Where have all the fans gone!!!!

[Primmy]

Felt the same when I heard that too. What's more disappointing though is that when you visit the official website, the banner at the top is all about the Hall of Fame event in Melbourne. I would have thought our biggest game in Sydney for the season would have had priority via the website banner, at least for this week.

EXACTLY! I thought perhaps I was being a bit precious, but it would appear that I am not. Also noted is that the event is anything but a sellout. As I said before, the Sydney members were sold out.

[ernie koala]

All you've done is whinge about the state of our list, without giving one single example of what you would have done differently.

It is easy to point out problems, but unless you can give a even single example of what might have been done differently to significantly change how you perceive the state of the list, within the constraints of drafting, trading, injuries, contracts, salary caps etc it is really just all hot air.

It's even easier to wax lyrical knowing there will be plenty of pats on the back.
You want a single example..... They never should of traded a round 2 draft pick for Spida (a player I've always admired), given he was quite clearly reaching the end of his career.
There are countless others the Swans have kept/ contracted too long ....Matthews is a classic example of one year too many, Leo Barry is another, Crouch another, all have been wonderful servants of the club,
(Admittedly, I was never a fan of Matthews)....but hindsight shows their places on the list have been wasted, mainly due to age related fitness problems. Barry an old dodgy knee, Crouch wear and tear, Mathews lost what form he ever had. As I said earlier it's just stating the obvious in hindsight. Whether a young rookie would of made anything of one of these places on the list we'll never know. What I do know, and everybody has known for a few years, it's going to be a hell of a lot harder over the next 3-4 years with severely compromised drafts.

[Yakety_Yak]

It's even easier to wax lyrical knowing there will be plenty of pats on the back.
You want a single example..... They never should of traded a round 2 draft pick for Spida (a player I've always admired), given he was quite clearly reaching the end of his career.
There are countless others the Swans have kept/ contracted too long ....Matthews is a classic example of one year too many, Leo Barry is another, Crouch another, all have been wonderful servants of the club,
(Admittedly, I was never a fan of Matthews)....but hindsight shows their places on the list have been wasted, mainly due to age related fitness problems. Barry an old dodgy knee, Crouch wear and tear, Mathews lost what form he ever had. As I said earlier it's just stating the obvious in hindsight. Whether a young rookie would of made anything of one of these places on the list we'll never know. What I do know, and everybody has known for a few years, it's going to be a hell of a lot harder over the next 3-4 years with severely compromised drafts.

Spida: May not have been a ideal choice but with Jason Ball retiring and coming off back to back GF's.. who would have Swans played in the 2nd ruck? (young skinny Erikson?)
Which other ruckman was available? (What had Tigers given for Simmonds or what was the later price on Warnocks trade..... for example?)

Matthews Barry Crouch: It may have escaped your attention but the recruit draftees learn in the reserves! The rules have changed and made them less competive against bigger bodies. They learn better if there is a aging older player or two in there to help development.

Few draft choices have bodies capable of seniors until 21soreally it was the drafts whilst Swans were 14th 16th and 15th pick...and despite that they have Vezspremi Meredith Hannebery Bird Jack White Smith Currie Orreal..

NOT BAD considering!!!... but ErnieK, I gather you would have made much wiser choices?

[ernie koala]

Few draft choices have bodies capable of seniors until 21soreally it was the drafts whilst Swans were 14th 16th and 15th pick...and despite that they have Vezspremi Meredith Hannebery Bird Jack White Smith Currie Orreal..

NOT BAD considering!!!... but ErnieK, I gather you would have made much wiser choices?

This isn't a debate about who they should of or shouldn't of picked. It's about the general direction the Swans have taken over the last few years, in a bid to remain competative, and not to go down to the bottom half of the ladder. ie Retain older players, play and draft a minimal amount of young players. This philosophy has worked for the last 2 years....the problem is we are now heading to the bottom half of the ladder anyway, with a number of imminent retirements coinciding with severely compromised drafts.

[connolly]

Spida: May not have been a ideal choice but with Jason Ball retiring and coming off back to back GF's.. who would have Swans played in the 2nd ruck? (young skinny Erikson?)
Which other ruckman was available? (What had Tigers given for Simmonds or what was the later price on Warnocks trade..... for example?)

Matthews Barry Crouch: It may have escaped your attention but the recruit draftees learn in the reserves! The rules have changed and made them less competive against bigger bodies. They learn better if there is a aging older player or two in there to help development.

Few draft choices have bodies capable of seniors until 21soreally it was the drafts whilst Swans were 14th 16th and 15th pick...and despite that they have Vezspremi Meredith Hannebery Bird Jack White Smith Currie Orreal..

NOT BAD considering!!!... but ErnieK, I gather you would have made much wiser choices?

We have a bunch of promising kids that have been parked in the ACT comp for two seasons. In which they learn not to live in Canberra and that park footballers are easy to beat. What on earth is Crouch teaching anyone at the moment by tagging and playing his usual negative brand of individual footy? Is Leo passing on some wisdom from the MBA? Promising young footballers learn from the intensity of seniors football and from their opponents. The club has made a serious miscalculation with the nonsense that we could have been a serious finals contender this year. The rebuilding should have started at the beginning of the season. Ans with the retirement of Barry and Crouch. And the blooding of some really good kids.

[rojo]

To my way of thinking it is too late. How is it that our key forward and enforcer is closing in on retirement and his only suitable gun replacement is an 18 year old? Why did Peter Faulks play at full back most of last year in the reserves and then get given the flick. I don't know if he was any good (only as posted on RWO) but my point is that like a few others I am mystified as to why no young KPP's have been targetted and developed. As with Spida - there was no one trained up and waiting in the wings ready to come in to support Jolly.
I know players need to be versatile these days but it must be really hard for the young 19, 20, 21 year olds to gain confidence, especially in the seniors, when they are asked to play anywhere regardless of the position they have played for most of their junior days, and its usually for 5 or 10 mins. to give someone like Goodes or ROK a break. I often wonder if EB seems to float around not knowing what he is supposed to be doing, because he doesn't. Like Grundy doesn't know whether he is coming or going and maybe White too. Its all seems very strange.