Past Aliir Aliir - traded 2020, to Port

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Aliir Aliir

Player Profile

Aliir Aliir is a key defender with elite intercept-marking skills who generates a wealth of drive out of the Sydney Swans’ backline. Although he’s just 25, the 2013 draftee is now one of the Swans’ most experienced backmen after the retirement of champion defenders Jarrad McVeigh, Heath Grundy and Nick Smith. Aliir’s height, excellent verticle leap and cat-like movement around the footy also make him a handy option as a back-up ruckman. Born in Kenya to Sudanese parents, Aliir is an inspiration to kids from diverse backgrounds starting a new chapter in Australia. Draft history: 2013 AFL Draft 3rd round selection (Sydney) No. 44 overall.

Aliir Aliir

DOB: 05 September 1994
DEBUT:2014
DRAFT: 2013
RECRUITED FROM: Aspley (Qld)/East Fremantle (WAFL)

 
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I would. It's not like i'm pulling stuff out of my arse. Last year we looked bloody good when we had 4 talls down back. I'm basing us on that and how we performed last year, not how we've performed in a year we started 0-6, pulled off two miracle comebacks and then beat witches hats in consecutive weeks. Can you see how i'm just not sold on this side and would like to see us as close to our 2016 lineup as possible? Is that such a crazy idea?

I'm sure people will disagree with me on this, but personally I've thought we've looked better than last year since 0-6 (minus the Hawthorn game, but we're always shite against Hawthorn).
 

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momentbymoment

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RE Aliir's selection/non-selection: I think this year-long discussion just shows the differences in what people value in footy players.

I'm all in with caesar88 on this one - I think Aliir's counterattacking and intercept marking upside is so valuable that I'm happy to live with his weaknesses. Melican has been fantastic since he's come in, super super impressive. But I would still pick Aliir over him for sure - because in my mind Aliir's best game is much better than Melican's. He's probably more likely to cause a clanger that leads to a goal, but he's also more likely to create 2-3 goal scoring opportunities out of the blue. He's an instinctive player, which is both his greatest strength and weakness. It's why I love him and it's clearly why others see a hugely flawed player.

Anyway, that was a roundabout way of getting to my point, which is that best 22 is so damn subjective. To me he's best 10, to others he's outside the best 25. Weird how that can happen right?
I would bring AA in but not at the expense of Melican. I would play AA as the third tall and free Rampe to be our chief rebounder ala Malceski.
 

Swansujelly

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if aliir is a defender, he has to defend. He didn't do as expected and was dropped. Melican came in and did what was asked, defended. Then aliir didn't show up to training. He's only got himself to blame and Melican deserves his spot. Who do we drop and where does aliir play? A few games forward is not enough to get him in our forward line. Face it, he will be lucky to play seniors again this year. I like him too, but I'm not losing sleep over it
 

Donza

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if aliir is a defender, he has to defend. He didn't do as expected and was dropped. Melican came in and did what was asked, defended. Then aliir didn't show up to training. He's only got himself to blame and Melican deserves his spot. Who do we drop and where does aliir play? A few games forward is not enough to get him in our forward line. Face it, he will be lucky to play seniors again this year. I like him too, but I'm not losing sleep over it
But but, he's an athlete, and he did an amazing handball.....and he was top 22 for a handful of games in 2016 ...and and
 

V9x18

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Exactly because it's only Aliir that is not given that luxury. If it was across the board that's fine but Horse has been coaching this way all year and suddenly it's not good enough for a bloke who was a lock for best 22 just a few months ago?

I also don't get the confusion at MY confusion to Aliir not being selected. Yes we all see things differently but Aliir is best 22 every day of the week. That he is only going to have played 3 games for the whole year does not sit well with me. It is not Aliir bias. It's best 22 bias. It's just self sabotage to voluntarily have such an important player spend the whole year in reserves. I don't want to hear he's not ready, or he can't defend. Those are nonsense excuses

i don't even care about the Aliir debate, id love him in the side, he's a pleasure to watch but if we keep winning I'm not going to complain about selections.

Its just the sheer hypocrisy to say players only get selected based on #runsontheboard and then proceed to spout off Aliirs achievements from last year as justification as to why he should be in the side:

Nowhere near ready? He played 13 games last year in a year we finished minor premiers, and was one of the BOGs in a QF in which we were beaten!! This is crazy talk

and dont give me this crap that #runsontheboard applies to everyone except aliir. Because if that was the case Kurt Tippett (who has a fair few more runs than young Aliir) would of never been dropped, instead Kurt has been playing in the reserves where he belongs.
 
i don't even care about the Aliir debate, id love him in the side, he's a pleasure to watch but if we keep winning I'm not going to complain about selections.

Its just the sheer hypocrisy to say players only get selected based on #runsontheboard and then proceed to spout off Aliirs achievements from last year as justification as to why he should be in the side:



and dont give me this crap that #runsontheboard applies to everyone except aliir. Because if that was the case Kurt Tippett (who has a fair few more runs than young Aliir) would of never been dropped, instead Kurt has been playing in the reserves where he belongs.

It's hypocritical to pick players based on #runsontheboard and not others. Tippett got more of a chance than Aliir. Aliir had three games coming off a very limited pre-season to prove himself, and his two down games were enough to be dropped apparently. Meanwhile Parker, Grundy, Smith, Hanners etc sprouted off s**t game after s**t game for over a month and were not dropped. Meanwhile we're 17 weeks into the season, and save for a few great games where i was in full "I <3 Hanners" mode, he is playing god awful footy by his standards. Credit to Grundy, Smith and lately Parker for turning things around (isn't it amazing what happens when given a chance?) but the fact that guys like Hanners and co are completely immune to being dropped despite pretty much half a season of average output is the very definition of #runsontheboard !
 

V9x18

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It's hypocritical to pick players based on #runsontheboard and not others. Tippett got more of a chance than Aliir. Aliir had three games coming off a very limited pre-season to prove himself, and his two down games were enough to be dropped apparently. Meanwhile Parker, Grundy, Smith, Hanners etc sprouted off s**t game after s**t game for over a month and were not dropped. Meanwhile we're 17 weeks into the season, and save for a few great games where i was in full "I <3 Hanners" mode, he is playing god awful footy by his standards. Credit to Grundy, Smith and lately Parker for turning things around (isn't it amazing what happens when given a chance?) but the fact that guys like Hanners and co are completely immune to being dropped despite pretty much half a season of average output is the very definition of #runsontheboard !

you've lost it.

Hanners is having a down year, but who in the reserves would be able to give as much as he has this year? Best inside mid the reserves have to offer is Dawson, and if you think our team would be better Saturday with Jordan Dawson in the side over Dan Hannebery then you're insane.

Aliir meanwhile is in the unfortunate position of being behind defenders like Grundy, Melican, Rampe and it appears ever since he slept in (which you conveniently left out when you mentioned he only played 3 games) he's behind Marsh as well.

I love Aliir (just wanted to say that because i felt bad writing the last couple paragraphs)
 

The Gong

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You want a settled line-up so you don't move your gun players in and out of the team based on their fluctuations in form. You back them to play themselves back into form. If you're a fringe player and haven't cemented your position through consistent form at senior level it's an entirely different equation.
 
Jul 5, 2012
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Kidding, right?
FMD 4 pages back someone said Aliir is clearly carrying an injury.

Yet it doesn't stop an interminable tit-for-tat about why he's not being selected.

He's INJURED, for crying out loud.

For someone with his sort of dash and flair (not "flare", as someone posted - did they think we're playing the Wanderers?) and comparatively few games under his belt, confidence would be everything.

This early in his career, do we really want a hobbled AA playing senior footy right now, when we have a fit and functioning defence? What would that do to his longevity?

Think it's time we all grasped that the medical staff know a damn sight more about the players in their care than we do.
 
FMD 4 pages back someone said Aliir is clearly carrying an injury.

Yet it doesn't stop an interminable tit-for-tat about why he's not being selected.

He's INJURED, for crying out loud.

For someone with his sort of dash and flair (not "flare", as someone posted - did they think we're playing the Wanderers?) and comparatively few games under his belt, confidence would be everything.

This early in his career, do we really want a hobbled AA playing senior footy right now, when we have a fit and functioning defence? What would that do to his longevity?

Think it's time we all grasped that the medical staff know a damn sight more about the players in their care than we do.

Exactly and frankly watching him last week again, he is still favouring his knee a bit. He's getting better but he's not there yet. If it takes him the rest of this year to get it right and get confidence so be it.
 

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To be fair the endless Aliir debates go both ways. It takes two to make a debate so anyone can feel free to just read one of my posts, think i'm a ranting nutjob, and ignore. I don't think there's anything wrong with it personally. I'd rather talk about the pros and cons of a player we can all unanimously agree is a gun than dedicate pages on here to just bashing the whipping boys :)
 

ashep

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FMD 4 pages back someone said Aliir is clearly carrying an injury.

Yet it doesn't stop an interminable tit-for-tat about why he's not being selected.

He's INJURED, for crying out loud.

For someone with his sort of dash and flair (not "flare", as someone posted - did they think we're playing the Wanderers?) and comparatively few games under his belt, confidence would be everything.

This early in his career, do we really want a hobbled AA playing senior footy right now, when we have a fit and functioning defence? What would that do to his longevity?

Think it's time we all grasped that the medical staff know a damn sight more about the players in their care than we do.
SBD I dig most of what you post mate, I think you're wrong here.

Aliir simply isn't playing to the standard required to get a game. Who do you drop from the current team to make room for him?
 
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Kidding, right?
SBD I dig most of what you post mate, I think you're wrong here.

Aliir simply isn't playing to the standard required to get a game. Who do you drop from the current team to make room for him?
Thanks for the kind words Ashep but I certainly wasn't calling for his return.

I was commenting on the ridiculousness of even debating his return when one poster had reported AA was clearly favouring one knee.
 

ashep

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Thanks for the kind words Ashep but I certainly wasn't calling for his return.

I was commenting on the ridiculousness of even debating his return when one poster had reported AA was clearly favouring one knee.
Fair enough. For the record I think even once fully fit he'll find it tough to crack the team this year.
 

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