Autopsy Round 7, 2020: Sydney vs Gold Coast @SCG

[The King!]

You're right about Aliir. I can see the same happening to Dawson atm. It's a nightmare.

Hewett doesn't just tag but think about his development. How are you going to really shine in a ball-winning role if you're not training to be a ball-winner throughout the week? It's gonna take Horse actually saying righto, you're our pure ball-winner for x amount of games, and then train him as nothing but. No defensive roles. Same as Mills. It won't be as simple as just swinging him in there mid-match, it'll have to be a deliberate plan that's put into place at training. Otherwise you just have blokes doing makeshift jobs at roles they haven't trained in.

Doesn't matter though as it won't happen, so.

I think if horse thought he could do the more attacking role he would do it , he’s good at what he does

theres others I’d rather free up

 

[The King!]

A good observation, and credit to the match committee for the move forward... it was so much fun watching him after kicking a goal and really perking up. That is what footy can do. Those moments in a game can become infectious and we need those moments for everyone sake in the team. To see everyone's reaction after his first was really uplifting.

He seems an energy confidence guy (who isn’t) but he just looked like he was having fun

they all did, they seemed free, that was pleasing

 

[RUNVS]

You can start one if you want?

Don't we usually have a set person to create one?

 

[The King!]

If Stephens could start being Rowell or Cripps etc from day one it would be good , looks promising

wish one day we could snag those ultra rare superstars from the get go players

 

[The King!]

Don't we usually have a set person to create one?

Just call it unofficial

can even title it swans v poo and wees or something equally hilarious and see who says we are being disrespectful first

 

[caesar88]

I thought he meant that some of the younger mids looked for options when they could of taken the responsibility...that was my take of that comment. Warner and Stephens in particular had opportunities to shoot for goal when their choice of giving it off was a poor choice.

Its hard to spread when the turnovers are as they are, mids are running a 30 meter line forward and back every game like a yo yo test....the turnovers kill it all, especially confidence, it is a bit like if we spread, then we are definitely going to be hurt on the inevitable turnover every time....until we improve kicking and handballing to targets and players in better position our spread will not happen with any fluidity.

I didn't get that impression tbh. There were cases where Warner and Stephens could've backed themselves in where having a scoring opportunity is concerned. Not too surprising given they're so young. I don't see too much confidence in our youngsters at the moment when compared to the youth in other teams, and I think it boils down to the experience in the team. There's not enough of it, nor enough leadership, and so a lack of confidence in one player can become quite infectious. Compare it to say the Bulldogs who the other night had a bunch of players in their prime, operating at full capacity, probably inspires a Weightman to think, stuff it, I'll try a banana from 40 metres out.

As for the spread, or lack thereof, you are talking about in general play, like rebounding, going through the corridor with run and carry etc. And I agree, it's purely the turnovers that make the spread come undone. But I was talking specifically about our spread from the centre, where we are very poor at capitalising on our possessions at centre bounces, and also get killed by the opposition's spread out of there. The solution is simple. When the Swan who wins possession sees another Swan in a better position, they have to dish it off. Don't try to take the tackler on. Don't try to hack kick it in the air off one step from the centre circle. It achieves nothing, and squanders the chances we get to win meaningful ball out of the middle, which are minimal already given our ruck situation.

 

[kickthething]

If Stephens could start being Rowell or Cripps etc from day one it would be good , looks promising

wish one day we could snag those ultra rare superstars from the get go players

Will Phillips is as close as we will get to one I think....its a no brainer selection, my only reservation is 12 months with no footy, but you disregard that and take him anyway. Then we need to ensure we keep them once we get them.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

If Stephens could start being Rowell or Cripps etc from day one it would be good , looks promising

wish one day we could snag those ultra rare superstars from the get go players

McVeigh, Jude and JPK certainly weren’t Rowell or Cripps from Day 1 & they all turned out ok.

I’ll be very happy if Stephens, Rowbottom and a few others are all A-graders by 22.

 

[caesar88]

If Stephens could start being Rowell or Cripps etc from day one it would be good , looks promising

wish one day we could snag those ultra rare superstars from the get go players

No guarantees Rowell will be the best player in the comp in the future (though I do think it's incredibly likely, particularly if you saw him in his juniors.) Only need to look at the likes of Merrett and Oliver who looked like superstars early on but have stagnated a bit in recent years. (O'Meara is another example, though his injuries might have something to do with that.) As good as some of these young players are, it doesn't necessarily mean their ceilings will be crazy high.

I don't think any two superstars from the last ten or so years have ever had the same sort of rise or journey to their peak. At this point we have to hope that if there is a superstar in our ranks, they either take the Martin route (ie frustrate us by teasing their potential before realising it mid-career) or the Ablett route (show promise and slowly build each year before becoming a total gun.)

 

[kickthething]

No guarantees Rowell will be the best player in the comp in the future (though I do think it's incredibly likely, particularly if you saw him in his juniors.) Only need to look at the likes of Merrett and Oliver who looked like superstars early on but have stagnated a bit in recent years. (O'Meara is another example, though his injuries might have something to do with that.) As good as some of these young players are, it doesn't necessarily mean their ceilings will be crazy high.

I don't think any two superstars from the last ten or so years have ever had the same sort of rise or journey to their peak. At this point we have to hope that if there is a superstar in our ranks, they either take the Martin route (ie frustrate us by teasing their potential before realising it mid-career) or the Ablett route (show promise and slowly build each year before becoming a total gun.)

I really think Rowell is very much a one off....hoping for another one is a bit like hoping for another Shane Warne to come along....I doubt we will see a footballer come into the AFL the way he has. I will be shocked if he does not continue his trajectory for his whole career. His footy has not deviated one bit from juniors to elite juniors to seniors.

I think Rowbottom has the makings of something special for us, he needs some mates though.

 

[Olian]

Don't we usually have a set person to create one?

We used to but this year not too many have volunteered.

 

[caesar88]

I really think Rowell is very much a one off....hoping for another one is a bit like hoping for another Shane Warne to come along....I doubt we will see a footballer come into the AFL the way he has. I will be shocked if he does not continue his trajectory for his whole career. His footy has not deviated one bit from juniors to elite juniors to seniors.

I think Rowbottom has the makings of something special for us, he needs some mates though.

Rowell has completely distorted people's views of young footballers, to the point people are even bored of Walsh now (admittedly Walsh has had a slight dip from last year, but still clearly very good.)

 

[The King!]

Rowell is like Judd , ready from day 1

 

[The King!]

McVeigh, Jude and JPK certainly weren’t Rowell or Cripps from Day 1 & they all turned out ok.

I’ll be very happy if Stephens, Rowbottom and a few others are all A-graders by 22.

I think most who turn out ok need time, understandably

i mean Ablett Jr was pretty average the first few years

 

[caesar88]

I think most who turn out ok need time, understandably

i mean Ablett Jr was pretty average the first few years

Average, but showed signs of what he was capable of. And I'd argue he improved even little bits each year.

I suppose that's the one trait in all superstars really. They don't have to be superstars straight away but if they get better and keep improving every year, it just means less chance of them stagnating or falling into a rut. That is why I still have hope for Heeney. I know he's old news on this board now but I've never looked back on a season and thought 'that was a backward step for Heeney.' Even this year before his injury he looked better than he ever had.

The very vanilla Pendlebury had a slow but steady rise. I remember his earliest games thinking **** this guy's got all the makings he just has to find it more, and if you look at his first half a dozen seasons, he slowly built: averaged 13 disposals, then 18, then 22, then 25, then 26, then 29, and kept between 28 and 29 for the following six straight seasons. That is what you call textbook improvement and then textbook consistency.

 

[S120]

If Stephens could start being Rowell or Cripps etc from day one it would be good , looks promising

wish one day we could snag those ultra rare superstars from the get go players

He's not the Rowell or Cripps level but Stephens fits in already in terms of his running and movement. He cruises across the ground very smoothly. I can see him one day being a Gaff/Hannebery/Scully kind of runner when he's older and grown into his body.

His disposal is certainly needing some work though. Not unreasonable for an 18 year old obviously, but hopefully when he comes to realise that he has more time than other players he can slow down and execute more accurately.

 

[The King!]

He's not the Rowell or Cripps level but Stephens fits in already in terms of his running and movement. He cruises across the ground very smoothly. I can see him one day being a Gaff/Hannebery/Scully kind of runner when he's older and grown into his body.

His disposal is certainly needing some work though. Not unreasonable for an 18 year old obviously, but hopefully when he comes to realise that he has more time than other players he can slow down and execute more accurately.

stephens looks good, only mentioned him as he was such a high pick

id trade like 6 of our young mids for rowell, but maybe thats why im here and not at a club

 

[WillHayward]

Rewatched this

nick Blakey right now is woeful out there not even close to it
Basically picked as he is a high profile recruit , doesn’t deserve a spot at all

Aliir mccartin did more up forward than Reid will, be will be rushed back, but I wouldn’t bother playing him again

it’s funny seeing Luke Parker direct players where to kick, given he barely ever makes the right decision by foot and butcher it so often, he is a gutsy tough player but his skills stop him being elite

fox I love his efforts but he isn’t very good, we were better when COR went off and Clarke lol he gets it and it costs us, people love effort over ability, if these 3 are in your best 22 you don’t have a good side

Florent looks like he has lost interest of late, couldn’t look more laconic , reminds me of dale Lewis , but Lewis was a way better kick

Sinclair can’t jump anymore but his defensive pressure is good , but as a ruckman with his current body fitness he is a liability

mills should stay back, Lloyd is the one who needs to go further up the ground, Dawson too

Papley is a magical player

Taylor a solid debut looks flashy but people look on him romantically because he ia wearing 37, lot of work to do

rowbottom is a real bloods type player I love his approach to the game and he is skilled
relative to others

Hayward played a good game compared to the rest of the year but it wasn’t that exceptional it should be his usual

hewett is a good solid player and he was pivotal to us being competitive in and under

that score was flattering should have lost by 10 goals

Agree mostly

On Taylor - I think people have high hopes based on his video highlights not just his number. He is flashy because he is unfit and doesnt have AFL conditioning to make repeat contests . But I recall recruiters saying this was a problem at the time he was drafted so no surprise. I think if he was fit he would have gone top 10. I recall his lack of fitness being the reason he dropped to the 30s.

If we can keep him happy and give him 2 pre-seasons to get AFL fit - we have a player.

He was all australian under 18. We actualy have 3 from that side. So good draft!

 

[caesar88]

Rewatched this

nick Blakey right now is woeful out there not even close to it
Basically picked as he is a high profile recruit , doesn’t deserve a spot at all

Aliir mccartin did more up forward than Reid will, be will be rushed back, but I wouldn’t bother playing him again

it’s funny seeing Luke Parker direct players where to kick, given he barely ever makes the right decision by foot and butcher it so often, he is a gutsy tough player but his skills stop him being elite

fox I love his efforts but he isn’t very good, we were better when COR went off and Clarke lol he gets it and it costs us, people love effort over ability, if these 3 are in your best 22 you don’t have a good side

Florent looks like he has lost interest of late, couldn’t look more laconic , reminds me of dale Lewis , but Lewis was a way better kick

Sinclair can’t jump anymore but his defensive pressure is good , but as a ruckman with his current body fitness he is a liability

mills should stay back, Lloyd is the one who needs to go further up the ground, Dawson too

Papley is a magical player

Taylor a solid debut looks flashy but people look on him romantically because he ia wearing 37, lot of work to do

rowbottom is a real bloods type player I love his approach to the game and he is skilled
relative to others

Hayward played a good game compared to the rest of the year but it wasn’t that exceptional it should be his usual

hewett is a good solid player and he was pivotal to us being competitive in and under

that score was flattering should have lost by 10 goals

You are spot on here Kingy

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Rowell is like Judd , ready from day 1

Rare talent.

 

[WillHayward]

I also see/hope stephenson is like Gaff.

Gaff averaged 17 disposals in his first season.
Took off in his 5th season. Wasnt a gun from day one but has delivered 7 elite seasons. Absolute gun.

https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pc-west-coast-eagles--andrew-gaff

 

[caesar88]

Oh good my favourite game. Which former Swan is this current Swan like

Edit: Gaff isn't a Swan, but still. We don't mind comparing our youngsters do we

 

[Punts]

Wasn’t marsh the next JPK

 

[caesar88]

Wasn’t marsh the next JPK

I had Jordan Foote as the next ROK. Will cop that one.

 

[WillHayward]

Rare talent.

Im going off track a bit here apologies.

But as good as rowell and anderson are, WA still won the u 18 champs.

So some of thw WA kids must go ok. Including our lad.