Opinion 2024 and Beyond

[Maddo11]

I think if we land Grundy we should give Parker a chance to claim his spot back in the middle, let's say the first 6 weeks, and if after that he's not one of our best mids then he goes to the forward/ mid role he played at the back end of this year.

Maybe with some a1 service he can stop just dumping kicks forward the second he gets the ball

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Surely we get another crack at it before Heeney and Mills are both over their 30s and Rampe, Parker, Fox are gone.

Cause thats a big drop off right there.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

I think if we land Grundy we should give Parker a chance to claim his spot back in the middle, let's say the first 6 weeks, and if after that he's not one of our best mids then he goes to the forward/ mid role he played at the back end of this year.

Maybe with some a1 service he can stop just dumping kicks forward the second he gets the ball

In a way it would be a sigh of relief if the club booked Parker in for treatment/surgery for whatever was ailing him as his form dropped off a cliff as the season went on.

I always worry about Tommy with the way the game is going any sort of incident/contact would put him out for a huge chunk of the season and we are back to Rampe and Melican/Fox again.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

Interesting comment about Rowbottom being a standout improver, along with Gulden, Blakey and McDonald.

Hard to see him taken out of the mids based on that comment.

 

[RUNVS]

Interesting comment about Rowbottom being a standout improver, along with Gulden, Blakey and McDonald.

Hard to see him taken out of the mids based on that comment.

Feels odd too as I don't think Rowbottom had a standout season.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

Feels odd too as I don't think Rowbottom had a standout season.

My guess: Parker and Mills were both injured and Rowbottom was doing a lot of team oriented things to keeping us going as well as we could - and Horse knew that those things don’t go noticed by people outside the club and so wanted to acknowledge it.

 

[Dubsforsam1]

It would be great if Heeney could play that role.

I just wonder why Horse hasn’t pulled that trigger? -

It could be a lack of goal kickers…but I’d be surprised.

It could be he wants Hayward and Heeney to be the deep running half fwds - Heeney works in that role but surely its secondary to the midfield?

I have no answers but team balance MAY be an issue.

Maybe because no-one else can get close to scoring 50 goals per season

 

[Neverwas]

Impending retirements/decline of Rampe, Lloyd and Cunners is a big issue.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[SuperMal]

Maybe because no-one else can get close to scoring 50 goals per season

Yes, I did mention a possible lack of in-form goal kickers

 

[Andyjh]

Interesting comment about Rowbottom being a standout improver, along with Gulden, Blakey and McDonald.

Hard to see him taken out of the mids based on that comment.

Rowbottom worked so hard at the stoppages. His defensive work is so good. I am worried about how he will go with Grundy’s ruck work actually giving us hitouts to advantage..

 

[Millky95]

Rowbottom worked so hard at the stoppages. His defensive work is so good. I am worried about how he will go with Grundy’s ruck work actually giving us hitouts to advantage..

You can start to watch his offensive work. May I suggest the H&A game against Melbourne in 2022 at the G?

 

[Kiama Chris]

Rowbottom worked so hard at the stoppages. His defensive work is so good. I am worried about how he will go with Grundy’s ruck work actually giving us hitouts to advantage..

Rowy knows how to attack. It will be a pleasure to watch.

 

[Kiama Chris]

One of the puzzles for me for 2024 is what happens with Ladhams. It was pretty obvious that we intended for him to be the #1 ruck post-Hickey but obviously that isn't happening except through injury so what next?
Do we:
1) revert to his role at Port as second ruck and tall forward?
2) or does he become spare? If the former, does he start in seniors
3) or practice that in VFL while Stretch performs the main ruck duties?
Can he do any of these without his head exploding?
We need to try to get value out of him for the next two years and he could be a good player, best 22, if he gets his head together.
If.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

Rowbottom worked so hard at the stoppages. His defensive work is so good. I am worried about how he will go with Grundy’s ruck work actually giving us hitouts to advantage..

He looked pretty good two seasons ago when we had Hickey in fine form. He has it in him, let’s hope he hasn’t forgotten how to get off the chain a bit more.

We would also be foolish to think that other teams didn’t carefully study Rowbottom and Warner and developed strategies to stop them. The way teams let Warner off the leash in 2022 was criminal, so I am not surprised at all that he got caught much more often this year. Perhaps the same happened with Rowbottom but it was more subtle?

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

One of the puzzles for me for 2024 is what happens with Ladhams. It was pretty obvious that we intended for him to be the #1 ruck post-Hickey but obviously that isn't happening except through injury so what next?
Do we:
1) revert to his role at Port as second ruck and tall forward?
2) or does he become spare? If the former, does he start in seniors
3) or practice that in VFL while Stretch performs the main ruck duties?
Can he do any of these without his head exploding?
We need to try to get value out of him for the next two years and he could be a good player, best 22, if he gets his head together.
If.

I think the Melbourne experiment showed that you don’t have two first rucks in the same team. So personally I wouldn’t mind having a spare ruck in the 2’s.

I think it has always come down to how much Ladhams wants it. He is still quite young for a ruck. If he comes good, there will be opportunity. Grundy will no doubt get injured / fall out of form over the next four years. If Ladhams applies himself, the first opportunity will be his.

He could also work on his forward craft to be backup to McLean / Amartey (from what I have seen so far he is not a forward-ruck, he is a ruck that can kind of rest forward). This could be handy if Stretch develops as we all hope and follows on from Grundy when he is ready.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

I think the Melbourne experiment showed that you don’t have two first rucks in the same team. So personally I wouldn’t mind having a spare ruck in the 2’s.

I think it has always come down to how much Ladhams wants it. He is still quite young for a ruck. If he comes good, there will be opportunity. Grundy will no doubt get injured / fall out of form over the next four years. If Ladhams applies himself, the first opportunity will be his.

He could also work on his forward craft to be backup to McLean / Amartey (from what I have seen so far he is not a forward-ruck, he is a ruck that can kind of rest forward). This could be handy if Stretch develops as we all hope and follows on from Grundy when he is ready.

Ladhams can’t tap, mark, kick, run, provide legal defensive pressure. Can lose his temper.

 

[sataris]

Ladhams can’t tap, mark, kick, run, provide legal defensive pressure. Can lose his temper.

Are you saying I can be on the swans list?

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Are you saying I can be on the swans list?

Of course.

 

[dosser]

Are you saying I can be on the swans list?

Probably the 'Banned from all club functions' one

 

[sataris]

Probably the 'Banned from all club functions' one

I'm already on that one.

But not for the reason you think.

 

[Superstar swan]

Make errol skipper and be done with it

 

[Adnico26Parker]

Good time for someone to step up now they've been given handed the opportunity to replace Millsy, for at least the first part of next season.

 

[Superstar swan]

Rampes and Parker are on the downhill stretch and likely mills gone for a year. Errol should be skip. Not only is he our best player, but by the sounds of things he is a manic trainer and carries himself very professionally.

Great leader and has a chance to lead the club for a decade

 

[Swannie0307]

Fully agree, you can already see his leadership on the field … and shaking the umps hands at the coin toss every weekend might just get him those extra few votes to win the Brownlow

 

[Adnico26Parker]

Rampes and Parker are on the downhill stretch and likely mills gone for a year. Errol should be skip. Not only is he our best player, but by the sounds of things he is a manic trainer and carries himself very professionally.

Great leader and has a chance to lead the club for a decade

I think it's a bit too soon - I can definitely see him as vice captain to Parks though...

Next year, we should only have one on-field captain, with Mills in the coaches box, and 2 VC's.