2nds Reserves Scratch Matches 2020

[Angry Red Bull]

Managed to catch the practice match (?) against Fremantle from a few days back. Worth noting that this was ridiculously low-intensity. Like below NEAFL level even. Fremantle players were like witches hats, and the game was played almost entirely in our forward half as we dominated proceedings. So bear that in mind...

Warner - Had some brilliant moments where he charged out of the middle to win quick, fast clearances and hit targets inside 50, and his second and third efforts were great to see. I'm almost positive half the stuff he did out there would not fly at all at AFL level, so I'm not convinced by him, but I'd be shocked if he wasn't selected this week.

Brand - Came on about 3/4 of the way through in his return from injury, and instantly looked our best key defender. Really sharp, albeit from incredibly limited opportunities to really do anything.

Clarke - Standard Clarke game. Racked up possessions and wasn't overly damaging with them. I'm pretty sure he wasn't on for the entire last 20 minutes or so, so possibly carrying a niggle?

Gray - Probably BOG for us. When others tired as the day wore on he kept going, running hard and presenting. Not sold on him but in fairness to him it was a good showing.

Gould - Forget about him debuting. Miles behind his opponent on a few occasions and got out-bodied badly on a few occasions as well. Think I counted two solid contested wins for him overall. He is going to be in for a long, long summer running laps.

Ling - Excellent contested game from Ling. Got beaten once late, but every other time he won his one on ones convincingly. Didn't see much by way of attacking from him, but defensively he was the most consistent throughout the day.

Franklin - Really impressed throwing the balls back into play from behind the goals. Clean arm, swift motion, looked good.

McInerney - Standard McInerney game really, used the ball well generally and worked hard but gets rag-dolled in tackles easily and also won about 80% of his possessions through uncontested cheapies in the back-line. Wasn't different enough from his usual form to suggest the coaches minds will be changed about him playing senior footy, but who knows.

Taylor - He is very weird to watch. On the one hand his weight clearly restricts his movement as he looks slow and can't even turn quicker than the QE2. Then at other times he is agile AF. In any case he looked lazy and at one point someone on the sidelines bellowed "****ing switch on Lewy!" when he gave a half-arsed effort in a one-on-one.

O'Connor - Barely sighted in the first half, and that was playing as a forward where it was down his end. Grew into the game and won two very impressive one on ones late.

Aliir - Standard Aliir game, both as a defender in the first half where he had some massive spoils and seemed more willing to jump up and impact contests much to the applause of those watching. Then in the ruck in the second half absolutely dominated, won about 4 clearances from roving his own footy which helped our mids get on top. Still looked lethargic though so if that's a determining factor in him not playing senior footy, didn't do enough to change that in my mind.

Rowles - Big call here but this kid might just be the fastest Swan I have seen since Rohan. His boots literally look like wheels when he gets going they are that quick. Played more as a half forward which I thought kinda wasted him. Would've preferred to see him using that run off half back instead of watching Ling, McInerney, Gray and Warner just chipping it around all game.

McLean - ******* frustrating. Was by far the dominant big man on the ground in the first half. Took 6 excellent marks - all contested - for three shots at goal. All missed. Took the wind out of his sails by the second half but somehow ended up with 3 goals and about 10 contested marks for the game. IMO he is clearly too good to not be playing senior footy for us, but at the same time he makes it hard to select him when he squanders potentially dominant games with poor finishing. Which brings me to...

Amartey - Who ended the day as the dominant big man on the ground. Competitive in the ruck in the first half then moved forward where he took mark after mark and finished with 3, should've had 4. A few of his shots were difficult too but he went back and slotted them. His effort at ground level was also really impressive, following up every contest with tackling pressure. Between he and McLean, I'd happily give either a go in the senior side.

No sign of Knoll out there.

Yeah Rowles was 9th in the combine for 20 metre sprint finishing under 3 seconds. so has a lot of speed

 

[cherub]

Was this at Cockburn?

 

[caesar88]

Was this at Cockburn?

Yep! Freo's base

 

[GotTheGoodes]

*GTG DOES MODERN FOOTY MEDIA*

... Was Buddy using both hands or exclusively just the left caesar88 ?? Strange he'd rely on only one hand. Clearly was out the night before & feeling the after effects. Tut tut.

Did he have a hat or beanie on? Brand? ... Obviously this should tell us how much his pay has been reduced through COVID.

At any point did he stand up? If so, his demeanor clearly showed how restless & agitated he'd become being forced by the club into showing up on a day of no significance.

No other players were near him? ... disharmony at his pa.... What? Oh, a good group with him you say?? ... Clearly he's distracting the younger players at the club...

 

[caesar88]

*GTG DOES MODERN FOOTY MEDIA*

... Was Buddy using both hands or exclusively just the left caesar88 ?? Strange he'd rely on only one hand. Clearly was out the night before & feeling the after effects. Tut tut.

Did he have a hat or beanie on? Brand? ... Obviously this should tell us how much his pay has been reduced through COVID.

At any point did he stand up? If so, his demeanor clearly showed how restless & agitated he'd become being forced by the club into showing up on a day of no significance.

No other players were near him? ... disharmony at his pa.... What? Oh, a good group with him you say?? ... Clearly he's distracting the younger players at the club...

GOAT post

 

[ScottBo]

Thanks Caesar, great report. It's a shame you have to do the job of the Swans media team. How hard can it be? It's not like they are out on the town or seeing the sights.

 

[bedford]

Thanks Caeser, great report. It's a shame you have to do the job of the Swans media team. How hard can it be? It's not like they are out on the town or seeing the sights.

Cut Backs in every AFL club , have you nor heard that ?

 

[ScottBo]

Other teams can do it. Hawthorn even ran highlights using our footage -- our media team didn't even bother to show any Swans highlights they had shot. It isn't difficult to put up a quick Insta post or even Tweet the score. Even a Luddite could do that, but perhaps I'm replying to the wrong person on that subject.

 

[bedford]

Other teams can do it. Hawthorn even ran highlights using our footage -- our media team didn't even bother to show any Swans highlights they had shot. It isn't difficult to put up a quick Insta post or even Tweet the score. Even a Luddite could do that, but perhaps I'm replying to the wrong person on that subject.

But now we have the 2nd greatest ressies watcher on this board , we are truly blessed.

 

[cherub]

But now we have the 2nd greatest ressies watcher on this board , we are truly blessed.

But it's a bit location-specific. Once they leave WA we'll have to engage someone else.

 

[bedford]

But it's a bit location-specific. Once they leave WA we'll have to engage someone else.

I'll hang up

 

[Nool Carpenna]

Good job caesar88 thanks!
It’s quite a joy watching the second stringers in a park setting hey... gives a different perspective? It actually surprised me how emotional I got watching Wicksy and Foot kicking their first compared to Stephens having seen a bit of ‘em last year.
On Amartey... he wasn’t backward in coming forward when things got hot in the kitchen, but from up on high at the club, they were looking for him to be more competitive.
Was shocked they kept him over the Pinkster tbh.

 

[dazedjosh]

Managed to catch the practice match (?) against Fremantle from a few days back. Worth noting that this was ridiculously low-intensity. Like below NEAFL level even. Fremantle players were like witches hats, and the game was played almost entirely in our forward half as we dominated proceedings. So bear that in mind...

Warner - Had some brilliant moments where he charged out of the middle to win quick, fast clearances and hit targets inside 50, and his second and third efforts were great to see. I'm almost positive half the stuff he did out there would not fly at all at AFL level, so I'm not convinced by him, but I'd be shocked if he wasn't selected this week.

Brand - Came on about 3/4 of the way through in his return from injury, and instantly looked our best key defender. Really sharp, albeit from incredibly limited opportunities to really do anything.

Clarke - Standard Clarke game. Racked up possessions and wasn't overly damaging with them. I'm pretty sure he wasn't on for the entire last 20 minutes or so, so possibly carrying a niggle?

Gray - Probably BOG for us. When others tired as the day wore on he kept going, running hard and presenting. Not sold on him but in fairness to him it was a good showing.

Gould - Forget about him debuting. Miles behind his opponent on a few occasions and got out-bodied badly on a few occasions as well. Think I counted two solid contested wins for him overall. He is going to be in for a long, long summer running laps.

Ling - Excellent contested game from Ling. Got beaten once late, but every other time he won his one on ones convincingly. Didn't see much by way of attacking from him, but defensively he was the most consistent throughout the day.

Franklin - Really impressed throwing the balls back into play from behind the goals. Clean arm, swift motion, looked good.

McInerney - Standard McInerney game really, used the ball well generally and worked hard but gets rag-dolled in tackles easily and also won about 80% of his possessions through uncontested cheapies in the back-line. Wasn't different enough from his usual form to suggest the coaches minds will be changed about him playing senior footy, but who knows.

Taylor - He is very weird to watch. On the one hand his weight clearly restricts his movement as he looks slow and can't even turn quicker than the QE2. Then at other times he is agile AF. In any case he looked lazy and at one point someone on the sidelines bellowed "****ing switch on Lewy!" when he gave a half-arsed effort in a one-on-one.

O'Connor - Barely sighted in the first half, and that was playing as a forward where it was down his end. Grew into the game and won two very impressive one on ones late.

Aliir - Standard Aliir game, both as a defender in the first half where he had some massive spoils and seemed more willing to jump up and impact contests much to the applause of those watching. Then in the ruck in the second half absolutely dominated, won about 4 clearances from roving his own footy which helped our mids get on top. Still looked lethargic though so if that's a determining factor in him not playing senior footy, didn't do enough to change that in my mind.

Rowles - Big call here but this kid might just be the fastest Swan I have seen since Rohan. His boots literally look like wheels when he gets going they are that quick. Played more as a half forward which I thought kinda wasted him. Would've preferred to see him using that run off half back instead of watching Ling, McInerney, Gray and Warner just chipping it around all game.

McLean - ******* frustrating. Was by far the dominant big man on the ground in the first half. Took 6 excellent marks - all contested - for three shots at goal. All missed. Took the wind out of his sails by the second half but somehow ended up with 3 goals and about 10 contested marks for the game. IMO he is clearly too good to not be playing senior footy for us, but at the same time he makes it hard to select him when he squanders potentially dominant games with poor finishing. Which brings me to...

Amartey - Who ended the day as the dominant big man on the ground. Competitive in the ruck in the first half then moved forward where he took mark after mark and finished with 3, should've had 4. A few of his shots were difficult too but he went back and slotted them. His effort at ground level was also really impressive, following up every contest with tackling pressure. Between he and McLean, I'd happily give either a go in the senior side.

No sign of Knoll out there.

Thanks for that review mate, it's much appreciated. Good to hear about Amartey, I'd like to see him be given a chance this season so we can figure out if he's worth keeping. Did O'Connor move down back in the 2nd half? Ultimately he's a project and will take a year or two to get used to the game, but he sounds promising if a little inconsistent at this early stage.

 

[RUNVS]

Thanks Caesar, great report. It's a shame you have to do the job of the Swans media team. How hard can it be? It's not like they are out on the town or seeing the sights.

Actually this is better as the Swans media team would not give us the honest truth about how the reserves players are playing. They would talk up the good performances of course, but they would very much minimise any problems.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Franklin - Really impressed throwing the balls back into play from behind the goals. Clean arm, swift motion, looked good.

That just i dunno really sad for a player of his calibre

 

[caesar88]

Thanks for that review mate, it's much appreciated. Good to hear about Amartey, I'd like to see him be given a chance this season so we can figure out if he's worth keeping. Did O'Connor move down back in the 2nd half? Ultimately he's a project and will take a year or two to get used to the game, but he sounds promising if a little inconsistent at this early stage.

O'Connor was sort of everywhere in the second half. Even started at a centre bounce and not as a ruck. I got the impression they are getting him accustomed to the game by trying him in a number of positions. I'm not usually a fan of this but for an international recruit I get the logic. He definitely looked best when winning one on ones though.

 

[Wolftone]

O'Connor was sort of everywhere in the second half. Even started at a centre bounce and not as a ruck. I got the impression they are getting him accustomed to the game by trying him in a number of positions. I'm not usually a fan of this but for an international recruit I get the logic. He definitely looked best when winning one on ones though.

He was a defender in Gaelic Footy so is not used to playing in attack. Could be a fish out of water deal there. But he needs to get experience there anyway.

 

[SwansProudly]

The two sides played 16v16 in 3x20 minute thirds with the young Swans defeated by 18 points.
Development Coach Jeremy Laidler said his side were ‘up and down’.
“We had moments where we moved the ball really well and defended really well,” Laidler said.
“There’s definitely some areas for improvement, there was just a little bit of slow reaction in transition, so we will look at that.”
Young duo Dylan Stephens and Chad Warner were energetic in the midfield alongside some more experienced heads.

Tall forward Hayden McLean provided a target up forward with the 21-year old booting three goals.
“Hayden has worked really hard the last couple of weeks and is kicking some really good goals and that’s on the back of his work ethic,” Laidler said. “Today he kicked straight, he was a bit off last week, but he’s getting quite a few shots which is good.”

Today’s game also marked Michael Knoll’s return with the ruckman sidelined the last few months due to a PCL injury sustained in June.
“Knollsy played predominantly forward but also in the ruck. He got through his first game back ok and had some really good contests,” Laidler said.

Defender Kaiden Brand also clocked more match minutes as he continues his return from a groin injury.
“Brandy was really strong down back and positioned himself well and took some really strong marks against some quality forwards,” Laidler said.

Solid hit-out for Reserves

The Sydney Swans reserves side had a match scrimmage against Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval on Friday afternoon.

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[Millky95]

The two sides played 16v16 in 3x20 minute thirds with the young Swans defeated by 18 points.
Development Coach Jeremy Laidler said his side were ‘up and down’.
“We had moments where we moved the ball really well and defended really well,” Laidler said.
“There’s definitely some areas for improvement, there was just a little bit of slow reaction in transition, so we will look at that.”
Young duo Dylan Stephens and Chad Warner were energetic in the midfield alongside some more experienced heads.

Tall forward Hayden McLean provided a target up forward with the 21-year old booting three goals.
“Hayden has worked really hard the last couple of weeks and is kicking some really good goals and that’s on the back of his work ethic,” Laidler said. “Today he kicked straight, he was a bit off last week, but he’s getting quite a few shots which is good.”

Today’s game also marked Michael Knoll’s return with the ruckman sidelined the last few months due to a PCL injury sustained in June.
“Knollsy played predominantly forward but also in the ruck. He got through his first game back ok and had some really good contests,” Laidler said.

Defender Kaiden Brand also clocked more match minutes as he continues his return from a groin injury.
“Brandy was really strong down back and positioned himself well and took some really strong marks against some quality forwards,” Laidler said.

Solid hit-out for Reserves

The Sydney Swans reserves side had a match scrimmage against Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval on Friday afternoon.

www.sydneyswans.com.au

Good to see Knoll playing. Would like to see him get one game even if it is the last game of the season

Hoping Brand finds fitness and form for the end of the season as well

 

[SwansProudly]

Good to see Knoll playing. Would like to see him get one game even if it is the last game of the season

Hoping Brand finds fitness and form for the end of the season as well

I hoping McLean comes in soon.

 

[Millky95]

I hoping McLean comes in soon.

Same. McLean could be a good FF that pinches in the ruck

 

[Bear31]

Same. McLean could be a good FF that pinches in the ruck

So we can leave Allir down back where he belongs

 

[caesar88]

Saw the outing against Port. They lent us at least three of their players. It was actually a pretty even contest but there were two main differences that made Port the better team: our lapses in concentration, which are expected, and our lack of skills, both by hand and foot. We can't even make low-intensity scrimmages look easy.

My thoughts...

Warner - Played midfield all day and did OK. He's neither lean enough or athletic enough to play the sort of dynamic game he seems to want to play. Tries to evade, side-step and spin out of trouble but he's too stocky and not quick enough off his first step to do so. I wonder if the coaching staff will want him to focus on getting a bit leaner to help him in this aspect, or if they want him to stay the big-bodied bull.

Brand - Slightly underwhelmed. Had some good moments in one-on-ones but also some poor moments and he was shocking by foot. Kinda looked lethargic which is disappointing as I thought he'd be banging the door down for senior selection. Possibly all the coaches needed from him was to get through the game unscathed?

Stephens - Our clear best player, though it was more in little highlights here and there rather than a consistent performance. He played inside mid all day and looked our most lively player in there, roving the ball and bursting through players, while also heaping pressure on and breaking lines. Yet to see the elite ball use, but he has these little moments of class and footy nous, including a Kobe-like tap to a team-mate running past when he knew he couldn't get the ball himself.

Gray - A budget Stephens. Played almost identical role in the midfield trying to rove the pill and burst away from the pack, but wasn't anywhere near as effective in this regard. A meh performance.

Foot - Barely sighted. Played in defence first half, then wing second half, and didn't do much in either role. Forgot he was out there tbh.

Gould - His best outing yet, albeit the ball was parked in his area of the ground most of the game. A bit like Rampe, he seemed to take confidence in knowing the ball was constantly in his vicinity, flying across to take a few intercept marks and reading the ball well in the air. Defensively one-on-one though he's a liability still.

Ling - Once again he's very good in one-on-ones. If we want him to be a lockdown defender in the vein of Smooch, he might just be it. However his ball use by hand and foot was... horrible. I'll leave it at that.

Taylor - Nothing to discuss. Go on a diet.

O'Connor - Had some good moments winning some one on ones, and some poor moments where he was beaten badly in one on ones. Not much to say really.

O'Riordan - Was actually disappointed with COR's performance. I thought he was stiff to be dropped, advocated for his place in the senior side and have always been impressed when he's fronted up in the reserves and held his head high with his performances. But he was sloppy on this occasion, losing his opponent a number of times and just making some silly mistakes.

Rowles - Poor kid at his very first centre bounce attendance got absolutely crunched in a tackle. Think it became clear a midfielder he was not! Didn't seem to have the awareness or nous for the contest, but once on the outside looked better. He made a few excellent plays where he took off with those wheels, danced around the tackler, and delivered it beautifully to McLean on twice inside 50.

McLean - Kicked 3 goals from 4 shots from very limited opportunities as the ball didn't see our forward 50 much. Really not sure what else he can do. He's taking marks as a forward, and he's kicking goals as a forward. Tick, tick.

Amartey - More of a modest showing against Hayes (?) from Port in the ruck. Didn't disgrace himself but couldn't assert himself on the contest like in previous weeks.

Knoll - Meh. Apparently this was his comeback game, though I swear I saw him just a few weeks back? He didn't do much anyway. Barely rucked and rested forward where he inexplicably seemed to lead his opponent towards McLean, not away from him.

A few more general notes...

I'm not sure if I like the tinkering of roles given the circumstances this year. Guys like Rowles and O'Connor have very limited opportunities to show what they can do this year before they are potentially culled. Play them in the roles they were drafted in and they'll either make it or they won't, but shifting them around so much to "challenge them" I don't think achieves anything with only a month left to prove themselves.

Some on this board were also concerned Horse was coaching the flair out of his players. I'm gonna say that he needs to go a little the other way. There are plenty of guys on our list who love to run, use their pace, and take the game on - Florent, Stoddart, Ling, McInerney, Stephens, Rowles. None of them use the ball overly well from what I've seen, whether it a large or a small sample size. He may just need to rein some of these guys in and get them to be a bit more disciplined with their execution, because it seems like they get so carried away by trying to attack and create that they then don't have the composure to finish off their good work.

Just my observations.

 

[Ralphyboy]

Saw the outing against Port. They lent us at least three of their players. It was actually a pretty even contest but there were two main differences that made Port the better team: our lapses in concentration, which are expected, and our lack of skills, both by hand and foot. We can't even make low-intensity scrimmages look easy.

My thoughts...

Warner - Played midfield all day and did OK. He's neither lean enough or athletic enough to play the sort of dynamic game he seems to want to play. Tries to evade, side-step and spin out of trouble but he's too stocky and not quick enough off his first step to do so. I wonder if the coaching staff will want him to focus on getting a bit leaner to help him in this aspect, or if they want him to stay the big-bodied bull.

Brand - Slightly underwhelmed. Had some good moments in one-on-ones but also some poor moments and he was shocking by foot. Kinda looked lethargic which is disappointing as I thought he'd be banging the door down for senior selection. Possibly all the coaches needed from him was to get through the game unscathed?

Stephens - Our clear best player, though it was more in little highlights here and there rather than a consistent performance. He played inside mid all day and looked our most lively player in there, roving the ball and bursting through players, while also heaping pressure on and breaking lines. Yet to see the elite ball use, but he has these little moments of class and footy nous, including a Kobe-like tap to a team-mate running past when he knew he couldn't get the ball himself.

Gray - A budget Stephens. Played almost identical role in the midfield trying to rove the pill and burst away from the pack, but wasn't anywhere near as effective in this regard. A meh performance.

Foot - Barely sighted. Played in defence first half, then wing second half, and didn't do much in either role. Forgot he was out there tbh.

Gould - His best outing yet, albeit the ball was parked in his area of the ground most of the game. A bit like Rampe, he seemed to take confidence in knowing the ball was constantly in his vicinity, flying across to take a few intercept marks and reading the ball well in the air. Defensively one-on-one though he's a liability still.

Ling - Once again he's very good in one-on-ones. If we want him to be a lockdown defender in the vein of Smooch, he might just be it. However his ball use by hand and foot was... horrible. I'll leave it at that.

Taylor - Nothing to discuss. Go on a diet.

O'Connor - Had some good moments winning some one on ones, and some poor moments where he was beaten badly in one on ones. Not much to say really.

O'Riordan - Was actually disappointed with COR's performance. I thought he was stiff to be dropped, advocated for his place in the senior side and have always been impressed when he's fronted up in the reserves and held his head high with his performances. But he was sloppy on this occasion, losing his opponent a number of times and just making some silly mistakes.

Rowles - Poor kid at his very first centre bounce attendance got absolutely crunched in a tackle. Think it became clear a midfielder he was not! Didn't seem to have the awareness or nous for the contest, but once on the outside looked better. He made a few excellent plays where he took off with those wheels, danced around the tackler, and delivered it beautifully to McLean on twice inside 50.

McLean - Kicked 3 goals from 4 shots from very limited opportunities as the ball didn't see our forward 50 much. Really not sure what else he can do. He's taking marks as a forward, and he's kicking goals as a forward. Tick, tick.

Amartey - More of a modest showing against Hayes (?) from Port in the ruck. Didn't disgrace himself but couldn't assert himself on the contest like in previous weeks.

Knoll - Meh. Apparently this was his comeback game, though I swear I saw him just a few weeks back? He didn't do much anyway. Barely rucked and rested forward where he inexplicably seemed to lead his opponent towards McLean, not away from him.

A few more general notes...

I'm not sure if I like the tinkering of roles given the circumstances this year. Guys like Rowles and O'Connor have very limited opportunities to show what they can do this year before they are potentially culled. Play them in the roles they were drafted in and they'll either make it or they won't, but shifting them around so much to "challenge them" I don't think achieves anything with only a month left to prove themselves.

Some on this board were also concerned Horse was coaching the flair out of his players. I'm gonna say that he needs to go a little the other way. There are plenty of guys on our list who love to run, use their pace, and take the game on - Florent, Stoddart, Ling, McInerney, Stephens, Rowles. None of them use the ball overly well from what I've seen, whether it a large or a small sample size. He may just need to rein some of these guys in and get them to be a bit more disciplined with their execution, because it seems like they get so carried away by trying to attack and create that they then don't have the composure to finish off their good work.

Just my observations.

Great report thanks. One question, are some of our players not lean enough. I'm talking Taylor, Grey, Gould, Warner and even elijah taylor. I did get a chance to watch the scratchy as well and noticed taylor in particular looking very uncomfortable after a single high intensity effort. He seemed to then spend a couple of minutes on his haunches trying to recover.

 

[caesar88]

Great report thanks. One question, are some of our players not lean enough. I'm talking Taylor, Grey, Gould, Warner and even elijah taylor. I did get a chance to watch the scratchy as well and noticed taylor in particular looking very uncomfortable after a single high intensity effort. He seemed to then spend a couple of minutes on his haunches trying to recover.

Yeah I think so. Those first four you mentioned need to shed some kgs IMO as they look a bit... clunky... for lack of better words. And they're easy to bring down in tackles because of it.

Taylor is just flat out overweight to be playing this sport though.

You have to wonder what impact the shutdown might've had on some of these boys' fitness. Hard to imagine them being in this shape after a proper pre-season like in normal years.