Swans: Sundqvist Out For Season

[Nico]

It is amazing how many players get serious injuries at training.

Kennelly was as I understand was doing a simple turn. Something as simple as that yet can go through a season of the hurly burly of tough matches and come up smelling of roses.

Does anyone know how he did the ACLand is there any such thing as stats on training mishaps compared to games.

[Newbie]

Tragic news. Bad luck for Sunny. Hope he got a second chance to show himself.

Schmidt and Willoughby should be fasttracked this year given the injuries to Macelski and Sunny to keep our team re-building momentum going.

[Newbie]

Originally posted by Nico
It is amazing how many players get serious injuries at training.

Kennelly was as I understand was doing a simple turn. Something as simple as that yet can go through a season of the hurly burly of tough matches and come up smelling of roses.

Does anyone know how he did the ACLand is there any such thing as stats on training mishaps compared to games.

did we move in the SCG recently. I hope it is not the coincidence. Our midfield stock looks bare now. Who else do we have?? Maybe this opens the door for Nicks to get a game.

[Rod_]

He needed a few games this year. Bugger I think that he had the goods and now may never get the chance to show us?

Rod_

[Reggi]

Tragedy, especially as he really needed to prove himself this year.

Hopefully he will get another chance. We have been fortunate to avoid the curse of knee injuries, this is sad

[Steve]

I would expect he would still be around next year but I guess you never really know.

In a sense we can only hope we don't have great draft picks again this year, which would mean that after perhaps Nicks and Warfe are replaced by two top-30 picks it really becomes a Sundqvist vs Pick 40+ proposition.

The only other way in which I could see him being in trouble is if the likes of Buchanan, Bevan, McGlone etc etc have really good years and exclude themselves from the chop.

[SWANSBEST]

Training drill injury ends season

By TIM MORRISSEY

April 3, 2004

TADHG Kennelly's unlikely comeback for tomorrow's first Swans home game of the year has been overshadowed by a season-ending knee injury to Jarrad Sundqvist.


The promising 21-year-old utility player snapped his right anterior cruciate ligament during a marking drill at the SCG after yesterday's final hit-out ahead of the match against Fremantle.

"It was just an innocuous marking drill, a bit of push and shove, pretty low key," Swans coach Paul Roos said. "Sunny [Sundqvist] was practising with Barry Hall and just snuck around the back of him when he just kind of fell over the top of his bottom leg."


The picture of Roos and the team's elite performance manager Dave Misson assisting the shattered Sundqvist off the ground spoke volumes.


"I tried to talk to him on the way off but the kid was pretty devastated, his season is finished," Roos said.


Sundqvist wasn't in the team for tomorrow's Fremantle clash but Roos was confident that all the signs were there that his AFL career was on the verge of taking off after a great pre-season campaign on the back of a solid 2003 season.


After his solitary game in 2002 Sundqvist made eight senior appearances, recording a goal, two behinds, 25 kicks and 13 marks, and was named as an emergency on another nine occasions, showing how close he was to becoming a regular.


Sundqvist played in rounds 21 and 22 last year, but hamstring problems prevented him from being considered for either of Sydney's two finals appearances.


"We had pretty high hopes for him and expected Sunny to play senior football this year," Roos said.


The only good news coming out of yesterday's training session was that both Kennelly and Adam Schneider got through the workout and were named in the 22-man list.


After last Saturday night's heartbreaking two-point loss to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, Kennelly has been the feelgood story of the week.


The Swans' 22-year-old Irish-born star underwent arthroscopic knee surgery just nine days after tearing his medial meniscus cartilage.


Kennelly's remarkable recovery has been uplifting for the team and helped to shift some of the focus off Jason Ball's costly miss inside the final minute against Brisbane.


Schneider will also be a welcome sight in his new "lucky" No. 13 Swans guernsey tomorrow with the exciting teenage forward's deadly left boot providing another key scoring target.


The 19-year-old pocket dynamo kicked 30 goals in his debut season but missed the opening game of the season after tearing his hamstring in the Swans' Wizard Cup game against Carlton.


Schneider will replace flamboyant forward Nick Davis, who is out for a month after tearing his hip flexor muscle against Brisbane, while promising youngster Mark Powell will play in the seconds to make room for Kennelly.


"Obviously it's great to get two quality players back in the team and I don't expect Tadhg to miss a beat," Roos said.

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1264&storyid=1142856

[BAM_BAM]

the picture in today's telegraph shows it all. His head was down cast and he wasn't able to put any weight on it. Roos and Misson were assisting him off.

My heart goes out to him. Let's pray for a speedy recovery for next year

[timthefish]

Originally posted by footyhead
Yeah just what we need a touchy feely place for injured players to maybe get another shot at AFL level. This club needs premeirships, quickly.

steady on, all i'm suggesting is that roos is trying to engender an environment where players, particularly young players, don't feel they'll be dumped without a second thought if things don't work out exactly as hoped.

of course you don't want to keep dead wood around, but the general assessment on this board seems to be that sunny is worth the investment. hopefully that is what is in the minds of the coaches and management and a way is found to support the poor bugger.

i think if sunny was just tossed aside after this it would have a negative effect on morale as he was just about there in terms of pressing for regular selection.

premierships? bring them on. what exactly is the plan for them though and how would retaining this bloke jeopardise them?

does anyone know the state of his contract or eligibility for the rookie list?

tim

[Newbie]

Originally posted by Steve
I would expect he would still be around next year but I guess you never really know.

In a sense we can only hope we don't have great draft picks again this year, which would mean that after perhaps Nicks and Warfe are replaced by two top-30 picks it really becomes a Sundqvist vs Pick 40+ proposition.

The only other way in which I could see him being in trouble is if the likes of Buchanan, Bevan, McGlone etc etc have really good years and exclude themselves from the chop.

We are going to trade for a gun player by all accounts. So I doubt we could keep two top-30 picks after the trade. Still, we need to make room for three draftees at minimum.

Warfe and Nicks are probably on the last leg. Ball might decide to retire after this season. He is on year-by-year proposition. Buchanan might not last after this season. Bevan looks like to be promoted. Likewise, Rogers too. I want to have a look at Josh Thewlis in the seniors. I would expect him not to be intimated at this level with his fairly developed body. The suspicion is whether he is good enough. Sempster should get a game too. There is a question mark on Fixter. Too much unknowns right now to make a call on Sundqvist one way or other. In the worst case scenario, may be a rookie position if rules permit.

[liz]

Originally posted by Newbie
In the worst case scenario, may be a rookie position if rules permit.

Can't quite recall the rules on rookie listing, but Sunny is two and a half years younger than James, and James was eligible to be a rookie last year. So that indicates that Sunny would have one year of rookie eligibility in him next year.

The Swans must have a pretty good idea by now whether he has what it takes to be an AFL player. You would think that this injury will only spell the end if they consider him to be marginal. My guess is that he will get at least one more year.

[timthefish]

i'm really unsure, but i think "rookie" status is dependent on number of senior games rather than age. in the back of my mind is the number "ten"

[Charlie]

Originally posted by timthefish
i'm really unsure, but i think "rookie" status is dependent on number of senior games rather than age. in the back of my mind is the number "ten"

Incorrect.

Marc Dragicevic (sp?) is on Richmond's rookie list having played 46 games. He is 22 or thereabouts. It goes on age.

I'm 95% certain you can't be 23 as at the start of the year. Considering that Sunny doesn't turn 22 until December, he is eligible for the RL in 2005 - not 2006 though.

[timthefish]

cheers charlie.

i knew i had no idea on that one.

tim

[Charlie]

Originally posted by timthefish
cheers charlie.

i knew i had no idea on that one.

tim

You were probably thinking of the Rising Star award, which has both an age limit (can't be 21 at start of the year) and games limit (can't have played more than 10 games at start of the year).