Who is our best sub option?

[WilliamPowell]

Apologies Tiger Khosh, my bad writing.

What I meant was KMac and Pickett will play each week if fit.

Only Cotchin will be managed

[one-eyed]

Super sub: Who could be your AFL team’s swingman in 2023?

Jon Pierik
The Age
February 22, 2023

Richmond

Jason Castagna was used as a substitute last year, and his run through high half-forward and ability to hit the scoreboard could be important for the Tigers. Hugo Ralphsmith is versatile and can provide rebound from half-back, while also going to a wing. Jack Ross is another option.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/super-sub-who-could-be-your-afl-team-s-swingman-in-2023-20230221-p5cm4w.html

[the claw]

Jason Castagna is a hack who should not have been re signed.On what planet does he get a game anyway.

We have a severe need to keep pumping games into what kids will be long term and in that imo One of Baker or Short would be ideal subs. That would allow Sonsie proper game time as a mid fwd.
Looking for run an ideal situation would be to play one of Brown, Banks or Ralphsmith as sub. They are not ahead of others as far as structure goes.

If we are loaded with running types and smalls then i think if he is not already in the team Ben Miller would be an ideal tall sub.KPD or KPF OR FWD/RUCK. thats versatility right there. Trouble is imo he should be in the starting 22.

Bottom line is it depends on what the starting 22 structure is.

Ie me i want us to continue to pump games into  Gibcus and Miller as talls and rioli, cumberland and sonsie as small fwds and mid, so id go like this

FB: Vlastuin - Tarrant - Grimes
HB: Broad - Gibcus - Rioli

C: Pickett - Hopper - McIntosh
R: Nankervis - Taranto - Prestia.

HF: Bolton - Balta - Cumberland
FF: Rioli - Lynch - Riewoldt

INT: Miller utility - Martin mid/fwd - Sonsie mid/fwd - Cotchin mid  sub  Baker/Short. Both mid/def/Supposedly fwd/Miller depending on how tall we go.

Thats 6 to 7 smalls. 7 talls, 9 basically mediums counting McIntosh and Broad as mediums.
It also means at least 4 of our kids are getting regular games looking after the long term or maybe its the short term when you look at the age of some of the players.

[Stripes]

For mine, it'll be Ross, Graham, Sonsie or Ralph-Smith. All of these players are multi-positional or can rotate with others who can. Ralph-Smith probably gives us the most run later in games and can play half-forward, half-back and on the wing. Ross and Graham are bigger stoppage players who can be strong defensively and Sonsie has the most outside class and highest ceiling.

I wouldn't bring in a tall as sub or someone such as Castagna. MJR was frightening with his chase-down tackles to tired opposition players but he's too important to our forward structure to use for that role now. Will be interesting to see what they do...

[WilliamPowell]

I actually would consider Miller IF we don't intend to go down the 2 ruckman path

He can play back, forward and ruck. Is reasonably mobile for a big bloke. Play an extra mid for the majority and sub in Miller for say the last qtr

Just a left field idea

[Tiger Khosh]

The only way they don’t have Miller in the 22 is if they are picking soldo imo. After last year much prefer Miller. Competes well in the ruck and when the ball hits the ground and can play back/fwd as required.

Sonsie the sub - i would expect him to be in the 22 though pretty quickly.

[Gracie]

Boy oh boy what a thread. Here we are discussing whether Jack Graham is top 22 for us or not.

I remember a time when there were multiple threads bemoaning our lack of quality players. Jack Graham would have been a walk up start to our teams back then.

Richmond used 37 players last year with 25 playing 11 games or more

Geelong used 35 players with 25 playing 10 games or more
Sydney used 35 players with 25 playing 10 games or more
Brisbane used 37 players with 26 playing 12 games or more

Even if we agree he is our 24th or 25th ranked player Graham is going to play a important part of our 2023 season

[the claw]

We have 16 players with over 100 games. All of them bar one Castagna, are in best 23 and would be considered for best 23.

We have 5 players with 50 - 99 games. Pickett 31yo, Baker 25yo, Bolton 24yo, Balta 23yo all best 23 and Graham 25yo who is being spoken as borderline but would come under consideration.

We have just 2 players with 20 to 49 games. Soldo 26yo and Ross 22yo. Both are borderline and injury cover at this point. Don't think either would be considered best 23 atm.

We have 6 players with 10 to 19 games. Ralphsmith 21yo, Gibcus 19yo, M Rioli 20yo, Miller 23yo, Mansell 22yo, Dow 21yo. Only Rioli has cemented a spot but Miller Gibcus and Ralphsmith are definately on the cusp if not in the team..

We have 14 players with 9 to 0 games. In fact only three have played more than one game. Only 2 have  established themselves best 23 Cumberland 22yo and Sonsie 20yo. Clarke is probably next as cover for a sml/fwd injury. and would be considered atm

By that reckoning i count 28 players who can be considered best 23. The question to ask is which 5 miss out in the interest of structure and team balance with at least a small eye on long term and avoiding a huge chasm between the 20 odd with 50 plus games behind them and the 20 odd with few games.

[mightytiges]

I can see the sub this year being used to conserve a Cotch or Prestia so they get through the season as unscathed as possible. If a game is wrapped up in the last quarter then sub one of them off and bring on another mid preferably with pace. 

[Tiger Khosh]

I can see the sub this year being used to conserve a Cotch or Prestia so they get through the season as unscathed as possible. If a game is wrapped up in the last quarter then sub one of them off and bring on another mid preferably with pace.

We’d have to be winning by a fair bit to sub Prestia off in the last quarter. Still scarred from all those leads we gave up last year.