article in todays Telegraph
O'Keefe pocketing rave reviews
By Nikki Tugwell
April 29, 2004
IT said something of the progress of Ryan O'Keefe that Melbourne coach Neale Daniher sent premier defender Clint Bizzel to mind him in the back pocket on Saturday night.
O'Keefe, 23, has been something of a hidden treasure buried in the decorated Swans forward line comprising Barry Hall, Nick Davis, Michael O'Loughlin, the explosive Adam Schneider and floating utility Adam Goodes.
O'Keefe is offering the Swans goal value not unlike Tim Notting, Craig McRae and Ashley McGrath at Brisbane, who spring up when all eyes are on Alastair Lynch, Jonathan Brown, Jason Akermanis and Michael Voss.
The penetrative left-footer kicked two impressive goals from 45 to 50 metres in three minutes against Melbourne.
One was disallowed but he finished with two in total for the night.
"When I first came to the club I was more a backman and I played forward only in the past couple of years," O'Keefe said. "But you float around a bit until you find a spot that suits.
"And we've got a forward line that can do everything, marking or crumbing and when those guys aren't going to mark it they're going to bring it to ground."
The Swans' inner sanctum has been impressed this season with O'Keefe, who has accumulated sound statistics for a forward pocket of 32 marks, 64 possessions and five goals while making subtle team structure contributions.
"He may not kick as many goals as the other forwards but his work is very important in the way our forward line functions and his performance on the weekend was very good." Swans football operations manager Andrew Ireland said.
"It would be fair to say that we think his form has been very good. He played on a very good player at the weekend and was a really good contributor."
O'Keefe was an emergency five times last season and started on the bench on 14 occasions but became more impressive as the season rolled on.
He was one of the best-performed squad members on the track in the pre-season and did extra skills work with Swans captain Stuart Maxfield.
"You just have to keep improving, you don't want to plateau," O'Keefe said. "Everyone else is improving so it just helps you keep on top of your game.
"When you're a young player the best thing to do is try and work off these older experienced players who have got a good work ethic like Stuart and blokes like Cressa [Daryn Cresswell] and Schwatta [Wayne Schwass].
"You see how hard they work and you try and replicate it."
With O'Loughlin managing a hamstring problem and Barry Hall and now Adam Goodes attracting the brunt of the attention up forward, the opportunity again arises for O'Keefe against Essendon on Saturday afternoon.
The Daily Telegraph
O'Keefe pocketing rave reviews
By Nikki Tugwell
April 29, 2004
IT said something of the progress of Ryan O'Keefe that Melbourne coach Neale Daniher sent premier defender Clint Bizzel to mind him in the back pocket on Saturday night.
O'Keefe, 23, has been something of a hidden treasure buried in the decorated Swans forward line comprising Barry Hall, Nick Davis, Michael O'Loughlin, the explosive Adam Schneider and floating utility Adam Goodes.
O'Keefe is offering the Swans goal value not unlike Tim Notting, Craig McRae and Ashley McGrath at Brisbane, who spring up when all eyes are on Alastair Lynch, Jonathan Brown, Jason Akermanis and Michael Voss.
The penetrative left-footer kicked two impressive goals from 45 to 50 metres in three minutes against Melbourne.
One was disallowed but he finished with two in total for the night.
"When I first came to the club I was more a backman and I played forward only in the past couple of years," O'Keefe said. "But you float around a bit until you find a spot that suits.
"And we've got a forward line that can do everything, marking or crumbing and when those guys aren't going to mark it they're going to bring it to ground."
The Swans' inner sanctum has been impressed this season with O'Keefe, who has accumulated sound statistics for a forward pocket of 32 marks, 64 possessions and five goals while making subtle team structure contributions.
"He may not kick as many goals as the other forwards but his work is very important in the way our forward line functions and his performance on the weekend was very good." Swans football operations manager Andrew Ireland said.
"It would be fair to say that we think his form has been very good. He played on a very good player at the weekend and was a really good contributor."
O'Keefe was an emergency five times last season and started on the bench on 14 occasions but became more impressive as the season rolled on.
He was one of the best-performed squad members on the track in the pre-season and did extra skills work with Swans captain Stuart Maxfield.
"You just have to keep improving, you don't want to plateau," O'Keefe said. "Everyone else is improving so it just helps you keep on top of your game.
"When you're a young player the best thing to do is try and work off these older experienced players who have got a good work ethic like Stuart and blokes like Cressa [Daryn Cresswell] and Schwatta [Wayne Schwass].
"You see how hard they work and you try and replicate it."
With O'Loughlin managing a hamstring problem and Barry Hall and now Adam Goodes attracting the brunt of the attention up forward, the opportunity again arises for O'Keefe against Essendon on Saturday afternoon.
The Daily Telegraph
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