Should we have kept Buchanan?

[dendol]

I've no doubt that Roosy and some others like Warfe and are happy to keep him in the team. Also the remaining year on his contract is also certainly a key factor. Maybe they think they were lucky to get away with a pretty stable back line last year and seeing as they have Warfe anyway, why not keep him around just in case.

I agree. We only had Saddington out for an extended period of time in our backline this year. If Schauble and/or Bolton had been injured, if only for a few games, we would have been in alot of trouble.

Isn't it possibly more reasonable to suggest that our hysteria about Warfe is unfounded, and that the Swans know his worth better than we do?

No, it is founded. He was offered as trade bait, but there weren't any takers.

[chammond]

Originally posted by dendol
No, it is founded. He was offered as trade bait, but there weren't any takers. [/B]

Other than the scuttlebutt in the press, do you have any evidence of this?

[dendol]

Nah i dont, but comeon, you cant sit here and say that Warfe was a "required" player by any means..

[DST]

Originally posted by Charlie
Isn't it in our best interests to use those back-up positions to develop new talent, though?

What's the point in keeping a player like Warfe on the list to play half a dozen games off the bench, where he gets game time of 20-30 minutes? That does nothing positive. It doesn't develop Dempster, Powell or James, and he's certainly not capable of influencing the game to the same level as Seymour when he's in the team. You're just delaying a decision that must inevitably be made; that Warfe is dead wood.

When you have a bloke who's 27, struggled with injuries for 5 years, not in your best 22 and rarely gets a touch when he gets a game, there is absolutely no justification to keep him ahead of a young guy who might actually be able to contribute something.

Charlie, what is the point in playing someone like Dempster or Powell if they are not up to it at present. All it does is dent their confidence and hinders their development not enhance it.

The coaching committee will know when these players are ready to take the heat of senior football and at that point they will get a game ahead of warfe as the replacement option.

At this stage as it stands neither Dempster, Powell and probably LRT are not at the standard to play as a replacement tall backman, but Warfe is if fit.

Your signature says we must make a GF next year not to see it as a failure, well the sure fire way for that is to play the young guys when they are ready not throwing them to lions (no pun intended).

DST

[Charlie]

Originally posted by DST
Charlie, what is the point in playing someone like Dempster or Powell if they are not up to it at present. All it does is dent their confidence and hinders their development not enhance it.

The coaching committee will know when these players are ready to take the heat of senior football and at that point they will get a game ahead of warfe as the replacement option.

At this stage as it stands neither Dempster, Powell and probably LRT are not at the standard to play as a replacement tall backman, but Warfe is if fit.

Your signature says we must make a GF next year not to see it as a failure, well the sure fire way for that is to play the young guys when they are ready not throwing them to lions (no pun intended).

DST

You know they were just examples. But even so, if Mark Powell and Heath James aren't ready, why were they playing this year? Dempster I realise is a project, but I'd still rather see him play 20 minutes of a match than Warfe, if we simply must waste one of our bench positions on a bit-player.

Rowan Warfe will not help us to improve next year. So why is he there? You say he can do it if he's fit... well, when was the last time he was fit? 1999? 1998?

[BAM_BAM]

I hazard a guess that Heath was playing for his future, to see if he could cut the mustard so to speak.

And it was a rebuilding year, with the blooding of younger players hence Powell being elevated to the seniors for a period. Obviously his impact was not like those of Schneider or LRT so he went back for the 2's. Same as Meiklejohn.

We need to treat these kids gently and help them slowly gain their experience. If they got a towelling each and every week, their confidence would certainly drop and then their game would soon follow suit.

IMO Warfe although no longer the same player he was before his injuries is still a hard older body at the ball. Yes he's made crucial mistakes and his disposal has been poor, but there's no need to throw the baby out with the bath water.

If he can be utilised for another year until these young guys get stronger, then he has contributed immensely.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

As far as I'm concerned, if Buchanan didn't cut the mustard in a rebuilding year, then it was pretty obvious that his days were numbered here in Sydney.

Last year he did get games in a very ordinary side. I recall with a wry smile that somebody who had a birthday last weekend even said words to the effect that he'd be the next big thing at the swans.

His skills just weren't up to it, I think you'll find. Plus I'm told he didn't have the most professional of attitudes at times (especially this year at Canberra.)

As somebody said, the fact that no other club felt he was worth nabbing says a lot.

A shame though, as he seems a nice chap from what I saw at the B & F.

JF

[desredandwhite]

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG
I recall with a wry smile that somebody who had a birthday last weekend even said words to the effect that he'd be the next big thing at the swans.

Yes well, some you win.. some you lose

I had a lot of time for Monty - I thought that he had decent enough footy sense, but he seemed a bit slow and small. A shame really. I did like his work. Effectively, Schneider has nabbed his small midfielder/forward's spot.

[Destructive]

If he was riddled with injuries, he was an obvious candidate. You can only get injured so many times and spend a certain amount of time out and not be delisted.

[Doctor J.]

As a regular poster on this Board noted of Buchanan in his early years:

"He only has one problem, his arse is were his knees should be."

Never really impressed me as a player, so not that sorry to see him go, nor should we be suprised

[Ajn]

Warfe will be used as an aid to the youngsters to coach them and speed their development. Don't be too quick to just send him off to the cattle yard.