View Full Version : Players to watch out for this season ...
What do we all think are our young'ins to watch out for in 2003?
Here is my list ..
Ryan O'Keefe - This guy is ready to have himself be known by the AFL community. He is a fantastic left foot kick, and his best position is as a midfielder, a position he really hasn't played much of yet. Look out for O'Keefe in 2003, he will set the competition alight!
Tadhg Kennelly - We all know about this bloke. Has unlimited potential. A player who is 191cm tall and as quick as he is rarely comes along. Could be anything really. Im excited :D
Ben Fixter - Great Young kid. Reminds me of a young Paul Kelly. That alone gets me excited, if he is half the player, then we are all in for a treat. Expect more runs in the midfield in 2003 (hopefully). This kid will be something ...
Stephen Doyle - Time to step up mate. 2003 is yours. Number One ruck duties for you, and time down forward. He will be dangerous down forward in 2003.
Jarred Sundqvist - Will get game time in 2003. By the end of 2004 most in the AFL will know who he is ... .Great skills ...
I will add more later .. thoughts?
Desredandwhite
7 Jan 2003, 13:52
I've been a big fan of young Monty all of last season, and I'll stand by him again this year.
While his consistency has been infuriatingly patchy in the games he has played so far, every now and then I'll get a glimpse of brilliance. This guy is a NATURAL. Built like a hobbit, but just seems to know what to do with the ball.
Needs to step up and prove that you don't HAVE to be an ultra-fit athlete to play this game.
Originally posted by Desredandwhite
I've been a big fan of young Monty all of last season, and I'll stand by him again this year.
While his consistency has been infuriatingly patchy in the games he has played so far, every now and then I'll get a glimpse of brilliance. This guy is a NATURAL. Built like a hobbit, but just seems to know what to do with the ball.
Needs to step up and prove that you don't HAVE to be an ultra-fit athlete to play this game.
Buchanan definetely has some natural ability.
I haven't seen that much of him outside the Swans starting 22, but I did see the Port Melbourne Grand Final.
I was extremely impressed with Buchanans work out of the middle in this match, and it really gave me excitement for his future.
He is only 19 after all, should play more senior matches next season.
chammond
7 Jan 2003, 15:28
Built like a hobbit
Now if that's not a cue for a new nickname, nothing is!!
CharlieG
7 Jan 2003, 15:41
Frodo!!!
I like it.
Desredandwhite
7 Jan 2003, 17:01
I've been calling him Frodo since the Syd v Coll preseason game at Manuka last year ;-)
Doyle and O'Keefe are the two I'm expecting big things from. Both showed glimpses last year but had rotten luck to go with it. Doyle looks to be very mobile for a big man and now has some decent bulk to go with it. He's also a good mark, at least partly just because he is so big. Not convinced yet at how effective he will be at clearances, but around the ground he's certainly shaping up well.
O'Keefe I'm superimpressed by. He's always been aggressive but some of the skills he showed at the end of last season came as a bit of a surprise - not just his kicking. His pick-ups in midfield were pure poetry at times. He also seems to have worked very hard on his fitness and looks positively skinny (in the right places) compared to when he was drafted. He know has a pretty good build for an endurance midfielder and will probably continue to get stronger in the body as he gets older.
Fixter will do well just to play another season like last. I expect we'll see gradual improvement from him rather than another huge leap.
Kennelly, who knows. I keep telling myself we should expect to see his rate of improvement plateau but that's probably just so I don't get over-excited.
thommoone
7 Jan 2003, 20:37
Kennelly definately has me super excited!!!! I reckon this kid will win the brownlow in 2006!!!
I just cant get over how good he is. When he ws first drafted i thougt, oh yeah he'll just be an ordinary player, comendable at best.
But he has set the AFL alight with his dazzling skills and brilliant pace.
the person to next have me excited is actually Fosdike. I reckon he'll show gradual improvement after a bit of a leap for the first half of the year. He'll be one of our core midfielders.
Originally posted by thommoone
the person to next have me excited is actually Fosdike. I reckon he'll show gradual improvement after a bit of a leap for the first half of the year. He'll be one of our core midfielders.
I don't really class Fosdike as a youngster anymore (although admittedly that wasn't the title of this thread - just that most comments thus far have focussed on younger players). But I'm inclined to agree. And I don't think he needs to improve that much - if he can play a whole season like he played the second half of 2002 he will be a very very useful player indeed. He looks to be the player most able to literally run all day, ala Crawford or Cousins.
Originally posted by liz
I don't really class Fosdike as a youngster anymore (although admittedly that wasn't the title of this thread - just that most comments thus far have focussed on younger players). But I'm inclined to agree. And I don't think he needs to improve that much - if he can play a whole season like he played the second half of 2002 he will be a very very useful player indeed. He looks to be the player most able to literally run all day, ala Crawford or Cousins.
Fosdike actually reminds me of a younger version of Daryn Cresswell ...
CharlieG
8 Jan 2003, 09:44
We're a team basically full of potential. We have 5 players who have a few games behind them now who I expect will be the core of our team for a decade. I'm talking about Ryan O'Keefe, Stephen Doyle, Ben Fixter, Tadhg Kennelly and Scott Stevens. We then have a second tier of youngsters who we haven't seen enough of yet, although many come with big raps. Amon Buchanan, Luke Ablett, Jarrad Sundqvist, Lewis Roberts-Thompson, Mark Powell, Daniel Hunt, Adam Schneider, Jarrad McVeigh, Sean Dempster, Josh Thewlis and Dan Malceski. There is no reason I can see why we can't expect as many as 10 of these kids to be senior players for many years.
In addition to what I see as an extremely talented and underrated list of youngsters, we have the 22-26 age group. Again, potential is the best word to describe them. Adam Goodes, Nic Fosdike, Jason Saddington, Nick Davis, Jude Bolton, Ben Matthews, Jared Crouch, Barry Hall, Brett Kirk and Michael O'Loughlin are all players who have played some very good footy. But they are also all players who are capable of improving. Andrew Schauble should fit into this group as well, he played very well in 2000 but has been hampered by injury. I think he qualifies as having potential to improve on the two years he's just had.
So, and while this is being optimistic of course, a quick look at the list has found 27 players with a potential to improve. Nice time to be a Swans fan.
Originally posted by TheMase
Fosdike actually reminds me of a younger version of Daryn Cresswell ...
I think he's a lot quicker by foot than Cressa and more of a natural athlete. Cressa does his best work within packs, feeding the ball out (and of course kicking goals with seconds to go) whereas I see Fosdike as more of an outside midfielder, capable of carrying the ball through the lines.
chammond
8 Jan 2003, 20:11
I think Stevens, Buchanan and possibly Ablett will find it difficult to get senior games this season - a lot will depend on whether they can catch the eye in the preseason matches.
They had their chance last year, and I think the match committee might feel they need to give priority to 'blooding' Sundqvist, LRT, Powell, Hunt, Schneider and possibly McVeigh, when the opportunities arise.
This means that those three will have to force their way into the senior side by outstanding performances during pre-season or in the reserves - which they may well do, of course.
In terms of players to watch - I will be watching Ball and O'Loughlin the closest in the preseason and early season proper. If they can regain their best form, the Swans will be real contenders - if not, I think we'll have too few quality players to consistently match it with the best teams.
I think Fosdike, should finally live upto the wraps he was given when first drafted(no 3 I think).
Also fixter and O'Keef should be one's who improve nicely.