Sydney Reserves

[ugg]

Official report is up: http://sydneyswans.com.au/Season2007...8/Default.aspx

[barry]

Sydney 3.3, 11.10, 15.14, 23.18 156
Queanbeyan 2.1, 3.1, 7.3, 8.3. 51

SYDNEY SWANS
Goal Kickers: L. BRENNAN 6, H. GRUNDY 3, E. SHAW 2, M. O''DWYER 2, E. Barlow 2, J. Simpkin 2, D. O''KEEFE, M. Beckmans, S. Rowe, S. Phillips, S. DOYLE, R. BRABAZON
Best Players: A. SCHNEIDER, E. Barlow, K. Thornton, L. BRENNAN, S. DOYLE, K. JACK

From sportingpulse.com.au

Two of our best players cant play senior football because they are rookies.

I think its time to "Plonk the donk"! (Put Simon Doyle to full forward in the senior team)

[ItsAllGoodes]

Looks like this was one of the games that Daniel Currie plays this year, up from Melbourne.
I wonder how he went

[Snake]

Two of our best players cant play senior football because they are rookies.

I think its time to "Plonk the donk"! (Put Simon Doyle to full forward in the senior team)

The only place the donk should be plonked is on the "de listing registrar"

[ScottH]

The only place the donk should be plonked is on the "de listing registrar"

Why?

[Snake]

Why?

A handful of games in 3 years, aint cutting it no more.........

[ScottH]

A handful of games in 3 years, aint cutting it no more.........

If they could get him on the ground for the rest of the year, would be a huge plus for the swans, Like a big target yesterday would have been handy.

[barry]

The only place the donk should be plonked is on the "de listing registrar"

The donk played a pretty servicable grand final. We got back in the game on the back of his ruckwork.

[stellation]

How demeaning.

[Snake]

If they could get him on the ground for the rest of the year, would be a huge plus for the swans, Like a big target yesterday would have been handy.

I can understand your thinking but even though vogels aint as tall as doyle, I think he should get more game time.

[liz]

Two of our best players cant play senior football because they are rookies.

Three of those listed are actually rookies.

Its interesting to see Barlow's name finally hit the list. Even when he was kicking 5 or 6 goals a game earlier in the season, he wasn't being named in the best.

Athletically / build wise, he's almost a perfect prototype for an AFL player and his skills aren't shabby. His main problem is consistency - he'll look a million dollars one moment and then make a serious blue the next. If he could start to eliminate the silly concentration / over-ambition errors from his game, he's yet another on the rookie list who could realistically earn promotion. But with Rowe and Jack also seriously putting their hands up for more time and few of the youngsters on the senior list looking deserving of the chop quite yet, there are going to be some very challenging list management issues for the club at the end of the year unless they decide the time is right to forceably move on some of the senior stalwarts.

Adding to the complication is the relative strength of the NSW u18 team this year. Rookies are now permitted a 3rd year on the list but Rowe and Barlow currently take up two of the three "local rookie" spots. A couple of the more likely u18 prospects are apprenticed to other clubs but there were a few who played well last weekend who aren't and who look like decent rookie prospects - like a 174cm mid/forward (Loccy McKinnon??) who dominated the midfield alongside Bird and kicked 4 goals to boot. Apparently he is much more solidly built than Phillips and has a great leap, but his height still means he's more likely as a rookie than a drafted player.

Clearly the club didn't think much of the available local rookies last year, especially after Lynch was drafted and Suckling turned them down. But this year a decision to retain Rowe and/or Barlow might be a little trickier.

[BeeEmmAre]

Adding to the complication is the relative strength of the NSW u18 team this year. Rookies are now permitted a 3rd year on the list but Rowe and Barlow currently take up two of the three "local rookie" spots. A couple of the more likely u18 prospects are apprenticed to other clubs but there were a few who played well last weekend who aren't and who look like decent rookie prospects - like a 174cm mid/forward (Loccy McKinnon??) who dominated the midfield alongside Bird and kicked 4 goals to boot. Apparently he is much more solidly built than Phillips and has a great leap, but his height still means he's more likely as a rookie than a drafted player.

I think you're talking about Loccy McGregor. He's from Broken Hill. I was out there last year and read a story about him in the local paper leading up to their grand final. He was 16 years old, has been a star for two years. He was in doubt with injury and they were talking about whether he played or not as possibly being the difference between winning or losing the premiership. They also mentioned he takes a hanger nearly every week.
One to keep an eye on by the sound of that.

[liz]

I think you're talking about Loccy McGregor.

Yep. That's him. Knew it was a Mc-something but was a bit lazy and didn't go and look it up before posting.

[Nico]

Three of those listed are actually rookies.

Its interesting to see Barlow's name finally hit the list. Even when he was kicking 5 or 6 goals a game earlier in the season, he wasn't being named in the best.

Athletically / build wise, he's almost a perfect prototype for an AFL player and his skills aren't shabby. His main problem is consistency - he'll look a million dollars one moment and then make a serious blue the next. If he could start to eliminate the silly concentration / over-ambition errors from his game, he's yet another on the rookie list who could realistically earn promotion. But with Rowe and Jack also seriously putting their hands up for more time and few of the youngsters on the senior list looking deserving of the chop quite yet, there are going to be some very challenging list management issues for the club at the end of the year unless they decide the time is right to forceably move on some of the senior stalwarts.

Adding to the complication is the relative strength of the NSW u18 team this year. Rookies are now permitted a 3rd year on the list but Rowe and Barlow currently take up two of the three "local rookie" spots. A couple of the more likely u18 prospects are apprenticed to other clubs but there were a few who played well last weekend who aren't and who look like decent rookie prospects - like a 174cm mid/forward (Loccy McKinnon??) who dominated the midfield alongside Bird and kicked 4 goals to boot. Apparently he is much more solidly built than Phillips and has a great leap, but his height still means he's more likely as a rookie than a drafted player.

Clearly the club didn't think much of the available local rookies last year, especially after Lynch was drafted and Suckling turned them down. But this year a decision to retain Rowe and/or Barlow might be a little trickier.

I think we should be promoting players with a bit of height. We seem to have a surplus of midgets (probably the most in AFL). On the 2 games Jack played I dont like his skills at all. Resembles a couple of the garden gnomes' skills in the ones. But he appears to be the chosen one.

[SimonH]

I think you're talking about Loccy McGregor. He's from Broken Hill. I was out there last year and read a story about him in the local paper leading up to their grand final. He was 16 years old, has been a star for two years. He was in doubt with injury and they were talking about whether he played or not as possibly being the difference between winning or losing the premiership. They also mentioned he takes a hanger nearly every week.
One to keep an eye on by the sound of that.

Was indeed dominating the BH grown-ups comp as a 15/16 yo. Has played Glenelg U/19s in the SANFL in 2006, and seconds this year. Has been mentioned as a possible call-up for league debut, but hasn't played yet as far as I know. Haven't seen him personally, but he appears to be at a height and pace level where he's more likely to do well in state comps but maybe not excite AFL scouts so much.

I agree with Liz that a combination of Craig Bird coming on board, and some real talent among our rookies, means that the end of 2007 will be tough decision time. If Sydney wind up either missing the 8, or just making it and bombing out in the first week, it'll be 'easier' to make the hard calls. I'd safely bet that at least one bloke now running around week-in, week-out for the Swans won't be playing for them in 2008.

On a positive note, despite many people's dire predictions about the results of our 2nds playing in the Canberra comp, our hit-to-miss ratio among blokes who've debuted in the last 3 or so years has been pretty good. Matt Laidlaw being the latest example of a really promising debut.