Oz Footy List Manager now takes a look at Fremantle.
List:
This year, Fremantle stands out as a team showing really good depth in its mature, developing and junior areas. Where you can fault them, and it is symptomatic of Western Australian teams, is that the list tends to be overly tall because of the generally dry conditions there.
So, one asks the question, why were Carr, Nicholls and Riddle added to their list if they already had sufficient junior depth in these tall areas?
Surely their focus in the 2024 drafts should have been squarely on midfield rotations.
The positive is that there is overall depth, Bolton should walk into the team as a small goal-kicking midfielder. Narkle may have to wait for opportunity, and Reid is a future genuine midfielder, which is what they will need.
The one to watch is the developing ruckman Reidy. In two games, he is just about ready to be a full-time ruckman, yet he will be behind Darcy and Jackson in pecking order.
The rest of the team is fairly settled. One would think that Freo would be big improvers and firmly placed in the finals this season.
Select 22:
Hopefully, Pearce can play out a full season but, at 29yo, the likelihood is that his injury time will increase. Cox needs to play more games too. The defence generally lines up tall and I would have liked to have seen another small/smaller-medium defender in the mix. Maybe there is a place for the mature Aish there.
Their midfield looks to have quite a few rotation options – Brayshaw, Young, Serong, Frederick, Bolton, Sharp, Fyfe, O’Meara, Walters – providing a heap of depth.
The forward line has three genuine talls – Treacy, Amiss & Jackson – and could lose a tall when playing in the cold & wet Melbourne winter.
As said, in the rucks they have Darcy, Jackson and Reidy, but they only need two in the team.
Yep, Freo looks a good mix, with depth, but a little bit overly tall.
B: Ryan, Pearce, Chapman
HB: Clark, Cox, Walker
C: Sharp, Brayshaw, Wagner
HF: Sturt, Treacy, Frederick
F: Jackson, Amiss, Bolton
R: Darcy, Young, Serong
I: Fyfe, O’Meara, Johnson, Walters
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About
It was 25 years ago that I began developing a model for analysing footy squad lists for the purpose of improving those lists into a premiership window. Since then, the model has been used to successfully predict premiership clubs and to improve either lop-sided or underdeveloped lists into premiership lists. Indeed, the model was used for an article that I had published as a double page spread in The Age 2005 Pre-Season magazine. Over the 25 years, I have analysed the annual lists of one particular club but have used it for other clubs upon request. It has always been on my bucket list to display the lists of all the clubs, using the model, which I've done since 2021 on my website - OzFootyListManager.com
Micky yep for mine-James Aish must play the dockers missed his decision making in the crunch in 24
( can’t deny I’m biased re when the name-Aish is mentioned)
I think Josh Draper will play every game unless injured. He’s a star in the making. Nathan O’Driscoll on the wing. Interesting year for Fyfe and Walters.. would be a great bonus if both earned their spots.
Thanks Micky
Hi Les, yes, you’ve made some good points.
On Draper – 20yo, 197cm, 20 games last season, 3.75 intercepts per game. Still well below Pearce and Cox in intercepts. Draper got good opportunity in 2024 due to injuries to Pearce (15 games) and Cox (9 games). Draper is the next best genuine tall defender, but you can’t play 3. Draper should get games and, at 20yo, should develop nicely.
On O’Driscoll – needs to improve his game. I see O’Driscoll similarly to Aish, just outside the best 22. Both Jeremy Sharp and Corey Wagner are almost double O’Driscoll and Aish for Metres Gained, which I see as a key indicator for a valuable wingman. So, Sharp and Wagner get the roses.
On Fyfe and Walters – great players in their twilight and every extra season will be a bonus.