Past #9: Andrew Swallow - 224 NM games - 3x Syds - captain '12-'16 - #43 '05 ND - thanks Spitta

Jay-Z

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Midfielders today can't just play one , just like key forwards learn to play down back b4 going up to be the main focus @ FF/CHF . Did you see Mathews play footy Jay-Z?......he was a rover against Cable but ended his career at FF. Kicking 700 goals. My argument is that players can't afford to be keyholed they need to have some flexibility into their game. Like Ive said I prefer him 70% forward and about 30 % in the centre for crucial ball ups. I reckon its great the Scotty is prepared to mix it up bait , I mean we've all been guilty bemoaning that he won't switch to plan B or C if plan A doesn't work out well.
The game has changed since Matthews and Ablett Snr's days. Midfielders don't become permanent full forwards anymore.

I think a team can afford to carry SOME midfielders who are just midfielders (think Judd, Priddis, Swallow, Pendlebury, Rockliff) but some of your midfielders need to have the flexibility to rest somewhere other than the bench and we have that in guys like Ziebell, Cunners, Bastinac... even Greenwood.

Playing Ziebell 70% forward and 30% midfield makes him Leigh Adams Mach II and Ziebell is a much better midfielder than Patch so I see no reason why we should do this. Also, we have a number of forwards (Black, Petrie, Thomas) who can't play anywhere else (Brown pinch hits in the ruck but is also down there most of the time) so having a guy like Ziebs (who can play majority midfield) play the majority of the game in the forward line actually decreases our flexibility! That would mean we have 5 players playing at least 70% of the game in the forward line leaving us 1 (or none is playing Hansen spare) spots to rotate other midfielders through the forward line for a rest
 

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ozzyoslo

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The game has changed since Matthews and Ablett Snr's days. Midfielders don't become permanent full forwards anymore.

I think a team can afford to carry SOME midfielders who are just midfielders (think Judd, Priddis, Swallow, Pendlebury, Rockliff) but some of your midfielders need to have the flexibility to rest somewhere other than the bench and we have that in guys like Ziebell, Cunners, Bastinac... even Greenwood.

Playing Ziebell 70% forward and 30% midfield makes him Leigh Adams Mach II and Ziebell is a much better midfielder than Patch so I see no reason why we should do this. Also, we have a number of forwards (Black, Petrie, Thomas) who can't play anywhere else (Brown pinch hits in the ruck but is also down there most of the time) so having a guy like Ziebs (who can play majority midfield) play the majority of the game in the forward line actually decreases our flexibility! That would mean we have 5 players playing at least 70% of the game in the forward line leaving us 1 (or none is playing Hansen spare) spots to rotate other midfielders through the forward line for a rest
Petrie can and has played KP Down back, we've never given LT a run into the middle but did so in an Aboriginal game 4/5 yrs ago and did alright by all reports, Black has decent skills when the pill hits the deck to be able to play elsewhere (but probably not the defensive side).
We generally let a new player slide into a hbf position before theyre released up higher up the ground. We have Jack who on reports has played a forward role in junior footy came to us when we had sweet FA mids and him in a mans body. It was one of no choice to throw him in there instead of what the Sydneys, the Hawthorns do in developing their younger players, have a look at StKilda, and the Bullies they have rather young group of mids (theyre 3-4 yrs behind us) they have to play Billings, Bontapelli etc.

Back to JZ, Brereton the other day lauded the idea of having Cunners and Zeibell have spells up forward. But we ( BF Family here have been suggesting to swing JZ up forward yonks ago) We have also offered and discussed the idea of Atley moving forward.....it will eventually happen, who comes out?? We also have Basti who is an inside mid starting to realise his core strength is matching those of
more seasoned players, I think he will get more minutes in the guts as well.......its a natural progression and of those I would like to see have more minutes up front is Zeibell.

Adams as much as I love the bloke is starting to get passed by, his form has been "patchy" (pardon the pun) but it has so much so that he is slowly out of the starting 22.

Zeibell playing up forward will also extend his playing career by say 40 games I think.......his crash and bash style will take its toll, if we dont take measures to protect him from himself.

Bartel plays forward, theres talk of Jnr going up forward now while he's still about (its very evident) that GC needs to have a strategy where they get minutes into their young mids and balancing Gaz's control when he's available.

Jay-Z we dont see eye to eye on this mate....ce la vie.
 

Jay-Z

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Petrie can and has played KP Down back, we've never given LT a run into the middle but did so in an Aboriginal game 4/5 yrs ago and did alright by all reports, Black has decent skills when the pill hits the deck to be able to play elsewhere (but probably not the defensive side).
We generally let a new player slide into a hbf position before theyre released up higher up the ground. We have Jack who on reports has played a forward role in junior footy came to us when we had sweet FA mids and him in a mans body. It was one of no choice to throw him in there instead of what the Sydneys, the Hawthorns do in developing their younger players, have a look at StKilda, and the Bullies they have rather young group of mids (theyre 3-4 yrs behind us) they have to play Billings, Bontapelli etc.

Back to JZ, Brereton the other day lauded the idea of having Cunners and Zeibell have spells up forward. But we ( BF Family here have been suggesting to swing JZ up forward yonks ago) We have also offered and discussed the idea of Atley moving forward.....it will eventually happen, who comes out?? We also have Basti who is an inside mid starting to realise his core strength is matching those of
more seasoned players, I think he will get more minutes in the guts as well.......its a natural progression and of those I would like to see have more minutes up front is Zeibell.

Adams as much as I love the bloke is starting to get passed by, his form has been "patchy" (pardon the pun) but it has so much so that he is slowly out of the starting 22.

Zeibell playing up forward will also extend his playing career by say 40 games I think.......his crash and bash style will take its toll, if we dont take measures to protect him from himself.

Bartel plays forward, theres talk of Jnr going up forward now while he's still about (its very evident) that GC needs to have a strategy where they get minutes into their young mids and balancing Gaz's control when he's available.

Jay-Z we dont see eye to eye on this mate....ce la vie.
tl;dr :p

In all seriouslyness though, I agree with most of what you've said. I have absolutely no issue with Ziebell (or Cunnington) swinging forward. But for Ziebell to become a permanent forward is a different kettle of fish.

Even if you take Adams out, that still leaves us with 5 blokes that you want to play at least 70% in the forward line. That is not flexible enough. On top of that, Ziebell's (and Cunnington's) recent success was playing as a small full forward out of the square. To do this more permanently would mean dropping Black back to the VFL until Petrie retires and bringing in another mid to replace him who is going to be inferior in the middle to JZ. It just doesn't make any sense to me. I would rather Ziebell in the middle and Black up forward than Ziebell up forward and someone like Dumont in the middle. Plus it would stunt Black's development to drop him back to the VFL at this stage.

Guys like Bartel (about 8 years older than Ziebs and is in the twilight of his career) and Ablett Jnr (plays as a very damaging pocket/flanker rather than a FF) are different stories.
 

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ozzyoslo

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tl;dr :p

In all seriouslyness though, I agree with most of what you've said. I have absolutely no issue with Ziebell (or Cunnington) swinging forward. But for Ziebell to become a permanent forward is a different kettle of fish.

Even if you take Adams out, that still leaves us with 5 blokes that you want to play at least 70% in the forward line. That is not flexible enough. On top of that, Ziebell's (and Cunnington's) recent success was playing as a small full forward out of the square. To do this more permanently would mean dropping Black back to the VFL until Petrie retires and bringing in another mid to replace him who is going to be inferior in the middle to JZ. It just doesn't make any sense to me. I would rather Ziebell in the middle and Black up forward than Ziebell up forward and someone like Dumont in the middle. Plus it would stunt Black's development to drop him back to the VFL at this stage.

Guys like Bartel (about 8 years older than Ziebs and is in the twilight of his career) and Ablett Jnr (plays as a very damaging pocket/flanker rather than a FF) are different stories.
Probably right there.
The 70% - 30% are something Ive just plucked out.....match ups have to be taken into account against certain teams as well.

Will be interesting what we pick in our 1st round choice, (has to be a KPP I think) unless the club has tested the waters and got a positive response for a key forward for the 2016 season.
 

Andronicus

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Obviously bombers/roos tension is at an all time high at the moment, but just want to say what a champ swallow is. I've said for a long time I'd take him over most players in the comp. similar to the value Brett Kirk or Paul Kelly would add. You have one of the best captains in the comp and he is one of the real keys to next weeks game. So glad he has come back well from his injury last year.

Good luck guys.
 

Jay-Z

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Obviously bombers/roos tension is at an all time high at the moment, but just want to say what a champ swallow is. I've said for a long time I'd take him over most players in the comp. similar to the value Brett Kirk or Paul Kelly would add. You have one of the best captains in the comp and he is one of the real keys to next weeks game. So glad he has come back well from his injury last year.

Good luck guys.
Great post.

You sure you go for *? :p
 

scottywiper

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In all the fapping over Richmond on On the Couch, they mentioned what a gun Miles is.
He's sixth in the AFL for clearances since rnd 12.
Leading the way, by a clear margin too, was none other than Andrew Swallow.
An absolutely amazing effort for a bloke who is coming off a very serious injury.
I thought for sure they would comment on it, but alas...
 

TooUglyForFugly

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In all the fapping over Richmond on On the Couch, they mentioned what a gun Miles is.
He's sixth in the AFL for clearances since rnd 12.
Leading the way, by a clear margin too, was none other than Andrew Swallow.
An absolutely amazing effort for a bloke who is coming off a very serious injury.
I thought for sure they would comment on it, but alas...
You think too optimistically.
 

Kanga1996

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In all the fapping over Richmond on On the Couch, they mentioned what a gun Miles is.
He's sixth in the AFL for clearances since rnd 12.
Leading the way, by a clear margin too, was none other than Andrew Swallow.
An absolutely amazing effort for a bloke who is coming off a very serious injury.
I thought for sure they would comment on it, but alas...
I had forgotten how good swallow was . I owe him an apology.
 
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