Re: Best 22 in 21
Reply #25 –
I get that at least 1 bench player is a defender.
I get that there is a team defense
However, suggesting any team, even clarko's teams, have 15 'defenders' is just stupidity.
You have midfielders.....who run both ways....but are not defenders.
You have forwards.....who chase....but are not defenders.
You have rucks.....who are just rucks.
If you instill a 'defend first, attack second' mindset into your players....by picking 15 defenders.....then you are instilling a reactionary mindset into your team, and you have already lost the battle.
Our back 6 (or 7) are not the problem. We have back 6 capable players that are not going to be getting games because we simply cannot play them all.
Our team lacks in other areas.
- Midfielders who can hit a target by foot.
- Forwards who can lead correctly and impact the scoreboard consistently.
These positions are NOT made up of 'defenders' no matter which way you slice it.
So no, we will not play every player G2C mentioned in the same team because that is not how you pick a team, no matter how many 'defenders' you think a team requires.
Saad, Docherty, Plowman, Newman, SPS, Willo, Marchbank, Stocker....can not and will not all play in the same team. Some may play on a wing, or midfield on occassions.......maybe 1 will for the whole year....but there will be weeks where at least 1 of them, and up to 3 of them (depending on injuries) will be playing 2's.
I'm not suggesting that we have 15 players rotating through our defence. What I am suggesting is that we have 10-15 players who can play dedicated defensive roles.
For example, against Brisbane last season, our back six was eight players; Polson, Jones, Weitering, Petrevski-Seton, McGovern, Simpson, Williamson and Plowman (Williamson played most of the game on the wing but did have time in defence). Lets swap Polson and Simpson for Docherty and Saad, move McGovern forward and bring Newman or Marchbank in to take his place. We still have eight defenders, one of whom will spend a fair bit of time on the wing. If necessary, we can swing Casboult, McGovern, Williams or Newnes, or Silvagni, Kemp and Stocker if they are in the 22, into defence. All have played there or are earmarked as defenders. That's at least 12 of our 22 who could reasonably be expected to play in defence and you could throw in C Curnow, McKay and De Koning if necessary.
Will we play 8 blokes in the backline? Definitely! Will we play 10 blokes in the backline? Possibly, depending on the circumstances, injuries, etc. Will we play 14 or 15? Highly unlikely, but we could if we had to.
And then there's the extra number behind the ball to enable Docherty to play as a loose man.
Topic: Best 22 in 21 (Read 786 times)
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