Forwards-How do we fit them all in.

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Forwards-How do we fit them all in.

Today at 09:18:08 am

I've been having a think about our forward structure and it's obvious that we will be moving away from the structure we've had in the past.
But how dramatic will that change be and assuming they're all fit....
How do we fit them all in.

There are a few question marks.

Will we run two rucks with O'Keefe playing more a tall/forward ruck role (O'Keefe is actually listed as a Key Forward not a ruck on the club website)?
How will Kemp return from injury?
Was Evans's late season form a flash in the pan or is it what we can expect on a consistent basis?
How will Ainworth and Hayward fit into the structure?
How much game time will Fogarty get, given his strength is more as a defensive forward rather than a scoreboard impact player?
Moir is a must...and provides the x Factor, as does Williams to some extent?
And if one of White or E. Hollands wins a spot there's another player to consider?
Flynn Young is another who showed enough to earn another year...but is probably behind a few others.
And young Byrne may get some game time as the year progresses.

The extended bench means we're not limited to 6...but what's the starting line-up

Oh...and Harry McKay is also worth some consideration.

Re: Forwards-How do we fit them all in.

Reply #1 – Today at 09:41:22 am

HF Hayward O'Keeffe Moir
FF Evans McKay Ainsworth
Int Williams Motlop

Who will srtuggle for a spot
Fogarty McGovern Kemp (early in the season as he recovers from his injury)

Re: Forwards-How do we fit them all in.

Reply #2 – Today at 09:50:36 am

Another one who plays a bit as a Half-Forward is Cottrell.
Again his return from injury will be a factor.

Re: Forwards-How do we fit them all in.

Reply #3 – Today at 11:20:22 am

Skull spent a lot of time as a KPP in the VFL even before his "official transformation" from "ruck/forward" to "key forward". We had an abundance of ruckmen in the VFL and Skull showed that he knew his way around the forward line, could get his hands on the ball, and was an accurate kick for goal. While he is a competent ruckman if required, his development seems to be more along the Harry McKay 75% key forward, 25% ruck role.

Skull and Harry did OK when both played last season but is that the way we'll structure our forward line in 2026? Will the extra interchange player influence how many talls we take into a game?

At this stage, I think that we're likely to go with Skull and Harry as plan A but will run with a smaller plan B forward line at times (as we have over the last few seasons). That may involve Moir and Hayward (or McGovern and Ison, down the track) presenting as small key forwards.

G2C's eight forwards seems to be the most likely combination and that gives us more scoring options and flexibility, particularly with some of the forwards rotating thhrough the midfield and Crippa, Walsh, Cerra and Lord spending time forward.

We missed Cottrell's work as high half forward last season but, given the forward line depth we know have, I think Cotters may be back on a wing.

I suspect that Kemp will force his way into consideration too and his agility and ability to take big marks provides yet another dimension.

Re: Forwards-How do we fit them all in.

Reply #4 – Today at 11:24:07 am

Its an interesting case study. Rather than pick a best 22 right now I think that will evolve throughout the season and pre season with strength and conditioning dictating it rather than a variance in class and ability, I prefer to divide the groups into 2:

Senior players with Bonafides:

Acres
Ainsworth
Boyd
Cerra
Cottrell
Cripps
Evans
Florent
Fogarty
Haynes
Hayward
Hewett
Kemp - 5 years in and less than 50 games. 2026 could be career defining.
Mcgovern
Mckay
Motlop
Newman
Pittonet

Saad
Walsh
Weitering
Williams
Young, L.

Chesser? - 4 years into his career and has played 36 games. Not sure he is an AFL footballer yet, but seems to be on his way.
Reidy? - 25 years old, 5 games on his second AFL club is not a ringing endorsement of a player with bonafides.
Young, F? - half a season and 24 years old next year. Hard to know where he fits as a footballer but he isnt a youngster.

Developing Kids who are playing ahead or on schedule:

Cowan - he is a senior player ahead of schedule IMHO and quite important. In my best 22.
Dean - Will play ahead of schedule.
Duffy - Irish experiment. Would want to get a wriggle on, but all he has to do is show something.
Hollands O - he is a senior player ahead of schedule IMHO and quite important. In my best 22.
Ison
Lord - a kid who has stamped his credentials.
Carroll - a kid who has stamped his credentials.
Moir
Monahan - Irish experiment. Would want to get a wriggle on, but all he has to do is show something.
O'Farrell - a kid who has stamped his credentials.
O'Keefe - 21 and only played 5 games. He looks the part, but not sure yet.
Jagga Smith
Wilson

I fully expect a lot of our young players to play but this is more an exercise in showing who should be a best 22 starter, and whom has no pressure on them to be one. The fact that they might be, is more about where we are at, and them being ahead of time, i.e. Ollie Hollands, and Lachie Cowan have really arrived as AFL footballers, but the others are mixed degrees of having done so, Lord, Carroll, Wilson. The pressure is on for them to continue showing something, but not to be best 22 players IMHO, and ive done this exercise to highlight that whilst we all harbour high hopes for Skull, the reality is, he is still a kid finding his place at AFL level.

Honourable mention to Will white, and Elijah Hollands. Hollands is good enough, but does he want it enough? The inverse is true for White. He wants, but is he good enough?

From that list, my best 22 on established players at their best:

Cowan ----- Weitering ----- Newman

Saad-----Haynes--------McGovern

Acres--------Pittonet----------Hollands

Walsh-------Cripps--------Hewett

Ainsworth---Kemp--------Moir

Motlop-------Harry------Hayward

Interchange:

Cotters, Evans, Cerra, Florent, Williams

Re: Forwards-How do we fit them all in.

Reply #5 – Today at 11:30:27 am

Also this was much harder to do. I keep having issues with the balance of, what if Pittonet breaks down? I reckon its a one two punch with a key forward/ruck and one ruck. Otherwise, it means Lewis Young has to be in, and OR skull plus Harry forward, which ive deliberately ommitted using either of Skull and Reidy until we know what they are capable of.

The way I see it, you get the best version that you have seen of every single player, and put their name down. That doesnt mean they all play, that doesnt even mean they all start, but its about their rooftop quality and capability.

Re: Forwards-How do we fit them all in.

Reply #6 – Today at 12:25:36 pm

I don't think HOK will be a starting forward, he'll certainly be in a rotations though, as will Cripps.

I suspect McKay, Kemp and Moir are walk up starts in F50.

Before the draft Evans was also probably a walk up stat but I'm not so sure now, he could be collateral damage having done nothing wrong. Given our recruiting, the arrival of Jagga, I fear Motlop might be another who struggles despite previoulsy showing his flexible capability. The thing with Motlop and Williams is that they can have an impact eslewhere on the ground so that might see them in rotations, which they have in their favour.

Ainsworth brings some pace, the one common thing we've lacked, I suspect that he'll have to be horribly out of form or injured not to get a run. When I mentioend earlier I thought we were just one or two changes off a good mix, it was probably a Jagga and Ainsworth type I was thinking about.

Re: Forwards-How do we fit them all in.

Reply #7 – Today at 12:50:12 pm

Assuming he isn't injured, Zac Williams has to be one of the small forwards.