Lets play the Kids Roosy !!

[Nico]

Plenty of kids on here.

Ah, the voice of sanity lobs. Wheres ya bin hidin' old mate.

[Nico]

My summary of this sterling discussion is this; in football parlance, to be 4 years in the game and be called a "kid" is stretching it a bit.

Jarrod Moore before Saturday had played 27 games, debut 2005, and is 23 YO. Not a lot of games but certainly no "kid" for mine.

The term "kid" is confused even more when the esteemed Connolly refers to Bevo as "the kid". By the way where is the old blusterer.

[Legs Akimbo]

Thinking about this a tad more, I think it is somewhat of a moot point.

With the number of our first strong players coming towards retirement this year and next year,we are about to drop off the age cliff in anyway. So if they don't accelerate the list turnover this year, they will have to next year and the following year. One would think it it is better to so in a planned coordinated fashion and this has nothing to do with last weekends game, excremental as it was.

I believe we actually have more incentive than most clubs to be 'stress testing' our list right now. In practice, I think this means no tolerance for poor performance from senior players and greater tolerance for getting games into the next generation. It doesn't mean tanking. Nor does it mean playing nippers for the sake of it.

[bandwagon]

If I could hazard a definition - a 'kid' is someone for whom playing in the reserves would still give valuable experience, regardless of whether playing in the seniors would be even more valuable.

For example Moore didn't play a great game on Saturday, but dropping him to the reserves wouldn't improve his game per se, but might give him a rev up.

Pyke could still be called a kid, but i think Barlow/Schmidt/Grundy etc need to be given a decent run in the seniors. If they don't show anything after half a dozen (more?) games then they can wait out the rest of their contracts in the reserves.

[AnnieH]

Goodesy was 19 when he first played seniors.
Micky O was 18.

Babies.

[UglyDuckling]

There is no doubt reguardless of the defenition of kids there should be more focus on playing young inexperienced players with and eye to the future considering the impening retirements of the senior core. This means we cant afford to play crap older players like Ablett & Crouch. They may give you marginally more output (though that is debateable) than a young midfielder like Meredith but we need to look to the future and the young players have scope to improve.

So no more Crouch and it should be hard for Ablett and Leo Barry to get a game. Though it does brak my heart to say that about leapin leo but he should have retired.

Beside those guys, i cant really see anyone else where it would be of benefit to drop them just to play young players.

[goswannie14]

There is no doubt reguardless of the defenition of kids there should be more focus on playing young inexperienced players with and eye to the future considering the impening retirements of the senior core. This means we cant afford to play crap older players like Ablett & Crouch. They may give you marginally more output (though that is debateable) than a young midfielder like Meredith but we need to look to the future and the young players have scope to improve.

So no more Crouch and it should be hard for Ablett and Leo Barry to get a game. Though it does brak my heart to say that about leapin leo but he should have retired.

Beside those guys, i cant really see anyone else where it would be of benefit to drop them just to play young players.

Ablett is only 26, hardly OLD!

[ugg]

Someone's been reading RWO.

KEY FORWARD prospect Lewis Johnston, the Sydney Swans' first-round pick in November's NAB AFL Draft, is not without a chance of making his debut this season.

Draftee Johnston could make '09 debut - Official AFL Website of the Sydney Swans

[AnnieH]

Someone's been reading RWO.




Draftee Johnston could make '09 debut - Official AFL Website of the Sydney Swans

Where else do you think they get their great ideas from?

[UglyDuckling]

Ablett is only 26, hardly OLD!

Your right he isnt old but i guess my point with Ablett is that he isnt going to improve he should be playing the best footy of his career at 26 and his form over the last couple of years hasnt been up to scratch. I would rather see a younger player who has the potential to impove in his spot. Ablett is never really going to be anything more than an alrght footballer.

[Wardy]

I guess we could argue till the cow's come home on this, you can put some kids in, take some old farts out,(and shake em all about ) It really wouldnt matter who is on the field at the moment because, as last Saturday night proved yet again, we dont have a game plan B. Without that - it will be the same old same old, and the debate will rage on.

[ernie koala]

I guess we could argue till the cow's come home on this, you can put some kids in, take some old farts out,(and shake em all about ) It really wouldnt matter who is on the field at the moment because, as last Saturday night proved yet again, we dont have a game plan B. Without that - it will be the same old same old, and the debate will rage on.

Good post....With Roos stubbornly holding on to 'plan A'... It's looking decidedly like a death by a thousand cuts.

[Wardy]

Good post....With Roos stubbornly holding on to 'plan A'... It's looking decidedly like a death by a thousand cuts.

Its also a bit odd when Roos & AG get on the news and say "everyone come out and watch Buddy play" - I mean we all know we are going to be beaten, its just by how much that no one is sure about, but to try and get the crowd to come by extolling the virtues of Buddy, who is on the opposing team, is unusual too me. Oh well - we just now have to wait and see - perhaps the Hawks will all get the bad prawn sandwich on the plane and we beat em- you never never know!!!

[dimelb]

Its also a bit odd when Roos & AG get on the news and say "everyone come out and watch Buddy play" - I mean we all know we are going to be beaten, its just by how much that no one is sure about, but to try and get the crowd to come by extolling the virtues of Buddy, who is on the opposing team, is a unusual too me. Oh well - we just now have to wait and see - perhaps the Hawks will all get the bad prawn sandwich on the plane and we beat em- you never never know!!!

Yes, counterintuitive isn't it?
But perhaps they are trying to encourage the growth of what I see as a Melbourne attitude, that you might go to watch a footy match or a special player, simply because there's something worth watching rather than because it's your own team. Perhaps the same attitude flourishes in Adelaide or Perth or even Brisbane, although I'd think it less likely in a one- or two-team town.

[Mr Magoo]

I thought malthouses views on game plans was very interesting on "on the couch" last monday and they probably apply equally to the swans.

he said that there is no point copying hawthorne for example if you dont have a franklin , a hodge , a sewell in your team. Your game plan is designed to best suit the players you have.

What saturday night proved more so than a need for a different game plan is that if they implement it correctly (al la first quarter) it works, if they panic and dont stick to it (al la second and third quarters) it doesnt. In those situations you can have a hundred game plans but if they arent going to be followed then they wont work. The same equally applies to St Kilda. They didnt probably change there "game plan " too much in the second and third quarters, they just actually implemented it as was intended.

During a game I think you can tweak things (eg move someone onto a player doing a lot of damage ) but a game plan is something ingrained in the players from months of training. I dont think its as easy as saying to a group of players lets now go to our "zone" plan or our 'where getting the crap kicked out of us" plan.

According to the commentators (even as far back as the prelim final against geelong in 05 ) the solution to all our problems when we go thru a bad spell is to either :
1. Throw Barry Hall in the ruck
2. Put kenneally in the midfield.

being that we cant now do 2 , then surely plan B is very simple, THROW BARRY IN THE RUCK - Cmon Roos even if it just shuts Walls up for five minutes it would be worth it.