TOPIC:

Only a few weeks out and based on the PFC web site, this is the best 22 I can come up with. I contemplated Huggy on the bench but the reality is his stats aren't very impressive and same with J. Busher.  

B:        Coniglio  Gibba  Nicholas
HB:     Sinclair  AveryTaylor
C:        Clark  Smith  Clarke
HF:      Langlands McInnes  Bennell
FF:      McPartland  Busher  Cary
R: Ajang, Ainsworth, Byrne
Int: Hill, Fisher, Stubbs Davis,

Avery has to be in best six defenders. Peletier will play round 1. Others who are chance for round 1 might include Chapman Jones, Bird and John. Otherwise that’s pretty close to the mark. 

Big ask to have Hunter at CHB after only a handful of league games. I'd have Avery in back pocket, Nicholas on a flank and Sinclair at CHB. I'd have Stubbs on a forward flank, with Bennell and Hug vying for a pocket, maybe Hitchcock. I'd have Fisher starting on a wing instead of J Clark. Otherwise I'd agree with most of that. DBW/J Busher may get a spot on the bench if we decide to go with 2 rucks, and Gray should be considered if we need a tagger. I personally like having a tagger - it worked well against Schloithe last year. 

Yes, Avery must be in the back six which leaves Nicholas to fit in somewhere else. Interested to see if Hunter is up to it or not. If he has built up his body strength then he could be very handy. 
I cannot see Peletier, Hug or J Busher fitting in at this stage. Seems that Bravo wont be coming after all, more the pity.
I hope WCE are not going to mess us around too much with Ainsworth and Byrner. 
 

Denzel More who's come across from Swans and has had league experience could be in the mix if he's had a decent pre-season. 
Any word on Mayne's availability?

Highly unlikely that Mayne will figure at all. I’m really disappointed we didn’t get Bravo.  Hard to see much improvement in this team. Bonus will be Busher, Mcinness, and Smith playing more, Avery a year older, and Ainsworth’s availability. Goals will be hard to come by, though defence looks steady. Midfield is thin. 

Yep, I agree. Backline will be solid as usual. As long as WCE don't take Ainsworth or Byrner too many times and Josh Smith can stay on the park, then our midfield will retain depth and be competitive.
But, golly, I just cannot see that we will kick enough goals. Busher needs to stay on the park, Bennell will have to stay focussed and play to the potential he has always shown but to date not delivered. McInness, Carey and Langlands can deliver goals but will need to be more consistent. We will have to wait to see what the game plan will be. It will need to deliver more than it did last season.

The backline looks ok on paper, but we conceded the 2nd most points last year, and 3rd most the year before. The forward line has the problem of no one player looking capable of kicking around 50 goals. Bennell is capable, but I think we all share Smokey's concern about his motivation. Otherwise, we would have to hope that Busher, Cary and McInnes can kick around 30 each, Stubbs and Langlands chip in with 20, and get some mids, most likely Byrne and Clarke, to hit the scoreboard. I reckon 6th is the highest we can expect to finish this year, bottom 3 is likely. What else is new? 

Any idea when our scratch matches are?

Shit - I meant Avery (not hunter). Edited now.