Rookie List - Player Progress

[CAS79]

It's coming up to the end of the season, for these guys anyway.

I think as Irishman McKauge must in his third year be counted as a non international as the agreement with the Irish to get international rules back.

This means we have 3 rookies who are in their second year. from which we are only allowed to maintain one on the list as a third year rookie after redrafting them pre select.

So to those in the know how do you think they are travelling?.

Gordon got two senior games this year and battled to keep up with the pace of play and was subbed odd early in his second. It seems he's been reinvented as a medium sized forward of late and playing with some good Canberra form.

Everyone seems to have loved McNeil over his two years for his effort but of late any suggestion of an imminent senior promotion have gone quiet as criticisms of his disposal and spread have arisen. Despite this Sydney are gearing up for retirements to O'Keefe and Bolton in the next season or two so an extra inside midfielder on the list is going to be a must.

Mckauge seems to be fairly anonymous in the reports on here and the occasional other observations that flow my way.

So do people think were going to promote any of them to the senior list next year? and is McKauge going to get cut or as a project player may he get the golden egg and Nipper be shown the door if McNeil get's promoted to the senior list.

I am going to assume that all 3 first year rookies have shown enough to be kept on for a second year though it would sound like they will need to progress rapidly next year.

 

[Chinners100]

Despite this Sydney are gearing up for retirements to O'Keefe and Bolton in the next season or two so an extra inside midfielder on the list is going to be a must.

Hopefully Tom Mitchell will be able to fill his void in the coming years. Looks to be a gun. I think that we already have a surplus of inside mids, might need to look at an outside player to fill our list. I really haven't seen much of McNeill, so I can't really form an opinion on him; but his future looks very uncertain with the likes of Mitchell coming in.

 

[BarneyBent]

Delist McKaigue, keep Dill, promote Gordon

OR

Delist McKaigue, delist Dill, keep Gordon.

These seem like the most likely options. Not particularly happy with either, since I really like McNeil but I'm not sure Gordon has earned a promotion (though he has been a lot better across half-forward).

 

[TheGoatBaron]

Isnt Nathan Gordon already on the senior list? I'm pretty sure he is.

 

[liz]

I think Nipper will be promoted. I think he deserves it on merit in any case, but with a draft meant to be very shallow, two list spots alread available (Bradshaw and Bolton) and others likely to free up as Bevan, Moore, Sumner, Meredith, Currie and maybe even Seaby ponder their futures (or have them pondered for them), I think there will be spots available.

McNeil is at the wrong club. It appears he might have stagnated a little this season, but not to the point of suggesting he definitely doesn't have what it takes to make it as a senior player. But his size and relative lack of pace limit the positions he is able to fill, and he has far too long a list ahead of him at the Swans. I'll be surprised if he's not on a list somewhere next year. If he and the Swans part company, Sheedy would be made not to take a good look at him as a cheap recruit with a couple of years on most of his recruits.

McKaigue is gradually improving, and as a player who has come from zero background in the game, I think they'll probably give him another year if he wants it.

As far as the three first year rookies go, I doubt any of them is assured yet of a second year. Many others have come and gone in one season, and several of those have shown far more than either of our current crop has.

Haren is definitely my favourite of the three in terms of what he might be able to offer in the future. He definitely has some skill and athleticism for a guy of his size. It is a mystery what has been going on with him for the past couple of months. He is still hanging around the club (he has been seen watching most reserves games) so there must be a long term medical issue that the club has chosen not to make public.

Kruger will get judged against whatever the club's expectations of him were at the start of the year, which are impossible to know. He is still very raw and a long way off senior footy. But the club would have known that when they recruited him.

I haven't been a fan of what Otten has shown thus far. He's played a couple of decent games but lots of insipid ones too. His height might save him, but maybe not to the extent it would have in previous years.

Who stays and who goes will largely depend on how big a rookie list the club wants (and can afford) next year. The raft of scholarship and academy kids available this year makes things interesting, and most of them have had plenty of exposure in the reserves. None of them is standing out as a clear senior list option IMO, but plenty of them are putting their hand up for a rookie spot.

Lynch and Moody stand out because they have something different to offer from most of their competition - Lynch with some height and Moody with some pace. The rest are incredibly similar types of player - small, none with express pace, hard working, decently skilled and hard at it. Brain, Thompson and Murphy are all, I think, a year over age but have been regular contributors to the reserves team and are probably all in with a shot. Brain might be slightly ahead of the other two.

Potter, Guthrie and Kenny are all 18 this year, and again, similar types. Potter is probably my favourite of the group, but I don't think he is a clear cut prospect.

In May, the Swans also nominated a couple of guys from the Northern Academy as ones they had their eye on with a view to drafting them this year. I think they played in the reserves game in Newcastle but haven't made the trip down for any of the Sydney games that I've seen.