best kick inside 50 so if he can be more of an attacking wingman rather than one doing so much rebounding from half back, he could be even better than he already is.

FOLLOWERS
Brodie Grundy - Not perfect as has been well-documented. But is the best we've got. More of early-season Grundy would be nice.

Isaac Heeney - Clearly played the best footy of his career as a midfielder, and is just the sort of player we need in the midfield, so we need to leave him there. But also be smarter with how we use him. Give him more stints forward as a rest, etc.

James Rowbottom - Probably the first magnet on the team board and the safest one on there.

HALF FORWARD LINE
Caiden Cleary - Has all the things we need, both in the forward line and in the midfield. Zippy closing speed and pressure inside 50, and hardness and clean hands in the guts. So this seems a good position for him to be able to rotate between the two. I'd like him to be our fifth mid rotating in and out of there.

Logan McDonald - Is trending in the right direction, though I'm still not 100% convinced by him. I do get the feeling that if he goes on to have a very long and successful career, it will only be as a Gunston-like third-tall. Which would be no shame, btw.

Chad Warner - This is on the assumption that Horse will continue to allow Warner to be a one-dimensional show-pony. If so, just play him forward and stop wasting his and our time with him in the midfield. He'll get the goals he craves and can do a bit more damage in general play than at stoppages where he does little.

FULL FORWARD LINE

Tom Papley - Our best scoring small, so... yeah.

Hayden McLean - I think he probably has the inside lane on Amartey given his experience as a second ruck. But if it is the opposite scenario it is much of a muchness really. Each have their pros and cons, I personally prefer McLean.

Will Hayward - Just keep scoring goals please.

INTERCHANGE
Angus Sheldrick - Like Cleary, he has what we need more of in the midfield. Heeney & Rowbottom desperately need fellow players suited to the contest to work with, not these flashy outside players who are hopeless inside. So in you go Angus.

Jake Lloyd - A bit like Cunningham, in that the time to phase him out is on the horizon, but we're not there yet. He was also a top 5 performer in our finals series, so there's life in the champ yet. With my set-up I'd also have him as the third wingman to give Gulden or McInerney a chop out. He is quite clearly our third-best wingman and any talk of a Roberts or Campbell or Florent being as good on the wing as Lloyd is folly.

Ollie Florent - I am struggling to find a place for Florent really. But he has 150+ games of experience and I like him and I think he is too good to be in the VFL. I think he is quick and classy inside 50, so I'd add him to that rotation of Papley, Cleary and Warner. Just go all-out speed, ground balls, pressure inside 50.

Unknown - There are so many options for this spot.

There's James Jordon, who I haven't named yet, because I'm still not convinced that in a team loaded with flankers, he does quiiiiite enough outside of his shutdown roles. But they are a big asset and point of difference for him.

There's Robbie Fox, the most versatile of the options. He could help out down back in a lockdown sort of role, help out up forward in a pressure sort of role. There's also just the fact that he really, really deserves it, for so rarely letting us down.

There's Taylor Adams, if we want more hardness and contested strength in the midfield (but I am also backing in the additions of Mills, Sheldrick & Cleary and the omissions of Gulden & Warner to cover this.)

There's Riley Bice, who is a mature-aged pick I presume we have not recruited just to boost our age on the census report. I'd imagine they think he can impact as soon as next year, just a matter of whether he's good enough and if he want yet another flanker in the team. Given my back six set-up only has two pure rebounding options in it, maybe he is more needed.

There's Joel Amartey, who I omitted because he does my head in. However if we persist on going down the three talls route, he exists.

There's Braeden Campbell & Jesse Dattoli, two zippy, classy forward half players who I think we are all keen to see more of, one because he's a highly-rated prospect yet to fulfil his potential, the other because he is a brand spanking new shiny toy. But I also feel like the need for these two would be quite dependent on whether literally any of the Cleary/Warner/Florent trio are playing in the forward line. I don't think it's a given that they will be, but I hope they are.

SUB

Whoever is the best and/or most versatile of who is left.

------

So as far as all of the contentious positional debates, I have gone with two talls and four smalls in the forward line, five contested players in the midfield, three wingmen, three talls in defence. With that final bench spot able to be someone who can provide extra in any of these roles depending on where we decide to go. I personally would like this extra player to be flexible and based on what is needed for any given opponent or conditions.

Does this all make sense to anyone else or am I talking absolute dribble?

I thought AFL was doing away with the sub and just going an extra bench spot?

 

[Adnico26Parker]

It's going to be a small welcoming committee...

Second year - Green, Cleary, Snell, Hanily
Third year - Buller, Mitchell
Fourth year - Sheldrick, Roberts, Warner

This year's newbies should also be there to expand the group by five or six!

 

[tombomb]

Looks like Buller is there for day one, which is good news.

 

[Adnico26Parker]

 

[caesar88]

Oh WHAT are those colours?! I legitimately thought we were St Kilda for a second there

 

[Adnico26Parker]

Oh WHAT are those colours?! I legitimately thought we were St Kilda for a second there

I thought it was Essendon's!

 

[Kbroome]

I thought it was Essendon's!

Did they do the ice bucket challenge before training??
Why we running dark red/black

 

[Nuggetz]

Would be sick to have 3 out of the 4 smalls in our fwd line.

FB: Rampe Melican Cunningham
HB: Blakey McCartin Roberts
W: Gulden Mills Mcinnerny
HF: Campbell Mcdonald Jordon
FF: Wicks Hayward Papley
Fol: Grundy Heeney Rowbottom
Int: Adams, Warner, Florent, Amartey/Mclean

 

[caesar88]

Gulden, Fox & Lloyd watching from the sidelines:

 

[Adnico26Parker]

Gulden, Fox & Lloyd watching from the sidelines:

Side note: that shirt literally looks like the Manly Sea Eagles’ colours!