Jude Bolton

[Captain]

Is anyone else worried that basically all our stars were on the ground and playing well and we barely got over the line vs one of the also-rans of the competition? (And btw we had a pretty damn good run from the umps!

I was thinking the same thing. Was impressed with so many players yet we barely won! That is a worry.

Let's just put it down to the Eagles trying extra hard because they were playing us

[Bloody Hell]

Gun. He had a couple of low years...that I can't explain as I don't think he was carrying injuries - but seems at his best now.

Really stood up starting up forward on the weekend. Added to the pressure in the F50 at the start of the game (with Hall) - Hall may have been one of the reasons he started there. (see Hall thread)

I will say best contested mark in our midfield - (well, maybe some competition from Goodes)

[Bloody Hell]

I was thinking the same thing. Was impressed with so many players yet we barely won! That is a worry.

Let's just put it down to the Eagles trying extra hard because they were playing us

It was a funny old game - we'd dominate for 20 minutes and kick 3 goals, the Crims would get their hands on it for 5 minutes and kick 3 goals.

We could have won by 50, WC were lucky to be close.

[SwansFan1972]

While I didnt necessarily agree with trading him at the time, that trade was the very sort of trade that people on this site constantly scream out for (I think there was threads on this issue last week). When he went up for trade he was at his most valuable to deliver a decent high draft pick and could have delivered a player that would now be in his third year and possibly leading the side into the future.

No use trading guys when they are finished as everyone else knows that as well and best you will get is a third or fourth round draft pick.

Maybe it shows that such trades are a dud idea then!

In any case, we seem to have been heavily on the positive side of the ledger for mature age trades in the last five or so years, albeit taking the risk of trading away the future. But a case can be made that giving away first round picks (and ours are never going to be very high) isn't really much of a risk - outside the top 5 each year, it really is a lottery as to who will make it and who won't, and our club shows more than most that a few diamonds can be lucked upon far down the draft order.

And we haven't had to (or chosen to) clear many senior/quality players to get the good pick ups from other clubs. There aren't many "former Swans" running around at other clubs - which is a nice thing! Schneids and dempster are the only significant (depending on who you talk to!) examples I can recall in recent years of the traffic flowing the other way - i.e. players out for picks in - and by and large we'd have to say the recruiting approach of the club has been pretty successful!

[pinkemu]

While I didnt necessarily agree with trading him at the time, that trade was the very sort of trade that people on this site constantly scream out for (I think there was threads on this issue last week). When he went up for trade he was at his most valuable to deliver a decent high draft pick and could have delivered a player that would now be in his third year and possibly leading the side into the future.

No use trading guys when they are finished as everyone else knows that as well and best you will get is a third or fourth round draft pick.

After all, footys just a meat market

Maybe we could still get something for MOL and Kirky. NOT!

I'd rather sit down the ladder with a team full of courage than sit at the top with a team bought from the souls that have given their all week in week out.

[Nico]

Spot On.

Another good year to compliment his outstanding 2008.

Keep it up!

Now where's Nico when you need him?

I'm here RP. I bet you thought I was going to come on and spoil the Jude Bolton gratification forum; not so.

I still can't come at Captain's description of "Gun" and I suspect he/she has taken license with calling him about our best set shot for goal. But that's his/her opinion and is entitled to it.

My beef prior to 2008 was that he was getting carried by the side and he came out at the start of last year and admitted his preparation in 2007 and was not up to scratch and it showed. His centre clearance work last year was no better but he got more of the footy and became a solid contributor. I can't say I have seen any measurable improvement in his disposal, but he does seem to have a bit more disposal time this year. Perhaps the opposition isn't sitting on him this year. He has kicked straighter for goal I will grant you that, thank goodness.

He appears to have better average stats this year and topped 20 stats for the game last week. He has even got some centre clearances this year but let's not lose sight of the fact that he is part of a midfield that has been maligned this year as too slow and ineffective and in need of some refreshing. We got a father of a flogging in the last quarter out of the centre by WCE that almost cost us the game. They got too many easy clearances that were frightening to say the least, and IIRC 2 goals late in the game directly from centre clearances.

As a workhorse in 2009 he is doing his job and if you care to look at any posts I have made on The J Bolton topic this season none have been derogatory. Credit where credit is due I say. I have even given him votes in the TLM.

[Darren Thomson]

B1 is one of those players u can count on week in week out to put his noggin over the ball and show some out and out guts. Run chase tackle pressure, does it all, as far as set shots go, he aint one of our best, but I'd rather him than NOG for sure. He just works hard, not the slowest or the smallest, and doesn't take a backward step. I actually think he's getting better and has a few good years ahead, if he keeps his fitness up.

[liz]

Is anyone else worried that basically all our stars were on the ground and playing well and we barely got over the line vs one of the also-rans of the competition? (And btw we had a pretty damn good run from the umps!)

Possibly. Certainly in the sense that we were at pretty much at full strength (given that it's hard to count Barry and Crouch as bad misses since we might not see them much more and the Eski's form is the issue, not injury per se.)

But if you examine it more closely

Goodes - very very good but still a notch down from his absolute rippers

Jude - near the top of his game

Kirky - defensively excellent but this season he really seems to have sacrificed the attacking part of his stoppage game for being ultra-defensive. Yes, we know he's fantastic at stopping the main opposition clearance player but when the Swans are at their rolling best, it is so often his unclean, scrubby yet weirdly effective clearances that get the ball moving forward relentlessly. The only time this season I can recall him doing this was in the final quarter against the Saints, when we kicked 4 quickish goals against the pattern of the previous two quarters. And while Priddis can get a lot of the ball, he ain't no Kerr. He can get over 30 possessions a game and still have little influence.

Ryno - very strong contribution from the midfield and I understand his desire for a different role, but those strong leads and vice-like marks at around 70m out from our goals have been a very important part of the Swans attacking game over the past few seasons. We've got no-one else doing it.

Hall - super defensive pressure inside the forward 50 and flawless conversion but he stayed mostly inside the forward 50 (other than those couple of occasions where he chased down the ground to tackle). It wasn't one of those 15 mark games at CHF that he's delivered in the past.

Our defence - all made useful contributions but they gave away some pretty soft goals, including two kicked off the ground from within packs. And while they all racked up the stats playing kick-to-kick across the goal face, their kicks from the back of the centre square to our CHF area generally lacked purpose, direction or penetration.

Although we controlled possession for huge chunks of the game, a lot of it was uncontested and in the wrong part of the ground (see above). This was largely because the Eagles spent much of the game going the "uber-flood". And we didn't really have a proper target at CHF (see Hall and Ryno comments above). Without such a dangerous opponent to watch Jolly might have been able to do this. With more experience and/or "presence" White might. But what we really missed (awaits howls of derision) was a Playfair. He has his limitations but as a CHF target on the edge of a clogged forward line, he is pretty valuable.

We also got very little from too many players, for various reasons. Bird did some nice stuff (and one clanger) in the final quarter but not much before. And with White, Meredith and Ablett all making very little tangible contribution, that's quite a lot of passengers to carry.

On the balance of the game we still should probably have won by 4 or 5 goals, but it's maybe not that surprising we didn't.

[SimonH]

The latter half of 2008 and thus far in 2009, he's consistently played his best footy since his career-defining 2003. Given that his effort and commitment could never be questioned even when his form was pretty dodgy, who knows why? No need to look that gift horse in the mouth.

As long as we have some youth with a bit of toe (and we're okay but not brilliant in that respect) and our hard nuts are doing their job (and they certainly are), we can afford to 'carry' blokes like JBolt, Kirk and Moore who win the footy inside but aren't going to win too many running races.

[liz]

The latter half of 2008 and thus far in 2009, he's consistently played his best footy since his career-defining 2003. Given that his effort and commitment could never be questioned even when his form was pretty dodgy, who knows why? No need to look that gift horse in the mouth.

I reckon we supporters are sometimes guilty of too readily dismissing the effects of injury. On one hand that is fair enough - if they have declared themselves fit enough to play, they should be judged accordingly. That's all well and good, but it's a little naive too.

A few years ago - can't remember what season it was - he was leading the Brownlow medal count at around the halfway point of the season. Then he did his hamstring, missed a couple of games, and never managed to recapture his early season form. Then another year - it might well have been the one following - he pretty much kept the Swans level pegging on wins/losses for the first half of the year before hurting his shoulder. (I think that might have been 2005 - again he struggled to capture his early season form until the second half of the GF).

For a player like Jude, who doesn't have Barry Hall's physical presence or Adam Goodes' bag of tricks, if he is physically restricted from throwing himself into packs headfirst, or from running to contest after contest all afternoon, he is going to struggle to have too much of an impact.

Sure, he has his limitations, but over the course of his career, I reckon his periods of ordinary football have been overplayed and his periods of very very good football under recognised.

[Lucky Knickers]

Had to drag this old thread up after watching Saturday night's replay. Jude is playing absolutely outstanding football. IMO very humble opinion, this season is turning out to be one of his finest.

[Go Swannies]

Had to drag this old thread up after watching Saturday night's replay. Jude is playing absolutely outstanding football. IMO very humble opinion, this season is turning out to be one of his finest.

Agreed. I've never doubted his courage but his set shots on goal have improved out of sight this season, too.

It seems as if we're a team that always needs a hard nut and that mantle has passed from Kelly to Kirk to Jude. Kirk is still there, near the bottom of the pack every time, but the suicidally brave actions now seem to be Jude's.

[ShockOfHair]

Jude's been great all year.

Smith and Jack will have to fight it out for the hardnut mantle after Kirk and Jude go.

[ScottH]

Not to mention his marks in the forward 50 in extreme pressure situations.

And I noticed against Carlton, he will knock the ball to a team mates advantage rather than take possession, at the right time. Seems he's getting wiser with age as well.

[Primmy]

Had to drag this old thread up after watching Saturday night's replay. Jude is playing absolutely outstanding football. IMO very humble opinion, this season is turning out to be one of his finest.

We have dollars on him making the final three in the B&F this year.