Carlton Supporters Club

As you can appreciate, I think we know that we are still in development mode, and one of the things we are looking for is to develop a winning attitude, as well as a winning feeling.

Irrespective, the conversation surrounding who plays when is occurring and largely it will vary depending on what our aims are.

Team balance is one.
Learning opportunities with guidance is another.

Realistically I look at it, and I can see a few "constants" that are likely to be the case for our team selection, irrespective of what value we perceive they bring to the table.

What I can see happening is that the following players will be picked most weeks unless injured, or struggling for form/fitness majorly.

Mature agers, team leaders, onfield coaches, call them whatever you want:

Marc Murphy
Kade Simpson
Matthew Kreuzer
Ed Curnow
Dale Thomas
Levi Casboult
Matthew Wright

These guys are going to play pretty much when they are available and even if we think they are struggling.  They are there not to perform well themselves, but play their role to the best of their ability and ensure that the team is playing the right way, and that other blokes are playing their allotted roles or learning to play them properly.  These guys are only going to exclude themselves from selection if they are struggling big time.


The next tier:

Jack Silvagni
SPS
Matthew Kennedy
Patrick Cripps
Harry McKay
Darcy Lang
Lachie Plowman
Jarrod Garlett
Caleb Marchbank
Jacob Weitering
Zac Fisher
David Cunningham
Charlie Curnow
Tom Williamson
Jarrod Pickett
Ciaran Byrne


These guys are no longer "learning" to play football.  Some are learning to compete, or learning roles, and some weeks they will benefit from dropping down to VFL level to polish up something or work on their leadership ability, but you will find that these guys are going to be 15-23 gamers for the year (some more likely to play more than others).

The next Tier:

Sam Kerridge
Jed Lamb
Liam Jones
Sam Rowe
Aaron Mullett
Cam O'Shea
Matthew Lobbe
Nick Graham
Andrew Phillips
Matt Shaw
Alex Silvagni

This group are role/depth players who could surprise and play every week but are more likely to be filling in the gaps for team balance that we cant quite get right from the aforementioned.  I expect some to play frequently but most of them will be doing well to get 10+ AFL games for the year and will be the VFL equivalent of what the first tier I wrote down do for our VFL team.

The Next Tier:
Paddy Dow
Lochie O'Brien
Tom De Koning
Angus Schumacher
Harrison Macreadie
Cameron Poulson
Pat Kerr

Youngsters that are still firmly on their L plates and looking to find their feet at this level, or learn roles.  Some might emerge instantly and play like seasoned pros (looking at Paddy Dow mainly or Cam Poulson hopefully) but realistically if they get anywhere near 10 games for the year, they will be deemed a roaring success.  (Projected anywhere from 0-10 games with anything else being an outlier).

This is where I see our list for 2018.  This is likely to be how our MC select our team for round 1, and will contain a few but not many surprises, mainly regarding team balance and opposition match ups, but anticipate that some are going to be ahead of others in the pecking order simply because we need them to be.  I expect we will see the 3-4 year draftees playing pretty much every week unless their form is putrid (and even then we might persist because there is little they can benefit from at VFL level).

Without wishing to be disrespectful, I don't really understand the point of this thread. Our best 22 will be a mix of oldies and youngsters, A graders, B graders, talls, smalls etc. We already know pretty much who they are.

Barring injury and any directive to specifically play kids, the first 14 or 15 spots are pretty much a lock, certainly as far as the club is concerned. We all have our own set of heroes and villains, but they won't figure in the club's plans. The other 7 or 8 spots will generate a bit of discussion I guess.

And dissection is missing an s.

Agree with most of the ratings, but Cripps and Jones will be two of the first picked players every week. Cripps will not be sighted in the VFL probably for the rest of his career unless coming back from injury. Jones would have to do a complete 180 not to play every game this year also. His role on the last line of defence will be integral this season.

No disrespect felt at all its to encourage the conversation surrounding team balance over this way rather than a pre match thread because I can see it happening weekly.

This is not about who gets first picked, but the recent conversation surrounding selection for team balance and certain players potentially not playing.

My lists suggest that blokes like Weitering and Mckay will get the nod ahead of anyone they are vying with for selection IMHO.

Thomas won't be a mainstay if the others come on.  I wouldn't have considered Silvangni anything more than a young kid either so how he is considered a next tier player I have no idea.  Casboult too isn't a direct selection- I'd have him in tier two or three.

I'll be interested to see the team balance if we play a lot of kids for development  and get off to a bad start to the year and cop a few beltings...will Bolton and crew hold their nerve and keep playing  the kids or will BB go back to some of the experienced players and old ways of playing men behind the ball looking to limit the damage.
He has been exempt from scrutiny but thats going to change at seasons end and he needs wins not green shoot cliches....

I would say the teams that we have seen so far is what you will see next Thursday.

I don't see O'Brien being an inclusion, has looked timid and scared both games and needs to get used to playing against men. I fully expect Dow to be there to experience a 90K crowd against the reigning premiers.

Backs; Jones, Weitering, Marchbank, Plowman, Simpson, Byrne

Mids; Kruezer, Cripps, Kennedy, E.Curnow, Murphy, SPS

Forwards; Casboult; C. Curnow, McKay, Pickett, Fisher, J.Silvagni

I; Dow, Thomas, Wright, A.Silvagni/O'Shea (depending on injury recovery)

Sure our backs are significantly bigger than their smalls but if we keep it in the air, block Riewoldt from marking this gives us a clear advantage in the air. I would like to see A.Silvagni in to cover Martin when he goes forward but don't know if he's ready. McKay needs to play a block of games say 3-5 and re assess. Jack is holding on by the bare minimum as Pickett would be very handy this game. If Rance plays off his man we need to go through our player as often as possible.

I think the round 1 team will be something like:

B: Byrne, Jones, Marchbank
Hb: Plowman, Weitering, Simpson
C: E.Curnow, Cripps, Petrevski-Seton
Hf: Pickett, C.Curnow, Fisher
F: Wright, Casboult, J.Silvagni
Foll: Kreuzer, Kennedy
Rov: Murphy
I/c: Dow, Cuningham, Thomas, Lamb
Emg: Garlett, McKay, Mullett