Swans to get tough on list

[SWANSBEST]

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2004/07/30/1091080441976.html

[Damien]

"We probably don't have to go younger because we've taken eight kids over the past two years. One thing we've learnt in Sydney is we can't afford to have three or four bad years, like St Kilda and Geelong. We can't rebuild by being on the bottom two or three years in a row

Has always been our biggest problem, since 1996 it has been deemed to dangerous to just dip to the bottom on the ladder and rise again.

Wonder who we could possibly get - and who we will give to get them.

Going to be some heartache for some fans out there!!

[Gunn]

Originally posted by Damien

Going to be some heartache for some fans out there!!

Many of us will have to take off our rose coloured glasses and see many of our list as the ordinary journeymen they are.

I just hope our selectors have the wisdom to not swap journeymen for journeymen. I don't like swapping first and second round picks for cast offs, particularly from Essendon.

[chammond]

A couple of immediate responses to this -

. The club said almost exactly the same thing at the end of last year, i.e. there would be a hard look at the list, some hard decisions made, particularly the "middle-tier" . . . . blah, blah, blah.

. The club's assessment of it's players is radically different from that presented on this list (by both cynics and optimists), so there may be some real surprises coming up!

[footyhead]

Same old problem.
The Swans have not learnt that you can not build a team over night and you must let the team fall wherever it does until the rebuild "gels"
Now is not the time to chase established players for the Swans cos they are still no where near a premeirship.
This same old tired crap from Sydney will ensure that another premeirship is more than ten years away, and that Paul Roos will go the same way as Rocket.
see this thread:

http://redandwhiteonline.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6027

[Newbie]

I reckon this got a lot to do with the responsibility of promoting AFL in Sydney. We are paying price for this with our chances at the flag. May be we should relocate the club away from Sydney for us to win the flag again.

Our mission is to remain competitive but not to win the premiership.

I am sick and tired of the same old tune sung by the club again and again.

[footyhead]

This is one of the main reasons that I think Sydney needs a second team.
If they got a second team, it is not inconceivable that they both could win flags long before this Swans team does.

[Thunder Shaker]

I think the youth policy is sound, provide that as many youth players as possible are permitted to show their wares as a member of the senior side at some point. Those that are true talents can be retained, and those that don't quite make the cut can be traded or delisted. If we can get three decent youth players with five draft picks each year, we are doing well.

We may also need to invest more in talent spotting. Many of the best players in the competition were not drafted in the first two rounds of the draft. If we can identify one such player and draft them first, we will pick up more players like Bevan and Melbourne's Davey (both were drafted as rookies).

[Gunn]

Originally posted by Thunder Shaker
I think the youth policy is sound, provide that as many youth players as possible are permitted to show their wares as a member of the senior side at some point. Those that are true talents can be retained, and those that don't quite make the cut can be traded or delisted. If we can get three decent youth players with five draft picks each year, we are doing well.

We may also need to invest more in talent spotting. Many of the best players in the competition were not drafted in the first two rounds of the draft. If we can identify one such player and draft them first, we will pick up more players like Bevan and Melbourne's Davey (both were drafted as rookies).

I agree with all you say. I prefer a youth policy. The trouble is that if you finish anywhere from 2nd to 12th you are not getting the best chance of getting the best youngsters and end up with a mediocre list. The problem is compounded by the rule that gives clubs priority picks if they finish with 5 or less wins. Hopefully you can find a gem under a rock like Bevin but it is unlikely you will find a real champion or multiple champions needed for a flag. The likelhood is an inexorable slide to the bottom.

[sharpie]

I'm sorry, but it is such crap that the Swans can not afford to sit at the bottom of the ladder for 3-4 years if that is what is required to become truely competitive. That is such a short sighted attitude, and it got us @@@@ all since 1996. The Swans have not had sustained success for 20 years since moving to Sydney, why worry what another few years is going to do if it means we will be a powerhouse following that.

I personally dont know if we actually do need to sit at the bottom of the ladder for a few seasons, but simply disregarding it as an option because of the fear of the fickle Sydney market is ludicrous. We need someone willing to make the tough decisions. Otherwise Roosy will go the way of Eade.

[Damien]

Originally posted by sharpie
I'm sorry, but it is such crap that the Swans can not afford to sit at the bottom of the ladder for 3-4 years .

They can't afford it financially.

How much support would be left after the first year in Sydney let alone 4 years of being at the bottom?

Sure they would all come back once the team was rebuilt, but whether the club could afford financially in the mean time is very debatable.

Thousands of members would drop off and the casual ticket sales would be non existant. Telstra Stadium would be a nightmare.

The Swans are in an awful position to become non competitive.

(Mind you, I personally would prefer the club to go through a complete rebuilding, but I don't think the market will allow us to do it in the same way as Geelong or St.Kilda)

[penga]

i want to sit at the bottom of the ladder for four years and become the powerhouse that st kilda and geelong are!

it is not a proven formula by any means...

[footyhead]

What premeirship team in the modern era have won a premeirship with out doing so ? Brisbane did it by acuiring the best players from another team - Fitzroy.

[Charlie]

Essendon.

[footyhead]

Originally posted by Charlie
Essendon.

Sheedy drafted evey single one of the 2000 premeirship sides FPP's the only two they acquired was their ruckman and he was a redraft, and gadget ? or the other guy in the back pocket ( wots his name?)