Team Selection Policy In 2016

[cookie2]

Aye, stupid call. No respect to young Cuningham but he's a way off playing senior footy.

The best 22 can only ever be pure speculation at this stage of the year - well for 5 or 6 of them anyway.

[Jack Burton]

Pretty close I reckon. I'd swap Wright and C Curnow, and replace Cuningham with Boekhorst. Which defenders would you remove to create a spot for the Irish boys?

[cimm1979]

was Jon Ralph involved?

He's got a massive boner on for Boek to fail.

[crashlander]

I agree with GtC: the 2 Irish lads will be good enough to play if they are uninjured. They add pace to our midfield, and neither takes any crap. They may allow us to move Zac Tuohy into the midfield.

I must admit that I don't take much notice of the 'best 22': not only is it very early, but none of the scribes really know how the players are rated internally. Nor will we until it gets a LOT closer to the real season, in all probability. However, last year Byrne played all the preseason and would have started but for injury. He did well in his only game until he was hurt. Sheehan more than held his place at the end of 2014.

I expect the youngsters to get games and I wouldn't be surprised if one of them play a LOT of games, but to place a kid in our best a this point is pushing it.

[DJC]

I think this is the best place for Bolton's latest musings:

Asked whether Gibbs could become a consistently dominant player in 2016, Bolton said: "I'd really like to think that he could. His physical preparation has been a real positive."

"But our footy club needs to rely on more than just Bryce Gibbs and Marc Murphy and 'Kreuze' (Matthew Kreuzer), it's got to become more dense than that.

"Last year's draft was step one to help improve in that area, but it's going to take some time."

Stating the obvious perhaps, but Bolton will be expecting others to step up.

His thoughts on Kreuzer and the other talls are interesting too:

Bolton said Kreuzer's troublesome right foot had given him no problems this summer, as he looks set to complete his first full pre-season in years.

The Blues coach is yet to decide whether the 200cm big man is best suited to the ruck or forward line, but believes his versatility will be a significant asset.

"We know Kreuze is a really high draft pick and he has talent, but we're pushing systems," Bolton said.

"Andrew Phillips, Kreuze, Levi Casboult, Daniel Gorringe are all key forwards who can hit in the ruck, so I think we'll have a mix and a blend of them working as a system.

"I'm going to suspend judgment (on Kreuzer's best position). I want to see him within our system, but I think he can have impact both in the ruck and as a forward because he's so mobile for a big guy."

Rucks who can play forward and/or forwards who can ruck have been part of the Hawthorn "system" and it seems that Bolton will follow a similar approach.

[Amers]

Casboult as the tall forward, Kreuz in the ruck, Phillips as 2nd ruck/forward, Everitt as the 3rd tall.

The exciting part for me is having Walker down there as a 4th tall, he could be in for another 50 goal year !!

[LP]

I think this is the best place for Bolton's latest musings:

Stating the obvious perhaps, but Bolton will be expecting others to step up.

His thoughts on Kreuzer and the other talls are interesting too:

Rucks who can play forward and/or forwards who can ruck have been part of the Hawthorn "system" and it seems that Bolton will follow a similar approach.

Kreuzer is not a forward, never was and never will be, he is either a ruck or a ruck rover end of story.

I think some of Kreuzers very best stoppage work came about when he was ruck roving to either Hampson or Warnock inside F50, not unlike what Roughead does for Hawthorn on occasions.

When blokes that size get momentum around a pack and the tap works out in their general direction it's very hard to prevent them from getting a clean possession away. And if the tap doesn't work they tend to hit opponents very hard, you don't see blokes breaking away from a Kreuzer tackle in the way they shrug off a Carrazzo, Murphy or Gibbs. Imagine Cripps and Murphy set free next to a marauding Kreuzer.

The only other place they should try and play Kreuzer is on a wing in Gehrig style. Opposition clubs will be forced to put a monster defender or other ruckmen on him but most won't have the capacity to keep running with him. Further he still gets to rove stoppages from that position, you can have him at most stoppages between CHB and CHF.

[ItsOurTime]

Rucks who can play forward and/or forwards who can ruck have been part of the Hawthorn "system" and it seems that Bolton will follow a similar approach.

We've been trying to do this since 2009 and it hasn't really worked for us. Maybe BB can work some magic but it will be a long journey to get it right IMO (probably means new players in those roles)

[DJC]

We've been trying to do this since 2009 and it hasn't really worked for us. Maybe BB can work some magic but it will be a long journey to get it right IMO (probably means new players in those roles)

Very true, and I think that Phillips and Gorringe were recruited because they can go forward, take marks and kick goals.  Kreuzer could do that too, earlier in his career, and probably can still if given the opportunity and good delivery. 

It's probably a combination of talls with ability and ball movement and structures that enable them to capitalise on that ability.  It will be interesting to see how it pans out.

[BluePhantom]

Kreuzer is not a forward, never was and never will be, he is either a ruck or a ruck rover end of story.

I think some of Kreuzers very best stoppage work came about when he was ruck roving to either Hampson or Warnock inside F50, not unlike what Roughead does for Hawthorn on occasions.

When blokes that size get momentum around a pack and the tap works out in their general direction it's very hard to prevent them from getting a clean possession away. And if the tap doesn't work they tend to hit opponents very hard, you don't see blokes breaking away from a Kreuzer tackle in the way they shrug off a Carrazzo, Murphy or Gibbs. Imagine Cripps and Murphy set free next to a marauding Kreuzer.

The only other place they should try and play Kreuzer is on a wing in Gehrig style. Opposition clubs will be forced to put a monster defender or other ruckmen on him but most won't have the capacity to keep running with him. Further he still gets to rove stoppages from that position, you can have him at most stoppages between CHB and CHF.

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