Ready to rumble: Round 1 teams week 1

The wait is over, and the heavyweights are about to come out swinging.

Collingwood
FB: Alan Toovey, Nathan Brown, Nick Maxwell
HB: Tyson Goldsack, Jack Frost, Tom Langdon
C: Steele Sidebottom, Brent Macaffer, Taylor Adams
HF: Dayne Beams, Travis Cloke, Jamie Elliott
FF: Ben Kennedy, Jarrod Witts, Dane Swan
Fol: Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Harry Lumumba
Int: Marty Clarke, Clinton Young, Luke Ball, Ben Sinclair
Emg: Quinten Lynch, Lachlan Keeffe, Tony Armstrong

Injured: Matthew Scharenberg, Paul Seedsman, Adam Oxley, Patrick Karnezis, Nathan Freeman, Tim Broomhead

As predicted last week, one of Langdon or Ramsay had to be picked because the other options on a HBF to replace Heath Shaw were limited. Of those sorry lot, Clarke gets a gig while Armstrong is an emergency, but the fact that Langdon was named in the 18 tells you a lot about Buckley’s opinions of those latter two. Frost over Keeffe is interesting for real footy but not really for fantasy since neither will score – apart from making Mayne startable in draft formats. I’d rate Young as 50:50 to get one of the vests.

Fremantle
FB: Zac Dawson, Luke McPharlin, Lee Spurr
HB: Danyle Pearce, Michael Johnson, Tendai Mzungu
C: Cameron Sutcliffe, Ryan Crowley, David Mundy
HF: Matthew de Boer, Chris Mayne, Nathan Fyfe
FF: Hayden Ballantyne, Matthew Pavlich, Michael Walters
Fol: Aaron Sandilands, Michael Barlow, Lachie Neale
Int: Paul Duffield, Stephen Hill, Thomas Sheridan, Jack Hannath
Emg: Colin Sylvia, Zachary Clarke, Clancee Pearce

Injured: Kepler Bradley, Zachary Clarke, Jonathon Griffin, Scott Gumbleton, Garrick Ibbotson, Anthony Morabito
Suspended: Nick Suban

Mzungu at a HBF will hopefully be a sign for his owners in Ultimate Footy that he might add back eligibility in those leagues. Do not be at all surprised if there is a trademark Ross Lyon late out in this game, so Sylvia and Clancee are still very much in the mix to play. Only problem is that lockout will be crazy so you won’t be able to do much about it.

Western Sydney
FB: Nick Haynes, Jonathan Giles, Adam Kennedy
HB: Curtly Hampton, Phil Davis, Sam Frost
C: Tom Scully, Adam Treloar, Heath Shaw
HF: Toby Greene, Jeremy Cameron, Lachlan Whitfield
FF: Dylan Addison, Jonathon Patton, Devon Smith
Fol: Shane Mumford, Rhys Palmer, Callan Ward
Int: Josh Hunt, Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel, Tomas Bugg
Emg: Jed Lamb, Josh Kelly, Adam Tomlinson

Injured: Tim Mohr, Sam Schulz

Giles at FB shows that the Giants coaches rated his performance against the Saints, and he did look good as a KP defender. Shaw on a wing and Hunt on the bench means a reprieve for Kennedy and Bugg, albeit the latter is dangerously close to the end of the bench. In fact, a lot of these positions are not accurate to describe the player’s role: Greene will play pure midfield, Shaw will sweep back, Whitfield will sit on the fat side wing. Scully is a chance for a late out after an interrupted preseason, so those holding onto hope for Lamb or Kelly are still in the running. Tomlinson is unlucky not to be picked, I feel, though the addition of Addison is no doubt related to his superior frontal pressure skills.

Sydney
FB: Nick Smith, Ted Richards, Jeremy Laidler
HB: Jarrad McVeigh, Heath Grundy, Nick Malceski
C: Rhyce Shaw, Kieren Jack, Lewis Jetta
HF: Craig Bird, Samuel Reid, Daniel Hannebery
FF: Ben McGlynn, Lance Franklin, Gary Rohan
Fol: Mike Pyke, Josh P. Kennedy, Tom Mitchell
Int: Dane Rampe, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Luke Parker, Harry Cunningham
Emg: Ryan O’Keefe, Dean Towers, Tom Derickx

Injured: Adam Goodes, Kurt Tippett

ROK dropped like a stone! Amazing stuff. Unless of course Parker doesn’t come up from his eye poke, or Cunningham is mysteriously withdrawn late. Laidler gets his shot at becoming the new Martin Mattner. McVeigh will zone up and Shaw sweep back, with Rampe making it seven in the backline as the Swans have done for a number of years now under John Longmire. LRT will swing all about where needed, and support in ruck, so no need for Derickx. The vests to me look like Cunningham green, LRT or Parker red.

Gold Coast
FB: Matthew Warnock, Steven May, Greg Broughton
HB: Sean Lemmens, Clay Cameron, Trent McKenzie
C: Matthew Shaw, Gary Ablett jnr, Jarrod Harbrow
HF: Aaron Hall, Thomas Lynch, Jack Martin
FF: Sam Day, Charlie Dixon, Brandon Matera
Fol: Thomas Nicholls, Michael Rischitelli, Dion Prestia
Int: David Swallow, Danny Stanley, Tim Sumner, Jaeger O’Meara
Emg: Alex Sexton, Andrew Boston, Luke Russell

Injured: Zac Smith, Nathan Bock, Jack Hutchins, Leigh Osborne
Suspended: Campbell Brown (club)

That’s a fairly unimpressive backline: old man Warnock, May who has played half a season of KP defence to not much effect, Mr B who has looked slow and unfit in preseason, the Cannon who hasn’t fired a shot yet, and two first gamers. Riewoldt should kick seven. That’s if the ball gets down to him, of course. If the Tigers can’t lift for this game against a team they should beat to make finals again, they never will. Lemmens makes an interesting unique on your mid bench. Cameron will be gone once one of Rory Thompson and Seb Tape are fully fit, though, which should be by round 2.

Richmond
FB: Troy Chaplin, Alex Rance, David Astbury
HB: Bachar Houli, Chris Newman, Steven Morris
C: Shaun Grigg, Dustin Martin, Brandon Ellis
HF: Ricky Petterd, Reece Conca, Nick Vlastuin
FF: Ben Griffiths, Tyrone Vickery, Jack Riewoldt
Fol: Shaun Hampson, Trent Cotchin, Brett Deledio
Int: Shane Edwards, Nathan Foley, Matt Thomas, Matthew McDonough
Emg: Aaron Edwards, Nathan Gordon, Sam Lloyd

Injured: Ivan Maric, Daniel Jackson, Ben Lennon

Newman at CHB and Conca at CHF? That’s just silly, since the full back and forward lines are full of talls. Since Newman had been tried as a forward in the preseason, the fact that Petterd is named across half forward is not entirely trustworthy, but it does mean that only one of Lloyd and McDonough could be fitted in. McDonough feels like a certain vest wearer to me, with Petterd, Thomas or Newman to take the other. Thomas becomes a nice POD if he dodges the vests, especially in SC.

Carlton
FB: Lachie Henderson, Matthew Watson, Zach Tuohy
HB: Kade Simpson, Michael Jamison, Andrew Walker
C: Dale Thomas, Marc Murphy, Ed Curnow
HF: Chris Yarran, Jarrad Waite, Jeff Garlett
FF: Mitch Robinson, Matthew Kreuzer, Bryce Gibbs
Fol: Robert Warnock, Tom Bell, Brock McLean
Int: (from) Andrejs Everitt, David Ellard, Andrew McInnes, Nick Holman, Patrick Cripps, Kane Lucas, Troy Menzel

Injured: Chris Judd, Andrew Carrazzo, Sam Docherty

Robinson and Gibbs in the forward pockets, but three potential FPs on the bench, all of whom could play. The pecking order for me is Ellard > Menzel > Lucas if not all of them make it. Other than that it’s a settled lineup, with Bell slotting in neatly to where Judd would normally fit. McInnes, Holman and Cripps to miss.

Port Adelaide
FB: Jackson Trengove, Jack Hombsch, Matthew Broadbent
HB: Jasper Pittard, Thomas Jonas, Tom Clurey
C: Jared Polec, Brad Ebert, Kane Cornes
HF: Angus Monfries, Justin Westhoff, Hamish Hartlett
FF: John Butcher, Jay Schulz, Robbie Gray
Fol: Matthew Lobbe, Travis Boak, Chad Wingard
Int: (from) Oliver Wines, Matt White, Cameron O’Shea, Jarman Impey, Brent Renouf, Sam Colquhoun, Domenic Cassisi

Injured: Campbell Heath, Jarrad Redden, Paul Stewart

If Renouf doesn’t play, who supports in ruck? Trengove probably as Hombsch, Jonas and Clurey all play tall, with the Hoff providing a desultory contest in forward stoppages. In fact, this could mean Lobbe doesn’t move around much from the centre and gets spelled a fair bit anyway in between goals, so those hoping he’d carry the load solo will be disappointed. He’s still worth a shot based the back end of his 2013, though. Impey will get a vest if he plays you’d think, while Polec should see out a full game.