Bradshaw...is the jury still out?

[Mountain Man]

"With a fit Bradshaw firing and accurate and plentiful supply into the forward line we'll go all the way this year."

The one thing that has slightly disappointed me this pre-season is that the forward line structure seems not to be settled - and hence the mid field are not getting the experience in optimal delivery to that set up.

So many goals have been scored by Goodes - yet most seem to think he is better utilised when free to roam. White has missed games, and apparently tried in defence. Dennis Lane has been in and out; ditto Reid. No Bradshaw certainly. Sure we have won games, and we have plenty of talented and energetic players up forward, but there has not been the continuity and confidence build up in the pre season that the back 6 seem to have enjoyed.

On theme, Bradshaw's value seems to be that he can take contested marks, and has the experience to present to space and mark on the lead. If he is playing, then "delivery" and set up may be less critical for the mid field into the I50.

With the current coach being a forward, I had thought that end of the ground might see some new/changed approaches. On experience to date, it is Goodes or back to to chips or long bombs in hope.

I am still excited about season 2011, and full of optimism; just a little surprised at the apparent consolidation of personnel at the defensive end of the field compared with the still unknows for the forwards.

[royboy42]

He kicked 28 in 9 games last year. So if we can count on avg of 3 per game, we'll be pretty content. He is obviously being kept in cotton wool at training, and held back from pre season games.But he looks better to me now than at this time last year....and I think he played in round 1 then??
If our guys manage him as well as they did mickeyO, we'll be happy campers!

[Go Swannies]

He kicked 28 in 9 games last year. So if we can count on avg of 3 per game, we'll be pretty content. He is obviously being kept in cotton wool at training, and held back from pre season games.But he looks better to me now than at this time last year....and I think he played in round 1 then??
If our guys manage him as well as they did mickeyO, we'll be happy campers!

Mickey managed to get on the field most weeks when we got him right. I've heard Braddy won't be ready for R1 - along with quite a few other injured hopefuls.

[Lucky Knickers]

The Sheriff is rolling in to town with both guns blazing.

[EMJ]

Bradshaw is a great player and will be ok for the season.

Too much media talk. 28 goals and 9 games tells heaps.
He was better playing in the bulldogs game than Jesse.
Jesse is fit and strong but does not give us goals we need.

[supersall]

memory could be betraying me....did Jesse play in the bulldogs game? Bit of a harsh comparison if he didn't don't you think.

[The Big Cat]

Here's quoting from the 2011 AFL prospectus - the Bible of AFL statistical analysis:

Bradshaw played just 9 games - the third fewest he has ever played in a season. He averaged 3 goals a game - RANKED 5th IN THE COMPETITION. He was used for 23% of kicks going into the forward line - the 4th highest percentage in the competition. The Swans retained possession 64% of the time they went to him - THE HIGHEST OF THE TOP 20 MOST USED TARGETS IN THE COMPETITION.

There is no argument - when he plays he's invaluable. Every game he plays is a bonus for the team.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

That settles it, we'll just use him against top 8 sides.

[Jewels]

Here's quoting from the 2011 AFL prospectus - the Bible of AFL statistical analysis:

Bradshaw played just 9 games - the third fewest he has ever played in a season. He averaged 3 goals a game - RANKED 5th IN THE COMPETITION. He was used for 23% of kicks going into the forward line - the 4th highest percentage in the competition. The Swans retained possession 64% of the time they went to him - THE HIGHEST OF THE TOP 20 MOST USED TARGETS IN THE COMPETITION.

There is no argument - when he plays he's invaluable. Every game he plays is a bonus for the team.

Great stats Puss and your closing statement is spot on.
Braddy is a stunning footballer and if we can nurse him through the season it makes us a far more dangerous proposition.

[Owen87]

He still takes the number one defender from any team. And when we have a forward line with the developing players like TDL, Reid, White etc it helps considerably with the development of these players

[707]

He cost zilch at the trade table. Very different circumstances to the BLions' Fevola trade, given they gave up a pick in the high teens, and a player who had been a top 10 draft pick a couple of years earlier, pissed off two players they dangled as trade bait, plus got themselves into salary cap problems that must have contributed to their end of season losses.

To get this entirely accurate, Bradshaw cost us basically nothing except the $ that we can handle within the salary cap. We will also pick up his sons via the Academy ;-)

Fev cost Brisbane pick 12 used by Carlton for Kane Lucas, Lachie Henderson who was a pick 8 and had two years of development done on him, and Rischitelli and Bradshaw said "see youse later, we're off"

In most games Bradshaw played last year he was a significant positive, let's just hope he can get out there for most of the season. I reckon Andrew McLeod had a similar knee condition but battled through for an extra 2-3 years after most thought he was gone, and he had to cover a lot more km each game than Bradshaw needs to.

[stellation]

I think you could probably say that Andrew had to carry a lot less weight on that knee, too.

[The Big Cat]

I think you could probably say that Andrew had to carry a lot less weight on that knee, too.

Braddy's got a bigger knee!

[stellation]

Braddy's got a bigger knee!

hehehe, very true

[AnnieH]

Now that Horse is in charge, I think that our game plan this year may centre a little bit more on getting the ball into the forward line - we've got stopping it at the other end pretty much down pat.
Horse was a forward, Roosey was a backman.

Last year, the reason the wobbles won so many games was that their instructions were basically "anyone can kick a goal", so get the ball up to the forward line as quickly as possible. If they never kicked so many behinds, they wouldn't have won as many games as they did. (Of course, I haven't looked up the stats to back this up, but it sounds right. They kicked a lot of behinds - Buckley was their forwards coach!! ) They did an interview with Mick Maltmouth just after the granny and that's what he was talking about.