Team Selection: Round 11 v Melbourne

[Roadrunner]

We're really scraping the bottom of the barrel when the players on the extended bench include one that I suspect Cox would rather never play again at senior level (Paton), one who missed last week's VFL game through sickness (Mitchell) and one who is nowhere near ready for senior footy, despite a few VFL "moments".

And that's even with two experienced players returning from long injury lay-offs. Imagine if they weren't available!

I'm not surprised to see McLean named ahead of Buller, but I thought Buller was marginally better performed in the VFL last week. He seemed to have more licence to wander up the ground to provide a target, and that was where he (Buller) provided the most value. In contrast, McLean (as a forward) was mostly stuck in the 50m arc. When Buller was in the true forward line, he was no more effective or threatening than McLean. I guess McLean is a safer bet, in the sense he has played some good AFL footy in games of old, but I think this could also be interpreted as the club having already put a line through Buller (other than in an absolute emergency).

I think it’s fair to say we don’t have much depth in our squad. Ideally, you want 5-6 players in the ressies banging on the door- first to cover for injuries and then to develop them for the future. Our list looks very average at this stage. What can be done to improve us?

[UUaswan]

I think it’s fair to say we don’t have much depth in our squad. Ideally, you want 5-6 players in the ressies banging on the door- first to cover for injuries and then to develop them for the future. Our list looks very average at this stage. What can be done to improve us?

I think injuries have helped our depth this year.
There are probably 4 or 5 that wouldn't be playing with 4 or 5 that should be playing.
Agree with Liz though, when some of your Emergencies havent played much it looks ordinary for your squad.

The "trick" is to drop and make players accountable when you are winning. Give opportunities to players when others are being carried in a good 22

[imuninformedtwo]

I think injuries have helped our depth this year.
There are probably 4 or 5 that wouldn't be playing with 4 or 5 that should be playing.
Agree with Liz though, when some of your Emergencies havent played much it looks ordinary for your squad.

The "trick" is to drop and make players accountable when you are winning. Give opportunities to players when others are being carried in a good 22

Touch wood, we hopefully get some returning soldiers over the coming month - starting with Mills and Adams.

Re dropping players, I thought Cox was admirable in choosing Hayden to be dropped and Ollie for sub. As he said, coaches often revert to the young players as that's easier. But he was about accountability and form, and it also says to someone like Cleary who's being tasked with a specific role right now, keep at it.

I hope it's a philosophy he continues as/if players begin to return from injuries and suspension. Ollie had a solid second half when he came on as sub, but back it up. And I like Hayden, but he does need to make a bigger impact.

[UUaswan]

Touch wood, we hopefully get some returning soldiers over the coming month - starting with Mills and Adams.

Re dropping players, I thought Cox was admirable in choosing Hayden to be dropped and Ollie for sub. As he said, coaches often revert to the young players as that's easier. But he was about accountability and form, and it also says to someone like Cleary who's being tasked with a specific role right now, keep at it.

I hope it's a philosophy he continues as/if players begin to return from injuries and suspension. Ollie had a solid second half when he came on as sub, but back it up. And I like Hayden, but he does need to make a bigger impact.

Agree for the most part with Snr or a New player, anyone who is out of form goes back.

I believe Mclean has a fair case to answer though, the Coaching staff should take some of the blame on his form by not playing Ladhams.

This week should tell a story for him

[liz]

I think it’s fair to say we don’t have much depth in our squad. Ideally, you want 5-6 players in the ressies banging on the door- first to cover for injuries and then to develop them for the future. Our list looks very average at this stage. What can be done to improve us?

When you look at who isn't get a game (or close to getting a game, or with any claim to getting a game) but taking up a list spot, we have three young developing key defenders. We probably need that many as we need to create more depth in the medium term and replace long-time senior players. We've failed in our attempts to recruit a seasoned key defender of quality (Darcy Moore, Barrass, McKay - phew). And so we've picked up lots of fringe key (and not quite key) defenders who aren't really quality long term prospects - Talia, Brand, Thurlow, Arnold and, still on the list, Francis and Hamling. Developing our own makes sense, but they take time, and take up a list spot in the meantime (as do the not-very-good fill-ins like Hamling and Francis). It doesn't help that each of Edwards, Snell and Andrew has had injury interrupt their season (and seasons past) so their development has been slower than ideal. We've not seen a repeat of Alex Johnson who surprised everyone in how quickly he was able to come in and play a role at senior level, albeit not as a true key defender. We also had some bad luck (arguably foreseeable bad luck) with Paddy McCartin who, for a short while, was a great solution.

In the forward line we recruited Buller as someone with the size to make an immediate contribution at senior level. But, whether it's because injuries haven't allowed him to develop or just because he's not good enough, I don't see him surviving this year. He's a willing worker but he lacks a yard of pace to get enough separation to mark the ball on the lead, and in contests his hands aren't as reliable as McLean's or Amartey's (and neither of them is a stand-out, league-wide, in this aspect).

We burned one developing small forward in Konstanty. I think we took him, in part, because we were intent on pissing off GWS in that particular draft, and we thought the Giants were keen on him. I don't know if they were, but I do know that the pick they might have used on Konstanty they instead used to select Darcy Jones. Wouldn't he be a fantastic addition to our team? So we went to the small forward well again and selected Hanily and then Dattoli. Hanily has equipped himself decently well in a few senior games but looks like he needs more time to develop. Dattoli, despite being young still, is the kind of player who might have been able to come in to the senior team early and contribute. Until he hurt his back, of course. These things happen, but that's another list spot that we've got no output from at either level so far.

Elsewhere around the ground, I was probably more enthusiastic about the club giving Indhi a crack than many other Swans fans. I thought he had some good attributes at U18 and U19 level that he might be able to develop. And I also understood why they gave him a second year. But unless something amazing clicks in the second half of this year, I suspect he'll be let go at the end of the year. He just lacks either that burst for his size, or size for his speed. Dad (who was a little bit bigger) also lacked size and pace but he played in a different era. It also helps that he got his main chance as a 21 yo, by which time he had also developed an enormous streak of determination. Indhi might yet develop that too, but I suspect he'll have to do it elsewhere for now. In the meantime, that's another list spot taken up.

Mitchell is much the same. Worth a shot but probably not with an attribute that stands out enough to suggest he can become a proper senior AFL player.

Paton was an ok thought, as an experienced player for this year. We took him in the rookie draft (rather than as a free agent) so I imagine he's on just a one year contract. That's another spot that will open up for next season but isn't that productive this season.

Then Bowman and Leidler are first year players of the type unlikely to make an immediate impact. We just need to hope, as they occupy list spots, that they don't go the same way as Vickery, Magor and their ilk from years gone by. Ditto Green (as a second year player) was always going to need time. These young skinny rucks are always a roll of the dice, and it's galling that there are two high quality rucks in the competition who we had, started to develop, but where the timing wasn't quite right between them demanding opportunities and us being able to provide them.

So yes, we have no depth, especially when much of our depth has already been called up to the senior team while Mills, Gulden, Papley, Cunningham et al have been in rehab, and Melican, McInerney and now Amartey have been dispatched to the naughty boy corner.

[Thunder Shaker]

In: Adams, McLean, Mills.

TEAM: Three changes for MCG clash

[Velour&Ruffles]

When you look at who isn't get a game (or close to getting a game, or with any claim to getting a game) but taking up a list spot, we have three young developing key defenders. We probably need that many as we need to create more depth in the medium term and replace long-time senior players. We've failed in our attempts to recruit a seasoned key defender of quality (Darcy Moore, Barrass, McKay - phew). And so we've picked up lots of fringe key (and not quite key) defenders who aren't really quality long term prospects - Talia, Brand, Thurlow, Arnold and, still on the list, Francis and Hamling. Developing our own makes sense, but they take time, and take up a list spot in the meantime (as do the not-very-good fill-ins like Hamling and Francis). It doesn't help that each of Edwards, Snell and Andrew has had injury interrupt their season (and seasons past) so their development has been slower than ideal. We've not seen a repeat of Alex Johnson who surprised everyone in how quickly he was able to come in and play a role at senior level, albeit not as a true key defender. We also had some bad luck (arguably foreseeable bad luck) with Paddy McCartin who, for a short while, was a great solution.

In the forward line we recruited Buller as someone with the size to make an immediate contribution at senior level. But, whether it's because injuries haven't allowed him to develop or just because he's not good enough, I don't see him surviving this year. He's a willing worker but he lacks a yard of pace to get enough separation to mark the ball on the lead, and in contests his hands aren't as reliable as McLean's or Amartey's (and neither of them is a stand-out, league-wide, in this aspect).

We burned one developing small forward in Konstanty. I think we took him, in part, because we were intent on pissing off GWS in that particular draft, and we thought the Giants were keen on him. I don't know if they were, but I do know that the pick they might have used on Konstanty they instead used to select Darcy Jones. Wouldn't he be a fantastic addition to our team? So we went to the small forward well again and selected Hanily and then Dattoli. Hanily has equipped himself decently well in a few senior games but looks like he needs more time to develop. Dattoli, despite being young still, is the kind of player who might have been able to come in to the senior team early and contribute. Until he hurt his back, of course. These things happen, but that's another list spot that we've got no output from at either level so far.

Elsewhere around the ground, I was probably more enthusiastic about the club giving Indhi a crack than many other Swans fans. I thought he had some good attributes at U18 and U19 level that he might be able to develop. And I also understood why they gave him a second year. But unless something amazing clicks in the second half of this year, I suspect he'll be let go at the end of the year. He just lacks either that burst for his size, or size for his speed. Dad (who was a little bit bigger) also lacked size and pace but he played in a different era. It also helps that he got his main chance as a 21 yo, by which time he had also developed an enormous streak of determination. Indhi might yet develop that too, but I suspect he'll have to do it elsewhere for now. In the meantime, that's another list spot taken up.

Mitchell is much the same. Worth a shot but probably not with an attribute that stands out enough to suggest he can become a proper senior AFL player.

Paton was an ok thought, as an experienced player for this year. We took him in the rookie draft (rather than as a free agent) so I imagine he's on just a one year contract. That's another spot that will open up for next season but isn't that productive this season.

Then Bowman and Leidler are first year players of the type unlikely to make an immediate impact. We just need to hope, as they occupy list spots, that they don't go the same way as Vickery, Magor and their ilk from years gone by. Ditto Green (as a second year player) was always going to need time. These young skinny rucks are always a roll of the dice, and it's galling that there are two high quality rucks in the competition who we had, started to develop, but where the timing wasn't quite right between them demanding opportunities and us being able to provide them.

So yes, we have no depth, especially when much of our depth has already been called up to the senior team while Mills, Gulden, Papley, Cunningham et al have been in rehab, and Melican, McInerney and now Amartey have been dispatched to the naughty boy corner.

Great analysis… as usual

[BRS328]

I think it’s fair to say we don’t have much depth in our squad. Ideally, you want 5-6 players in the ressies banging on the door- first to cover for injuries and then to develop them for the future. Our list looks very average at this stage. What can be done to improve us?

While it is fair to question the depth of the squad there are still 8 players (not including Parker) still missing from the grand final team from last year, and at least five would be top 10 ranked players. You cannot expect young players to have the same impact in the short term