Depth or even-ness

[ROK Lobster]

There is much talk at the moment of the 'depth' of the Swans current list. While I agree that we are, in some ways, much better placed in terms of injuries and available players with senior experience than we have been in the past, has the list really got any deeper. We still sadly miss MOL and Schauble. Surely a true measure of depth would be the ability to cover absences of this type without too much disruption, and even notice. Rather than depth, I think we may have an even-ness across the midfield, with many players with some AFL experience who play similar roles but who have collectively yet to make their mark in the AFL. Does this group of midfielders (and potential midfielders), and we all have our favourites, really equate to 'depth', or is it just that we have a large number of fair to average midfielders and a real lack in other areas. While all clubs miss their 'stars', conversations about depth wold quickly evaporate if Hall and Williams were to suffer a serious injury or get a holiday from the tribunal. Our back half suffers enormously without Schauble and LRT is still some way from being the CHB we can build the defensive game around, both interms of keeping them out and generating drive through the middle. In short, is it really 'depth' we have, or a wide expanse of relative shallowness?

[stellation]

Schauble is by far my favourite player. The thing I love about Schaubs is how well he makes the other defenders play by getting them into position.

One of my fondest recent memories of footy is being at the SCG game last year when Schaubs finally played his first game for the season, he ran on the ground from the interchange bench to a huge roar from the crowd, went straight into the backline and hadn't missed a beat... started ordering everyone around, the look of the reigning Brownlow medalist just listening to him like a little kid while he was given his orders within seconds of him getting on the ground was priceless.

[BonBon]

Schaubs is genuine. But he doesn't play much!

[Nico]

Depth means Jack Schmidt in our game if a third of a list hasn't played in the big time.

Depth is a myth unless demonstrated.

[Vivien]

We definitely have depth in the forward line, but depth in midfield is not so good and in defence is worse still. We need consistent depth across the whole park. At least as a positive there is a bit more competition for spots in the senior side with the continued improvement of young players like Ablett and Buchanan.

[swansrule100]

the best illustration of the depth isssue is we miss oloughlin and schuable like a human misses food, yet brisbane can cover black, brown etc, who are elite players.


I think we are mid range with our depth in this league, but the encouraging thing is we improve year by year and for once there seems to be some good recruiting in sydney, of which the benefits will hoppefully be felt in the next 2-5 years

[Bleed Red Blood]

Brisbane are able to cover Black and Brown yeah, but how would they go without Michael? What a gun that man is.

[swansrule100]

you being sarcastic??? :P


mal michael is actually a great player IMHO, especially when you remember him at collingwood

[Bleed Red Blood]

Sarcastic...No... Look at Collingwood now, they could do with a key defender...Like say Schuable or Michael.

[swansrule100]

they are winning at the moment though!

[dimelb]

And what about our midfield after tonight? And notice who was in there: O'Keefe, Kennelly, Davis along with the usual suspects. We're getting deeper.

[Nico]

Depth is discovering players like Ablett and Dempster performing brilliantly in pressure cooker games.

I hope they blood a couple of others soon just to prove to us that the depth is there.

There is nothing more exciting than winning a game like that and seeing 2 young players playing inspired last quarters. I think it is the hope of all footy fanatics like us that we are always discovering future stars.

It might just be the thing that takes us into the top 4 if we keep this form up.

[Charlie]

Originally posted by Nico
Depth is discovering players like Ablett and Dempster performing brilliantly in pressure cooker games.

I hope they blood a couple of others soon just to prove to us that the depth is there.

There is nothing more exciting than winning a game like that and seeing 2 young players playing inspired last quarters. I think it is the hope of all footy fanatics like us that we are always discovering future stars.

It might just be the thing that takes us into the top 4 if we keep this form up.

Good comments. We were probably have a dozen consistently good players off the Grand Final last year.

If Jolly, Ablett and Dempster are three of them, we're halfway there.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by Nico
Depth is discovering players like Ablett and Dempster performing brilliantly in pressure cooker games.

Hmmm... I seem to remember making a comment about playing some more youngsters and seeing what we find...

[swansrule100]

and lets remember how ablett has been given a lot of chances and its paying off, i think we need to remember that in regards to others such as LRT in particular and mcveigh, schnieder (who is a victim of making such an immediate impact and setting high expectations)