Trading & Recruiting

[Cheese]

With our window for oppotunity lasting MAXIMUM untill next year the oppotunity for games and unveiling of some debutants.

What has been lacking in our team IMO has been
-key defender, for two reasons, able to release leo barry into an attacking role, however with his age and form he will be slowly losing his pace strength and with the work load placed upon him in the last five years i would not be suprised if he is the first of the "older" brigade to go. IMO we lose 1-2 games a year directly to the reason that we dont have a gorilla defender.

-quarter back, someone to really direct play, we have this in adam goodes however a nick dal santo who can get foward kick a goal and has exquiste skills, i think melcho can be moulded into this as we have many HBF waiting for their chance. eg Laidlaw, Dempster, even Barlow.

-small foward, really an injection of speed and harashment into the foward fifty. as we have seen with lovett, davey's some speed and tackling ability inside the foward fifty can create so many oppotunities. IMO we have lacked a small crumbing foward ever since we stopped Schnieds playing permenantely there in 2003.

Discuss.

[Bleed Red Blood]

:S

I think you're mixing up what a "quarter-back" is.
We have two at the moment - Malceski and Kennelly.
Goodes is a midfielder.

I agree with your other points.

[Cheese]

does everyone agree that we need some pace?

recruiting a small foward? eg varcoe, stokes, davey, lovett

i think andrew lovett would fit in perfectly has developed and is ready to take the next level but is not in the untradeable section at essendon, probably a 2nd or 3rd round pick,

[Nico]

does everyone agree that we need some pace?

recruiting a small foward? eg varcoe, stokes, davey, lovett

i think andrew lovett would fit in perfectly has developed and is ready to take the next level but is not in the untradeable section at essendon, probably a 2nd or 3rd round pick,

Unfortunately Cheese the likes of J Bolton and Ablett are the pace of our midfield or lack thereof but will still be getting a game at 40 Y.O. or as long as they want to keep playing.

As for Barry playing an attacking role, I think not, he was an abject failure as a forward. I thought the role he has is an attacking role.

[bodgie]

We need a creative, fast midfielder before crumber. Schneider could then go back to that role. Davis could be freed up as well. We certainly need a gorilla up back.

[mcs]

We desperately need some fast running influences in the midfield but even more a key defender. Dont know who but we should be prepared to give up plenty if we can get a quality player in. Have to do something about the midfield but I feel if we can build from the back we would be on the right track. Maybe look at a key defender and a midfielder or two at the end of this year before looking at the forwards. A small forward would be good but I feel that Phillips given a proper run could develop into a very good player.

[barry]

Our defense has been ok this year. Remember its been missing its two regular KPP in Leo Barry and LRT, plus Kennelly.

I think Brennan is a keeper. Another year under his belt and he could turn out alright. Bevan has improved, and Malceski's done a good job in kennelly's absence. C.Bolton is one of the best and the business, and ted Richards has handled some big jobs really well.

Our forward line has failed us. Okeefe was hot early, but cooled down somewhat. MOL's had a year to forget, and enough has been written about Hall. Davis has tried to be a midfielder but failed. I think MOL rely's on Hall to much. He's one dimensional.
Our midfield has been its usual @@@@ self. But I blame the tactics employed as much as anything. I think Roos and the coaching staff are as much to blame for our predicament as anybody.

A good midfielder wouldnt hurt, but we've been saying that for years. McVeigh was probably our big hope, but he's failed to come on. Think back only a couple of years and we had Williams and Maxfield in that team who were both class, then try and think what we replaced them with.....taggers.

[shaun..]

Leo Barry should not really be considered as a KPP even though he has played remarkably well in that roll. He is best suited at HBF where he can go on daring run and create an attacking opportunity. For the past few years we have been short of a true FB.

And a pacy mid with some clean skills would be handy too

[originalswan]

Leo Barry should not really be considered as a KPP even though he has played remarkably well in that roll. He is best suited at HBF where he can go on daring run and create an attacking opportunity. For the past few years we have been short of a true FB.

And a pacy mid with some clean skills would be handy too

That's the problem we have faced for a number of years. Obtaining that type of player may involve trading some "favourites".

[mcs]

I dont think you can class O'Keefe as a forward this year- he has spent as much time in the midfield as up front and when we have him up front properly eg... against WCE at Subiaco he does look class. Would like to see him play at CHF for an extended period with Hall at FF but cant see it happening under Roos.

Our defence has been ok but we desperately need a true fb- but originalswan is right we might have to give us some 'favourites' to do it. But I would love to see it happen but just cant see it occuring unfortunately.

[satchmopugdog]

We need Burgoyne the younger

[Legs Akimbo]

We were a realistic shot at the flag for three years starting from 2005, through to this year.

I had my doubts at the start of the year, but two thirds of the way through, thought it was possible. Actually, luck has been against us this year in the form of Taigh Kennelly's kneecapping. If was in the team, we would have beaten won against Brisbane and I think we would have won against Collingwood.

He is the lynchpin of our team. As others have pointed out, our model is actually quite different to other teams. Our midfield is average to good but we get rebound from defence. The bottle it up in the middle and wait until the opposition run forward then catch them out on the rebound. That's why we play an undersized by agile defensive group. Leo, Taigh, Bolton and Malceski are all very good at running forward with the ball and delivering to the forward fifty with pinpoint accuracy. Replace Leo with Ted (effectively) and Taigh with Brennan () and you see how things have really broken down.

Add to that our two key forwards BBB and MOL being invalids and it is absolutely amazing we've come this far. Basically, out injuries denied us what was otherwise a totally plausable shot at the title.

I don't think our list will give us another shot next year. I think MOL is stuffed. BBB may never be the player he once was. Spida, whilst a good acquisition, has only one direction to go in. Bolton 1 has dropped off this year and I suspect Kirk may start to slide next year.

So what does that leave of the core for the next four years in the way of a nucleus around which to build our next generation team? I think we have three AAA players of the current generation who can run into the next generation being Goodes, B2 (both 27 y.o) and Kennelly (26 y.o). We have several AA players - Malceski (23 y.o) and O'Keefe (26 y.o) who will be / are very good players. From there, things drop away . Also concerning is that our second tier players are also at an awkward age.

Ablett (25 years) - should be peaking now but has not progressed
Bevan (23 years - I still have high hopes for this guy
Bolton (27 years) - supposedly in the latter years of his prime
Buchanan (25 years - should be peaking and probably is
Crouch - (29) goneski
Davis (27) - will never fulfill his potential. I think Roos wrecked him by knocking the lair out of him
Dempster (23) - out of favour, but potentially good average player
Fosdike (27) - should be peaking and probably is
Jolly (26) - ruckman get better with age
Mathews (29) - hmmm
McVeigh (22) - I am starting to come around that he's good average
Richards (24) - a defender for sure, and servicable but not great
LRT (24) - Does a job
Schmidt (21) - looks good
Schiender (23) - will keep getting better

On the list above, do you see another Adam Goodes, B2 or Kennelly? Add 3 years to every player on the list above and what does the list look like? I think an objective review of our list would suggest that we are probably 'vulnerable' because unlike Brisbane, Collingwood, West Coast, and sundry others, we have not brought in players sub 21 years (only one on the list above) and actually played them (as opposed to trialling them, then demoting them). The problem is made worse by the shambles that is the Canberra league. If we recruit poorly this year, and if none or only a few of the 21 - 25 y.o brigade above take it to a higher level, then there will be serious problems for coaching in waiting, John Longmire, and an extended period of reminiscing for Swans supporters.

[Cheese]

Leo Barry should not really be considered as a KPP even though he has played remarkably well in that roll. He is best suited at HBF where he can go on daring run and create an attacking opportunity. For the past few years we have been short of a true FB.

And a pacy mid with some clean skills would be handy too

i agree that his best position, however our list has been unable to let him do this.

now what i believe must happen this year not next is a Port Adeliade sweep out.

in 2005 after winning the flag in 2004 they had a massive clean out.

servents of the club where let go, some traded, others delisted as they're time had come. we must make the hard descions THIS year as opposed to next.

Crouch, Doyle, Matthews, Vogels and dare i say it O'Loughlin....the power exposed their younger players to the game almost instantly and are now reaping the benefits or a two year period when they where not in contention.

i still believe that a small SUPER quick forward with chasing ability would be an important player in our team. The ease of which the Lions where able to run the ball out of our foward line reminded me of us in 2003-2006 taking calculated risks to turn defense into attack.

[bigswan]

Great summary by Legs Akimbo. It is a difficult time ahead. Continued success depends on how well they can blend the best of the young players ie Reserves into the seniors and if they come up. If they don't we will have to do one or two years very hard as they build another team. My guess is they will trade for some high profile players in the next three years but not this year because there is no-one on the market. Personally I think there is some talent in the Reserves despite the low level of opposition. This finals series will be interesting for them because Belconnen is not a bad side and we will see who stands up. Malceski and Schmidt both came through via good GF's in the Reserves.

[shaun..]

Great analysis

The bottle it up in the middle and wait until the opposition run forward then catch them out on the rebound. That's why we play an undersized by agile defensive group. Leo, Taigh, Bolton and Malceski are all very good at running forward with the ball and delivering to the forward fifty with pinpoint accuracy.

...

The problem is made worse by the shambles that is the Canberra league. If we recruit poorly this year, and if none or only a few of the 21 - 25 y.o brigade above take it to a higher level, then there will be serious problems for coaching in waiting, John Longmire, and an extended period of reminiscing for Swans supporters.

We have effectively turned a small backline into a rebounding force. But I believe that's merely a defiency in our KPP stocks.

I guess Roos really only had a 3 year plan