HoldenV8
Journey Man
Don't agree maxta. They have there starting team already they play and train against the next best in opposed sessions.granted a couple might get picked on train and trial form but 95% of the team is already picked.
I do have to agree with this. Realistically, the coaching staff know who they want to play in what position by even this stage of the year and a lot of the goings on at training, other then fitness, would be working on those combinations. Sure there is competition for spots, but I would hazard a guess that most of the top 17 have already been identified. The players themselves might not have been told directly that they are in the intended top 17 (or maybe they have), but they can usually work that out for themselves by what combinations are being used at training.
You have to remember that saying there are spots up for grabs is mostly media and fan speculation designed to give people something to actually write or talk about in early January.