Plugger....again!

[roowatch]

So the big fella is back again! Boy it's hard to stay on this merry-go-round.

Still not sure it will be the best move for Swans. Will the players look for the best option, or simply go to Plugger? Will it put off the development of Hall in the game plan for at least one more season? Do they have the right sort of crumber on the forward line to capitalise on spills, remembering that Kelly, O'Loughlin and Goodes will already be there (+Nicks, Daffy, Williams??)

Good or bad it will certainly be interesting. What was the Saints theme last year??

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

I am completely dismayed at this.

Thank God its initially for a 3 month trial - I hope it fails.

Plugger coming back into the game as a 36 yo after retired for 2 years will be embarassing.

Its an embarrassment for a former champion.

Its an embrassment to the club (WTF ? are they thinking ?)

Its an embrassment to the other players

Its an embarassment to the supporters

Its an embarssment to the State of New South Wales

Its an embarssment to the game.

I hope like hell I'm proved wrong - but even if it all goes according to plan and the Swans actually win a Flag, it won't change anything.

We are still well and truly the Cinderellas of Australian Football.

And Lockett is our Fairy Godmother

cheers

 

[SteveRWO]

Lockett himself is the only party to lose out of this 'experiment', should things go horribly wrong.

At absolute worst, Lockett will stand in the forward pocket and demand a decent defender marks him. Obviously that makes the job of Hall, Goodes, O'Loughlin etc that little bit easier. There's no doubt that he could average 2-3 goals a game.

If the opposition play a agile rebounding defender on him, and he's struggling, he can easily be benched. Unlike '95-'99, he will only be one part/aspect of the forward line - if things aren't working a change will be made.

I can't see the negative for Hall - actually IMO it will be of great benefit to ease into the role of being 'the man' up forward. O'Loughlin can be used on a HFF, where he is extremely dangerous.

The only downside I can see is that Lockett might take some of the opportunities away from someone like Scott Stevens. But if Plugger is only expected to play 10-15 games, many off the bench, it could actually work out perfectly, allowing a guy like Stevens to be eased into senior footy, should his form warrant it.

Either Lockett does well, and everyone wins, or he fails, and he doesn't get a game. Not many other options for the 40th spot on our list could guarantee 30-40 goals for the year, even if playing only half the games.

 

[liz]

Plus Stevens has done very little to demonstrate that he is ready for AFL footy. It's hardly as if he was blooded last year and shown that he just needs more opportunities. And had he been ready, I'm sure he'd have had a chance last year. There were plenty of times when players were out of form and could have been replaced had there been an obvious replacement.

I still have some misgivings, but they're almost all around the idea of my football idol struggling to reproduce the footy that we all know he was capable of. I just don't want him to get embarrassed. But even if he does, what he has already achieved means that he'll be remembered as an absolute champion of the game when he finally hangs up his boots for good.

 

[Papa Smurf]

Plugger will win the Coleman medal and second brownlow in 2002.

Cheers.

 

[Desredandwhite]

Originally posted by Bloodstained Angel
I hope like hell I'm proved wrong - but even if it all goes according to plan and the Swans actually win a Flag, it won't change anything.

BSA, what are you on??? If it works, then you're still not happy?

Hard bloke to please, aren't ya?

The way I see it, there's no way we can lose out from this. We're not recruiting at the expense of a gun youngster - if there were any out there, they would have gone in the national draft. If The Big Bloke can chip in with a few valuable contributions, that helps out our forward line just a bit more. And Rocket has a tendency to leave guys on the bench for a long time anyway - so it wouldn't make too much difference if TBB is used judiciously off the bench.

Cheer up, mate! It's all good. Assuming all goes off without a hitch tomorrow (tuesday)

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

OK - consider me cheered up !

Des, what I'm on about is that I would like to see the Swannies win a premiership fair and square with no bullsh't.

Thats gonna be the only way the rest of the footy community will respect us, and perhaps, at the end of the day respect is more desirable than winning - maybe.

I'm just trerribly afraid that if we do well with Lockett in the team this year and make top 4 or even a GF, then to all the others it will just confirm the Swans as the Cinderella team of the AFL.

... and I don't want the Swans to be Cinderellas thanks very much, I want our team to win a flag fair and square without any gimmicks.

Sorry to disagree with the other Sydney supporters, but accepting back into the team a 36yo retired Full Forward is unprofessional, a gimmick and makes us look like geese

cheers

 

[Desredandwhite]

Originally posted by Bloodstained Angel
Sorry to disagree with the other Sydney supporters, but accepting back into the team a 36yo retired Full Forward is unprofessional, a gimmick and makes us look like geese

What, moreso than the bloke with a duck's head on his shoulders hooning around the SCG on a motor-scooter?

I take your point though, in a way. In a perfect world, the champions would be replaced by MORE champions and we'd keep winning.

But I'm not ashamed to admit that sometimes we need a bit of luck and help to get that last 5% of quality to win a flag Bring on the new season, etc etc etc.

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

grrrrrrrr !

I could kill that freaking mascot sometimes !

Remember when the damn thing first made an appearance and they ran a competition to see who could come up with the best nickname ?

My wife suggested Chicken dude

Pity, we never heard how we went in that one - I wonder why ?

cheers

 

[Daphne]

You dont realise it yet, but get back to me when you do. Scott McGlone is going to be one of your best pick ups this year.

 

[Portia]

Yep. For sure.

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

Thanks for that Daphne and Porthos

Don't know much about the guy except word around the traps is that he was very unlucky not to get picked in the National Draft

Will watch him with interest ...

cheers

 

[Bomber Spirit]

He's been out of the game for a couple of years and had injury probs before that, so it's a big ask for him to get back to full levels of form and fitness.
But if he can do it, the Swans certainly wouldn't say no to a proven 1300-goalscorer. And it guarantees a 40,000+ crowd for the first home game against the Brisbane Lions.
The media up here will be full of South Sydney rubbish in early March. But then when the real footy starts, Plugger's presence should make sure the Swans get a good run in the media.

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

yep - very true Bomber Spirit

Also, don't forget that News Limited is a major partner in the new broadcast rights deal.

What that eseentially means is that the former "Bible of Rugby League" - the Daily Telegraph newspaper will suddenly astart to come out with almost as much Australian Rules coverage as Rugby League coverage.

As it is already, I think the Daily Terror does a reasonable job at publishing Australian Rules Footy - related stories.

But from about late February this coverage will more than double so that Sydney residents will experience something very new and very strange when they pick up their newspapers - Just as much Aussie Rules stories as Rugby League stories.

A cultural revolutiuon (of sorts ?) is coming to the cosy, Rugby dominated world of Sydney sports journalism

cheers

 

[Portia]

I doubt there will be a significant immediate increase. Maybe more midseason if the Swans are doing well.

 

[Bomber Spirit]

Originally posted by Porthos
I doubt there will be a significant immediate increase. Maybe more midseason if the Swans are doing well.

What could well happen is that they'll hype up the "blockbuster" games even more than we've seen before. Live prime-time telecasts on Ch 10 will be good for that.
The first game, with Plugger back in the fold should get plenty of coverage. The 3 Saturday night games at Stade de Oz should get plenty of publicity as well. And of course, those grudge matches against the Kangaroos.