01-16-2021, 09:46 AM
I haven't put forward a best 22 because I'm not sure we have one.
That might sound like a cop out, but I do have my reasons.
[1] The ruck:
Until de Koning develops into the ruckman we all hope he will be, he is going to unsuited to some of his opponents. The man to help fill the breach is Pittonet, as he showed last year. I think we will have to play both of them quite often, even though the team structure works better with 1 ruck.
That already puts restrictions on our best 22.
[2] Our best forward line is yet to be determined. One of the big factors in that is the fitness or otherwise of Charlie Curnow and Eddie Betts. In form versions of Curnow and Betts makes our forward line a very exciting beast. But we cannot depend on them holding up week in, week out. Hopefully Murphy will spend more time forward, which also helps our structure. But we will be playing a lot of guys through the forward line and the midfield, as we have lots of options. There is also the apparent thought that Fisher should play more forward.
Tall forwards are also a question: we could fill the entire forward half with tall forwards who may well deserve games. H must play: he is the key forward of the future. Casboult probably should, unless we have injuries in defence. He is one of the best marks in the business and his kicking has improved a lot. Charlie Curnow, Jack Silvagni, a potential resting ruckman ...
You see the problem. Remember, Cripps will also spend time forward as our midfield becomes less dependent on him.
[3] The defence:
The 2 tall defenders pick themselves, but backup for them is looking decidedly thin. hence the idea of having Casboult play in defence if needed.
The question also arises if we come up against teams with 3 key marking forwards. Do we rob Peter to pay Paul?
Mid sized defenders were have. Smaller, quicker defenders are on the rise. But who to play? We have more guys than we have spots to fill. Form and injury will determine who gets on, and form rarely stays constant. Plowman is one of the first picked. Then there is Docherty. Then Saad and Williamson and Stocker and ... Very hard to pick who will be our best fit. Personally, I think we should pick our defence on a horses for courses basis, than just playing the same guys each week. The attacks we come across will offer different challenges and we must take them into account if we are to match up best.
[4] Midfield:
Cripps is the Bull. Hopefully he will be back at his best this year. Walsh is moving into the square more regularly and is top notch. Williams is the x-factor. Jack Martin will be spending more time in the midfield. Then we have our up and comers. Hopefully at least one of them can step up in 2021. All of a sudden, we don't look so thin there. Ed Curnow is an excellent stopper and will be in the midfield. Cottrell? He could be the next stopper on our list, as he certainly had the athletic qualities to do the job.
The actual structure of our 'best' midfield will depend on who steps up. Fogarty? Dow? Carroll? Newnes? Setterfield? Gibbons? O'Brien? Kennedy? Kemp?
I find it fascinating that we have so much choice. I really hope that some of the kids step up and put pressure on the guys who played in 2020. We also have a number of guys coming back from serious injury. Our 'best' team will depend on who can stay fit, who is in form, what structure we need and how well we can match up with our opponents. I will be happy enough to work out who was our best combo at the end of 2021 when I have the statistics to back it up. Until then ...
That might sound like a cop out, but I do have my reasons.
[1] The ruck:
Until de Koning develops into the ruckman we all hope he will be, he is going to unsuited to some of his opponents. The man to help fill the breach is Pittonet, as he showed last year. I think we will have to play both of them quite often, even though the team structure works better with 1 ruck.
That already puts restrictions on our best 22.
[2] Our best forward line is yet to be determined. One of the big factors in that is the fitness or otherwise of Charlie Curnow and Eddie Betts. In form versions of Curnow and Betts makes our forward line a very exciting beast. But we cannot depend on them holding up week in, week out. Hopefully Murphy will spend more time forward, which also helps our structure. But we will be playing a lot of guys through the forward line and the midfield, as we have lots of options. There is also the apparent thought that Fisher should play more forward.
Tall forwards are also a question: we could fill the entire forward half with tall forwards who may well deserve games. H must play: he is the key forward of the future. Casboult probably should, unless we have injuries in defence. He is one of the best marks in the business and his kicking has improved a lot. Charlie Curnow, Jack Silvagni, a potential resting ruckman ...
You see the problem. Remember, Cripps will also spend time forward as our midfield becomes less dependent on him.
[3] The defence:
The 2 tall defenders pick themselves, but backup for them is looking decidedly thin. hence the idea of having Casboult play in defence if needed.
The question also arises if we come up against teams with 3 key marking forwards. Do we rob Peter to pay Paul?
Mid sized defenders were have. Smaller, quicker defenders are on the rise. But who to play? We have more guys than we have spots to fill. Form and injury will determine who gets on, and form rarely stays constant. Plowman is one of the first picked. Then there is Docherty. Then Saad and Williamson and Stocker and ... Very hard to pick who will be our best fit. Personally, I think we should pick our defence on a horses for courses basis, than just playing the same guys each week. The attacks we come across will offer different challenges and we must take them into account if we are to match up best.
[4] Midfield:
Cripps is the Bull. Hopefully he will be back at his best this year. Walsh is moving into the square more regularly and is top notch. Williams is the x-factor. Jack Martin will be spending more time in the midfield. Then we have our up and comers. Hopefully at least one of them can step up in 2021. All of a sudden, we don't look so thin there. Ed Curnow is an excellent stopper and will be in the midfield. Cottrell? He could be the next stopper on our list, as he certainly had the athletic qualities to do the job.
The actual structure of our 'best' midfield will depend on who steps up. Fogarty? Dow? Carroll? Newnes? Setterfield? Gibbons? O'Brien? Kennedy? Kemp?
I find it fascinating that we have so much choice. I really hope that some of the kids step up and put pressure on the guys who played in 2020. We also have a number of guys coming back from serious injury. Our 'best' team will depend on who can stay fit, who is in form, what structure we need and how well we can match up with our opponents. I will be happy enough to work out who was our best combo at the end of 2021 when I have the statistics to back it up. Until then ...
Live Long and Prosper!