Swans Future

[Heropsychodreamer]

Hey all....

Just want your opinions... i understand why you are so keen on Everitt... i guess you want one final premiership charge... and with Everitt i truely believe you can do it.

My question is: Is a premiership next yr worth it ,considering your team is getting old quickly, and may fall like the lions when they all retire together?

Not trying to downgrade your youngsters, but a lot of your key players are nearing 30.

Thoughts?
Hero

 

[swanniez1983]

As Roosey said, if we were in a rebuilding phase, they wouldn't be after Spida. The Swans are at their peak with perhaps a couple more years at the top. They will do whatever they can (now) to win another Premiership. I would rather have a crack at it over the next few years instead of thinking about the consequences later down the track .

We dont tend to rely on a few players. We also dont tend to drop too far down the ladder when rebuilding (perhaps 8-10th). We have done pretty well given that we dont get good draft picks

 

[Hawkk]

I agree, IMO Sydney have a real chance to snare another flag over the next =2 years...who cares what happens for 5 years after that, a flag gives you a life time of memories - just ask a Lions fan.

Everitt could well the missing link the Swans needed to get them that much closer to winning the flag - IMO, with an Everitt in the ruck you could well have won the premiership this year.

This is why if I was Sydney I would jump at the opportunity of trading pick 15 to Hawthorn in exchange for pick 24 and Everitt.

What do you lose? 9 spots in a deep draft, is hardly signficant for a side built for now wanting to deliever today. This offer hasn't been offered yet, but IMO it seems the logical one for both parties

 

[ChubbMuff]

Hey all....

Just want your opinions... i understand why you are so keen on Everitt... i guess you want one final premiership charge... and with Everitt i truely believe you can do it.

My question is: Is a premiership next yr worth it ,considering your team is getting old quickly, and may fall like the lions when they all retire together?

Not trying to downgrade your youngsters, but a lot of your key players are nearing 30.

Thoughts?
Hero

A premiership is ALWAYS worth it, some fans waited 72 years for the last one. Although the Lions are down it is to be expected after such a successful reign at the top. I doubt any of their fans would trade that success for 72 years of being in the top 8 but not taking home a flag.

 

[is2SWaNz]

Swans are the 3rd youngest side in the AFL. Don't ask, i forgot where i read this, but i know its in this recent article i read.

If we remove our 'key' players: Its Baz, Kirky, Leo and MOL. We still have a pretty youngside (apart from Crouch, Mathews).

We've seen some good players who played for the seniors this season (Grundy, Flipper) and Bevo who is in and out of the squad. There are still many youngsters who are 'blossoming'. I can give you some names if you'd like.

Swans still have around 5 years in it i think. And like what Chubmuff said... a premiership is always worth it. And i hope we win another one or two before our older players retire.

 

[Corpuscles]

Swans have had a very successful record of recruiting mature age players
especially over the last 10 years or so. One of the reasons for the need is the relatively poor quality of 2nds comp... it is a much bigger step up from ACTFL to AFL than say VFL or SANFL or WAFL or even QAFL. Even if you geta top 10 pick they develop in a difficult environment and this is particularly hard to keep them motivated and enthused when it is difficult for any player to break in to a spot in a top 4 side. Most youngsters do not add much to a premiership charge in the first few years eg would Murphy or Deluilo make a big impact for Swans in 2006?

Can't resist responding to the sub plot of the Hawk posters..... Everitt is old but valuable.... but Hawthorn is stupid if they do not take round 2 pick if the alternative is ZERO in PSD regardless of whether other teams might get him.... it is not life and death for Swans ( Jolly had a child 2 days clearly in lala land, and Doyle had limited pre season or game fitness and the GF result was 1 point!!!!). If Swans keep pick 15 and get a very good player he could easily be better trade bait for the next quality younger ruckman if they come available next year or two!

 

[natlovestheswans]

Hey all....

Just want your opinions... i understand why you are so keen on Everitt... i guess you want one final premiership charge... and with Everitt i truely believe you can do it.

My question is: Is a premiership next yr worth it ,considering your team is getting old quickly, and may fall like the lions when they all retire together?

How can you even ask that? Like others have said, a premiership is always worth it. This is something that we've been working at for years.. a preliminary final, a semi final, a premiership and then another GF appearance.. personally i think we still have 2 more years of being real contenders, why go backwards when you can go forward? That's pretty much how it is atm.

Not trying to downgrade your youngsters, but a lot of your key players are nearing 30.

Thoughts?
Hero

Yes, some of our 'key' players are edging 30.. but we have players who are really stepping their game up. Players like ROK, C.Bolton, Goodes.. who all earned All Australian this year, they still have years in them and they are all only getting betters. Then younger guys like Buchanan, Malceski, McVeigh, Ablett who have all shown alot of already, they are even younger and still have so much to give.

Anyway, i'm not all that worried.

 

[liz]

This is why if I was Sydney I would jump at the opportunity of trading pick 15 to Hawthorn in exchange for pick 24 and Everitt.

What do you lose? 9 spots in a deep draft, is hardly signficant for a side built for now wanting to deliever today. This offer hasn't been offered yet, but IMO it seems the logical one for both parties

There are two stupid assumptions in there.

The first, and most obvious, is that Spider guarantees another premiership. For a start, the Swans already have a decent ruck division - not great but decent - and it is one capable of performing better than this year. Everitt is 32 years old and the club may barely get 10 games out of him. He was injured for most of this year and old bodies do tend to fall apart.

Secondly (aka Negotiating 101) even if the Swans did think that adding Everitt to their list was about the equivalent value of the 15 pick, that still doesn't mean they're obliged to give it to Hawthorn or that they should even think about it. To do so would add nil value to their list (if Spider=15). With no apparent 3rd party, the value of Spider to Hawthorn is currently nil or whatever they can get from Sydney. Why should all the value in the trade go to Hawthorn. Normal negotiating processes, when a trade increases total value, is to find an equitable way to split the value. Not for one party to pay absolute top dollar for something that actually has no alternative value to the other party.

Having said that, I don't even think Spider comes close to being worth the 15 pick. So Sydney would actually lose out big time.

If they don't get Spider in the PSD, so be it. They played one of their worst halves of football in the GF, missed four sitters, gave away two gimme goals, got caned in the ruck and still only lost by a point against the team most consider best in the land at the moment. They'll be there or thereabouts next year, Spider or no Spider.

 

[taurus]

Now that Spider is a Swan, I would like to ask a question about our backline.

Is it just me or do we have some issue with the backline?

Now don't get me wrong. I think our backline is one of the best in 2005 and 2006. However i think we have overachieved in that department without a big, dominant KPP, someone who has a presence. I like LRT but he can be too inconsistent. Craig Bolton is a player that I respect tremendously. So too for Leo and the irish lad. The question for me is can we continue the level of excellence in 2007 with our hardworking, smaller and mobile backs?

 

[grimlock]

The backline owes a lot to the midfield pushing back and cramping the space opposition forwards have. As long as the midfield continues to provide this support, I'm confident our back line will hold up. LRT has been improving but still has a long way to go to being a top line defender. Leo still struggles against the monster forwards like Neitz and Lloyd, but being only 185cm he's done an admirable job.

Perhaps the one drawback of the reserves playing in a weak competition is that we haven't developed any backmen. Guy Campbell played there last year, and in truth he struggled at times. James Wall was the 'nominal' fullback but he's just way too skinny and has a long way to go to being an AFL player.

 

[taurus]

Spot on!
The question still remain whether we can continue our dominance in defence with our style of play. I think, perhaps, hope we will do well.

I love Leo but i feel we may be seeing the decline of the great man. It would have been nice if we have traded a quality KPP and put Leo on the wing (in an ideal, Swans-focused world)...

 

[scottwade]

Surely Vogels is the next cab off the rank, down back.

 

[grimlock]

Surely Vogels is the next cab off the rank, down back.

hard to say scott, since he's played mostly up forward in the reserves.

 

[SWANNIES RULE]

I would use Vogels down back because Grundy will be a forward.

 

[Corpuscles]

I would use Vogels down back because Grundy will be a forward.

I might be silly .... this time not deliberately being so... but I think/ guess the opposite.... despite that it cannot other than time be verified.

We have only seen Grundy/Vogels forward but Vogels did do a game pre-season game a few years ago on Lloyd ( & did well)

But I reckon Grundy will be the next KPP back.... he has the toughness and has a body on body game already!
Vogels is creative/attacking and has flair and best as a forward

 

[scottwade]

I think the problem with Grundy is lack of pace. I honestly believe (and I realise I may be on my own here) that neither Grundy or Schmidt will be on our list in 2008 because of their lack of pace.

 

[FixterFan]

I think the problem with Grundy is lack of pace. I honestly believe (and I realise I may be on my own here) that neither Grundy or Schmidt will be on our list in 2008 because of their lack of pace.

Pace is not the be-all and end-all of being a good player, especially in the middle and in the key position forward posts. Pace is important on the flanks, wing and occasionally pockets.

 

[SWANNIES RULE]

Grundy doesn't need pace. He has strong hands and a real physical presence which is ideal for a KPP.

Not sure about Schmidt though, you do need to have a fair bit of pace to play in the midfield. Next year it's make or break for him.

 

[swannykicka]

Re: Barry Hall future

it seems to me that other clubs have figured out Hally's game, he's been shut down several times now and quite convincingly. Has he changed his style, his attitude, or may be thats the problem, he hasnt changed but needs to... I think without his influence, swannies will struggle upfront, and that is one of their biggest hurdles for 07.

 

[natlovestheswans]

Re: Barry Hall future

it seems to me that other clubs have figured out Hally's game, he's been shut down several times now and quite convincingly. Has he changed his style, his attitude, or may be thats the problem, he hasnt changed but needs to... I think without his influence, swannies will struggle upfront, and that is one of their biggest hurdles for 07.

I don't think so. The 3 times i can remember him being beaten convincingly this year was by Scarlett in round 20, by whoever played on him when he played St Kilda and then in the GF by Glass but really, i don't even think what happened to him in the GF was because Glass 'beat' him. Hall missed 2 easy goals, fumbled the ball, etc.. that was him, something wasn't right that day and it wasn't because he was 'beaten'. The Scarlett thing, well from memory Scarlett was always played pretty well on him. Remember the semi final last year? He beat him then too. As for the St Kilda game, Paul Roos came out after it and said that Hall should have not even played that night, i think it was because of his back.. but he pushed on anyway.

I don't think there is any need to be worried about the influence that Hall can and will have on our season next year.