Cousins. We need him in 09.

[lachlanc]

Ok. It's controversial.

But 1) we have a history of recruiting players like this ie. Lockett, Barry Hall, etc. 2) Sydney cannot afford to fall out of the eight cos of the market we are in 3) Cousins is still a brilliant footballer 4) the team needs shoring up. we are lacking in mid-field brilliance 5) isn't there a marvellous reverse story here? Arch enemy joins Swans, finds redemption.

Can you tell me you don't think we won't be better off without him in 09? And who else is going to go for him? Drop the morality. It's a great football story....

[dread and might]

No.

One good season left in him, if that.

Rebuild. Cousins would be keeping out a youngster, and we are not going to steal a flag in 09 with him.

[TheGrimReaper]

No.

[dimelb]

Yesterday's man.

[lachlanc]

So your plans for 09 are? Fall out of the eight, do a WCE or Geelong, rebuild painfully, just as the AFL gives big free kicks to Blacktown and the market is fractured?

[ScottH]

It aint so silly, Lachlanc, but I can't see it happening.

[TheGrimReaper]

So your plans for 09 are? Fall out of the eight, do a WCE or Geelong, rebuild painfully, just as the AFL gives big free kicks to Blacktown and the market is fractured?

Blood some kids....Play Veszpremi and Meredith, who both will be good for us.

[Jeffers1984]

Cuz will be a Pie.

[lachlanc]

You know that for a fact, do you?

[TheGrimReaper]

Cuz will be a Pie.

So will Jonathan Brown I hear.

[Captain]

Stupid idea

[mcs]

So your plans for 09 are? Fall out of the eight, do a WCE or Geelong, rebuild painfully, just as the AFL gives big free kicks to Blacktown and the market is fractured?

this has been discussed over and over and over and over and over. While he might give you 1 good season or two at a push, we arent at a stage where 1 former fantastic player who may/may not still have it will take us from also rans to premiership contenders.

The rebuilding has begun slowly this year, and hopefully with a few timely retirements come years end, some shrewd draft pickups/ possible trading we can get well on track next year to becoming a force again in the near term. Recruiting Cousins would be like taking 10 steps backwards imo. It might mean we could potentially stay a lower 8 team next year, but imo all it would do would be stretch out the pain etc etc you talk about in the process of rebuilding.

For Id much prefer to see that potential place taken up by another youngster. He may or not make it at the level, but if your lucky you might get someone that goes on to who knows- be a premiership captain, play 300 games for the club, be a gun full forward who knows? Id prefer to take that sort of punt with a true eye on the future then take a punt on a player who brings a a380 full of baggage with him and will not serve as anything but a stop gap solution. And if you need evidence of the problems of taking that gamble, you only have to look as far as Everitt. We got him when he was past his peak, and while he had a decent season last year, he really hasnt added a great deal this year and will probably be gone at the end of the year.

We dont need a bandaid solution to ensure our future when the new Sydney team comes in (Which I still think is very much up in the air for 2012, Id be very suprised to see them come in then) we need to take a long consolidated view and realize that for the next couple of years we will probably have lower crowds, not win as many games and even miss the finals once or twice. But if we do it right, come say season 2011 or 2012 we will quite possibly be right back up there, with a genuine chance to win the flag again.

[robamiee]

its an interesting point of view really no matter who you look to draft.
i will make some points and it really depends on which scenerio the Swans will take. UNfortunately the decision of which way to go has to be made this season due to the last umcomprimised draft for at least 2-3 years.

Scenerio 1: Re-build
As Roosy has said the sydney market cannot afford it and i agree, i use to live in sydney and when the team is languishing membership drops and our off field part of the club begins to struggle.
However if re-build you go you ahve to market it to the members to get along support the kids, but prepared for 3-4 years in the bottom 4 due to not getting access to picks for the new clubs.
So you off load some mid 20's fringe players, kids that dont fit into the long term plan and get the best yng kids possible.

Scenerio 2: Premiership Tilt for another 3 seasons.
How do you do that, you try and get the best possible kids where possible in the draft, pick up the players that have the ability but maybe out of favour from their clubs.languish in the top eight for 3-4 season and hopefully 1-2 seasons pay off and you get another flag. You maintain strong membership and sponsorship because your thereabouts

So to answer your ? if you went for scenerio 2, would you get Cousins. Of course you would, those who think he only has another season, better think again, being based in Perth he gets alot of coverage over here and i can tell you he would be fitter than 99% of the current list, match fitness might be down, but a player like him would only take about 2-3 weeks, so a good pre-season play lots of NAB time and he would be ready.
you would get 2 good years and by then your hard working midfield which excels at the in and under, has also developed the outside game breaking type. Also a midfielder of his type would show the yng midfielders the work ethic required.
He is the outside midfielder we lack desperatley as Birdy will take a good 3 years to get that fitness and explosive base up required.

As i ahve stated in other threads, if he has over come his issues you would be mad not to.

So there is the 2 choices. Personally whether we take cousins or not, Roosy knows the Sydney market and unfortunately due to our fan base we ahve to be successful otherwise we lose the support.
(NOTE: that is not just a dig at Swans supporters, across all codes Sydney based fans just dont go if their team is not winning)

[mcs]

The only problem I can see with your idea of Scenario 2 is what do you do in 2/3 seasons time? For the problem we face is not only have we got a mass exodus in the near term (Ie this year and next year in all likelihood we will lose Leo Barry, Barry Hall, Brett Kirk,Matthews etc), but in 3 or 4 years we are also going to probably lose players like Goodes, Jolly, Craig Bolton, Jude Bolton and all those players that now are 27/28.

And sure solution 2 might give us 1 or 2 more tilts at the flag now possibly, it could leave us in an absolutely massively hole come 2011 and 2012 and we wont just languish towards the bottom of the ladder for 1 or 2 years, but 4 or 5 because we have had players hang on and take up space on the list that youngsters could have just so we can have one last faint shot at a flag.

And that is the time you desperately dont want to be in trouble- Id prefer to be struggling now when there isnt a West Sydney team in the comp then for the first several years of their actual existence in the comp.

[Swansinger]

Ok. It's controversial.

But 1) we have a history of recruiting players like this ie. Lockett, Barry Hall, etc. 2) Sydney cannot afford to fall out of the eight cos of the market we are in 3) Cousins is still a brilliant footballer 4) the team needs shoring up. we are lacking in mid-field

1)Difference is that Lockett and Hall were not criminals.

2)Roos has said as much , talking about the club owing a highest-possible finish to "our fans and our sponsors".
I'd like us to rebuild NOW - and indeed , we have started the process. But how fast we are allowed to do so may be up to the Board of Directors. Not of the club , but of QBE.

3)How do you know this ? How many games has he played this year and for which club?

4)Agreed. How about we get that no.29 from Geelong and retain our no.20 - then you'd get your wish of seeing "cousins" in our side !(insert emoticon for "groan" ).