Best 22 analysis: Fremantle

absurd comments re: balantyne has been utterly useless for years. matera will not only displace bala but bala will more than likely retire mid season. not up to it. hasn't been for years.

Hopefully i am wrong.....But i think Lyon's first round team could end in the same position as last year and after 2 games his team will play 2 rucks which will not work. Sadly he Will play Kersten, His Round 1 Forward line up will be... HF---Bennell Kersten McCarthy F---Ballantyne Cox Darcy A far better forward line below will be more capable of 2 wins HF---Bennell Taberner Mundy F-----Walters Cox McCarthy Time will tell !!!

Agree totally with all of that. I just love drawing awareness to footballers that some pundits don't even know exist. I expect many Freo boys to stamp their impressive presence this year.

I think the expectations on McCarthy, coming back from a year out and still in the infancy of his career, were way too high for many. For me, his 2017 was pretty much in line with what would be considered realistic - struggle for consistency in impact and fade as the year went on. Of course, there was always the hopeful anticipation for him to be bursting with hunger and determination, therefore compensating for the accumulated rust and absence of match-conditioning. Similarly, the expectations for Apeness' ability to contribute at AFL level next season are best tempered. In fact even more so as he's had much less experience at AFL level than even McCarthy had coming back. It's likely that from this year on McCarthy will have a much better capacity to impact consistently, which could have the potential to transform Freo's forward potency in a big way. If Taberner plays a year of hangry footy consistently, they could be great foils for each other in the faster modern gamestyle.

"There are about 28 players that could justifiably be counted as best 22." This is it, really. A lot of line calls, largely because the list is so young now. Once you get past the first 8 or so dead certs, you're selecting largely on speculation about return on investment. That's not for a second to say that these others don't all have great qualities, just that they haven't quite had the time to develop to the point of standing out from the pack. You can't fit all of Darcy, Pearce, Ryan, McCarthy, Logue, Langdon, Hughes, Tucker, Cox, Grey, Apeness, Taberner, and then also Sandilands, Mundy, Ballantyne, Johnno, and Spurr, let alone the 8 draftees. So it will be interesting to see how team selection plays out over the season. E.g., there's no denying A. Pearce has shown himself to be best-22, but how many games will he need to get back to where he was in the lead up to his leg break? Will giving him AFL exposure and team stability be prioritised over wins and over the chance to give someone from the pack a game?

Hoping Wilson makes a big difference in bringing the ball out of defence. Forward line we can choose between Mcarthy,Tabener,Kerston,Cox,A Pearce,Apeness or Logue(I quite liked the look of him as a forward).You wouldn't describe any of these guys as stars but hopefully with the competition for spots one of them will have a break out year. We have smalls in Walters,Matera and Ballantyne. We have mids that can play forward in Mundy,Fyfe and Bennell. We can have Sandi or Darcy resting forward. So much flexibility. My set up would be. Walters-1st player picked. Ballantyne-Defensive small forward. Mcarthy-CHF logue-Playing Mayne type role(but better). Sandi/ Darcy-Plonked at FF just for the long bomb, just bring it to the ground. Fyfe/Mundy/Bennell-Rotating.Nightmare for opposition defenders.

One of Freo's biggest problems has been there lack of Ability to get the ball out of defence.......But the inclusion of Wilson and the marked improvement of Ryan and Hughes is going to go along way to rectifying that.

The days of Mids and Forwards playing there one position went out the door years and years ago !!!! Most of the game they spend in the backline ,unfortunately Freo are one those sides,hopefully they can change that around.

He scores plenty streaming towards goal. He'll be changing with Bennell, Fyfe, Mundy, Langdon, Tucker and Neale throughout. Ballas is our most prolific small forward. After half a season out, his touch was excellent towards the end of the season. He'll fire with Matera, Grey and the new draftees breathing down his neck. The thing is, JonBoy, they don't have to stay in the one position all game.

Walters great Footballer can play midfield no doubt but he is the number one goalscorer

Thanks for your team D F Best 22 is on G.F. day presuming everyone is available, (Unlikely)

Don,I must say I've nearly given up on Apeness but I know your a big fan so keep up the confidence as it does give me plenty of hope. He certainly has the ability so hopefully he can overcome his injury problems. I've said before that Tabs could really come on this year,as we know he's form at Peel in the second half of the season was outstanding,he certainly dominated in a way that made me take serious notice even though it was at a lower level for now. I think your thought on McCarthy are spot on and I think having pressure on spots will see him have a good season.

There isn't a best 22. There is about a best 28 or 30. The best 22 will depend on which opposition they play. It will also depend on whether Apeness and Pearce have match sharpness at the start or need to get it at Peel. Here's an attempt assuming all are playing to their abilty. Ryan Hamling Johnson Blakeley Pearce Wilson Hill Walters Hill Bennell Taberner Tucker Ballas Apeness Mundy Sandi Fyfe Neale Cox, Langdon, Logue, Darcy Plenty of flexibility. Logue can go back releasing Blakeley into the midfield.Cox and Mundy provide tall mobilty up forward with (perhaps) McCarthy. Walters in the middle with Fyfe and Neale just might clear one or two balls, especially with the greatest ever tap ruckman and the gun apprentice. The young draftees will indicate their readiness when they raise their hands at Peel. But, JonBoy, there is no 'best' team. We will pick our best 22, not to cope with the opposition's strengths (we have those covered) but we will pick our best 22 to exploit the opposition's weaknesses.

Everyone else would be great !! BEST 22 not round 1.

D.F. Show us your courage give us YOUR best 22 ???

His "love for the old" is a myth in your mind only. You only need to look at more than half of the side having played less than 50 games to know how silly you sound constantly claiming that.

Mattyb, on form last year, I'm with you on Tabs with a big optimistic watch on Apeness. From Connor's forward line, I'd be leaving out McCarthy until he hammers the door down. I think McCarthy is a gem but he has only shown flashes. With so many injured stars back on the field, delivery and support should create a far better environment for the forwards to flourish. McCarthy should benefit but he might have to earn it.

Logue has great closing speed, a really good spoil and terrific on the ground recovery. He has natural body work smarts. He's fine. He would, however, learn plenty playing at Peel. He doesn't have to be in the AFL to learn. However, he is safely good enough (and versatile enough) already to be best 22. There are about 28 players that could justifiably be counted as best 22.

If I'm gonna get lubricated I'm a beer man don : D

I'm with you on Logue. He's a supreme athlete, so there's a lot of potential, but he's lacking in game sense and a little lacking in confidence. He came to footy relatively late, so he's still got a lot to learn. But I agree with JB that the only place he's going to learn it is in the A side. If we're talking best 22, I think he's just on the outer, but he's a definite in if we're talking starting 22 for 2018.