Opinion 2024 and Beyond

[Kiama Chris]

Our best players:

1. Gulden
2. Papley
3. Mills

Our most important players:

1. McCartin
2. Blakey
3. Grundy

Come at me.

Arguable but very reasonable. Parker perhaps, certainly in past years. Heeney when fully fit. Blakey perhaps in both categories.

 

[rustycrate]

Our best players:

1. Gulden
2. Papley
3. Mills

Our most important players:

1. McCartin
2. Blakey
3. Grundy

Come at me.

Our best players:

1. Gulden
2. Daylight
3. Papley
4. Mills

Our most important players:

1. McCartin
2. Grundy
3. Blakey

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Personally I can't see anything to come at you about, totally agree. I have high hopes for Campbell jumping up into that top category this year.

Campbell nicely slotted just outside those 3, coming into 2023 he was my biggest worry in terms of identifying a role for him.

I forgot who it was that said that Adams is a upgrade on Parker my feeling is they both play a similar style?

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

JUH would be nice, would put bums on seats, but not really needed team wise. I'm comfy with our forward line going forward and that extra $$ can keep Logan and others around.

The marketing side? not sure he would be that well known in Sydney just yet?

If he doesn't sign by mid season you know he is weighing up his options.

 

[Callipygian]

What a load of garbage! Way ahead in every key stat you say? Ugle-Hagan is DEFINITELY a budding star you say? Logan's just okay you say?



View attachment 1888763
Whilst one was playing second fiddle to a living legend until half way through this season and the other one was the star of his own show, I know who's stats I think are better. The truth is that their stats are so similar it's kind of amazing, biggest difference is disposal efficiency - in Logan's favour. We will need every cent of our salary cap to keep this crop of players together, so basically you guys are all saying you prefer JUH to Logan, because there's no way on God's green earth we could afford them both and give Errol his worth, let alone the others coming out of contract this year.
When Logan fell into our laps on draft night a few years back, most on here were soiling their pants with glee, now most of you would be happy to boot him back to WA.

Sometimes I just don't get this site....

Steady on, Jewels! JUH is ahead in a number of key stats. JUH:

• kicks 50% more behinds than Logan
• has 25% more frees against
• has 77% more clangers
• has 62.5% more turnovers

They are some pretty significant differences in some not insignificant areas.



On the other hand JUH is behind in:

*disposal efficiency

• tackles
• goal assists
• one percenters and
• intercepts.

 

[Millky95]

What a load of garbage! Way ahead in every key stat you say? Ugle-Hagan is DEFINITELY a budding star you say? Logan's just okay you say?



View attachment 1888763
Whilst one was playing second fiddle to a living legend until half way through this season and the other one was the star of his own show, I know who's stats I think are better. The truth is that their stats are so similar it's kind of amazing, biggest difference is disposal efficiency - in Logan's favour. We will need every cent of our salary cap to keep this crop of players together, so basically you guys are all saying you prefer JUH to Logan, because there's no way on God's green earth we could afford them both and give Errol his worth, let alone the others coming out of contract this year.
When Logan fell into our laps on draft night a few years back, most on here were soiling their pants with glee, now most of you would be happy to boot him back to WA.

Sometimes I just don't get this site....

It isn't a stat and possible more of a vibe thing but McDonald has the best handballing skills of any key forward I have ever seen

 

[Callipygian]

It isn't a stat and possible more of a vibe thing but McDonald has the best handballing skills of any key forward I have ever seen

There may be a correlation there with his goal assists. I've definitely witnessed his astute handballs result in goals, whether by getting the ball out of congestion, or handballing over the top to a free teammate or whatever.

(It might also account for his proportionately greater use of the handball compared with JUH. )

 

[Del198236]

It isn't a stat and possible more of a vibe thing but McDonald has the best handballing skills of any key forward I have ever seen

He just makes good decisions - by hand or foot.

 

[Bandicoot]

Bear & Bandicoot anyone?

The beer's cold.

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

What a load of garbage! Way ahead in every key stat you say? Ugle-Hagan is DEFINITELY a budding star you say? Logan's just okay you say?



View attachment 1888763
Whilst one was playing second fiddle to a living legend until half way through this season and the other one was the star of his own show, I know who's stats I think are better. The truth is that their stats are so similar it's kind of amazing, biggest difference is disposal efficiency - in Logan's favour. We will need every cent of our salary cap to keep this crop of players together, so basically you guys are all saying you prefer JUH to Logan, because there's no way on God's green earth we could afford them both and give Errol his worth, let alone the others coming out of contract this year.
When Logan fell into our laps on draft night a few years back, most on here were soiling their pants with glee, now most of you would be happy to boot him back to WA.

Sometimes I just don't get this site....

Personally I think we can have both - just hire Geelong’s accountant and make it happen. We wouldn’t have made a huge bid for Astro if we didn’t have the cash to splash. I wouldn’t take JUH if it meant kicking Logan out but I see a path to have both in our team. How can Dogs keep Bont, Astro, English and Jamarra within the cap ? I think we’ll extend Logan and hopefully have a crack at JUH. No point having the $ and saving them - horse don’t wanna be the richest man in the graveyard.

 

[Bandicoot]

I don't think we can make any assumptions on our trio of forwards until halfway through the year as this will be the first time the mids have come away from a clearance and not automatically looked for buddy. For the first time, this is their forward line, not Buddy's.

 

[Del198236]

Personally I think we can have both - just hire Geelong’s accountant and make it happen. We wouldn’t have made a huge bid for Astro if we didn’t have the cash to splash. I wouldn’t take JUH if it meant kicking Logan out but I see a path to have both in our team. How can Dogs keep Bont, Astro, English and Jamarra within the cap ? I think we’ll extend Logan and hopefully have a crack at JUH. No point having the $ and saving them - horse don’t wanna be the richest man in the graveyard.

JUH is a big $$ investment.. I reckon we'll have a much better idea of our list needs half way through the season when we have had a chance to see
- Our tall forwards - McDonald, McLean, Amartey and Buller. Even Ladhams might come good (not holding my breath)
- Our tall defenders - McCartin, Francis, Hamling, Edwards, Arnold, Melican. Apart from McCartin, we need 2-3 to step up.
- Our Rucks - Grundy, Ladhams. I'd love to have a very good ruck
- Small forwards - Paps, Wicks, Konstanty
If our forwards dont fire, it may be the right call to heavily invest in JUH..?? Otherwise we may be better off investing in a KPD.. Or may be best off investing in the current young list???

Yep we made a play at Naughton and after we failed we traded in Adams, Grundy (neither are cheap) Jordan and Hamling. Who knows how much cash is in the kitty, especially with Florent, Gulden, Hayward, Logan all OOC.
I dont reckon the Dogs can keep all those players. I wouldn't be surprised if 1-2 of English, JUH, Smith leave this year.

 

[Kiama Chris]

JUH is a big $$ investment.. I reckon we'll have a much better idea of our list needs half way through the season when we have had a chance to see
- Our tall forwards - McDonald, McLean, Amartey and Buller. Even Ladhams might come good (not holding my breath)
- Our tall defenders - McCartin, Francis, Hamling, Edwards, Arnold, Melican. Apart from McCartin, we need 2-3 to step up.
- Our Rucks - Grundy, Ladhams. I'd love to have a very good ruck
- Small forwards - Paps, Wicks, Konstanty
If our forwards dont fire, it may be the right call to heavily invest in JUH..?? Otherwise we may be better off investing in a KPD.. Or may be best off investing in the current young list???

Yep we made a play at Naughton and after we failed we traded in Adams, Grundy (neither are cheap) Jordan and Hamling. Who knows how much cash is in the kitty, especially with Florent, Gulden, Hayward, Logan all OOC.
I dont reckon the Dogs can keep all those players. I wouldn't be surprised if 1-2 of English, JUH, Smith leave this year.

Reckon we already had Grundy and Jordon factored in when we made the play for Naughton. Adams was a very late starter and I doubt that Hamling breaks the bank. With the increase in the cap we might still be able to put something hefty in front of JUH if we choose to do so. If our four tall forwards are travelling well I would let it go. Hopefully Logan will have signed by then too.

 

[Punts]

Our forward is pretty average without buddy in it let’s be honest

Elite paply

Elite heeney 9 games a year

The rest are average afl players

 

[Ehswan]

Our forward is pretty average without buddy in it let’s be honest

Elite paply

Elite heeney 9 games a year

The rest are average afl players

I think as it stands that may be the case but McDonald and Maclean are tracking to improve alot. Amartey is still more speculative but I have high hopes and think if he has an injury free run he will be a good player.
Hayward is under rated. I think he will come into his best years now.
Wicks likewise.
Potential and competition for spots is looking good.
I'm optimistic about our forwards

 

[Jewelsbon]

Our forward is pretty average without buddy in it let’s be honest

Elite paply

Elite heeney 9 games a year

The rest are average afl players

Ever the optimist Punts!

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

I think as it stands that may be the case but McDonald and Maclean are tracking to improve alot. Amartey is still more speculative but I have high hopes and think if he has an injury free run he will be a good player.
Hayward is under rated. I think he will come into his best years now.
Wicks likewise.
Potential and competition for spots is looking good.
I'm optimistic about our forwards

Agree with most of this. Obviously not Hayward whoI have given up on as a forward.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Our forward is pretty average without buddy in it let’s be honest

Elite paply

Elite heeney 9 games a year

The rest are average afl players

The reigning premier has Billy Frampton in its forward line.

Ours is good enough.

 

[Ehswan]

Agree with most of this. Obviously not Hayward whoI have given up on as a forward.

Stick with him...he's got the fire and fight I reckon

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Stick with him...he's got the fire and fight I reckon

just cannot kick goals with any reliability and costs the team. I think his future is down back.

 

[RUNVS]

Our forward is pretty average without buddy in it let’s be honest

Elite paply

Elite heeney 9 games a year

The rest are average afl players

I think the opposite. I think we have one of the better forward lines in the AFL. All our forwards contribute and are capable of kicking a good amount of goals on their day.

 

[Del198236]

pretty dumb (but timely) article on AFL website titled 'Which club has the most goal kicking firepower'
Swans have no players to have kicked 50 in a season. Heeney and Paps are our most prolific goal kickers but are often found at centre bounces and playing other roles other than a pure forward.. And all our key forwards are young, inexperienced and been playing 2nd fiddle to Buddy. This stat will change over the next few years.
'Average goals kicked in 2023: 12.8 (equal sixth most)' - I'd expect this to improve as well. Heeney and Hayward both had the yips in '23, and a stronger midfield should provide more opportunity.

A couple of quotes from the article..
'Alongside Brisbane, the Swans had the most players to kick 20-plus goals in 2023 with seven.'
'Tom Papley

11

Tom Papley

Age

29

Ht

177cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.1

4star

K

9.1

4star

HB

5.0

4star

M

3.7

4star

T

3.2

5star

G

1.5

5star

D

12.3

3star

K

8.9

4star

HB

3.4

2star

M

4.5

4star

T

1.5

2star

G

2.4

5star

D

13.4

4star

K

8.0

3star

HB

5.4

4star

M

3.4

4star

T

3.4

5star

G

1.6

5star

, Logan McDonald, Isaac Heeney

5

Isaac Heeney

Age

29

Ht

185cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

7.7

5star

M

4.9

5star

T

4.1

5star

CL

2.2

4star

D

14.3

3star

K

8.8

4star

HB

5.5

3star

M

4.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

0.8

3star

D

10.4

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.4

4star

CL

0.8

3star

, Will Hayward

19

Will Hayward

Age

27

Ht

186cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.6

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.8

4star

G

1.1

4star

D

9.0

2star

K

4.3

2star

HB

4.7

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

2.7

4star

G

0.7

4star

D

9.4

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

3.4

5star

G

1.4

5star

, Errol Gulden, Hayden McLean

2

Hayden Mclean

Age

26

Ht

197cm

Wt

99kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

9.1

2star

K

5.1

2star

HB

4.0

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

4.0

5star

G

0.4

3star

D

7.5

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

3.0

2star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.3

4star

G

0.8

4star

D

10.0

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

4.6

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

4.4

5star

G

0.2

3star

and Joel Amartey all managed at least 20 goals.'

This is what excites me.. Hard to defend that many goal kickers

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

For this year, ladder permitting, i’d like to see us in say Round 17 or so put players through an intensified training program whilst rotating / resting the squad a bit. We need them tapering down into the finals so we are fit and firing - not arriving exhausted. Thought Geelong did this quite well - ofc ladder position dictates whether you can do this.

Mills injury might prove a blessing in disguise - in fact he may be fully unhindered as persistent foot issues have plagued him recently - with rest the only tonic.

It’s an exciting thought but our fitness coaches need to be planning for the whole season not just match by match - which I’m sure they would be.

Oh, by the way, I like fast players.

 

[tombomb]

I'm interested to see where Corey Warner plays this year.

I feel like his best chance at making it as a player is as a small defender. I think it is going to be hard work for him to earn a permanent spot as a midfielder. But he is tough and pretty quick and competitive.

Cunningham's late career renaissance has been a pleasant surprise, but I feel like we still lack one or two really tough smaller/medium defenders like Collingwood have with Quaynor and Maynard.

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

I'm interested to see where Corey Warner plays this year.

I feel like his best chance at making it as a player is as a small defender. I think it is going to be hard work for him to earn a permanent spot as a midfielder. But he is tough and pretty quick and competitive.

Cunningham's late career renaissance has been a pleasant surprise, but I feel like we still lack one or two really tough smaller/medium defenders like Collingwood have with Quaynor and Maynard.

Would really like to see us blood the next Harry this year. But they must be fast, very fast. Just sayin..