Swans who must perform 2010????

[CAS79]

Following on from this thread we have done the last two seasons.

2008 we gladly did poorly with our possible delistment predictions and those we had named turned up and had big years, with the exception of Mathews.

2009 we pretty much got it right naming D.O'Keefe, Laidlaw and Brabazon along with the expectant retirements.

But regardless who must stick there hands up in 2010 and have good year.

Paul Bevan: 2008 he looked a much improved player and his position looked secure. 2009 and he failed to perform, even being dropped once near the end only to be recalled as an emergency and possibly only Ted Richards lung saved him from missing more. At the age of 25 he cant be one of the maybes and must dig himself out of the hole he was in or his spot in the list will be in jeopardy come the end of the season.

Nick Malcekski. One we had high hopes for, 2007 and we were talking All Australian maybe. We all know his knee injury and terrific operation in 2008. But what of his 2009, it was no where. The debate rages over weather it was knee or weather it was mental/confidence. Whatever it was it will need to sort itself out this year.

Jared Moore: Another player who looked good in 2008 and than found his place in the team a week by week proposition last year before falling to the punctured lung. Bedford has been forecasting his demise for some time and there are younger players being added to the squad who would be looking to play a similar role.

Jake Orreal: He's Young, still not 21, but it's also his 3rd and therefor last year on the rookie list for the big fella. The reports from Canberra are that he matches it with the rucks in the hit outs but has not overly being recognised for contributing round the ground. The club have given him a vote of faith by extending his rookie contract but this year they will at least be looking for him to start beating rucks in the ACTFL and adding this with using his height, athleticism and training to snare a couple of important marks. He doesn't need to solidify a spot in the senior team this year but he does need to be more noticeably impacting on results for the reserves..... cue Sophs anger here.

Any Other possible names that people think must step up this year.

Is Brett Kirk's body going to be watched? He did have a period late in 2009 where his output was down. He is still by far and away one of our most valuable but I could see him walking away at the best of his game rather than hanging on to lift his games tally as a lesser contributor, that's his choice not lumping him with the must perform category. Does Barlow still get cut some rookie slack or will he be expected to show strong improvement from his learning years since 2007.

 

[Swans120]

Playfair and Barlow could be added to that list.

Playfair just cause he barely made the cut this time round so he would need a huge turn around to make it back next year imo with the KPP we have now.

Barlow i reckon is safer but if he has an underwhelming season and can't find where his best position is he COULD be in trouble. I doubt it, but he really needs to step up this year and find his best possie.

EDIT: i didn't notice that you mentioned Barlow down the bottom.

 

[legend166]

Definitely Barlow.

 

[disgruntled goat]

MalFan ... now his life coach has moved closer, the heat's right him to step up and be a man ... more than just the once ...

... meanwhile ... fck me, he's gone!

 

[Dangas]

Yes Moore and Bevo need to pull their weight

 

[SM]

Moore, I think, started pulling it late last year with his work in the midfield, and only his injury has kept us from remembering how well he played for a couple of weeks.

Bevan, with a move up forward, could also comfortably slot back into the team.

Eski is the one I worry about, with Mattner, Shaw and Kennelly all now ahead of him, and possibly guys like Heath and Sumner to come in, Eski could well be shown the door in trade week unless he steps up dramatically.

Barlow also needs to step up or a trade to Carlton - interested in him two years in a row now I think - could eventuate. Really needs to push for consistent selection a la Grundy of 2008.

 

[tombomb]

BARLOW!!!

Lets hope he can hold a tackle this year

... and get a pair of shorts that fit.

 

[kira]

Moore - he's at that age, whereby youth is no longer a defence for poor performances..... whilst i believe he can play well in 2010 and consolidate a spot in our best 22, the number of young players who can play in the forward pocket should mount real pressure on his position

Thornton - will be dissapointing to see him get delisted shortly after getting rookie promoted..... but there is serious depth in the midfield, add McGlynn and Kennedy, the new draft recruits, the established midfielders and the young brigade of MOD, Meredith, Smith, Bird etc..... hard to see him leap frog to many midfielders

Currie - will probably be kept on the list, unless a disastrous season for him erupts..... many ressie fans will obviously know better than me..... but with greater depth in ruck and the tall forward line, his opportunities are limited.... in addition his injury history is poor, and despite recovering from injuries during the latter part of 2009, his ressie performance were still largely forgettable

Players who may be traded (note, these are players i believe have shown enough to be retained on the list if a trade does not eventuate)

Malceski - the question is whether he can recover that form? but with two forgettable years, we are all hoping that there is some light at the end of the tunnel

Barlow - i'm admittedly one of Barlow's few if any fans, he'll have to start consolidating a position (the coaches fault as much as any), and be prepared not to neglect the contested situations, and handle the pressure better.... but saying that, the positives he has shown is more than many players on our list

Bevan - Luke Ablett 2010? doesn't have much that seperates him from many AFL footballers, except an honest and dedicated approach to his game.... again another player where depth in the list may push him out

also i'm deliberately omitting the rookie players.... as they are rookies, and won't really affect the main squad

 

[CAS79]

Thornton - will be dissapointing to see him get delisted shortly after getting rookie promoted..... but there is serious depth in the midfield, add McGlynn and Kennedy, the new draft recruits, the established midfielders and the young brigade of MOD, Meredith, Smith, Bird etc..... hard to see him leap frog to many midfielders

I didn't include Thornton for two reasons.

One his progress from his knee op in 2009 was good, so good that he was re promoted back the senior squad.

Secondly I don't see him playing a genuine midfielders role.

With Grundy going up back, O'Keefe going into the midfield I see Thornton playing a marking Half Forward Flank role. The kind Dale Lewis used to play floating around the half forward line. On bigger grounds in particular he will be used to present wide or with White and Bradshaw leading up the ground will sneak in behind them to make a contest if the midfield don't see the big men as a viable option.

He has a good set of marking hands, decent pace over a short distance. He needs to improve his kicking but it is not uncommon after a major knee operation for that to take a while and re coaching to come back.

He still has progress to make no doubt but his progress through 2009 was mostly up.

But it's good to have football discussion on here, we've been missing genuine football chat for a while so keep the debates raging.

 

[AG]

Kennelly - Was a superstar at his best but he has to prove he is still valuable to the club after a year out of the game.

 

[Dangas]

Kennelly - Was a superstar at his best but he has to prove he is still valuable to the club after a year out of the game.

Many do believe he is way past HIS best...

 

[AG]

Many do believe he is way past HIS best...

He is past his best, but his best was a lot better than most, so he doesn't need to be at his best to be of value (I swear that makes sense). It would be pointless if he came back and spent the majority of the time in the reserves though. More competition for spots now and he is past his prime.

 

[J_Moore]

Tadgh'll be pretty good, I imagine. He was a seriously good player, and players of his class find it a little easier to reinvent their games as they age. Most of the players who play into their 30's - and I can see Tadgh falling into this category, injury permitting - are handy players right up until (or at least very near) the end, and he's not even especially old yet.

 

[smasher]

I'd like to see Moore back in the midfield where he left off after that courageous act that left him badly injured last season.He has footy smarts and we need them as a balance.I hope young Jarred has been running alot.

 

[Swans120]

Tadgh's disposal efficiency i imagine will not have fallen too badly if at all, it's just how hard he will be able to go at the contest, how hard he can tackle and how fast he is. Those are the things i am hoping he can still do well enough, i reckon he will play well for us this year, hopefully off the HBF where has was so good for us.

With Moore, if he is in the 22, which tbh i'd be surprised if he was (from round 1 anyway), i hope he lines up in the middle, but i reckon he may well struggle this year for a spot. There are now far more quicker and agile players to take his spot in the forward line, but i'd rather him in the middle. But now there are also younger and more players lining up for an inside midfielders spot (Birdy, Kennedy not to mention the old warhorses of Jude and Kirky). So unfortunately i think he might struggle for a spot unless injuries help him out. It'd be a shame, cause he can play. 2008 was a wonderful year for him, and that Carlton game on the tv the other day proved it, played really well from HF, but last year it just didn't seem to work, Moore in the forward line.

 

[bungee]

Tadgh'll be pretty good, I imagine. He was a seriously good player, and players of his class find it a little easier to reinvent their games as they age. Most of the players who play into their 30's - and I can see Tadgh falling into this category, injury permitting - are handy players right up until (or at least very near) the end, and he's not even especially old yet.

I agree. Tadgh is also a smart player. Like Paul Roos in his later years the play seems to go into slow motion around him as he cooly considers his options. He makes good decisions in the thick of pressure, he's agile, he's tough, he's fit, he's uninjured, still fast and he's a leader. We missed some leadership back there with Leo out and Tadgh can help us there.

Just give him a few games grace to get his (Aussie Rules) mojo back

 

[bedford]

I'd like to see Moore back in the midfield where he left off after that courageous act that left him badly injured last season.He has footy smarts and we need them as a balance.I hope young Jarred has been running alot.

Too slow for the midfield and misses too many shots AT goal. McVeigh needs to learn how to play with a tag as he struggled at times last year.
It is a new era beginning, albeit an exciting one. This is what we needed, a freshen up and even Stewie Dew on the coaching panel is a huge bonus.

 

[RobbieK]

In alphabetical order:

Barlow, Bevan, Malceski, Moore, Playfair

Everyone else has either only just arrived on the list, have arrived only in the last few seasons so there is still another season or two for them, or are in the older brigade and are going to be around for a few more years even if this coming year isn't there best, most probably.

The five I named have had question marks over them and are of an age that, if they don't show themselves to be solid members of the best 22, there isn't much hope for them to ever get there (or in the case of Malceski get back there).

I think the rumblings are good for Malceski. I don't think we will see much of Playfair. The big queries would have to be on Barlow, Bevan and Moore.

 

[mark121]

Add to that O'Dwyer and Thornton both will need to play senior games to cement a spot. Several other youngsters will need to show improvement as well but should get time to find their best form.

 

[robbieando]

Add to that O'Dwyer and Thornton both will need to play senior games to cement a spot. Several other youngsters will need to show improvement as well but should get time to find their best form.

These are the first two players to add to any such list for a early Pre Season "possible Delistment" List because they are past two Rookie List Elevations. O'Dwyer only really kept his place because he forced his way onto the senior team late in the season because of good form in the Reserves and once in the Seniors put in good matches to back up his selection. But that doesn't make him 100% safe from delistment, nor does Thornton only just being elevated back onto the list protect him.

Both need to prove their worth or they could be out the door, because at the end of the season I doubt we'll make many changes to the list because of the nature of the draft in 2010 thanks to the entry of the Gold Coast. So that could be 2 of the 3 mininium delistings right there, with Bevan, Barlow and Moore really needing to prove themselves worthy of spots on the list due to the nature of the players we brought in. Campbell Heath might be another who could face the axe if he doesn't recover from his knee re-co, because he his in his last year of his rookie contract, but he could get delisted and put on the Rookie List for 2011. Then you have the Kirk and maybe Kennelly who might retire, BUT I think he'll retire after 2011.

From the Rookie List the only players that look like getting the chop at "this" stage are Playfair (only on it as a depth player) and Orreal who would be facing the chop if not elevated to the Senior List after the 2010 season because we can't keep him on the Rookie List for a 4th Season. So this season is make or brake for him. The others are all up in the air until really the end of the season and we see how they get used and perform.

Malceski wouldn't be delisted because he is considered a valued "type" of player (a runner and good foot skills) and even if he has another poor season he would be kept on the list in 2011 as a back up with delistment for him becoming a possiblity first after the 2011 season.

So I would say we would be looking at Bevan, Barlow, Heath, Moore, O'Dwyer and Thornton facing the chopping block.

 

[SM]

The only people I think are, at this stage, in threat of delistment are - don't hate me Soph - Currie and Orreal. Both have been on the list for a while and have absolutely nothing to show for it. Currie is in a DOK situation, definately needs to start performing and get a few senior games or he could be on the way out.

 

[AG]

Taller players should get more time because they take longer to adapt to senior football.

 

[SM]

Still, Currie's been here since 05 hasn't he? This'll be his fifth year on the list...

 

[robbieando]

The only people I think are, at this stage, in threat of delistment are - don't hate me Soph - Currie and Orreal. Both have been on the list for a while and have absolutely nothing to show for it. Currie is in a DOK situation, definately needs to start performing and get a few senior games or he could be on the way out.

Currie would only be in danger of delistment at the end of THIS season if he suffered another 2009 like season with injuries and even then I doubt he would face the chop. Ruckmen take time to develop and Currie is doing just that developing with a few setbacks along the way that long term won't harm him. We as a club know better than most that ruckmen are hard to find and we aren't going to get rid of one "because of a few niggling injuries", they will give him as much time as they feel he needs. Just look at how they have treated Playfair and he was traded to us with those injury issues.

If he can stay basically injury free, play well in the Reserves and get a good handful of senior games under his belt (maybe a half a dozen) he'll be fine and they is nothing worry about. But Currie is our current Number 3 ruckman and the only backup ruckman on the senior list after Seaby and Mumford.

As for Orreal, he is in the gun because this is his third year on the Rookie List and needs to be elevated to the senior list after the season to be kept on without dropping to the draft pool to be put back on the Rookie List (if we do decide to keep him there for a 4th season). So really this is make or brake for Orreal. He must get himself elevated or face delistment and there are no ifs, buts or maybes.

Taller players should get more time because they take longer to adapt to senior football.

Generally speaking they do. You get the odd few who are ready to go, but normally KP Players take at least 2 to 3 seasons to get the bodies and mind ready for senior AFL football on a full time basis and then Ruckmen take a season longer. God help them if they lose a season via injury, their club is dire (Richmond), they are rushed into the team to soon (Melbourne) or their club lacks depth at their position (Hawthorn last season with Ruckmen). Lucky for us we have been able to take on project players such as Orreal and Pyke via the Rookie List and have Currie on the Senior List developing while the need for a Ruckman was not so great. But now we really can't afford to keep doing it past the projects we have on the Rookie List (but who knows where we'll be in 12 months time on that front?).

 

[Swans120]

We got him in the '06 draft so he has been here 3 years.