Best back 6?

[Little Ziggyadee]

Free Turner Smith
Howat Wigney Palm

 

[Brodders17]

Ruck long term, but will start senior career with more time forward and be backup ruck for Leysy.

Undoubtedly that's the aim, when I say credible ruck this year, I mean he can hold down the back up ruck position.

 

[Tigers of Old]

The two veteran defenders most at risk of sliding out of the top 6 are Tarrant & Grimes.
Hopefully these warriors can suit up again but the club will be mindful both are deep into the twilight of their careers.
Tarrant is 34 in a couple of months & whilst he was very good for us last season, there's no guarantees he'll be as effective again at taking the oppo's best forward. He'll likely start at FB again but who's the plan B? Miller? No he's fwd/ruck. Dilemma..

Our champ Grimesy is 32 this year & also must have a question mark after a challenging '22 season & a history of hamstring injuries.
He looked very human last year when he lacked confidence in his body. Fingers & toes crossed he's right to go because he's been so important to us.
I have Broady starting ahead of my long time favourite at this stage.

Bakes had a shocker in the final & dropped away towards the end of last season as he was played in several positions. Hopefully settling in the backline helps him rediscover the form that he's built his reputation on..
Balta too was very poor in the final. He's in most people's back 6 but has a bit to prove IMO.

Our tall backs aren't as solid as some would like to think.

My back 6 for rnd 1 (assuming all are fit)

Baker Tarrant Broad
Vlastuin Balta Rioli

Short (bench)
Miller (bench)
Grimes ?

Gibcus
Ross
Ralphsmith
Nuyon ?
Young ?
Mansell
Brown ?
Smith

It could change quickly..

 

[deedee]

Hang on, you’re saying Miller, despite years of playing down back in the VFL and a few games at AFL level is better suited to a ruck role where he’s only played a couple of times at AFL level ? That’s a massive call.

Tarrant and Riewoldt are both 34 this year and looked very shaky at times last year. I’d be surprised if the club thought that they’d try and use Miller in a ruck role before seeing if he could fill one of those spots , especially when we’ve already got Soldo and Ryan to play ruck.

The guy can run 2.9 for 20m so I’m pretty sure the club will see if he can primarily play a KPD or KPF role for us before putting him into the ruck and sending Soldo to purgatory. He might pinch hit in the ruck at times but I’d be surprised if the club didn’t have a primary KPD or KPF focus for him.

There was training sim footage of him the other week playing forward, with Grimes on him from memory. Think Caesar has said he’s been going forward a fair bit of the time in other games too. Good.

And if you think Balta was shaky last year down back, then isn’t that further reason to look at him as a defender before a ruck ?

You seem to be creating arguments against yourself where the long play with Miller is concerned (ie not just round 1).

If he shows enough form, there’s plenty of opportunity for Miller to play with Nank and Soldo in the side. Plenty.

I reckon Spook is right on this one, time will tell.

 

[craig]

Fit and in Form its easy


Grimes, Vlastuin, Broad, Balta, Tarrant, and D Rioli along with Baker for the 7.

Others will run through the defence through the season such as Short and Mansell and K Mac

Of the kids outside the 23.

Gibbus is next in line and Young and Kaleb Smith might make headway faster than some expect.

Gibcus injury and lay off with months of rehabbing to come will help him put on extra size and strength going forward as a KPD.

 

[Coburgtiger]

Who does Gibcus push out?

Whoever is injured out of Vlastuin and Grimes.

 

[Rimmer]

Nank and Soldo are both #1 rucks. Ruck is really the only position either can play. We'll see with Melbourne whether a team can play two #1s in the same side.

I think Miller will play as our second ruck and Soldo will start in the reserves. If we play both Soldo and Nank then I'm not sure there's a spot for Miller. You can't afford to rob your runners of rest time on the bench, not to mention the extra man in rotations.

Nank might not have long left in the game given he is 29, small, and has been a human battering ram. Him being captain could get problematic.

Nank is more an old fashioned Ruck Rover, he tackles, gets possessions and takes marks around the ground, he mainly suppresses opposition taller ruckman rather than dominating in the hit outs. Neither of the other 2 can fill his role completely. Soldo is an excellent tap ruckman, Miller seems to be another all rounder like Balta (just a little less polished at present.)

Big guys too can often play well into their 30s, some don't even become good ruckmen until their late 20s, I would not write off Nank playing another 4 or 5 years.

 

[achillesjones]

Interesting to see a bloke who won our B and F recently, is ideally suited to the new changes and is contracted long term so blithely discarded here. Prove them wrong Shorty!

 

[FitenFitenWin]

At the start of the year it's gotta be: Grimes, Tarrant, Balta, Vlaus, Rioli, Broad / Baker. Can't split the last two - depends on opponents and game strategy. By the end of the I'm hoping it's: Grimes, Gibcus, Balta, Vlaus, Rioli and McIntosh. Having McIntosh move back would leave room for Banks on the wing. That would give us three footballers with aerobic superiority - a real tactical plus. But happy for Broad to stay too.

 

[graystar1]

Grimes
Broad
Vlas
Balta
Tarrant
Rioli

Baker the 7th.

That's my starting 6 for R1. Round 23 hopefully has Gibbo back.

Would hope that Gibbo would be back well before round 23