The day Leo kept Gehrig to 2 touches...

[DeadlyAkkuret]

So what is your point? Which bit of the question, and it is essentially a question, do you think is troppo?

Trying to get Hay would be questionable at best, and i'm putting that nicely to avoid being cruel to you. He's just not a footballer now, and if he ever does get his head right again, he'll definitely be too old for a spot in our side. We need a big defender who can be around for 8 years or so.

[Mr_Juicy]

You note that I cannot be serious, pfft and say that a suggestion (that was not made) is laughable, but get antsy if I criticise your interpretation of my post. If you read the entire post and came to that conclusion then you are stupid. I was being charitable assuming that you had not read it all. I will not make that mistake again. I did not suggest that Jolly would make a good full back. The crux of the post was something entirely different. You seem not to understand that.

There's A LOT of people on this board that hide behind inferences.

[NMWBloods]

Or poor grammar...

[swantastic]

And my point was that it would be difficult to make Jolly a defender. Your response was pfft, that's a joke you can't make Jolly into a defender.

I agree it would be very difficult hence the Pffttt about Jolly.

[floppinab]

All good points ROK but I'm struggling to remember a lot of times where Leo was beaten one on one on Sat. When the ball is coming in from the WC midfield into a forward line that is as open as the Simpson desert it won't matter if Leo is playing on the Unit or something hairy from Taronga there's no fullback that is going to be able to beat that. You've got to place more emphasis on the midfield pressuring the opposition so you see more bomb I50's than passes.

[i'm-uninformed2]

it won't matter if Leo is playing on the Unit or something hairy from Taronga

So you think he will struggle against Anthony Rocca too?

[NMWBloods]

All good points ROK but I'm struggling to remember a lot of times where Leo was beaten one on one on Sat.

I guess when you're 20m behind your opponent you could argue you're not beaten one-on-one...

[BAM_BAM]

So you think he will struggle against Anthony Rocca too?

good one.

I remember that game ROK and remember thinking we had our replacement for Dunks. Now ???

I'm not sure what other options there as we don't have a body that is able to cope with the role on big forwards. I haven't seen Leo beat a leading forward for some time now (he's no longer got explosive pace) and his way of negating the forward has now been deemed illegal.

The only other option I can see for the near future anyway is to drop a player between FB and HB and that only really eliminates the lead, not the shoulder to shoulder contested mark.

Perhaps these days with CHB position being more and more athletic we can drop LRT back to FB and build another CHB.

FWIW: I liked your initial post

[hammo]

Leo's already talking up a big game

"I might need a stepladder this weekend," Barry said.

Source

[giant]

Interesting points.

Also interesting, I would've guessed that Hay would be Leo-esque in stature but in fact he dwarfs him. Hay is 194 cm to Leo's 184 and 92 kgs to Leo's 88.
A much bigger unit than I realised. I suspect that AFL footy has passed him by however.

[dimelb]

The question about Hay - is he worth talking to? imho yes, worth exploring, doesn't mean we get him.
atm I'd rather see White blooded in defence at the top level, and I think Richmond would be a good game to do it.
Leo - wonderful heart, but I suspect he's lost a metre of pace. And it's time he stopped minding monsters. Let him go back to HB flank or pocket and use what run he does still have.

[swantastic]

The question about Hay - is he worth talking to? imho yes, worth exploring, doesn't mean we get him.
atm I'd rather see White blooded in defence at the top level, and I think Richmond would be a good game to do it.
Leo - wonderful heart, but I suspect he's lost a metre of pace. And it's time he stopped minding monsters. Let him go back to HB flank or pocket and use what run he does still have.

IMO i say no to Hay but very good other points dimelb.

[SimonH]

In answer to the initial post: I don't think that the Swans hierarchy ever decided that a decent-sized FB was not needed. They just have had to make do with the best defensive 6 that we have available, which apart from the (ahem) mercurial LRT, is a little undersized at the moment. Scott Stevens, Heath James et al never became Ben Rutten. Those who have come on (CBolt, Dempster, Richards, Vogels to a limited extent) are slightly undersized when it comes to playing as a specialist FB. Tough for us.

I think that the Swans have drafted to fill perceived needs at the time. You could argue back and forth about 'we should have picked up such-and-such guy who's become a good big defender ahead of little Willo or Schmidt in the 2003 draft'. However you shouldn't confuse the fact that some draft picks will always fail (the particular blokes picked) with the team needs at the time (the type of player picked). In the aftermath of Kelly and Schwass, with Maxfield and Williams aging, it was felt that mids were well and truly the priority, and it's pretty hard to second-guess that from 2007.

As at 2003, there was little reason to think that Schauble's career would finish up as soon as it did; and with pace an even higher priority now than in mid-2005, the decision to dump him (which I disagreed with back then) looks like the right one. Unfortunately, it did have flow-on consequences for height in the backline (esp while LRT learnt/learns the ropes). The day of the big lump who can hold out the full-forward in a test of strength are over; you need both the size and the athleticism in a modern full-back. Basically, exactly what LRT offers if he was... um... a better footy player.

And by drafting Colombo and MySpace White in 2006, the Swans have made it pretty clear that renewing our stocks of KP defenders is now a priority. While they hopefully come on, we will have to make do with a relatively skilful, quick, strong, courageous, well-drilled backline, that is a little short-arse.

Personally, I would love to see Keneally on one HBF and Barry on the other, tearing up opposition sides with runs out of defence. But Leo has sacrificed what would surely be a more rewarding game for him personally, by stepping in as the team's FB. I don't think it's hubris on his part ('I'm so great, I can beat guys 15cm taller than me!'); quite the reverse.

Let's not forget that the day Leo thrashed the Gorilla is far from the most important day in his career. That honour would go to a particular day when he taught one M. Gardiner a football lesson, in one of the last matches that the latter would ever play for his club...

[Triple B]

When the ball is coming in from the WC midfield into a forward line that is as open as the Simpson desert it won't matter if Leo is playing on the Unit or something hairy from Taronga there's no fullback that is going to be able to beat that. You've got to place more emphasis on the midfield pressuring the opposition so you see more bomb I50's than passes.

Nail. Head. Hit.

[dread and might]

Is myspace definitely a D option, or is he a future CHF?