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There's no reason McVeigh can't organise the team to play in the same game style as the seniors while using the magnets creatively to provide development opportunities.
For instance Green can play some games as a back, some as a forward as the second ruck for about 25% game time. Ladhams and Stretch can alternatively take the 75% ruck time and when not rucking play as a tall forward. It ain't that hard.
It's difficult to understand why Truslove didn't.
Ladhams is horrendous as a tall forward. Plays like an Under 12. Much better as a first ruck.
Agreed at AFL level. At VFL level, he's good enough as a forward to spend time there to allow Green time in the ruck to develop.Ladhams is horrendous as a tall forward. Plays like an Under 12. Much better as a first ruck.
My comment was "use the magnets to provide development opportunities" which is exactly what you're saying.I am not worried about game style. I am more concerned why we draft players and then seemingly make no effort in the vfl to get them involved in the game.
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Because we are a non Victorian team I think the Swans feel a responsibility to draft academy players and retain them on the list. This inspires the kids in schools every year when they see players being drafted and retained on the list at the Swans. This cannot be understated. The academy kids wanting to be a part of the academy every year is not a default. It requires the Swans to demonstrate that there is a definite path to the AFL. If these kids see that every year there are players being drafted or rookied or retained on the Swans list then it inspires hope in kids of all ages in the Swans academy.If we think we need 4 rucks on the list (I think 3 is enough), I would de-list McAndrew and rookie a state league player.
I've always liked the look of Crossley and from a recent interview I read, sounds like he's matured from his misspent youth and is desperate for another go. He is clearly a better player than McAndrew and has the added bonus of being able to play forward. He's only one year older than McAndrew and having been brought up on footy, can execute basic skills which sadly for Stretch, still have not reached even VFL standard.
I throw Crossley's name up not necessarily as the only option as there would surely be others who would be an upgrade on Stretch. But he's one that comes to my mind.
Ladhams has a year to run. I think we would have to pay him out and I'm pretty sure that money would still come off the salary cap. So unfortunately it's not happening.Because we are a non Victorian team I think the Swans feel a responsibility to draft academy players and retain them on the list. This inspires the kids in schools every year when they see players being drafted and retained on the list at the Swans. This cannot be understated. The academy kids wanting to be a part of the academy every year is not a default. It requires the Swans to demonstrate that there is a definite path to the AFL. If these kids see that every year there are players being drafted or rookied or retained on the Swans list then it inspires hope in kids of all ages in the Swans academy.
When we see we have academy kids of the quality to be drafted we on this board get a bit excited. But it is not an accident or fluke that the kids are striving to get on the Swans list. It is because the Swans show care and offer opportunities for them on the list and keep them on the list. These players then become role models to the younger academy kids.
Delisting Stretch vs delisting Ladhams does not have the same effect. Delisting Ladhams is whatever. He has been a servant of the club. But delisting Stretch is one less role model player motivating academy kids. Delisting academy players is a decision, I think, that the Swans do not take lightly.
Ladhams has a year to run. I think we would have to pay him out and I'm pretty sure that money would still come off the salary cap. So unfortunately it's not happening.
However, I take your point and suspect if we persist with the 4 ruck strategy, then Stretch will get another year. But if he doesn't get up to speed, it will be his last. Can only afford to carry him for so long.
We can add whatever mid and small forward you want but if we don't improve our aerial contest we're going to get exposed against the best in big games.
We straight up don't have the spine
The forwards are not the problem. The forward set ups are. Too many times we had all three talls in a pack trying to mark the ball. We had nobody leading. The last kick was a long kick. This plays into the hands of teams like Lions & it did GF day. They just blew us away on rebound every time.Agree with this i think a restructure of the forward line does have the job with the improvement. Also think this is a big year for Campbell especially if they go to the 2-2-2 forward structure as he has the pressure forward player written all over him
My preference is for a KPF and a small forward. The small could potentially play next year but we are pretty much constrained because we have signed the majarority of the current team to long deals. There are other players needing to be signed. The answer lies in the current team fortunately or unfortunately. There is not going to be much trading this outside of maybe one player I reckon. Rookies are a different matter. But we are pretty full there too.We can add whatever mid and small forward you want but if we don't improve our aerial contest we're going to get exposed against the best in big games.
We straight up don't have the spine
I think two things can be true at the same time. The forward line worked well for the majority of the year and, at its best, was as dangerous as any. But the forward line also wasn't maybe flexible enough and it did cost us.Seems here that everyone defines players/squads etc by one game.
We had the top scoring offence in the AFL by points with the 7th best defence by points conceded but everyone seems to think it's the attacks fault we lost
A lot of it comes back to our mids getting the ball in. Rebound, clearance, contested ball etc. When those are going OK Plan A works. When they fell away mid season plan B was somewhat exposed. Also the ball hit our defence faster which exposed is there in a different way.I think two things can be true at the same time. The forward line worked well for the majority of the year and, at its best, was as dangerous as any. But the forward line also wasn't maybe flexible enough and it did cost us.
I don't know if anyone else saw it this way, but it seemed really clear to me from watching that our forward line was structured to be as much about creating space for mids/flankers to push forward as it was about talls taking marks and having shots at goal. This worked a lot of the time, but there's a flaw with it, which is that it relies heavily on those mids/flankers getting that space and using it well to create those scoring opportunities. As we saw on the grand final, when most of the mids & flankers are simply not playing well, then that's when you need the actual forwards themselves to step up in their absence.
But if they can't step up - as they couldn't on grand final day at all (all three talls and all three smalls/mediums were non-factors) - then at the very least there needs to be enough pressure at ground level to just lock the ball in, generate repeat entries and at least give ourselves some chances to make goals out of nothing. We didn't have that pressure at ground level, and so not only were we not being effective when we had the ball in the front half, but we were also not making it difficult on the opposition defence in our front half.
All of this is to say that I think our forward line's plan A is good. Great, even. It's when plan A fails that it becomes clear our plan B isn't good enough, and that maybe there isn't even a plan C at all.
Sorry for the long post.
Yep i mean we also got extremely lucky that we barely had games in the wet because the team is not set up for that. I just think that we realised it wasn't 100% working and we kept copping injuries to squad players in the forward line/out of form players that we had to stick with the 3 tall structure. Hopefully John comes to his senses and realises 2-2-2 gives a lot more flexibility and pace to the lineupA lot of it comes back to our mids getting the ball in. Rebound, clearance, contested ball etc. When those are going OK Plan A works. When they fell away mid season plan B was somewhat exposed. Also the ball hit our defence faster which exposed is there in a different way.
It all comes back to the same thing.
Our mids & flankers went missing in the GF. Our only way to goal was the long kick. This is because our forwards all bunched together & our backs, mids & wingers just bombed in which fed right into their hands as they rebounded faster than a supersonic airliner.I think two things can be true at the same time. The forward line worked well for the majority of the year and, at its best, was as dangerous as any. But the forward line also wasn't maybe flexible enough and it did cost us.
I don't know if anyone else saw it this way, but it seemed really clear to me from watching that our forward line was structured to be as much about creating space for mids/flankers to push forward as it was about talls taking marks and having shots at goal. This worked a lot of the time, but there's a flaw with it, which is that it relies heavily on those mids/flankers getting that space and using it well to create those scoring opportunities. As we saw on the grand final, when most of the mids & flankers are simply not playing well, then that's when you need the actual forwards themselves to step up in their absence.
But if they can't step up - as they couldn't on grand final day at all (all three talls and all three smalls/mediums were non-factors) - then at the very least there needs to be enough pressure at ground level to just lock the ball in, generate repeat entries and at least give ourselves some chances to make goals out of nothing. We didn't have that pressure at ground level, and so not only were we not being effective when we had the ball in the front half, but we were also not making it difficult on the opposition defence in our front half.
All of this is to say that I think our forward line's plan A is good. Great, even. It's when plan A fails that it becomes clear our plan B isn't good enough, and that maybe there isn't even a plan C at all.
Sorry for the long post.
Yes their F3 has points; under next year’s new DVI, it has a reduced value so it’s worth around what pick 50 is worth this yearInteresting if Roos dig in and don’t even offer 44.
Will their future 3rd even have points?
This trade period has sucked, not for the Swans, I just mean in general. Can't remember a more boring one. I'm sure there has been.