trade requirments

[footyhead]

I have read a lot about the idea that what we actually need is a really good tough in and under midfeilder to win the ball and give better service to our superb forward line.
I have been going over our list and think that although another really good midfeilder or two would never go astray, we really do need to locate a large, stronge and skillfull gorilla type to play in the back line.
Here's why :
we have a nuber of prospects on the list for the midfeild,
but the only players tall enough and strong enough to be that "Gorrila", are few and far between.
Saddo is 194 cm , but does not look like he will ever have enough grunt to completely compete with the big forwards, stevens (although he played 1 good game in the back line this year) is not big enough - 191 cm (Same as goodes, but not as big a build). James is still a greate risk at this stage , and is still only 189 cm.
The only one amoungst the younger players who looks like being big enough (in terms of hieght, ) is LRT, and he has a large learning curve ahead of him and he also needs to build strength.
We have a pretty good back line, but to be a real premeirship contender, we need the mal micheal type gorrila back there as well. Unfortunatley we don't seem to have anyone with that potential amoungst our cuurent crop of players, so we need to get a couple , and fairly quickley too I would respectfully suggest.

[Reggi]

Recruit another tall defender (to add to Schauble, Saddington, Hunt Dempster Powell and James), and I', sure we can get Demtel to throw in a combination juicer & hard boiled egg extractor.

Our big weakness is midfield - recruiting more tall defenders would be overkill

[sharp9]

Absolutely right, Reggi, we have plenty of tall defenders...they just need to eat a lot more weetbix.

I think a gorilla would be a good recruit, though. There are none on the market as far as I'm aware.

As I have said before, it's the weight and strength, not the height, that make a great Key defender (Archer is only six foot FFS).

Interesting that the AA fullback is Mathew Scarlett who is 191, but a little bigger than he looks at 92 kg. Not as gorilla...just pretty tall, pretty strong and detemined. We can develop a Mathew Scarlett from our raw material I feel sure...esp with Roosy as coach.

[vagary]

Originally posted by Reggi
and I', sure we can get Demtel to throw in a combination juicer & hard boiled egg extractor.

don't forget the steak knives

[liz]

I think only once this season did the Swans kick 13 goals or more and lose. When we did lose it was because we couldn't get the score on the board, not because we were leaking like a sieve down back.

We have one of the most varied, skillful, classiest and efficient forward lines going around - we just need to get the ball to them more often. We have the cattle to deliver it to the forward line once we have possession - we just desperately need ball-winning midfielders.

Our defence rarely let us down in 2003. Even when it was under siege for long periods of games, the determination and tackling usually held things at bay. And there is a bit of depth coming through - hopefully - in the guises of Powell, Dempster, Hunt, James, maybe LRT.

[Craig]

Re: trade requirments

Originally posted by footyhead
I have read a lot about the idea that what we actually need is a really good tough in and under midfeilder to win the ball and give better service to our superb forward line.
I have been going over our list and think that although another really good midfeilder or two would never go astray, we really do need to locate a large, stronge and skillfull gorilla type to play in the back line.
Here's why :
we have a nuber of prospects on the list for the midfeild,
but the only players tall enough and strong enough to be that "Gorrila", are few and far between.
Saddo is 194 cm , but does not look like he will ever have enough grunt to completely compete with the big forwards, stevens (although he played 1 good game in the back line this year) is not big enough - 191 cm (Same as goodes, but not as big a build). James is still a greate risk at this stage , and is still only 189 cm.
The only one amoungst the younger players who looks like being big enough (in terms of hieght, ) is LRT, and he has a large learning curve ahead of him and he also needs to build strength.
We have a pretty good back line, but to be a real premeirship contender, we need the mal micheal type gorrila back there as well. Unfortunatley we don't seem to have anyone with that potential amoungst our cuurent crop of players, so we need to get a couple , and fairly quickley too I would respectfully suggest.

This is exactly what we need. Tall, stong backmen are as rare as hens teeth. If Schauble or Bolton get injured our backline is stuffed.

IMO we have a stong midfield already and have the potential to throw guys like Schnider and Kenelly in the middle.

[TheMase]

I fear that some of the people in here may have this all wrong....

I think our defense is severly overrated by some on here.

This is why I think our defense was so good (or appeared to be).

Midfield exerted pressure up the ground which forced poor possession into their forward 50. If there was good delivery we would have been flogged in defense, but because of the midfield pressure, the delivery was poor allowing our undersized defense to occationally take easy marks and make easy spoils.

This also effects our midfields ability to be able to get the ball to our forward 50 more often because of their defensive nature.

That is the way I see it anyway ...

[dendol]

i think the defense has managed to hold up ok because the midfield has been running hard into the backline to help out. Then once the ball is won, they all run hard forward again. If Roosy is planning to stick with this - and why wouldnt he, its worked wonders so far - then Id imagine he would be looking for more hard-nut running players to add to the midfield, especially now with Cressa retired.

And I know people have mentioned this before, but even with Saddo out injured for many games this year, then shorter defense has still managed to hold up. The only fear I hold is that the other teams now know Sydney's style of play and will be more ready to combat this next year.

Btw, hello fellow swans freaks. I cant believe Ive only discovered this website... its a whole new world in here, and I love it!

[swan_song]

Overall our defence these past few years has been pretty good, certaily in the best 4 defences in the league in terms of the least number of points kicked against us...so, in that regard I too have little to grumble about. However, to make it even BETTER, I think we DO need a strong key position player to take over at CHB or FB. This could be an enormous advantage, freeing Saddo to play in a position that more suits him, and taking the added pressure off Schaubs at FB.
I'm all for 2 quality midfielders too, one to be a receiver to replace the legend, and the other as an in and under man to get the ball out. Trouble is, they don't grow on trees... Nick Stevens would fill one of those roles, but it looks like he's not on OUR shopping list. Solomon would be ideal for CHB, but it looks like Richmond (why would anyone with half a brain want to go to Richmond????) have him...If Stevens goes to the Pies (you'd have to have no brain to go to the pies ) do they have room under their cap for him...would be nice if they did a Melbourne and "unloaded" Woewodin to us
If the seeming "inactivity" reported in the press from Sydney is a judge, maybe we'll be finding all these players from within. There may be a surprise or two yet from Roosie and the panel....

[sharpie]

Lets just agree that we need a good midfielder AND a good tall defender

[Newbie]

An interesting info is that there might be about 4 talls ranked between 8-16th this year. So the question for the club is whether to pick one of them if they slipped through to or try to get a midfielder with our first pick.

Given the reputation they have, most of the quality big bodied midfielders would have gone by our first pick, I suppose.

Would be interest come the drafting time.

[barry]

I saw somewhere that Richmond might be getting rid of Ray Hall if all these big names come to them.

Now there is a player we could use. NSW boy, key defender, the potential to rise up under a quality coach.

Come home Ray!

[jixygirl]

Originally posted by sharpie
Lets just agree that we need a good midfielder AND a good tall defender

We definitely couldn't go past a strong and gorilla-type defender but they are starting to become hard to come by. And of course a midfielder, especially due to Cressa retiring.

[Newbie]

Originally posted by barry
I saw somewhere that Richmond might be getting rid of Ray Hall if all these big names come to them.

Now there is a player we could use. NSW boy, key defender, the potential to rise up under a quality coach.

Come home Ray!

The only problem is that he is a dud though. Holland is on the way out. Ditto Richo. If Hall is any good, they would have kept him.

[barry]

Originally posted by Newbie
The only problem is that he is a dud though. Holland is on the way out. Ditto Richo. If Hall is any good, they would have kept him.

I think he is quality, just stuck in a dud team, with a dud coach.

Add him and Travis Johnson and its flag here we come.