Likelihood of three defenders missing in Round One?

[shanegrambeau]

Brown suspended.
Carlisle still not training properly (back flareup)
Austin Logan Shoulder (played only 7 games in 2018)

What are the odds and how would our back six look?

[WellardSaint]

All three won't play, is my guess.
Return of Roberton will be a welcome change.

Perhaps one of the Zebs comes in?
Clavarino or the other Irish guy?
Or is this why Battle is being groomed for defence?
To cover the 3 absences.

Battle's creativity and flair will more than make up for Brown and Logan's loss.

[saintspremiers]

Fortunately we don’t have the option to play Goddard

[BackFromUSA]

Marshall on 2 metre Peter
Clavarino and Roberton the other talls

[SaintPav]

When did Logan have surgery?

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

I tried to come up with a back 6 and its too tough. Word out is that Nick Hind might be lining up on a HBF for us for his run and carry and skills. Guess it depends on whether he goes well in the JLT.

We have a plethora of players that can play back even if those 3 blokes aren't available. That is real good.
Geary
Webster
Roberton
Hind
Battle
Joyce
Claravino
Rice
Savage
White
Coffield
Wilkie
= 12 players

If everyone is fit, we have around 15 genuine backs to choose from each week.
Even Hunter Clark and Ben Paton could play back IMO.

[Yorkeys]

Most of the few positives in the past 12 months seem to have come from necessity forcing change. If unfortunately all three are out then it might mean the emergence of a player AR has previously been dismissive of or incorrectly sterotyped. It might also mean the tactic has to be an emphasis on scoring because hoping to defend 8 goals or so is not going to cut it.

[shanegrambeau]

So they will probably all miss? Gold Coast are mysterious. They have the big guy Wright, Day coming back and both should be keen and then the new wild card recruits in the forward line. Damn it Carlisle is frustrating!! Not his fault of course, but because he looks laconic and 'economic' (almost lazy!) and yet you know he has the talent and size and is (hoping he is) trying his best.

That list of 12 players we have available is long if not particularly impressive height or experience wise! Hopefully, our mids will make it easier for them.

[Sanctorum]

I tried to come up with a back 6 and its too tough. Word out is that Nick Hind might be lining up on a HBF for us for his run and carry and skills. Guess it depends on whether he goes well in the JLT.

We have a plethora of players that can play back even if those 3 blokes aren't available. That is real good.
Geary
Webster
Roberton
Hind
Battle
Joyce
Claravino
Rice
Savage
White
Coffield
Wilkie
= 12 players

If everyone is fit, we have around 15 genuine backs to choose from each week.
Even Hunter Clark and Ben Paton could play back IMO.

Marshall can be included on that list, he was thrown back a few times last year and showed his versatility at both ends and in the ruck, he is in my best 22 selections in 2019 for those reasons.

[DJ Higgins]

Geary first picked as captain, then hard to look passed Webster and Roberton. If Carlisle is out then I'd be tempted to see if Bruce could play back for a game or swing with battle. I don't know how good Oscar is yet but not many better first games than a fellow cellar dweller to debut in. I'd also play coffield for more game time and the remaining spots could go to any of the remaining hbf as all have strengths and weaknesses

[shanegrambeau]

Geary first picked as captain, then hard to look passed Webster and Roberton. If Carlisle is out then I'd be tempted to see if Bruce could play back for a game or swing with battle. I don't know how good Oscar is yet but not many better first games than a fellow cellar dweller to debut in. I'd also play coffield for more game time and the remaining spots could go to any of the remaining hbf as all have strengths and weaknesses

Roberton will not have been in colours for an AFL game for 350 days in Round One. I can't imagine the team managers are putting many cookies into his basket, but maybe pre-season will show enough.

It really seems like a bag of marbles we have here when we look at all the options. I can't remember a time when at least half the slots would not have been nailed down. Here it seems apart from JG and Webster, there are no sure starters and they are hardly key spine players.

[skeptic]

I tried to come up with a back 6 and its too tough. Word out is that Nick Hind might be lining up on a HBF for us for his run and carry and skills. Guess it depends on whether he goes well in the JLT.

We have a plethora of players that can play back even if those 3 blokes aren't available. That is real good.
Geary
Webster
Roberton
Hind
Battle
Joyce
Claravino
Rice
Savage
White
Coffield
Wilkie
= 12 players

If everyone is fit, we have around 15 genuine backs to choose from each week.
Even Hunter Clark and Ben Paton could play back IMO.

I think the idea of the discussion centers more on key backs in this thread of which there's only really Claravino and I don't think he's played yet.

Of the rest, Geary, Webster and Roberton are pbly the locks but none are genuine key position players
Battle hasn't played back yet so it's a little early to call him a genuine back
Hind and Wilkie are practically just on the list
Joyce has played one or two games, Coffied not many more
Rice, Savage and White are more in the running backs but none of them appear to be locks

I think it's a bit rich to say we have 15 genuine backs to choose from every week

It looks more like we have a shortage of key backs and an abundance of unproven flankers

[DJ Higgins]

Roberton will not have been in colours for an AFL game for 350 days in Round One. I can't imagine the team managers are putting many cookies into his basket, but maybe pre-season will show enough.

It really seems like a bag of marbles we have here when we look at all the options. I can't remember a time when at least half the slots would not have been nailed down. Here it seems apart from JG and Webster, there are no sure starters and they are hardly key spine players.

Roberton may play for the feel good factor but you are right he has been out for almost a year but if he is travelling well enough then get him back out there

[CQ SAINT]

Geary Marshall Savage
Wilkie Roberton Webster

[Sombersainter]

This situation reminds me of a few years back, when it seemed that we had a lot of depth.
What we soon found we actually had was a lot of C and D graders that filled a spot for a few years
and then disappeared.
Looking down the list of unproven potential talls, backmen shifted from forwards and an excess of
mediocre flankers makes me worry.