Roast Dane Swan

[UpTheMags]

Don't get me wrong, i love Swanny, but I'm getting a little bit tired of a few aspects of his game.

What use is someone who gets 35 disposals a game if his ball use is one of the worst in our team? I think it's probably a fair statement to say he has the worst kicking of anyone in the Collingwood lineup and for some reason everyone in our team gives him the uncontested ball in the backline so he can then kick it forwards. Logically speaking, why would our players give the uncontested ball so regularly to the team's worst ball user?

I DO LOVE SWANNY and i still think he's a good player, but I don't think he's a great one anymore to be honest. I don't think he's defensive enough in this day and age of midfield.

My solution: put him in the bloody forward line! As a pretty permanent HFF/pocket. He is great 1v1, he has a great rig for bullocking, he doesn't need to be too defensively minded, he has breakaway speed and kicks goals. Fundamentally, every time he's in the forward line he feels so dangerous (e.g. Elimination Final vs Port) and we need that forward line worrying our opponents again, not just in the air but on the deck. We have a few great kids who should be getting more time in the guts: Adams, JT, Kennedy, Elliott.

While I'm at it, I think Beams is resting on his laurels. His lack of spread and defensive running is really starting to annoy me. He's such a fantastic player and he's great in close but how often do you see him running HARD back, chasing a man, spreading on his direct opponent's heels. I think, unfortunately, he's got a bit of the same tendency to get a whole lot of cheap uncontested ball and not be all that damaging with it.

At risk of being hated on, I've watched plenty of CTV and I do think Beams has an ego and a half and it ties in with that that he might be more interested in getting his possession count up than actually being a consummate, selfless midfielder.

I am TIRED of our midfield not spreading, not two-way running, not TRYING hard enough and I want to see a couple of these young fellas getting more time to remind our big guns what a kid is willing to do in the guts to get a spot.

To sum up, I don't think what I'm saying will ever happen, and I'm not saying I want Swanny and Beams out of the midfield. What I am honestly suggesting is: Put dane swan 70-30 or even 80-20 in the forward line and get the kids rotating through there, and keep an eye on Beams because that idea of possessions priority no1 is a culture I want to die in the ass with Swanny.

 

[Hva sher a]

Not disagreeing with you, and I really like Swanny as a forward threat but he is also one of our best clearance experts. You need at least 3 and we have Beams, Pendles and Swan.
Swan has always been a liability defensively and so has Beams. What we really need is for others to pick up the defensive slack. I'm in no way excusing Beams/Swan for their defensive frailties but its no point forcing them to be more defensive at the risk of losing their real weapons which is their ball-gathering and goal kicking abilities (poor goal kicking notwithstanding).

The recruitment of Scharenberg and Freeman as well as Young are an indication of Bucks desire to instill a more defensive mindset. Lumumba's move to the midfield was supposed to support this too but he's been a disappointment defensively. It also highlights how big a loss Wellingham is proving to be, as he had defensive capabilities.

Back to Swan, my preferred solution is to use Swan at centre bounces and limited stints on the ball but plant him up forward 70% of the time.

Effectively transition him to be the relief midfielder.

 

[Collingwood HQ]

I would rather Beams didn't spread straight away and kept near the contest without his 9 tackles 7 clearances and 31 disposals it would have been a 100 point beating.

I think swan maybe trying to work on his defensive side seeing as he had the second most rebound 50's (7) compared with Pendles and Beams (2)

 

[SpongePie]

I love Swan, and he is probably my fav Pies player of all time (or at least a close tie). Though there are times when I agree with the opening post. I'm keen to see how his year goes. Remember, he was 3 votes of winning his second Brownlow last year.

As much as I love Swanny in the mid, I wonder how a forward line like this might fare...

Swan, Cloke, Sidebottom
Elliot/Blair, White, Fasolo

 

[esc0bar]

There should be a license to talk shit on this board. Anyone talking shit should actually have experience in the game at league level. The funny thing is once you do, you tend to quit talking shit quite quickly.

Swan is not a bad kick. He is actually quite good. The kicks you see are those quick kicks onto the boot from a clearance. He actually gets the ball moving forward. Very rarely do you see him miss a target outside the center clearance Learn about the fundamental of the game and then come back with your whinging.

 

[Pera]

Swanny is a legend of the CFC and my favorite player ever.

I won't allow a "roast Dane Swan" thread to ever be opened on this board. I pity any fool who does this.

Mods, please close

 

[rose jam]

Swanny always starts the season slowly, just a fact about his career. He is it a problem and moving him around positions is not going to fix anything significant.
Onto Beams, the one thing that he needs to get out of his game is the Malthouse. Every time he gets it he steps sideways to the right and gives off the short sideways kick instead of pushing through ahead and gaining ground. It kills the break. Really irritates me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chilli Con Incarnate]

A bit of an overreaction, Swanny has operated between 60 to 70 percent disposal efficiency for the last few years. Hardly our worst user. He also hacks a lot of rushed balls out of the centre so that gives a false impression he can't kick well.

The only real difference I notice between Swanny's good games and bad (besides a few possessions less), is that he usually tackles a lot more when he is up and about. He only had 2 tackles last week and he (and we) looked flat.

 

[stevo86]

coming off wrist surgery, easing into it..first round.. next thread. People need to stop trying to analyse round 1..maybe in 6-8 weeks make a judgement of our team and players

 

[jmac70]

When are the short sighted recriminations going to end? Posters and media alike are basing opinion on one poor performance. We must give the players and coaches a chance to respond and improve before making any long term assessment of individuals or the team as a whole.

 

[UpTheMags]

I would rather Beams didn't spread straight away and kept near the contest without his 9 tackles 7 clearances and 31 disposals it would have been a 100 point beating.

I think swan maybe trying to work on his defensive side seeing as he had the second most rebound 50's (7) compared with Pendles and Beams (2)

his 7 rebound 50s is exactly what im talking about, if you watch him carefully he gets heaps of those rebounds from a dinky free handpass out the back and kicks it long out of our back 50. There are heaps of better players with ball in hand who should be doing that

 

[UpTheMags]

There should be a license to talk shit on this board. Anyone talking shit should actually have experience in the game at league level. The funny thing is once you do, you tend to quit talking shit quite quickly.

Swan is not a bad kick. He is actually quite good. The kicks you see are those quick kicks onto the boot from a clearance. He actually gets the ball moving forward. Very rarely do you see him miss a target outside the center clearance Learn about the fundamental of the game and then come back with your whinging.

couldnt disagree more on the topic of his skill level... agree to disagree

 

[Swooop]

I think it's difficult to judge disposals on the DE stat - these don't take into account how many we're rushed, under pressure etc.

I agree with OP insofar as if Swanny is in clear space streaming downfield, you don't get the secure feeling like you might with some of the elite disposers eg most of Hawthorn's team, that he'll hit his target.

A lot of the time he's probably stuffed from all the running he does, but nevertheless, he's not elite in regards disposal IMO. Fwiw, I think Sidey's disposal suffers also from
his gut running.

You'd still play Swanny on the ball for the majority of the time though you'd think.

 

[esc0bar]

couldnt disagree more on the topic of his skill level... agree to disagree

Then I'm not sure what game you are watching? Swan has a penetrating kick, he hits targets regularly and moves the ball forward. This is a stupid topic. I could start a thread on every players weakness.... Lumumba needs to learn to mark a high ball, Ball needs more penetration in his kicks, Keefe isn't strong enough, Sidebottom is a squib. Am i doing it right??

We are not going to change their positions, instead players just learn to play to their strength.

 

[wicksy]

Close this rubbish!!!
Swan's disposal is fine..... If anything, his worst comes when kicking for goal so the solution to put him forward..... is ridiculous!!

F@#$% hell..... A thread roasting Dane in the current climate.... Give me a break.

 

[robertg22]

Swanny is a legend of the CFC and my favorite player ever.

I won't allow a "roast Dane Swan" thread to ever be opened on this board. I pity any fool who does this.

Mods, please close

This - one game in and we've turned into a pack of rabid dogs. Some balance, guys, Swanny is a Collingwood champion and deserves a tad more respect than this tripe.

 

[Collingwood HQ]

his 7 rebound 50s is exactly what im talking about, if you watch him carefully he gets heaps of those rebounds from a dinky free handpass out the back and kicks it long out of our back 50. There are heaps of better players with ball in hand who should be doing that

Yeh the only problem with that is they are obviously not there to receive those free handpasses more like get out of jail free handpasses coming out of our defence. shows others not working hard enough to get back and support defence and Swanny must be I would rather someone get those handballs then no one.... turnover

 

[surfer1]

Don't get me wrong, i love Swanny, but I'm getting a little bit tired of a few aspects of his game.

What use is someone who gets 35 disposals a game if his ball use is one of the worst in our team? I think it's probably a fair statement to say he has the worst kicking of anyone in the Collingwood lineup and for some reason everyone in our team gives him the uncontested ball in the backline so he can then kick it forwards. Logically speaking, why would our players give the uncontested ball so regularly to the team's worst ball user?

I DO LOVE SWANNY and i still think he's a good player, but I don't think he's a great one anymore to be honest. I don't think he's defensive enough in this day and age of midfield.


My solution: put him in the bloody forward line! As a pretty permanent HFF/pocket. He is great 1v1, he has a great rig for bullocking, he doesn't need to be too defensively minded, he has breakaway speed and kicks goals. Fundamentally, every time he's in the forward line he feels so dangerous (e.g. Elimination Final vs Port) and we need that forward line worrying our opponents again, not just in the air but on the deck. We have a few great kids who should be getting more time in the guts: Adams, JT, Kennedy, Elliott.

While I'm at it, I think Beams is resting on his laurels. His lack of spread and defensive running is really starting to annoy me. He's such a fantastic player and he's great in close but how often do you see him running HARD back, chasing a man, spreading on his direct opponent's heels. I think, unfortunately, he's got a bit of the same tendency to get a whole lot of cheap uncontested ball and not be all that damaging with it.

At risk of being hated on, I've watched plenty of CTV and I do think Beams has an ego and a half and it ties in with that that he might be more interested in getting his possession count up than actually being a consummate, selfless midfielder.

I am TIRED of our midfield not spreading, not two-way running, not TRYING hard enough and I want to see a couple of these young fellas getting more time to remind our big guns what a kid is willing to do in the guts to get a spot.

To sum up, I don't think what I'm saying will ever happen, and I'm not saying I want Swanny and Beams out of the midfield. What I am honestly suggesting is: Put dane swan 70-30 or even 80-20 in the forward line and get the kids rotating through there, and keep an eye on Beams because that idea of possessions priority no1 is a culture I want to die in the ass with Swanny.

Once you made this topic Roast I refused to read any more

 

[blaze036]

OP raises some incredibly accurate points, its a shame most people here only want to attack him and not discuss the topic in a level headed manner (Like the OP).

our OWN CAPTAIN said at the end of last year our midfielders were LAZY and CHEATERS because they didn't run two ways, our coach and president both said we have a culture of SELFISHNESS in the club. I can barely imagine a more scathing report, yet people here seem to think everything is fine because beams got 9 tackles and swan got uncontested footy in the backline.

Swan gets a lot of possessions but the defensive side to his game is getting to Didak-levels. We need our whole midfield group to start focusing on defence rather than getting so many cheap uncontested possessions if we want to be a top 2 team again.

If you can't be mature enough to discuss this topic without attacking posters with different views to you maybe you should leave this thread.

 

[Baltimore Jack]

I don't think the OP does love Swanny

 

[cleomenes]

This is only a bit of a rant. Swan does not kick like Grant Birchall. He does not have the capacity to do so. He gets the ball an awful lot. He is brilliant at breaking away from a pack with the ball. He is quite a good kick for goal. He readily handballs to team mates in better positions, if they are there. He tackles well. He is a strong mark. He runs very hard. Why criticize him?

 

[blaze036]

This is only a bit of a rant. Swan does not kick like Grant Birchall. He does not have the capacity to do so. He gets the ball an awful lot. He is brilliant at breaking away from a pack with the ball. He is quite a good kick for goal. He readily handballs to team mates in better positions, if they are there. He tackles well. He is a strong mark. He runs very hard. Why criticize him?

Our midfield has big down hill skiing problems, and has had them for a long time. This is no secret... the players, some fans and the coaches know it. Swan is a big part of that midfield group... is he above criticism because of his loveable personality?

Personally I would rather a forum where everyone in the football club, from the worst player to the president, is fair game for level headed discussion and strong opinion's. Rather than blindly clapping like seals for them all because they wear black and white.

 

[cleomenes]

Our midfield has big down hill skiing problems, and has had them for a long time. This is no secret... the players, some fans and the coaches know it. Swan is a big part of that midfield group... is he above criticism because of his loveable personality?

Personally I would rather a forum where everyone in the football club, from the worst player to the president, is fair game for level headed discussion and strong opinion's. Rather than blindly clapping like seals for them all because they wear black and white.

We don't need to restrict ourselves to criticism though. Every player has strengths and weaknesses. To overemphasize the latter does nnothing for our team.

 

[blaze036]

We don't need to restrict ourselves to criticism though. Every player has strengths and weaknesses. To overemphasize the latter does nnothing for our team.

OP does clearly list several strengths of Swan

 

[RuFiO]

Roast his groin.
Okay that didn't come out well.
But does anyone know if he's injured coz it didn't look like he pulled up well whenever it was in that game?
Even though Swanny denies he's injured.