Hypothetical - round 14 team?

[Brown26]

OK Nicksters. We've got a week off and the coach has given us a few days grace from the club, basically meaning I have to fork out for my own booze for 4 days.

So let's have a bit of a hypothetical scenario.

The players all enjoy a week off and come back and smash the Crows. West Coast come and go without much notice and a 50 point thrashing. St Kilda is a non-event except for Frost being suspended for two games for putting Nick Rievoldt into round 15 - apparently he thought he was Stephen Milne. the match review panel determined it was high contact, negligent, high impact and involved a goat - reduced to 2 matches with an early plea and good record and goat.

Fasolo, Sinclair, Seedsman, Broomhead, Kennedy, Adams, Oxley, Freeman and Reid all play well in the VFL for the second or third week in a row. Maxwell, Toovey and Young are back in the seniors side which decimates Melbourne by 120 points and sees the first ever mercy rule with the game declared over at 3/4 time. Notable, Nathan Brown replaces the suspended Frost and holds Frawley goalless. Frawley later claims this costs him about 150 grand a year on free agency.

The same side smashes a Bulldogs side on a high after beating both Queensland teams after their bye. The media are getting excited. Hawk Vs Pies, 1 and 2 on the ladder (Geelong lost unexplicably to St Kilda, without Rievoldt, and Sydney, but smashed Carlton ) battle of the ages.

Unfortunately Lynch is placed on the long term injury list after a set back with his fractured leg which allows the promotion of Kyle Martin, just in time to see him kick his 100th goal for the VFL Magpies. This year. As a midfielder. In his 12th game and after a slow start. This is not a bad effort given Karnezis has kicked 65, playing as a forward.

The match committee is sitting on Thursday with all the magnets on the board - it's full of good players and players in form. Mitchell and Lake have overcome their injuries and the Hawks have a full strength side as well. Which side do you select to play the Hawks in round 14?

- Ben

[perthmagpie]

Potter Reid Toovey
Manassa Picken Langdon
Sidebottom Swan Barham
Greening Cloke Daicos
Elliott McKenna Beams
Grundy Pendles Wearmouth
I: Carman Millane Maxwell. sub: Geoff Austen

That side will give Hawthorn a run for their money. Millane to take out Mitchell. McKenna and Daicos will ensure we kick straight.

[Brown26]

Sorry perthmagpie, Manassa did a hammy and Carman is still suspended...

- Ben

[Doc63]

LOL @ Geoff Austin. The original Peoples Beard!!

[Mugwump]

Good thread ! If we had the luxury of all fit players, it's a nightmare.

I got to the following, though I'd like to see Sinkers in the back half for pace:

B: Williams. Brown Frost
HB: Sidebottom Maxwell. Toovey
C Young Swan Lumumba
HF: Ball. Reid Goldsack
FF. Elliott. Cloke. White

R : Witts Pendlebury Beams
Int : Langdon. Macaffer. Grundy Fasolo (sub)

EMG : Freeman. Broomhead Adams Sinclair

[AN_Inkling]

Almost impossible to say with confidence, which is great. We had possibly only one first choice defender playing on Friday and still looked good down back. So do all of those out automatically deserve to be in?

But assuming all fit and firing, and disregarding Scharenberg and Freeman for the moment, I'd go with:

B: Toovey Brown Williams
HB: Langdon Frost Seedsman
C: Young Pendlebury Lumumba
HF: Elliott Reid Fasolo
F: White Cloke Goldsack
R: Grundy Beams Swan
I: Sidebottom, Ball, Sinclair
Sub: Blair

This is a very safe lineup, and is how I see it when projecting current form forward (and previous form for those currently injured). I'd actually hope that it changes in the interim with some younger players demanding selection and Adams finding his feet as a Collingwood player.

And I did have Blair in until I realised that there was no Beams . Made him the sub even though we should have a more impactful player in that position.

[Brown26]

FB: Maxwell Frost Toovey
HB: Young Keefe Williams
C: Swan Ball Lumumba
HF: White Cloke Blair
FF: Beams Reid Elliot
Fol: Grundy McCaffer Pendlebury

Int: Goldsack, Langdon, Sidebottom, Dwyer

Emerg: Fasolo, Thomas, Witts

This is tough. I hate leaving Thomas, Witts and Fasolo out but who do you drop for them? Brown would be a great inclusion against Roughead but I can't justify not playing Frost at this stage, and Keefe is a different (creative) defender. Toovey can go to Gunston leaving Maxy loose, and Langdon can go back if required (who's stiff on the bench but I wanted to put Marley on the field).

There's 6 good midfield rotations (I wanted McCaffer as a tagger) plus Harry and Young. Beams would probably practically swap with Swannie and Swan play forward but I love Swannie in the guts so there he goes.

I had to rest a midfielder in the FP, and couldn't fit Witts and Ried in the same team - I suspect this is what the team will look like if every tall is fit and firing cause it's so hard to play two rucks and White!

I don't envy the match committee if we have a good run with injuries. Also, it'll be a great VFL team if everyone can get up. Shades of 2010...

GO PIES!

- Ben

[Brown26]

It's amazing seeing so many players who were no names or question marks at the start of the season becoming top 22 players by round 7. Frost, Young, Keefe, Williams, White, Blair, Elliot, Goldsack, Langdon and even McCaffer would have had question marks above their magnets at the start of round one, now I can't find a spot for Brown, J Thomas, Seedsman, Sinclair, Fasolo etc.

We have a very very deep team if everyone stays fit!!
- Ben

[AN_Inkling]

Ok I give up. This is too tough for me . I have no Maxwell or Macaffer in my team . They both need to play. I'm guessing that Langdon will need to make way Maxwell, but I'm not prepared to exclude him based on current form. Seedsman or Sinclair out for Caff, but I like them both too much to do that.

Then there's Adams and Thomas who should be getting a game as well, but can't be fitted in based on current form. Hopefully we will have Karnezis, Kennedy, Dwyer, Broomhead, etc all pushing for spots as well. It's going to be a nightmare for selectors if we ever have a fully fit squad.

[swoop42]

I'd prefer to discuss the meaning of life.

Far easier.

[Brown26]

I believe there is a DVD you can hire about that Swoop...

- Ben

[Rubix85]

FB: Maxwell Frost Toovey
HB: Young Keefe Williams
C: Ball Swan Lumumba
HF: Elliot Cloke Blair
FF: Beams Reid White
Fol: Grundy McCaffer Pendlebury

Int: Goldsack, Langdon, Sidebottom, Fasolo

Emg: Blair Thomes Witts

[Museman]

FB: Fas, Frost, Toovey
HB: Langdon, Maxwell, Williams
C: Beams, Swan, Lumumba
HF: Elliot, Cloke, Goldsack
FF: Sidebottom, Reid, White
Fol: Grundy, McCaffer, Pendlebury

Int: Witts, Blair, Ball, Sinclair/Seedsman(sub)

Emg: Thomes, Keefe, Sinclair/Seedsman

horses for courses, not sure we need both frost and keefe for the piss n shit, besides reid can always swing back.

[David]

Perhaps it'd be easier to name the absolute certainties first. These are the players who are named every week if fit and available.

Defenders:

Toovey
Frost
Maxwell
Lumumba
Williams
Brown

Midfielders:

Swan
Beams
Pendlebury
Ball
Macaffer

Forwards:

Cloke
Elliott
White
Reid
Sidebottom

Ruck:

Grundy

For me, that's already 17 players who are right now walk-up starts, no questions asked. So, who else to put in? By my reckoning, we need one defender, two forwards (or one forward and Witts), a midfielder and one last player as sub.

Defenders:

Langdon
Fasolo
Keeffe
Adams

Can't choose between Langdon and Fasolo, so I'm picking both. Fas can be sub.

Midfielders:

Young
Seedsman
Thomas
Clarke

Any of those top 3 would do perfectly well. My pick would be Seedsman, just.

Forwards:

Blair
Goldsack
Dwyer
Sinclair
Kennedy

Blair and Goldsack seem the obvious ones for me. I'm a big fan of Dwyer and Sinclair, but just can't find a place for them.

Ruck:

Witts

Witts has been really good of late. With him, I guess it's all a matter of structures—if we need two ruckmen, he plays; if not, he doesn't. For this hypothetical, I'm going to assume the latter scenario. If we do intend to play him in this game (and everyone is available and in form), Blair might be the unlucky one to go.

So, here's my team:

B: Williams, Brown, Toovey
HB: Lumumba, Frost, Maxwell
C: Swan, Beams, Ball
HF: Sidebottom, Cloke, White
F: Elliott, Reid, Goldsack
R: Grundy, Macaffer, Pendlebury
I/C: Langdon, Seedsman, Blair, Fasolo (sub)

EMG: Keeffe, Thomas, Sinclair

With any of the above emergencies or Young, Witts, Dwyer, Adams, Kennedy, Clarke or Karnezis to come in if any of that 22 get injured or aren't up to it.

Bring on the Hawks (and, well, the other teams in-between that we also need to beat).

[AN_Inkling]

^^Ok. Your team wins so far, even though you don't have Sinclair (should be considered as a defender rather than a forward, but can't argue with having Langdon ahead of him, the kid deserves his spot) and Lumumba needs to play on a wing.

One change: I think Young did enough on Anzac Day to suggest he's ahead of Seedsman at this stage. Young's current form is better than Seed's last season form. My hope and expectation is that Seedsman will take the next step this season when he does finally get back on the park. At that point, Seedsman and Young should both be in the team, as in my picks, though so should Maxy and Caf .