"Nice" to see the afl.com.au article today declaring that two of our draftees are a chance for Round 1 .... but no mention whatsoever of Gus in the list of "possibles".
FFS.
FFS.
Player Watch #12 Angus Sheldrick
- Thread starter SwansProudly
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Shiny new toy syndrome.
Whoever wrote that wouldn't have a clue about our list. They've gone in with a lineup that only has players that played last year. No mention of Bice who imo would be ahead of bowman. They've literally looked up who our first two draftees were and plonked them in as emergencies and said that'll do. Shocking journalism
Par for the course.
Jewelsbon
Norm Smith Medallist
- Aug 30, 2016
- 5,882
- 17,934
- AFL Club
- Sydney
Fixed
- Apr 26, 2016
- 39,883
- 82,293
- AFL Club
- Sydney
- Moderator
- #1,181
It was absolute junk.
Kbroome
Club Legend
- May 10, 2024
- 2,372
- 2,240
- AFL Club
- Sydney
100%, taking the GF team the players that could/should come in:
Cleary, Datolli, Mills
Adam, Wicks, Bice
then Bowman
- Oct 2, 2016
- 12,623
- 26,331
- AFL Club
- Sydney
I just hope he can have an injury free season. Whenever he is close to or has broken into the team an injury stops him in his tracks.
Looks like there's an article on code footy but it's paywalled.
- Mar 29, 2019
- 3,784
- 10,926
- AFL Club
- Sydney
I can see McKirdy included him in the track watch this week:
Angus Sheldrick
While all the talk has been about Chad Warner, Sheldrick is another WA product that will be looking for a big 2025. Had an injury-affected season in 2024 and looks to have bulked up and got his body right. Competition for places in the midfield will be tough, but his ball use is strong and he has potentially gained an extra yard of speed as well.
Gus is not a silver bullet but he, along with Mills, is the extra toughness that our midfield needs to help out Rowbottom and shift to that much more contested style that we all seem to think prospers in finals.
I noticed an article from February on the swans website with the players asked who their player to watch for 2024 was and it was unanimous for Gus. Hopefully he's fitter and luckier with no injuries and fulfills that promise this year. I feel like Cox will provide more opportunities for him.
Bonz
🤺🤺🤺
He got injured at the wrong times over the last few seasons (In particular in 2023 when he was establishing himself in our side and looking really really good).
If he can get his conditioning under control I think he will be a member of our 22 next season.
His run of games in 2022 shut me up about picking him over Van Rooyen. I thought he'd be good before then, but that patch showed us properly what we had to work with and I was as excited about him as any recent draftees that had looked good.
Injuries aside, Gus wasn’t a Horse favourite - I can only assume it was because Horse wanted the fast, low stoppage game style.
Cox’s words about wanting to improve our contested game screams “Sheldrick!”
And remember - Gus isn’t slow. 6th out of 18 in the GF sprint proved it. He can distribute off both sides & I’ll be incredibly disappointed if injury cruels him again.
Cox’s words about wanting to improve our contested game screams “Sheldrick!”
And remember - Gus isn’t slow. 6th out of 18 in the GF sprint proved it. He can distribute off both sides & I’ll be incredibly disappointed if injury cruels him again.
Bonz
🤺🤺🤺
His a tough barstard as well and has shown in under 18's he can play on with injury and have an impact.
Whatever happens, this season will make or break Sheldrick.
I honestly have no idea what to expect
I honestly have no idea what to expect
Well it is a contract year so he is playing for his career at the Swans.
- Apr 26, 2016
- 39,883
- 82,293
- AFL Club
- Sydney
- Moderator
- #1,194
I'm the same. I could see him playing 20+ games, or none at all.
Last edited:
No Gus posts thus far in 2025.
I couldn’t let that stand.
I couldn’t let that stand.
He has been mentioned elsewhere.
- Mar 29, 2019
- 3,784
- 10,926
- AFL Club
- Sydney
- Apr 26, 2016
- 39,883
- 82,293
- AFL Club
- Sydney
- Moderator
- #1,199
I'm thinking about Angus Sheldrick.
As apparently many are
When I think of all the fringe players hoping to get a game or break into the best 22 this year - Sheldrick, Campbell, Dattoli, Warner Jr., Bice, Paton, Mitchell, Fox etc etc - the one I think has the strongest chance of doing so is Caiden Cleary. I will go into this in his own thread, but I believe Cleary has the strongest pathway into the 22. He can do it as a forward, or a midfielder, or a midfielder-forward, with fairly recent and strong evidence to prove he has that potential (not to mention his elite tank!)
When I think of Sheldrick's journey so far, I feel he's been hampered somewhat by a rather limited pathway into the best 22. Or at least in Horse & co's eyes, a limited pathway. I believe they see him as a pure mid, and not so much a versatile option as, say, a Cleary or a Campbell or a Robbie Fox. This has meant that, unless there's been injuries in the midfield, there hasn't been a spot for Sheldrick. There's always three or four players ahead of him in that midfield queue. It is no coincidence that his highly-rated block of games in the middle of 2023 came when first Parker, then Mills, and then Warner all missed games.
As long as there are names like Heeney... Rowbottom... Warner... Mills... Gulden... ahead of Sheldrick, then any hope Sheldrick has depends on him being able to play a bit of midfield, but also a lot forward. And I think the coaches just don't see him as versatile enough for that.
I am here to posit that the coaches may have been wrong about his ability to play large stints forward, in fact it may be the opposite, and that because of this, he may just be worthy of a crack this year.
To put it bluntly, when I look at Sheldrick playing as a pure mid in the VFL, I am not enamoured. He is fine, he cracks in, gets a lot of the ball, does some nice things every now and then. But he is very scrappy, both his ball-handling and ball-use is extremely suspect. I feel like this, as well as his often-awfully-timed-injuries, are the reason he often ends up in this holding pattern - putting up good numbers in the VFL, but never truly banging the door down.
In this role in the VFL as the primary ball-winning mid, Sheldrick goes at a contested possession rate of 50.8%. In his highly-touted four-game block in the seniors in 2023, Sheldrick went at a contested possession rate of 42.5%. Against Brisbane, when he kicked two goals for the first time playing as a resting mid/half forward role, his contested possession rate was 47.4%. Against West Coast, when he won the Rising Star nomination and had a career-high 29 disposals, his contested possession rate was 41.4%. Against Geelong, when he featured in this site's esteemed POTY votes, his contested possession rate was 28.6%.
It may be a small sample size, but combined with his more-extensive VFL form over the years, everything I've seen of Sheldrick tells me that he gets better the less contested he is, and that maybe Sheldrick is best when NOT being a pure mid. We were all surprised by his form in the senior team in 2023, but it was because he was playing a different role to that he plays in the reserves, as more of a supporting mid than the main man.
I think in Heeney, Rowbottom & Mills, we have a trio of players who have runs on the board in terms of being the "main man" and being high quality whilst doing so (I have not forgotten some of the performances Mills had in 2021 & 2022.) But what they need around them is more hardness, more grunt, and less light-on outside types who can't pick up their slack or work with them in the thick of the contest. In other words, they need a supporting mid.
So maybe the way that Sheldrick can improve our midfield is not by becoming a gun midfielder, but by helping our existing gun midfielders. (Of course, if Sheldrick decides to become a gun midfielder himself in the process, I would not object LOL)
I would rather us get something out of Sheldrick in 2025, by having say 20+ games of Sheldrick floating between midfield and half forward, adding some hardness and grunt to our midfield, but also showing some of the class and creativity he showed in 2023 playing in a more uncontested capacity. I fear that if we only ever dare to use him as a pure mid, and we hold him back until such an opportunity arises, then it could easily just be another season spent on the sidelines, and we'll miss out on anything that Sheldrick can offer.
And I think he has plenty to offer.
As apparently many are
When I think of all the fringe players hoping to get a game or break into the best 22 this year - Sheldrick, Campbell, Dattoli, Warner Jr., Bice, Paton, Mitchell, Fox etc etc - the one I think has the strongest chance of doing so is Caiden Cleary. I will go into this in his own thread, but I believe Cleary has the strongest pathway into the 22. He can do it as a forward, or a midfielder, or a midfielder-forward, with fairly recent and strong evidence to prove he has that potential (not to mention his elite tank!)
When I think of Sheldrick's journey so far, I feel he's been hampered somewhat by a rather limited pathway into the best 22. Or at least in Horse & co's eyes, a limited pathway. I believe they see him as a pure mid, and not so much a versatile option as, say, a Cleary or a Campbell or a Robbie Fox. This has meant that, unless there's been injuries in the midfield, there hasn't been a spot for Sheldrick. There's always three or four players ahead of him in that midfield queue. It is no coincidence that his highly-rated block of games in the middle of 2023 came when first Parker, then Mills, and then Warner all missed games.
As long as there are names like Heeney... Rowbottom... Warner... Mills... Gulden... ahead of Sheldrick, then any hope Sheldrick has depends on him being able to play a bit of midfield, but also a lot forward. And I think the coaches just don't see him as versatile enough for that.
I am here to posit that the coaches may have been wrong about his ability to play large stints forward, in fact it may be the opposite, and that because of this, he may just be worthy of a crack this year.
To put it bluntly, when I look at Sheldrick playing as a pure mid in the VFL, I am not enamoured. He is fine, he cracks in, gets a lot of the ball, does some nice things every now and then. But he is very scrappy, both his ball-handling and ball-use is extremely suspect. I feel like this, as well as his often-awfully-timed-injuries, are the reason he often ends up in this holding pattern - putting up good numbers in the VFL, but never truly banging the door down.
In this role in the VFL as the primary ball-winning mid, Sheldrick goes at a contested possession rate of 50.8%. In his highly-touted four-game block in the seniors in 2023, Sheldrick went at a contested possession rate of 42.5%. Against Brisbane, when he kicked two goals for the first time playing as a resting mid/half forward role, his contested possession rate was 47.4%. Against West Coast, when he won the Rising Star nomination and had a career-high 29 disposals, his contested possession rate was 41.4%. Against Geelong, when he featured in this site's esteemed POTY votes, his contested possession rate was 28.6%.
It may be a small sample size, but combined with his more-extensive VFL form over the years, everything I've seen of Sheldrick tells me that he gets better the less contested he is, and that maybe Sheldrick is best when NOT being a pure mid. We were all surprised by his form in the senior team in 2023, but it was because he was playing a different role to that he plays in the reserves, as more of a supporting mid than the main man.
I think in Heeney, Rowbottom & Mills, we have a trio of players who have runs on the board in terms of being the "main man" and being high quality whilst doing so (I have not forgotten some of the performances Mills had in 2021 & 2022.) But what they need around them is more hardness, more grunt, and less light-on outside types who can't pick up their slack or work with them in the thick of the contest. In other words, they need a supporting mid.
So maybe the way that Sheldrick can improve our midfield is not by becoming a gun midfielder, but by helping our existing gun midfielders. (Of course, if Sheldrick decides to become a gun midfielder himself in the process, I would not object LOL)
I would rather us get something out of Sheldrick in 2025, by having say 20+ games of Sheldrick floating between midfield and half forward, adding some hardness and grunt to our midfield, but also showing some of the class and creativity he showed in 2023 playing in a more uncontested capacity. I fear that if we only ever dare to use him as a pure mid, and we hold him back until such an opportunity arises, then it could easily just be another season spent on the sidelines, and we'll miss out on anything that Sheldrick can offer.
And I think he has plenty to offer.
- Mar 29, 2019
- 3,784
- 10,926
- AFL Club
- Sydney
The only thing holding Gus back is Gus and his injuries.
He came off of the 2023 season from the nasty ankle injury, then had a niggling groin issue during last preseason
He then fractured his finger in the VFL practice match, a concussion against GWS, then the knee injury.
Hopefully he's gotten all of the back luck out of the way, and powers forward in 2025.
He came off of the 2023 season from the nasty ankle injury, then had a niggling groin issue during last preseason
He then fractured his finger in the VFL practice match, a concussion against GWS, then the knee injury.
Hopefully he's gotten all of the back luck out of the way, and powers forward in 2025.
Similar threads
