Analysis 2023 Preseason Games
- Thread starter wogitalia
- Start date
Jai Culley was on the bike for the second half, not sure what the issue was.
Sheed wasn’t that good for mine - Hopper is the far better pick.
Chesser is very exciting & a player WCE will want to get games into when ready.
Elijah Hewett looked great when he came on, has some real flair & class - took a great mark.
Yeo looked like the Yeo of old, lock him in.
Long very quiet, didn’t notice him much.
Rozee looked in good shape, his owners will be happy enough I imagine.
Horne-Francis did not use the ball well…. No interest in him.
Ginbey will play next week, minor toe issue today.
Sheed wasn’t that good for mine - Hopper is the far better pick.
Chesser is very exciting & a player WCE will want to get games into when ready.
Elijah Hewett looked great when he came on, has some real flair & class - took a great mark.
Yeo looked like the Yeo of old, lock him in.
Long very quiet, didn’t notice him much.
Rozee looked in good shape, his owners will be happy enough I imagine.
Horne-Francis did not use the ball well…. No interest in him.
Ginbey will play next week, minor toe issue today.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...-sheezel-stars-for-north-20230224-p5cnb7.html
Rugby union convert Lachlan McAndrew could be in line for his AFL debut in Sydney’s round one clash with the Gold Coast Suns if their ruck stocks crisis worsens any further.
Veteran Tom Hickey will miss the first part of Sydney’s season while second-choice ruckman Peter Ladhams is also battling knee tendonitis, which ruled him out of Friday’s match simulation against Brisbane Lions - the Swans’ first opposed hit-out since losing last year’s grand final.
Rugby union convert Lachlan McAndrew could be in line for his AFL debut in Sydney’s round one clash with the Gold Coast Suns if their ruck stocks crisis worsens any further.
Veteran Tom Hickey will miss the first part of Sydney’s season while second-choice ruckman Peter Ladhams is also battling knee tendonitis, which ruled him out of Friday’s match simulation against Brisbane Lions - the Swans’ first opposed hit-out since losing last year’s grand final.
Attachments
St Kilda vs Melbourne
General - Watched 3 quarters. Very much had that Hawks/Cats feel to it of two very different level sides. Melbourne were super classy and the Saints were very scrappy through the first half, third quarter the Demons started to mess with the magnets and fell into the scrap themselves. Both sides playing pretty much best available to my eye.
Saints - Nothing really stood out from a structural or strategic stand point, it's kind of hard to tell when you only rarely string 3 touches together but they did seem to have a desire to go long and direct, a very interesting tactic for a team with nothing up forward. I'm not sure if they saw Max Gawn on the magnets and thought it read Max King but they were kicking to him like he was their target all game. Doesn't really look like Lyon has changed anything to me, still seems to be no value on ball use in the midfield. They have a lot of those fringe guys out which makes reading much of anything very hard.
Missing - Coffield, Jones, Ross, King, Billings, Hayes, Membrey, McKenzie, Campbell and Sharman
Gresham - Strong midfield role early in the game, I didn't notice him in Q3 so think he only played a half but was firmly in the main 3 mids to that point. Played solidly. Still not really showing any of the things needed to go to another level but he's pretty close and the role is good. Durability obviously a huge problem and needs to add something to make the leap but he's not the worst option.
Crouch - Pure midfield role, still doesn't seem aware that the ball is not a grenade and he doesn't have to dispose of it immediately or really which side he's trying to dispose to. Shame he just refuses to show composure or try and kick to teammates because he's got rare ability to actually find it. Could be DT relevant.
Wanganeen-Milera - Playing HB and definitely having the ball funneled through him. I think he's more relevant in that he hurts Sinclair than as an option himself given MID only and price. Looked good though.
Hill - Back on a wing and looking good. His scoring history under Lyon at least makes him noteworthy in that role with DEF/FWD DPP as well. Has burned me too many times at this point but wouldn't shock me if he's a low end F6 chance.
Steele - Saw no issues, saw nothing to really stamp his authority either, basically a typical preseason game for a senior player who knows where he's at. I'd have liked to see a bit more but it's a tick for mine still.
Owens - You know you're desperate when you're playing a normal sized midfielder as a KPF and even got a CBA as a ruck. He was competitive as you can expect given how completely outsized and classed he was but they're not winning many games if he's their main forward target, especially with a midfield full of guys who couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat.
Clark - Role was good, clear 4th midfield. The hard part is working out how many of the butchers that aren't playing or the couple of classier guys also will push ahead of him. So hard with the names out. Clark is one of those weird looks skilled but just misses targets always types, not sure if it's just that he still really hasn't played much footy or he just has a better looking kick than the results. He definitely did nothing to move my needle towards him, role was good but too many questions with the names out and definitely did nothing to command the spot.
Byrnes/Butler/Higgins - Played as small forwards. Byrnes was slightly higher at times, even wing, but too expensive for mine with his lack of scoring history and competition for spots.
Stocker - I thought he played pretty well, still playing HB where his exposed form is somewhere around dreadful but was decent. Few guys that could take his spot though.
Windhager - Some think he's relevant, I don't get it other than as a negative name to watch out for. He started forward, couldn't get near it. Went midfield, especially late in Q2 and all of Q3 and still didn't seem capable of actually getting the ball or kicking it anywhere near a Saints player when he did. He works hard and can't fault the effort but he just looks like his ceiling is tagger at this point in time because he's neither good at finding the ball or a guy that any Saints fan would actually want having it if he did.
Marshall - This one was hard to judge. The positives is he positioned himself well ahead of the ball and was generally good around the ground. The negative is he was a liability defensively at stoppages and also was soundly beaten in the ruck (to the eye at least), admittedly against elite competition. I think ultimately it was a tick, played pretty pure ruck, Heath got injured (looked minor) and they had no 2nd ruck. Also expect they'll spend a lot of time defending where he can position behind the ball and get intercept marks. It was an underwhelming tick for mine, if you already loved him you'd be happy, if you liked him he didn't turn you either way and if you didn't like him you at least will be watching still after an interesting outing. I'm in the like category, fwiw.
Howard/Cordy - Howard started at FB, Cordy at FF, switched in Q3, Cordy was surprisingly impactful given I rate him incredibly lowly as a player but he worked hard and brought it to ground the few times they kicked it to anything resembling his advantage and even a couple when they didn't.
Phillipou - Kicked a great goal, has a super classy left leg on him, looked a total liability defensively, genuinely looked like he'd never been asked to try and tackle before on his couple of attempts. Played a forward pocket/HF role, didn't notice him getting up the ground much at all and that's not a forward line you want to be anchored in. Right now I'd say if you're tossing up between him and Humphrey that Humphrey put on a much better showing. His class with ball though in a team that has very little class across it should stand him in good stead though and definitely has an opening that he can grasp. If they're as bad as they looked he probably gets priority development chances as well. His one goal and two other kicks that went towards Saints put him a long way ahead of most of the other outside types they fielded today. He's got a real all or nothing feel about him, wouldn't shock me if he lost cash or a really solid cow. Expect he could be a slow burner though.
Battle - Down back, solid.
Webster - Down back and did very little to demand a spot.
Wood - He played HB and was very sound, one of their best for mine. Not relevant himself but he'll definitely steal a few intercepts and rebound touches from Sinclair, so relevant in that regard. Strong draft option as a DPP steal.
Paton - Played wing and I'm honestly not sure he got a touch all game, I definitely missed it if he did.
Sinclair - He was great, took the majority of kick-ins NWM stole one and Webster as well. Role was same as majority of last year, looked super fit and played well. I do think that Wood and NWM are negatives that could hurt him. He should get plenty of supply though, albeit a lot will be exposed on turnover plays when basically everyone but him is forced to kick it. For mine this was a neutral game, I don't think it really changed any perspective, if you liked him he confirmed he's good, if you had concerns with Lyon and changes, you would also have confirmation. Looks set to back up his top 10 defender status, the question is how high.
Heath - Took 2nd ruck but seemed to be playing off the bench to me, which suggests more load management for Marshall and chances for Heath than anything else. Picked up an injury (I have no idea what) in Q3 and was helped off but didn't look too bad going off, may have just been a head knock or similar.
Wilkie - Really solid.
General - Watched 3 quarters. Very much had that Hawks/Cats feel to it of two very different level sides. Melbourne were super classy and the Saints were very scrappy through the first half, third quarter the Demons started to mess with the magnets and fell into the scrap themselves. Both sides playing pretty much best available to my eye.
Saints - Nothing really stood out from a structural or strategic stand point, it's kind of hard to tell when you only rarely string 3 touches together but they did seem to have a desire to go long and direct, a very interesting tactic for a team with nothing up forward. I'm not sure if they saw Max Gawn on the magnets and thought it read Max King but they were kicking to him like he was their target all game. Doesn't really look like Lyon has changed anything to me, still seems to be no value on ball use in the midfield. They have a lot of those fringe guys out which makes reading much of anything very hard.
Missing - Coffield, Jones, Ross, King, Billings, Hayes, Membrey, McKenzie, Campbell and Sharman
Gresham - Strong midfield role early in the game, I didn't notice him in Q3 so think he only played a half but was firmly in the main 3 mids to that point. Played solidly. Still not really showing any of the things needed to go to another level but he's pretty close and the role is good. Durability obviously a huge problem and needs to add something to make the leap but he's not the worst option.
Crouch - Pure midfield role, still doesn't seem aware that the ball is not a grenade and he doesn't have to dispose of it immediately or really which side he's trying to dispose to. Shame he just refuses to show composure or try and kick to teammates because he's got rare ability to actually find it. Could be DT relevant.
Wanganeen-Milera - Playing HB and definitely having the ball funneled through him. I think he's more relevant in that he hurts Sinclair than as an option himself given MID only and price. Looked good though.
Hill - Back on a wing and looking good. His scoring history under Lyon at least makes him noteworthy in that role with DEF/FWD DPP as well. Has burned me too many times at this point but wouldn't shock me if he's a low end F6 chance.
Steele - Saw no issues, saw nothing to really stamp his authority either, basically a typical preseason game for a senior player who knows where he's at. I'd have liked to see a bit more but it's a tick for mine still.
Owens - You know you're desperate when you're playing a normal sized midfielder as a KPF and even got a CBA as a ruck. He was competitive as you can expect given how completely outsized and classed he was but they're not winning many games if he's their main forward target, especially with a midfield full of guys who couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat.
Clark - Role was good, clear 4th midfield. The hard part is working out how many of the butchers that aren't playing or the couple of classier guys also will push ahead of him. So hard with the names out. Clark is one of those weird looks skilled but just misses targets always types, not sure if it's just that he still really hasn't played much footy or he just has a better looking kick than the results. He definitely did nothing to move my needle towards him, role was good but too many questions with the names out and definitely did nothing to command the spot.
Byrnes/Butler/Higgins - Played as small forwards. Byrnes was slightly higher at times, even wing, but too expensive for mine with his lack of scoring history and competition for spots.
Stocker - I thought he played pretty well, still playing HB where his exposed form is somewhere around dreadful but was decent. Few guys that could take his spot though.
Windhager - Some think he's relevant, I don't get it other than as a negative name to watch out for. He started forward, couldn't get near it. Went midfield, especially late in Q2 and all of Q3 and still didn't seem capable of actually getting the ball or kicking it anywhere near a Saints player when he did. He works hard and can't fault the effort but he just looks like his ceiling is tagger at this point in time because he's neither good at finding the ball or a guy that any Saints fan would actually want having it if he did.
Marshall - This one was hard to judge. The positives is he positioned himself well ahead of the ball and was generally good around the ground. The negative is he was a liability defensively at stoppages and also was soundly beaten in the ruck (to the eye at least), admittedly against elite competition. I think ultimately it was a tick, played pretty pure ruck, Heath got injured (looked minor) and they had no 2nd ruck. Also expect they'll spend a lot of time defending where he can position behind the ball and get intercept marks. It was an underwhelming tick for mine, if you already loved him you'd be happy, if you liked him he didn't turn you either way and if you didn't like him you at least will be watching still after an interesting outing. I'm in the like category, fwiw.
Howard/Cordy - Howard started at FB, Cordy at FF, switched in Q3, Cordy was surprisingly impactful given I rate him incredibly lowly as a player but he worked hard and brought it to ground the few times they kicked it to anything resembling his advantage and even a couple when they didn't.
Phillipou - Kicked a great goal, has a super classy left leg on him, looked a total liability defensively, genuinely looked like he'd never been asked to try and tackle before on his couple of attempts. Played a forward pocket/HF role, didn't notice him getting up the ground much at all and that's not a forward line you want to be anchored in. Right now I'd say if you're tossing up between him and Humphrey that Humphrey put on a much better showing. His class with ball though in a team that has very little class across it should stand him in good stead though and definitely has an opening that he can grasp. If they're as bad as they looked he probably gets priority development chances as well. His one goal and two other kicks that went towards Saints put him a long way ahead of most of the other outside types they fielded today. He's got a real all or nothing feel about him, wouldn't shock me if he lost cash or a really solid cow. Expect he could be a slow burner though.
Battle - Down back, solid.
Webster - Down back and did very little to demand a spot.
Wood - He played HB and was very sound, one of their best for mine. Not relevant himself but he'll definitely steal a few intercepts and rebound touches from Sinclair, so relevant in that regard. Strong draft option as a DPP steal.
Paton - Played wing and I'm honestly not sure he got a touch all game, I definitely missed it if he did.
Sinclair - He was great, took the majority of kick-ins NWM stole one and Webster as well. Role was same as majority of last year, looked super fit and played well. I do think that Wood and NWM are negatives that could hurt him. He should get plenty of supply though, albeit a lot will be exposed on turnover plays when basically everyone but him is forced to kick it. For mine this was a neutral game, I don't think it really changed any perspective, if you liked him he confirmed he's good, if you had concerns with Lyon and changes, you would also have confirmation. Looks set to back up his top 10 defender status, the question is how high.
Heath - Took 2nd ruck but seemed to be playing off the bench to me, which suggests more load management for Marshall and chances for Heath than anything else. Picked up an injury (I have no idea what) in Q3 and was helped off but didn't look too bad going off, may have just been a head knock or similar.
Wilkie - Really solid.
Melbourne - Would be pretty happy, just dominated and everything was working pretty much how they'd want it. New recruits were great and good, existing stars were scary. Just what you want after a terrible end to last year. Not much missing here, I'd say only two clear best 22 guys in Salem and Fritsch.
Missing - Salem, Hibberd, Melksham, Schache, Tomlinson, Jordon, Fritsch
May/Lever/Petty - Same old here, rock solid. May took almost every kick-in, I had Bowey on one as the "rest".
Van Rooyen - Came on in Q3, didn't do anything of note. Seems well behind Brown, who was very good, and McDonald who was solid.
Harmes - Solid role, it's hard to read as they threw magnets to the wind in Q3 but he seemed to be roughly their 4th midfielder which is big for...
Petracca - If he plays this role in the season, he's a lock to get DPP forward. On CBA he was the clear 5th midfielder and while I suspect when there's points on the line he and Pickett will switch back, it was still way closer to 50/50 then anyone considering Petracca would want and as someone considering Petracca I can confirm this! He played well, did have what I'm guessing was a knee knock that caused some pain later in the game but jogged it off and was fine (literally just in pain for a few seconds) but the role wasn't great, he missed way too many clearance chances for a player who relies heavily on that as a scoring source. I was half expecting to walk away with him instead of Oliver but I had a firm X next to his role. If he gets DPP then he becomes a lock but I personally can't start him in that role.
Grundy - If I was confused about Marshall then I'm completely baffled here. I just don't know what to take away from it. Somehow he seemed to ruck more and yet Gawn was the one who was always the guy behind the ball getting the points and at the CBA getting the clearance. He started on the bench with Gawn in the ruck, he went forward and was as useless as expected, although I must say he actually positioned himself well a couple of times to be in the right position and then completely whiffed on the ball for easy overhead marks, like he watched the Peter Wright masterclass yesterday and took it personally. He was solid at stoppages, outrucked Marshall for the most part and ragdolled Heath when he got the matchup. He struggled to get involved in the link-up game, his biggest strength, and was bypassed often as an option. Honestly, just confused at the end, I've neither ruled him out or really thought about picking him all o***eason and this game just compounded that position for me.
Viney - Same old.
Spargo/ANB - Same old for them also, small forward and high half forward roles.
Brayshaw - Started in defense, started on fire. I didn't notice him in Q3 but he might have been there, I honestly don't know. He played well and looked set for another big year. I had zero CBA for him and seemed a clear HB role.
Gawn - Honestly, he was the ruck that I came away highest on, which is funny as I entered the game with him lowest of the group. He dominated his CBAs, actually made Marshall look silly for the most part, and as I mentioned above, it felt like the Saints thought he was playing for them, he must have had close to 10 intercept marks in the 2nd quarter! He kicked a goal, a bit fluky but most of his goals tend to be but also looked as lost as usual up forward also where he just doesn't quite know how to use his size for the most part. I had the CBA at 6 to 9 (Grundy), it felt like Grundy was at more stoppages but felt like Gawn was the around the ground ruck but, again, that's because the Saints were picking him out like a leading target. I'd kind of ruled him out as much as you can and was happy to wait for DPP but he definitely came back into my consideration with this game. Farkin rucks.
Hunter - He was sublime, early hand up for best recruit of the season contention. Seriously, if he plays like this he's more valuable than Grundy. Found space at will, rarely missed the target and looked back to his previous best as one of the all time great I50 kicks, which is an area that Melbourne are pretty ordinary at and could be scary if they improve it. I don't think he's fantasy relevant, I still think COVID season was a fluke scoring anomaly for him but he's going to be really valuable if he plays like that.
Oliver - If the preseason hype around his hand injury is anything to go by then most of the AFL should try cutting off a hand. He was great. We all know he's great. He looked fit. The only negative and I'm personally putting this down to preseason shenanigans was that he started the third at HB and stayed there for the first 10 or so minutes, it's a negative but that didn't stop him racking up a half dozen touches anyway. As I said, I was ready to switch him with Petracca heading in, heading out I've got a huge tick next to a guy that has been locked into my team all preseason. I was watching for any sign to not pick him and didn't find it.
Rivers - The benefactor of the aforementioned shenanigans. He went to rover for the first 10 minutes of Q3, he actually did a pretty solid job but let's be honest, Oliver is the man. Was at HB otherwise and played well.
McDonald - Started forward, went to defense in Q3 to give Van Rooyen a chance forward. Was solid in both roles.
Sparrow - Had a solid role, got a fair bit of midfield time. Played solid.
Pickett - Played a lot of genuine midfield at, mostly, Petracca's expense. Whether that holds up in the real stuff is another question. He played well, found a fair bit of it and kicked it surprisingly terribly but his burst was dangerous at all times. One of those experiments that does make some sense and does have some value but I'm not sure how much. Don't think it's enough to push into fantasy relevance for mine but it could be.
Chandler - Played a small forward role and played it well. It's a terrible role but at least it's in a great team and he did manage to get up the ground a bit to pick up a few extra touches. Not a guy you're going to want on the field but a very viable bench rookie if he holds the spot. The hard part is that Fritsch comes in for someone and every time I look at their starting side, he's the very clear standout answer to "for whom". If there round 1 it's a sign he's got a chance at the role and he'd be worth giving that chance, imo.
McVee - Had a great Q1, a solid Q2 and I thought he'd been taken out in Q3 until I think I sighted him late in it. If it feels like Chandler is just keeping Fritsch's spot warm then McVee feels even more that way for Salem. Bowey, who is the only real other option, got better as the game went on while McVee faded. That he started in the best 22 mix is a good sign though and definitely one to watch. If he does make the side with any kind of clarity on Salem's timeframes then he's going to have one of the best fantasy roles going around and looks a real natural to score in it. I think the JS is going to be terrible though, if he even wins the spot. Looks a really good little player though.
Brown - Rock solid, same old.
Missing - Salem, Hibberd, Melksham, Schache, Tomlinson, Jordon, Fritsch
May/Lever/Petty - Same old here, rock solid. May took almost every kick-in, I had Bowey on one as the "rest".
Van Rooyen - Came on in Q3, didn't do anything of note. Seems well behind Brown, who was very good, and McDonald who was solid.
Harmes - Solid role, it's hard to read as they threw magnets to the wind in Q3 but he seemed to be roughly their 4th midfielder which is big for...
Petracca - If he plays this role in the season, he's a lock to get DPP forward. On CBA he was the clear 5th midfielder and while I suspect when there's points on the line he and Pickett will switch back, it was still way closer to 50/50 then anyone considering Petracca would want and as someone considering Petracca I can confirm this! He played well, did have what I'm guessing was a knee knock that caused some pain later in the game but jogged it off and was fine (literally just in pain for a few seconds) but the role wasn't great, he missed way too many clearance chances for a player who relies heavily on that as a scoring source. I was half expecting to walk away with him instead of Oliver but I had a firm X next to his role. If he gets DPP then he becomes a lock but I personally can't start him in that role.
Grundy - If I was confused about Marshall then I'm completely baffled here. I just don't know what to take away from it. Somehow he seemed to ruck more and yet Gawn was the one who was always the guy behind the ball getting the points and at the CBA getting the clearance. He started on the bench with Gawn in the ruck, he went forward and was as useless as expected, although I must say he actually positioned himself well a couple of times to be in the right position and then completely whiffed on the ball for easy overhead marks, like he watched the Peter Wright masterclass yesterday and took it personally. He was solid at stoppages, outrucked Marshall for the most part and ragdolled Heath when he got the matchup. He struggled to get involved in the link-up game, his biggest strength, and was bypassed often as an option. Honestly, just confused at the end, I've neither ruled him out or really thought about picking him all o***eason and this game just compounded that position for me.
Viney - Same old.
Spargo/ANB - Same old for them also, small forward and high half forward roles.
Brayshaw - Started in defense, started on fire. I didn't notice him in Q3 but he might have been there, I honestly don't know. He played well and looked set for another big year. I had zero CBA for him and seemed a clear HB role.
Gawn - Honestly, he was the ruck that I came away highest on, which is funny as I entered the game with him lowest of the group. He dominated his CBAs, actually made Marshall look silly for the most part, and as I mentioned above, it felt like the Saints thought he was playing for them, he must have had close to 10 intercept marks in the 2nd quarter! He kicked a goal, a bit fluky but most of his goals tend to be but also looked as lost as usual up forward also where he just doesn't quite know how to use his size for the most part. I had the CBA at 6 to 9 (Grundy), it felt like Grundy was at more stoppages but felt like Gawn was the around the ground ruck but, again, that's because the Saints were picking him out like a leading target. I'd kind of ruled him out as much as you can and was happy to wait for DPP but he definitely came back into my consideration with this game. Farkin rucks.
Hunter - He was sublime, early hand up for best recruit of the season contention. Seriously, if he plays like this he's more valuable than Grundy. Found space at will, rarely missed the target and looked back to his previous best as one of the all time great I50 kicks, which is an area that Melbourne are pretty ordinary at and could be scary if they improve it. I don't think he's fantasy relevant, I still think COVID season was a fluke scoring anomaly for him but he's going to be really valuable if he plays like that.
Oliver - If the preseason hype around his hand injury is anything to go by then most of the AFL should try cutting off a hand. He was great. We all know he's great. He looked fit. The only negative and I'm personally putting this down to preseason shenanigans was that he started the third at HB and stayed there for the first 10 or so minutes, it's a negative but that didn't stop him racking up a half dozen touches anyway. As I said, I was ready to switch him with Petracca heading in, heading out I've got a huge tick next to a guy that has been locked into my team all preseason. I was watching for any sign to not pick him and didn't find it.
Rivers - The benefactor of the aforementioned shenanigans. He went to rover for the first 10 minutes of Q3, he actually did a pretty solid job but let's be honest, Oliver is the man. Was at HB otherwise and played well.
McDonald - Started forward, went to defense in Q3 to give Van Rooyen a chance forward. Was solid in both roles.
Sparrow - Had a solid role, got a fair bit of midfield time. Played solid.
Pickett - Played a lot of genuine midfield at, mostly, Petracca's expense. Whether that holds up in the real stuff is another question. He played well, found a fair bit of it and kicked it surprisingly terribly but his burst was dangerous at all times. One of those experiments that does make some sense and does have some value but I'm not sure how much. Don't think it's enough to push into fantasy relevance for mine but it could be.
Chandler - Played a small forward role and played it well. It's a terrible role but at least it's in a great team and he did manage to get up the ground a bit to pick up a few extra touches. Not a guy you're going to want on the field but a very viable bench rookie if he holds the spot. The hard part is that Fritsch comes in for someone and every time I look at their starting side, he's the very clear standout answer to "for whom". If there round 1 it's a sign he's got a chance at the role and he'd be worth giving that chance, imo.
McVee - Had a great Q1, a solid Q2 and I thought he'd been taken out in Q3 until I think I sighted him late in it. If it feels like Chandler is just keeping Fritsch's spot warm then McVee feels even more that way for Salem. Bowey, who is the only real other option, got better as the game went on while McVee faded. That he started in the best 22 mix is a good sign though and definitely one to watch. If he does make the side with any kind of clarity on Salem's timeframes then he's going to have one of the best fantasy roles going around and looks a real natural to score in it. I think the JS is going to be terrible though, if he even wins the spot. Looks a really good little player though.
Brown - Rock solid, same old.
