Baby Swans

[UglyDuckling]

Does anyone know the last time we fielded a younger less experienced team
8 players with 35 or less games experience who are 23 or under. For all those critical of the swans not playing young players Paul Roos is now really starting to 'play the kids'

Thornton 21 and 0 games
White 21 and 5 games
Moore 23 and 35 games
Meredith 20 and 2 games
Jack 21 and 28 games
Grundy 22 and 27 games
Bird 20 and 24 games
Barlow 22 and 13 games

[johnno]

Not sure, but the bulk of the 2003 side had to be pretty young to start with in round 1.

[Mike_B]

The one thing that stands out about that list compared with many other clubs is the absence of anyone still in their teens in it. Not saying it's a good thing or bad thing, but most other clubs seem to be getting their kids on the park earlier than we do age wise.

[10Totti10]

Baby Swans, even though we have the oldest list in the AFL (even though, Barry, Crouch, etc are not really essential to our team anymore). The Swans r blooding their youngsters the way every other club should have. They wait till the players r ready, debut a couple, and every couple of months they bring in a new youngster who eventually replace the veterans.
Other clubs would usually retire all their older blokes and straight away debut 6-7 young guys. I don't think we will do as bad as everybody thinks when Hall, MOL, etc all retire.

[johnno]

Baby Swans, even though we have the oldest list in the AFL (even though, Barry, Crouch, etc are not really essential to our team anymore). The Swans r blooding their youngsters the way every other club should have. They wait till the players r ready, debut a couple, and every couple of months they bring in a new youngster who eventually replace the veterans.
Other clubs would usually retire all their older blokes and straight away debut 6-7 young guys. I don't think we will do as bad as everybody thinks when Hall, MOL, etc all retire.

exatley....when these "boys" replace the older guys, they will be 20-21 year olds with strong mens bodies rather than 17 year olds with a boys bodies. I agree, we wont be as bad as people are saying. I dont think we will win a premiership anytime in the near future, but we wont bottom out either. I think we will be ready for another assault on a flag in 2012 and onwards.

[UglyDuckling]

The one thing that stands out about that list compared with many other clubs is the absence of anyone still in their teens in it. Not saying it's a good thing or bad thing, but most other clubs seem to be getting their kids on the park earlier than we do age wise.

Meredith and Bird are only just 20 and Vez is still a teen. We just dont rush players straight in we try and give them some time to physically mature.

[Number 43]

Good positive comments guys...that's what we like to see. Expect Brabazon in the team again sometime soon and let's hope Schmidt can get it together injury wise because he showed great potential a few seasons back. Who said the Swans were gone.....

[10Totti10]

Its interesting cauz u can add to that list Vezspa, Schmidt, Braba, Curriz, Johnston, Murphy, etc who all look like future stars. All of a sudden we have a very competitive and winning list. U look at teams like Hawthorn, which took them 4-5 years to make a competitive list, so we r basically halving that so expect us to contenders in 2012-13.

[Emerald Hill]

With a number of imminent retirements at the end of this year and next, it's vital that we give these youngies a go AND stick with them.

[Nico]

Very positive thread. The one thing that stands out to me is the lack of key position players.

Is Grundy a quality key position player?
Johnstone looks to be.
Is Murphy the great white hope as a CHB? Is injured a bit.
White seems destined to be a ruckman.
Currie is a ruckman.

Those named by others are largely mid sized players or midfielders.
I think the next few years recruiting must have an emphasis on taller players.

[Darren Thomson]

Good positive comments guys...that's what we like to see. Expect Brabazon in the team again sometime soon and let's hope Schmidt can get it together injury wise because he showed great potential a few seasons back. Who said the Swans were gone.....

Agree with all that good positive stuff, Schmidt did show something when he had those few games and should be harder for coming back from serious injury, I think these younger blokes are just the thing, maybe one or two years of earlier finishes to the season are what we need

[Legs Akimbo]

cygnets not baby swans

[SCGonasunnyday]

Good stuff, it is not all doom and gloom is it.

What gets me is that we seem to be struggling (according to the pundrity) but the task of figuring out our best 22 is hard. We currently have Vespa, O'Loughlin, Barry, Buchanan, Crouch and Schmidt out of the team. Say all those were to come back in, how could you pick 6 players to come out?? One of those good problems to have I suppose. But how then do you fit Brabazon, Smith, DOK, O'Dwyer, Laidlaw, Currie, Pyke etc in the team?

Glad its not my job to figure all this out. But back on the thread, I agree that the Swans have done a pretty good job - your Vespa's and Johnstone's (assuming it goes to plan) debut in their teens because they are just good and ready, but others are given time to develop physically before being thrown in. Probably a strategy that delivers us a handful of good/great players who may have been discarded at 20/21 if played straight away and found wanting initially.

[ernie koala]

Its interesting cauz u can add to that list Vezspa, Schmidt, Braba, Curriz, Johnston, Murphy, etc who all look like future stars.

Sorry to rain on the 'stepford' thread...but calling your list of players above," future stars"...That's a big baseless early call...(except for 'etc', he's a definite star in the making)....I'm not seeing it just yet.....Maybe I need to take a few more happy pills.

[31 hard at it]

Roos only had 26 players to choose from this week so it had to be time.
Good to see a couple starting to step up.
Maybe even a more open forward line