Universal Love Sydney Swans Death Ride Thread 2026-2027

[RPCB]

You have to wonder when the press will fully turn and the headlines become "Have the Swans made the worst trade in AFL history?".

Gotta love a bit of hyperbole.

Maybe Charlie Curnow will be one of those rare sportsmen who will peak once he turns 30 lol.

 

[The Bighouse]

Three 1st round picks, Will Hayward and $1 million off the books for Charlie Curnow.

Will Hayward is paid very well himself so not that much off the books

 

[RPCB]

Will Hayward is paid very well himself so not that much off the books

Very true. Getting him in the trade was a big win.

 

[Sin City]

Curnow probably would’ve kicked a couple more goals if the team was doing better and it would’ve been considered a decent night. This is the same as last year, the arse completely falls out of the Swans when Gulden isn’t playing. He is an absolutely brilliant player and they’re a bit vanilla without him.

 

[Sharks On A Plane]

Curnow probably would’ve kicked a couple more goals if the team was doing better and it would’ve been considered a decent night. This is the same as last year, the arse completely falls out of the Swans when Gulden isn’t playing. He is an absolutely brilliant player and they’re a bit vanilla without him.

This is what we saw with Curnow in 2024. I started to go off him due to the shocking lack of effort/chasing but he was still kicking goals so it kind of masked his shortcomings.

Agree re: Gulden, an absolute star. That gut running and elite delivery is rare combination.

 

[Faz 2000]

Curnow is still supremely talented, but he's not currently anything like the player he projected to be.

His differentiator was his athleticism - good speed for size, tremendous aerobic fitness, agility at speed, leap. It was all about movement and flair, never about his pure size and power.

Whether or not the injuries have robbed him of those attributes is not entirely clear, but the way he plays allows him to use exactly NONE of those gifts.

He stands still. Next to guys who are bigger than him. He's a lean, strong 194cm - he's not going to bully a 197cm barrel-chested Barrass. He's not out-reaching 201cm Alex Pearce

25

Alex Pearce

Age

30

Ht

201cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.6

3star

K

5.2

2star

HB

5.4

4star

M

3.4

3star

T

1.8

4star

MG

106.3

2star

No current season stats available

D

11.0

3star

K

5.0

2star

HB

6.0

4star

M

4.4

4star

T

0.8

3star

MG

103.2

2star

. Sam Darcy can out-reach them. Riley Thillthorpe can out muscle them. Curnow has to out-manoeuvre them.

The best version of Curnow roams up and back and leaves his opponent in his wake. He's explosive on the lead and has strong hands. And then he's cat-like in close and recovers faster than an opponent after a contest. That's the player he SHOULD be.

I don't know whether he CAN'T do that now, or WON'T. But he ISN'T, that's for sure.

 

[Stamos]

Curnow is still supremely talented, but he's not currently anything like the player he projected to be.

His differentiator was his athleticism - good speed for size, tremendous aerobic fitness, agility at speed, leap. It was all about movement and flair, never about his pure size and power.

Whether or not the injuries have robbed him of those attributes is not entirely clear, but the way he plays allows him to use exactly NONE of those gifts.

He stands still. Next to guys who are bigger than him. He's a lean, strong 194cm - he's not going to bully a 197cm barrel-chested Barrass. He's not out-reaching 201cm Alex Pearce. Sam Darcy can out-reach them. Riley Thillthorpe can out muscle them. Curnow has to out-manoeuvre them.

The best version of Curnow roams up and back and leaves his opponent in his wake. He's explosive on the lead and has strong hands. And then he's cat-like in close and recovers faster than an opponent after a contest. That's the player he SHOULD be.

I don't know whether he CAN'T do that now, or WON'T. But he ISN'T, that's for sure.

Reckon it's won't, rather than physically can't.
Sure last year he was probably rushed back without a proper pre-season, but so much of his poor year was clearly due to attitude.

 

[AT97]

Curnow is still supremely talented, but he's not currently anything like the player he projected to be.

His differentiator was his athleticism - good speed for size, tremendous aerobic fitness, agility at speed, leap. It was all about movement and flair, never about his pure size and power.

Whether or not the injuries have robbed him of those attributes is not entirely clear, but the way he plays allows him to use exactly NONE of those gifts.

He stands still. Next to guys who are bigger than him. He's a lean, strong 194cm - he's not going to bully a 197cm barrel-chested Barrass. He's not out-reaching 201cm Alex Pearce. Sam Darcy can out-reach them. Riley Thillthorpe can out muscle them. Curnow has to out-manoeuvre them.

The best version of Curnow roams up and back and leaves his opponent in his wake. He's explosive on the lead and has strong hands. And then he's cat-like in close and recovers faster than an opponent after a contest. That's the player he SHOULD be.

I don't know whether he CAN'T do that now, or WON'T. But he ISN'T, that's for sure.

Or maybe he’s fallen out with dean cox already.

 

[AndyLucimitis]

Curnow is still supremely talented, but he's not currently anything like the player he projected to be.

His differentiator was his athleticism - good speed for size, tremendous aerobic fitness, agility at speed, leap. It was all about movement and flair, never about his pure size and power.

Whether or not the injuries have robbed him of those attributes is not entirely clear, but the way he plays allows him to use exactly NONE of those gifts.

He stands still. Next to guys who are bigger than him. He's a lean, strong 194cm - he's not going to bully a 197cm barrel-chested Barrass. He's not out-reaching 201cm Alex Pearce. Sam Darcy can out-reach them. Riley Thillthorpe can out muscle them. Curnow has to out-manoeuvre them.

The best version of Curnow roams up and back and leaves his opponent in his wake. He's explosive on the lead and has strong hands. And then he's cat-like in close and recovers faster than an opponent after a contest. That's the player he SHOULD be.

I don't know whether he CAN'T do that now, or WON'T. But he ISN'T, that's for sure.

Given we had both Harry and Charlie in the one team, I always thought Charlie was an option to go back and be a Liam Jones type.

 

[teagueyubeauty]

Given we had both Harry and Charlie in the one team, I always thought Charlie was an option to go back and be a Liam Jones type.

That move would have made Fev’s time at fullback look like he was Geoff Southby.

 

[AndyLucimitis]

That move would have made Fev’s time at fullback look like he was Geoff Southby.

You reckon ? Ask anyone who's played predominately forward you get freed up playing back. Game would come to him, could run in straight lines and I reckon he'd be a great intercept mark.

Agree though - Fev had no idea but he also cracked the sads when Pagan sent him down to play on Fraser Gehrig. The G-Train would have kicked 20 on Fev that day if Pagan had left him there..

 

[RPCB]

You reckon ? Ask anyone who's played predominately forward you get freed up playing back. Game would come to him, could run in straight lines and I reckon he'd be a great intercept mark.

Agree though - Fev had no idea but he also cracked the sads when Pagan sent him down to play on Fraser Gehrig. The G-Train would have kicked 20 on Fev that day if Pagan had left him there..

Charlie Curnow is one of the most egotistical players in the league. If he’s not kicking goals, he doesn’t care to chase or do the hard yards. He’d be the most likely player to stomp his feet and sulk if was sent to the backline.

 

[Blue_Fusion]

You reckon ? Ask anyone who's played predominately forward you get freed up playing back. Game would come to him, could run in straight lines and I reckon he'd be a great intercept mark.

Agree though - Fev had no idea but he also cracked the sads when Pagan sent him down to play on Fraser Gehrig. The G-Train would have kicked 20 on Fev that day if Pagan had left him there..

Do you honestly think Fev was even going to try and show any signs that he can be a kpd? He had no interest whatsoever and allowed Fraser to get off the leash so Pagan would move him straight back to the forward line...

 

[3rd Grade Maggy]

How long did it last in Brisbane with Fev before the wheels fell off? I seem to remember them absolutely flying and him dominating for the first month then about 6 weeks in the whole thing had fallen apart.

 

[Broadside]

You reckon ? Ask anyone who's played predominately forward you get freed up playing back. Game would come to him, could run in straight lines and I reckon he'd be a great intercept mark.

Agree though - Fev had no idea but he also cracked the sads when Pagan sent him down to play on Fraser Gehrig. The G-Train would have kicked 20 on Fev that day if Pagan had left him there..

I loved the G train. So combustible and entertaining to watch. Once he gave away 3 consecutive 50 metre penalties the ball went from their full forward line to a goal at the other end. Great player though !

 

[RPCB]

How long did it last in Brisbane with Fev before the wheels fell off? I seem to remember them absolutely flying and him dominating for the first month then about 6 weeks in the whole thing had fallen apart.

He kicked 24 goals in the first 7 rounds. And finished with 48 goals from 17 games. He had a couple 5 goal games and a 4 goal game after Round 7. He was ruled out for the rest of the year in Round 18 and sacked in February the following year stemming from issues with misconduct.

He definitely was way down on his 99 and 89 goal campaigns with us, but I’d say he still would have kicked between 60 and 70 goals if he didn’t get injured. So not a bad return at all.

 

[The Return of the Paf]

He kicked 24 goals in the first 7 rounds. And finished with 48 goals from 17 games. He had a couple 5 goal games and a 4 goal game after Round 7. He was ruled out for the rest of the year in Round 18 and sacked in February the following year stemming from issues with misconduct.

He definitely was way down on his 99 and 89 goal campaigns with us, but I’d say he still would have kicked between 60 and 70 goals if he didn’t get injured. So not a bad return at all.

Still, I remember elements of farce while watching some of those matches. Fev was running around grinning like he was playing his own game.

 

[circusdevil]

charlie can go get ****ed. go for a surf tomorrow buddy

couldn't even catch a wave at the moment...

 

[teagueyubeauty]

You reckon ? Ask anyone who's played predominately forward you get freed up playing back. Game would come to him, could run in straight lines and I reckon he'd be a great intercept mark.

Agree though - Fev had no idea but he also cracked the sads when Pagan sent him down to play on Fraser Gehrig. The G-Train would have kicked 20 on Fev that day if Pagan had left him there..

Charlie would have sooked it up at even more epic levels if he was moved back

 

[The Coach]

Curnow probably would’ve kicked a couple more goals if the team was doing better and it would’ve been considered a decent night. This is the same as last year, the arse completely falls out of the Swans when Gulden isn’t playing. He is an absolutely brilliant player and they’re a bit vanilla without him.

He started well and I was irritated that he was playing in front - not looking for the cheapy over the back. I know his best is when he is roving the forward line but when he didn't do that, he rarely played in front for us.

 

[The Coach]

Another match like that and he will need Ed up there to stroke his ego

 

[Sucker for Trade Period]

Typically I'm apathetic when watching ex-Blues but watching Curnow perform a disappearing act last night and both De Koning and Silvagni considerably underperform last weekend really did make me warm and fuzzy.

Death riding is good for the soul.

 

[RPCB]

Typically I'm apathetic when watching ex-Blues but watching Curnow perform a disappearing act last night and both De Koning and Silvagni considerably underperform last weekend really did make me warm and fuzzy.

Death riding is good for the soul.

Certainly.

For every Eddie Betts, there is a Charlie Curnow, TDK and Jack Silvagni. Every success in the world to the former. Every failure in the world to the latter.

 

[agro]

Certainly.

For every Eddie Betts, there is a Charlie Curnow, TDK and Jack Silvagni. Every success in the world to the former. Every failure in the world to the latter.

Might have received some great financial advice from some great Spirit of Carlton Alumni like Peter McConnville, Ken Sheldon, Alex Marcou, Spiro Kourkemelis, Warren “WoW” Jones et al - in how to effectively top up their superannuation.

Just need to make sure to read their contracts closely - because historically Shit Kilda contracts are worth about as much as the paper they’re printed on.

 

[jj1978]

couldn't even catch a wave at the moment...

He’s getting plenty, from all the Carlton supporters happy to see the back of him.