Opinion The Way Forward

[Bloods86]

Need to revisit some of our players and move them. Blakey, Florent, Gulden, Hayward, Papley, Jmac, are they all playing in their best spots?

Assuming Florent stays on the wing, then yes to all of them. Would try and reduce Gulden's centre bounce attendance from 36% down a bit though.

 

[Bloods86]

If he’s not going back to Adelaide, I wonder if we’d try and get Montgomery over from GWS?

He'd be further down the pecking order with us if he has senior coaching ambitions, than remaining at GWS or going to Crows. He might see a job opening mid 2025 if the Crows start poorly.

I think either an assistant who has worked/played with us before, but gone elsewhere, or a former senior coach/experienced assistant at a flag club, who doesn't have senior ambitions is the way to go.

 

[Benmacca33]

Starting to get scared this position available will end up being daisey Pearce with a succession plan

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Starting to get scared this position available will end up being daisey Pearce with a succession plan

She has pretty good credentials

 

[Adnico26Parker]

She has pretty good credentials

That’s why she’s coaching the Eagles’ AFLW team

 

[caesar88]

I genuinely don't think it will matter who we put in our midfield if we don't fix our set-ups. They're absolutely horrible and sometimes I can't even believe this is the same coach that oversaw the great JPK/Hanners/Jack/Parker/O'Keefe midfield.

 

[Bloods86]

That’s why she’s coaching the Eagles’ AFLW team

Yeah and we'd only lose by 5 goals in a grand final to them.

 

[The King!]

I thought often in the second half of the year we were ineffective even if we won the stoppage. Grundy became more and more determined to just wrestle on the line.

Rowbottom or bust in the end at times

 

[kickthething]

I would like to see some serious time in the gym over the off season for most of the kids and smaller frames.

 

[mcs095]

I thought often in the second half of the year we were ineffective even if we won the stoppage. Grundy became more and more determined to just wrestle on the line.

Rowbottom or bust in the end at times

I know somehow champion data rated him highly in the Grand Final, but I thought Grundy's tactics against a journeyman ruckman last week were just brain dead football. No apparent changes to them all day either - just played to almost nullify his own strengths.

 

[The King!]

I know somehow champion data rated him highly in the Grand Final, but I thought Grundy's tactics against a journeyman ruckman last week were just brain dead football. No apparent changes to them all day either - just played to almost nullify his own strengths.

Daniher just ragdolled him too

 

[caesar88]

I know somehow champion data rated him highly in the Grand Final, but I thought Grundy's tactics against a journeyman ruckman last week were just brain dead football. No apparent changes to them all day either - just played to almost nullify his own strengths.

I wonder how much role, if any, fatigue played in his form in the second half of the year. Fatigue makes even the best of players look and do things that are just a bit silly. It really felt like he didn't really know what he was doing, or there wasn't any clear intent in what he was doing, in the second half of the season. It was all just very messy. Scrapping with the other ruckman and then when he'd win it just banging it on the boot, not even trying to use his mids or get it to a clear drop zone as he did earlier in the season.

But then I'm also reminded of this and think... maybe it's just what Grundy is as a player??

I'm a little bit haunted by that tweet from that Collingwood supporter who said Swans fans will experience the best of Grundy, until he gets worked out tactically and then he'll become desperate and sloppy, giving away bulk frees and taking it out of the ruck and just hack kicking it to no one all the time.

(Paraphrasing obviously - I can't find the original tweet.)

 

[Punts]

Dropped off big time in the 2nd half

 

[mcs095]

I wonder how much role, if any, fatigue played in his form in the second half of the year. Fatigue makes even the best of players look and do things that are just a bit silly. It really felt like he didn't really know what he was doing, or there wasn't any clear intent in what he was doing, in the second half of the season. It was all just very messy. Scrapping with the other ruckman and then when he'd win it just banging it on the boot, not even trying to use his mids or get it to a clear drop zone as he did earlier in the season.

But then I'm also reminded of this and think... maybe it's just what Grundy is as a player??

I definitely think there was a fatigue element to it, absolutely for sure. How could he go from multiple times early in the season working out tactics in the first big of a game, then adapting them later in the same game, to getting ragdolled by Darcy Fort and Big Joe. Just doesn't make sense.

 

[Andyy1]

Starting to get scared this position available will end up being daisey Pearce with a succession plan

That’s just too scary, don’t even put that thought out there, please.

 

[Dk007]

I tend to think that this is the product of the new style we shifted towards in 2021.

In 2022, we became a ball movement and corridor team. During that year we had a down patch where we were getting monstered in contest and stoppages. It was less pronounced on the scoreboard because we still had a decent defensive structure and could defend deep 50s like we have done for many years. The contested ball thing reared it's head in the grand final though.

In 2023 we lost our defensive structure through injury and have never regained a couple of key pieces that helped us defend deep. Couple that with the fact that our contested ball still didn't improve where we could consitently win it, and we lost our way a bit.


2024 rolls around and we become completely reliant on turnover scoring and corridor use. The other aspects still didn't improve by any great deal and were disguised by the scoring. Using this system means we can score quickly, because they don't over commit to the contest and don't run two ways as much, because the plan is to be in good positions when the ball is turned over.

This in turn, means that while we are in prime attacking positions, we are in weak defensive positions. Early in games when the oppo is fresh and switched on, they could build a lead before the swans were able to affect turnovers. Later in the year, teams took away our corridor use as well. This also meant that we found it harder to use our primary attack whilst still being easy to score against.

This is illustrated in how many times we concede 4/5/6 goals at a time, but could at times score the same ourselves.


This plan is feast or famine, and I think the mental issues are in large part due to the game plan. There's no fall back option besides individual brilliance when the opposition is burning us. All we could do bide our time and pounce when they tired or lost concentration, which never came in the grand final.

This plan leaves us open to obliteration and because it would mean a complete structural change to combat, you could never make those changes in-game.

We need a better game plan that allows us to stay in games, then utilise the turnover tactic when we see an opportunity in game

 

[rustycrate]

Dropped off big time in the 2nd half

Who didn't.

 

[Swans22]

I wonder how much role, if any, fatigue played in his form in the second half of the year. Fatigue makes even the best of players look and do things that are just a bit silly. It really felt like he didn't really know what he was doing, or there wasn't any clear intent in what he was doing, in the second half of the season. It was all just very messy. Scrapping with the other ruckman and then when he'd win it just banging it on the boot, not even trying to use his mids or get it to a clear drop zone as he did earlier in the season.

But then I'm also reminded of this and think... maybe it's just what Grundy is as a player??

This. In the first half of the year he was dishing out handballs, acting like a ruck rover when the ball hit the deck and playing like a madman making up to 11 tackles in some games. He was the exact tonic our midfield had needed for years. He seemed to move away from this and you are right that he was more focussed on scappoing in the ruck contest. There were several times in the second half of the season where he took the ball out of the ruck and had some great options available via hand and just burnt them.
We definitely played much better as a team with the 1st half of the season version of Grundy.

 

[Tedeski]

Who didn't.

The Brisbane players, coaches, staff & supporters.

 

[Punts]

So Harley thinks mills coming back to the mid group just suddenly stops us from getting bullied

We got bullied in 22 when mills was AA

We need more than that I can bet you

 

[Swans22]

So Harley thinks mills coming back to the mid group just suddenly stops us from getting bullied

We got bullied in 22 when mills was AA

We need more than that I can bet you

22 is less relevant as the midfield looked different.
A fit Mills with a full pre season and some continuity should work well with Heeney, Heeney, Warner, Rowey and Sheldrick. Mills is a good sized midfielder. I would play all of these 6 and have one resting in the forwards at all times (Heeney or Warner) and one on the bench.
Small tweaks to the team are required to win more contested ball and be more defensive. Plus the forward strucutre needs some work. . We had a good enough list to make a GF. Issue is the pychology of the playing group more than the list IMO

 

[Punts]

22 is less relevant as the midfield looked different.
A fit Mills with a full pre season and some continuity should work well with Heeney, Heeney, Warner, Rowey and Sheldrick. Mills is a good sized midfielder. I would play all of these 6 and have one resting in the forwards at all times (Heeney or Warner) and one on the bench.
Small tweaks to the team are required to win more contested ball and be more defensive. Plus the forward strucutre needs some work. . We had a good enough list to make a GF. Issue is the pychology of the playing group more than the list IMO

Can’t see it really

If not bullied in 22 with mills

It was bullied in 24 with heeney

 

[Punts]

22 is less relevant as the midfield looked different.
A fit Mills with a full pre season and some continuity should work well with Heeney, Heeney, Warner, Rowey and Sheldrick. Mills is a good sized midfielder. I would play all of these 6 and have one resting in the forwards at all times (Heeney or Warner) and one on the bench.
Small tweaks to the team are required to win more contested ball and be more defensive. Plus the forward strucutre needs some work. . We had a good enough list to make a GF. Issue is the pychology of the playing group more than the list IMO

Bullied in 22 with mills being aa

Bullied in 24 with heeney being aa

it was 18 players from 22 that played in 24

Same team

 

[Bloods86]

Can’t see it really

If not bullied in 22 with mills

It was bullied in 24 with heeney

As others have said, we need to change the midfield set up or we're toast anyway.

But versus 2022:

• Heeney is now a mid, needs to be managed better
• Rowy is even better, more experienced
• Sheldrick if he can get into the team and get going, doesn't seem like the type to be bullied

If you add a fit Mills into that, it's likely an improved midfield versus both 22 and 24.

Might pick up a mature ager at the draft too.

 

[Punts]

As others have said, we need to change the midfield set up or we're toast anyway.

But versus 2022:

• Heeney is now a mid, needs to be managed better
• Rowy is even better, more experienced
• Sheldrick if he can get into the team and get going, doesn't seem like the type to be bullied

If you add a fit Mills into that, it's likely an improved midfield versus both 22 and 24.

Might pick up a mature ager at the draft too.

Yer heard this before

More experience etc etc , this player better etc

Won’t cut it