Cotchin is a great defensive midfielder but no longer has the endurance to play out a full game (or season) at the same intensity. I'm hoping that the time he has spent forward over the preseason is in preparation for the possible additional time he will spend there as part of the rotating midfield. I would imagine his split would be 40/40/20 (Forward/Mid/Bench). Cotch has struggled up forward in the past so perhaps educating him and teaching him better forward craft is the preseason goal.
If his split is more weighted toward the forward line at the expense of a player such as Cumberland, I think that is a mistake. Resting midfielders will never give you the same output as a forward because...well...they're resting! They don't have the natural forward capability but more importantly, the remaining energy to provide the pressure and offensive targets we need in the F50, after already blowing themselves up playing in the midfield.
I feel we can afford to have perhaps one resting midfielder and a ruck but if you have close to half the forward line 'resting', we will struggle to score and lock the ball in.
So, with that in mind, I have a forward line of :
MRJ Jack Cumberland
Bolton* Lynch Dusty#
* Bolton rotates (60/40) with Taranto
# Dusty rotates (70/30) with Cotchin
The most important part of the rotations would be to ensure only ONE of the midfielder (Taranto, Cotchin etc) are resting in the forward line at any one time. Miller/Nank may float in and out of the forward/backline depending on need.