Unofficial Preview SEASON 2025 - Best 22, Game Plan, Personnel

[Dubai Quacker]

DQ’s updated R0 team (assuming no chain link fences or pub wrestles ensue before then):

B: Cunningham Melican Roberts
HB: Mills McCartin Blakey
C: Gulden Rowbottom Chad Warner
HF: Hayward McDonald Heeney
F: Papley Armatey Adams
R: Grundy Campbell Sheldrick
I: McInerney Florent Lloyd Cleary
Sub: Corey Warner

I’ve decided it’s time to move on from McLean, Fox, Wicks and even Sir Dane

Armatey hangs on purely because I don’t want to see McCartin forward, nor is Ladhams the answer, or Buller at this stage.

Mills returns to the half-back line.

Sheldrick and Cleary to add grunt to the mids & improve our clearance work. Gulden to be allowed nowhere near centre bounces.

Adams into the forward line, where he plays his best footy. If he doesn’t like it - welcome to the VFL son.

I felt uncomfortable leaving Jordon out - but I’ve assumed Cox won’t deploy a tagger. And I’m yet to be convinced JJ warrants a spot unless we want a run-with player.

Perhaps most controversially - Campbell to the mids. He’s tough, a superb kick & has served his apprenticeship. Give him a chance to prove he can replicate the form of the semi-final.

 

[The King!]

Lawyer. Cos It would be impossible to do worse than current.

Fast Lawyering

 

[bedford]

my plan for 2025 is to continue with my ability to take threads off topic

Love the honesty

 

[Bloods86]

DQ’s updated R0 team (assuming no chain link fences or pub wrestles ensue before then):

B: Cunningham Melican Roberts
HB: Mills McCartin Blakey
C: Gulden Rowbottom Chad Warner
HF: Hayward McDonald Heeney
F: Papley Armatey Adams
R: Grundy Campbell Sheldrick
I: McInerney Florent Lloyd Cleary
Sub: Corey Warner

I’ve decided it’s time to move on from McLean, Fox, Wicks and even Sir Dane

Armatey hangs on purely because I don’t want to see McCartin forward, nor is Ladhams the answer, or Buller at this stage.

Mills returns to the half-back line.

Sheldrick and Cleary to add grunt to the mids & improve our clearance work. Gulden to be allowed nowhere near centre bounces.

Adams into the forward line, where he plays his best footy. If he doesn’t like it - welcome to the VFL son.

I felt uncomfortable leaving Jordon out - but I’ve assumed Cox won’t deploy a tagger. And I’m yet to be convinced JJ warrants a spot unless we want a run-with player.

Perhaps most controversially - Campbell to the mids. He’s tough, a superb kick & has served his apprenticeship. Give him a chance to prove he can replicate the form of the semi-final.

Yep, time to move on from players like Fox who try in grand finals. That will set us up to win... grand finals?

Only 2 KPDs a bit risky.

Adams is no forward.

Love the confidence in Campbell, happy to try him in mids, but we didn't play a semi final.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Yep, time to move on from players like Fox who try in grand finals. That will set us up to win... grand finals?

Only 2 KPDs a bit risky.

Adams is no forward.

Love the confidence in Campbell, happy to try him in mids, but we didn't play a semi final.

Adams is absolutely a forward - as proven during his tenure at Collingwood. He is no mid.

As for Fox - his performance in the ‘22 GF has taken on almost mythical status here. We expect less of Fox than the “stars”, so when Fox played reasonably, it was celebrated as being outstanding. His ‘24 GF performance was ordinary.

Agree 2 KPDs is a bit odd, but Mills effectively plays tall.

As for Campbell, I was referring to his cameo in the qualifying final vs GWS. He was brilliant. I have this lingering hope that it was a sign of what he’s capable of.

 

[Jewelsbon]

DQ’s updated R0 team (assuming no chain link fences or pub wrestles ensue before then):

B: Cunningham Melican Roberts
HB: Mills McCartin Blakey
C: Gulden Rowbottom Chad Warner
HF: Hayward McDonald Heeney
F: Papley Armatey Adams
R: Grundy Campbell Sheldrick
I: McInerney Florent Lloyd Cleary
Sub: Corey Warner

I’ve decided it’s time to move on from McLean, Fox, Wicks and even Sir Dane

Armatey hangs on purely because I don’t want to see McCartin forward, nor is Ladhams the answer, or Buller at this stage.

Mills returns to the half-back line.

Sheldrick and Cleary to add grunt to the mids & improve our clearance work. Gulden to be allowed nowhere near centre bounces.

Adams into the forward line, where he plays his best footy. If he doesn’t like it - welcome to the VFL son.

I felt uncomfortable leaving Jordon out - but I’ve assumed Cox won’t deploy a tagger. And I’m yet to be convinced JJ warrants a spot unless we want a run-with player.

Perhaps most controversially - Campbell to the mids. He’s tough, a superb kick & has served his apprenticeship. Give him a chance to prove he can replicate the form of the semi-final.

Great looking team DQ.
Agree with you about Campbell, I think that's his calling. My prediction is he will explode onto the scene as a mid.

 

[Bloods86]

Adams is absolutely a forward - as proven during his tenure at Collingwood. He is no mid.

As for Fox - his performance in the ‘22 GF has taken on almost mythical status here. We expect less of Fox than the “stars”, so when Fox played reasonably, it was celebrated as being outstanding. His ‘24 GF performance was ordinary.

Agree 2 KPDs is a bit odd, but Mills effectively plays tall.

As for Campbell, I was referring to his cameo in the qualifying final vs GWS. He was brilliant. I have this lingering hope that it was a sign of what he’s capable of.

Adams did very little as a forward for us this year, which given his relatively low centre bounce attendance, is concerning if we think that will change. Given his age and pace, he's likely to become like Parker, unable to keep up with defenders at times, but also without the same level of marking ability and forward talent.

Re: Fox. I'm not really sure of your point. To get closer to a flag, we drop a guy who has been in our bests in GFs, regardless of prior expectation, and that's supposed to help us build a culture that performs in GFs. Ok...

Mills is no Rampe. He can lockdown on smaller guys, but not as effectively as Dane on the talls.

And no disagreement with Campbell. I'd play him forward, but he was an outside mid/fwd when drafted and he's tougher than people give him credit for.

 

[caesar88]

As for Fox - his performance in the ‘22 GF has taken on almost mythical status here. We expect less of Fox than the “stars”, so when Fox played reasonably, it was celebrated as being outstanding. His ‘24 GF performance was ordinary.

In a one-sided demolition where the inside 50s were 65 to 32 (!!), Fox kept Jeremy Cameron - then a top 5 player in the competition - to 2 goals, while Fox had 26 disposals himself.

That is an outstanding game by literally any measure, made even more so by the fact he received little to no help.

His 2024 GF, whilst not as good, still saw Fox double his disposal average from this year whilst looking composed.

We need players who will "step up", not "back down." He is two for two in stepping up beyond his standard performance when required. Name me one other player on the Swans list who can say the same...

 

[SSwans2011]

IMO on the Fox thing, IF we make another GF while he's around, it should simply come down to whether he's in our best 22 or not. Should not have anything to do with performances in GFs where we were pummelled.

If we want to win a GF we need to get better across the board on the big day. Simply playing players that have played reasonably in previous GFs isn't going to win us a flag.

A game plan modelled around finals football with our best 22 to make that game plan work will, whether or not that involves Fox. If he's not in my best 22, he's thereabouts, but if the coaches feel that he's fallen behind others in the present in the 22 for thr game plan they think can win us a flag, his previous GF performances shouldn't change that.

 

[SSwans2011]

Name me one other player on the Swans list who can say the same...

You have no idea how much I want to say Warner to make you go nuclear.

 

[Dan87]

Every year the Fox squad goes nuts about him, every year Fox is just a role player that gets dropped based on match ups.

 

[Bloods86]

IMO on the Fox thing, IF we make another GF while he's around, it should simply come down to whether he's in our best 22 or not. Should not have anything to do with performances in GFs where we were pummelled.

If we want to win a GF we need to get better across the board on the big day. Simply playing players that have played reasonably in previous GFs isn't going to win us a flag.

A game plan modelled around finals football with our best 22 to make that game plan work will, whether or not that involves Fox. If he's not in my best 22, he's thereabouts, but if the coaches feel that he's fallen behind others in the present in the 22 for thr game plan they think can win us a flag, his previous GF performances shouldn't change that.

With Mills likely to go into midfield, Fox imo is absolutely in our best team 22. Emphasis on best team, rather than say our 22 most talented.

If he isn't being thrown around the ground, which messes with anyone's form, I think he warrants a spot down back to play on basically anyone. He can help Harry with smalls, play on mediums like Mills can, and is the likeliest candidate on the list imo to fill in well for Rampe on a 2nd/3rd tall (outside of the 2 other KPDs playing regular seniors).

 

[Bloods86]

Every year the Fox squad goes nuts about him, every year Fox is just a role player that gets dropped based on match ups.

Crazy to think that players performing a role can help a team.

Coaches can make mistakes.

 

[Dan87]

Crazy to think that players performing a role can help a team.

Coaches can make mistakes.

Playing Fox over Mills was a mistake imo

 

[Bloods86]

In a one-sided demolition where the inside 50s were 65 to 32 (!!), Fox kept Jeremy Cameron - then a top 5 player in the competition - to 2 goals, while Fox had 26 disposals himself.

That is an outstanding game by literally any measure, made even more so by the fact he received little to no help.

His 2024 GF, whilst not as good, still saw Fox double his disposal average from this year whilst looking composed.

We need players who will "step up", not "back down." He is two for two in stepping up beyond his standard performance when required. Name me one other player on the Swans list who can say the same...

Fox was excellent against the Lions when we played them earlier on this year too. Wouldn't have been so close if he wasn't there.

 

[Bloods86]

Playing Fox over Mills was a mistake imo

Lol ok.

I've seen some bad takes on this board before, but wow.

 

[SSwans2011]

With Mills likely to go into midfield, Fox imo is absolutely in our best team 22. Emphasis on best team, rather than say our 22 most talented.

If he isn't being thrown around the ground, which messes with anyone's form, I think he warrants a spot down back to play on basically anyone. He can help Harry with smalls, play on mediums like Mills can, and is the likeliest candidate on the list imo to fill in well for Rampe on a 2nd/3rd tall (outside of the 2 other KPDs playing regular seniors).

Fair call. I'm not sure if he's in mime, but he's definitely thereabouts like I said. They definitely need to stop ****ing around with him as a forward though. If he's in the team, it should be as a defender. Not as a forward, not even as a utility IMO.

 

[caesar88]

You have no idea how much I want to say Warner to make you go nuclear.

I would laugh SS2011. I like a good joke!

 

[caesar88]

Over in the autopsy thread, there are 2000 comments across 95 pages about how our players don't stand up in grand finals, mentally and physically.

What is the point of all of those comments across all of those pages if we don't hold the few players who have proven to stand up in grand finals, mentally and physically, in any sort of esteem at all?

 

[Bandicoot]

"See ya later" it is then.

If he wants to "demand" midfield time, maybe he should try being better than 59th in the competition for hard ball gets, 60th for ground ball gets, 63rd for loose ball gets, 69th for centre clearances, 72nd for clearances, 75th for contested possessions, 78th for stoppage clearances, 105th for pressure acts, and 151st for tackles.

I don't disagree with you at all.
I just see the parallel to Bailey Smith and why he left the Dogs. He was pissed that he wasn't getting the midfield time he thought he should be.
To be totally honest, I would not be too disappointed if we traded him to WC at the end of 2025 for their 2025 and 2026 F1s with a few other sweeteners thrown in.
If he stays with us to free agency, we will basically get zip in return. The 2027 will be so diluted due to Tassie's multiple first round picks, our compensation pick could end up around 30-35.

 

[Bloods86]

Over in the autopsy thread, there are 2000 comments across 95 pages about how our players don't stand up in grand finals, mentally and physically.

What is the point of all of those comments across all of those pages if we don't hold the few players who have proven to stand up in grand finals, mentally and physically, in any sort of esteem at all?

Things will magically be different next time.

We don't have room for role players that don't get their own highlights reels.

If they aren't a tall and couldn't appear in my fantasy footy team, not interested.

To become tougher and better at the contest, we should draft a ready made attacking half back, and consensus is to drop a lockdown type.

Dropping players that turn up for grand finals, is the way to show the rest of the team the importance of mentally preparing for and putting effort in during grand finals. If we don't punish these guys, how will we get the rest of the team to follow their example.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

In a one-sided demolition where the inside 50s were 65 to 32 (!!), Fox kept Jeremy Cameron - then a top 5 player in the competition - to 2 goals, while Fox had 26 disposals himself.

That is an outstanding game by literally any measure, made even more so by the fact he received little to no help.

His 2024 GF, whilst not as good, still saw Fox double his disposal average from this year whilst looking composed.

We need players who will "step up", not "back down." He is two for two in stepping up beyond his standard performance when required. Name me one other player on the Swans list who can say the same...

I’d argue that Fox getting double his usual disposal count in the ‘24 GF is symptomatic of a problem.

In the ‘24 GF he was loose (thanks in large part to Horse’s baffling zone strategy). And received a lot of loose ball gets. Symptomatic of our entire team, he wasn’t applying a ton of pressure on his direct opponent.

I honestly think the “Fox is the bloke who stands up in GFs” narrative is overblown.

We didn’t have a single player stand up in the ‘24 GF, Fox included.

PS: the only player in Swans history to be a GF specialist was the immortal LRT.

 

[SwansLifer]

I'm a fan of Fox playing, depending on how the team is set up. If Mills goes into the mids, which I would think is almost a lock, then Fox goes in. His closing speed on players is in the top handful in the AFL and that alone creates a different dynamic across the defensive half.

 

[SGBeach]

"See ya later" it is then.

If he wants to "demand" midfield time, maybe he should try being better than 59th in the competition for hard ball gets, 60th for ground ball gets, 63rd for loose ball gets, 69th for centre clearances, 72nd for clearances, 75th for contested possessions, 78th for stoppage clearances, 105th for pressure acts, and 151st for tackles.

Wow.. you say you don't like stats, then you throw these stats at us? You're failing to take into account what his role was/is.
He has been used in a way that the coaches thought he could be most damaging, a way in which he would be most valuable to the team, a way which best utilised his talents - which is clearly not clearances etc... its clearly attacking damage.
Why dont you post how many bounces, inside 50s, score assists, goals, fend offs, tackles broken, lines broken etc etc

Midfields consist of multiple roles. Warner is elite at one of the most important / hardest to fill roles. He was AA for a reason

 

[bedford]

Great looking team DQ.
Agree with you about Campbell, I think that's his calling. My prediction is he will explode onto the scene as a mid.

Had 2 many chances