Changes for Round 3 V The Crows

[aguy]

Well, some of the post anyway. The part about Hanners having a bad night is also sense....nonsense.

Agreed. I think hanners was also not bad. He fell away like the rest of the team in the last qtr but he looked much better than round one.

[Ludwig]

ROK, under no circumstances, should be dropped at all this year. Are you people on eff-ing crack? When your back's to the wall, you want ROK in your team. Derrickx did fine so I'd keep him in. The last thing the club should be doing is making drastic changes to the 22. It was poor across the board. Hanners, Jack and the rest of the midfield had a bad night and over-used the footy and when they DID go forward managed to butcher it. We also got flogged in clearances. The whole team is off. So they need to stick tight as a 22 and get their heads together. This is NOT the time to be blooding young players in the hope they may star on debut.

You are right. When your back's to the wall you can be sure Ryan will be there, because he's too slow to get away from the wall. Not only does he lack leg speed, but arm speed as well. It is so easy to draw a free kick off of him. When he tries to lay a tackle, just move your head to his arms which will move as quickly as a tree branch on a calm summer's day. He's been a great warrior and I wish it weren't so, but the game has passed him by at high speed. His whole body seems to move in slow motion. A week or a year in the reserves won't change a thing.

It there was a stat for hitouts to Disadvantage, Derickx would top the list. His ruckwork is aimless and he is more likely to put it down the throat of the opposition than to one of our own players. So many of his hitouts led to quick clearances for the Pies. He doesn't offer much around the ground either. Would prefer either Naismith or Nanny or LRT if fit.

[crackedactor]

100 percentage agree

Rohan is adding absolutely nothing, needs to play a month in the reserves.

100% agree. his legs are not strong enough and needs a month playing at a lower level to help improve strength and endurance. Would like to see towers and B. Jack given a go and maybe even X richards or Biggs. But more than anything I would like to see some serious gut busting running. Some easy goals for the pies on Saturday night and there was no Swans player doing any chasing except maybe Jetta.

[stellation]

In : Forward structure
Out : Long bombs to nobody

First we don't want Buddy to be a distraction to the team, now we want them to actively lower their eyes and look for him? Madness!

[Ludwig]

Don't understand some of the negative comments on Rohan. We know he's going to have some issues with endurance, having missed so much footy. He had a good first half, put a lot of pressure on the ball in the forward line and did a few good things up-field. His speed looks as good a ever. We know now that he had some nerve pain issues and fell off in the 3rd qtr before being subbed off. He had 2 very kickable shots at goal that he flubbed, which of course will detract from how he is rated.

He might struggle to come up for the next game. But if he's fit and available, he offers a lot to the side. He's so talented that he's bound to come through big time in due course.

[dimelb]

I agree Ludwig.
And with whoever it was who said he'd make an ideal choice for the green vest. It ticks the important boxes - shorter exposure, experience in the firsts, potential to break a game open.

[goods78]

Agreed. I think hanners was also not bad..........

His snap goal was nice, but he is far from his current status as an all Australian player.

Possessions can also lie......the problem with Hanner's is that you almost have to divide his handballs in two!

[Triple B]

His snap goal was nice, but he is far from his current status as an all Australian player.

Possessions can also lie......the problem with Hanner's is that you almost have to divide his handballs in two!

I doubt anybody was claiming he was in his AA form, but he was far from bad as was stated and his efforts were light years ahead of the trash he had served up thus far......

[Meg]

Derickx will be available for selection. MRP statement:

"Tom Derickx, Sydney Swans, has been charged with a Level One Engaging in Rough Conduct Offence (125 demerit points, one-match sanction) for engaging in rough conduct against Scott Pendlebury, Collingwood, during the second quarter of the Round Two match between the Sydney Swans and Collingwood, at ANZ Stadium on Saturday March 29, 2014.

In summary, he can accept a reprimand and 93.75 demerit points towards his future record with an early plea.

Based on the video evidence available and a medical report from the Collingwood Football Club, the incident was assessed as reckless conduct (two points), low impact (one point) and body contact (one point). This is a total of four activation points, resulting in a classification of a Level One Offence, drawing 125 demerit points and a one-match sanction. He has no existing good or bad record. An early plea reduces the sanction by 25 per cent to 93.75 points and a reprimand."

[Scottee]

Hanners seems to have a problem tackling. Several times I saw him not tackle when standing right next to the ball carrier. It seems that tackling is an aspect of the game that the whole team has gone backwards in of late, then of course there is the handball, kicking and an inability to read the play.They do a lot of chasing though.

[MattW]

If he goes well today, maybe young Jones might be in the mix. The coaching staff and senior players talked up his pre-season, and he was very lively against GWS a fortnight ago (if not always effective). He'll bring lots of energy and pressure if nothing else.

I have no idea why Reid spent so much of yesterday's game in defence. Collingwood only have one decent tall forward (who played). Ted and Reg seemed to be doing as well as could be expected keeping Cloke quiet, given the up the ground turnovers, as well as Jesse ineffective. Reid's forward line marking was pretty decent, when he was up there. Surely two forwards is a minimum requirement? If Longmire did think he went in short of a defender, then bring Laidler back so that Reid's not wasted down there. And give Rampe a licence to carry the ball with a dash out of defence. He looked quite good on the couple of occasions he did that yesterday. We desperately need to run and carry the ball more, rather than hoof it on the boot.

I absolutely agree re Reid. He looked dangerous up front, wasted in defence. I would also prefer Laidler down there. It felt like they were playing out a plan rather then responding to the game - perhaps it *was* the plan and the reason Laidler wasn't selected. Maybe the coaching staff are over-thinking it a bit.

[MattW]

I reckon they'll be keen to play LRT for Derickx, if fit. I'm really pleased that Naismith played well yesterday, but I suspect they'll want a few more good games before naming him in the first team.

Towers or Brandon Jack must be super close to O'Keefe's spot, and would likely play sub if they did. I wonder whether the selection committee wanted to avoid Bird and O'Keefe playing in the same team, for pace reasons.

[aguy]

I reckon they'll be keen to play LRT for Derickx, if fit. I'm really pleased that Naismith played well yesterday, but I suspect they'll want a few more good games before naming him in the first team.

Towers or Brandon Jack must be super close to O'Keefe's spot, and would likely play sub if they did. I wonder whether the selection committee wanted to avoid Bird and O'Keefe playing in the same team, for pace reasons.

Yep I'm sorta hoping LRT isn't fit so they do play Naismith. And I want Derickx to contest his charge. We lose nothing by him having a forced week off

I agree with towers and bj

[Flying South]

Changes for me are based on form and structural requirements.

Out: Derickx, ROK, Shaw
In: Naismith, BJ, Laidler

Last week I was pushing Naismith and nothing has changed. Saturday night was proof that Derickx is not going to be our No.1 Ruckman. I say No.1 ruckman, because we are after a replacement for Mumford, not Pyke. We are missing Mumford big time. He was a bully in the ruck and so important to our ?structure?. He allowed Pyke to go forward and become the competitions number one contested marker and accurate goal kicker, before facing up to battered and bruised ruckman. Not only that, Mumford was like a huge midfielder. Hitting and crashing through mauls, often coming out with the ball and hand passing to a running outside midfielder. Unfortunately, we need to get another Mumford. We can?t afford to buy one, so we need to manufacture one. To me Naismith could be a Mummy clone. Big body, mobile and good kick for goal. But he is not going to be ?mummified? in the two?s. Yes, he is still learning his craft, but Jacobs will teach him more than a Hills Eagles ruckman. I want to point out that I am not bagging Pyke here, because he has been doing a great job. Just want to get him back to the role that he was playing best and suits the team?s structure. And that is a full forward until Tippett returns.

ROK has been a great servant of the club and is a future hall of famer. But unfortunately, he has served up two very ordinary performances. He needs to go back to the two?s and prove that he has still got what it takes to make a contribution. Based on structural requirements and balance, I think we need to bring in a small crumbing forward to play at the feet of Pyke and Reid. BJ played that role well last year and should be given another chance. I considered Cunningham, but not sure of his history in that type of role.

I also believe we have the wrong structure in defence. For balance, we need to introduce a 3rd medium/tall. I feel we have an excess of small running types and after what Shaw served up on Saturday, he makes way for Laidler. Probably a bit harsh after a good 1st game, but Saturday was a shocker.

Other structural changes include bringing Bird back into the 21 and Cunningham as the sub. Towers was also considered for Rohan, but I think he deserves another chance. He created a lot of defensive pressure and did make 6 tackles. But I would be playing him out of the forward pocket as a leading forward and applying pressure in defence. I would also be letting Buddy off the leash and give him a licence to roam where ever he wants. As Goodes used to do. Buddy has the tank, skills and pin point passing by foot. It would create match-up nightmares for opposition coaches.
Midfield structures ? Sort out who are our best inside midfielders and our best outside midfielders and play them in these positions. Players are getting confused about their roles. We are robbing our outside run by playing Jack and Hannebery on the inside. Also as a collective unit, they are currently not running hard enough for long enough. A key part of their game in 2012.
Tagger ? We also need to develop a quality tagger. Pendlebury had too much influence on the game. We sent 3 or 4 players to him, with little effect. Young players learn a lot, tagging the elite opposition players. KJ served his apprenticeship in a tagging role and has become one of the league?s best. Can I suggest we invest in their future now and start to rotate Jones and BJ into the team as taggers. Send them to the best players and learn how to play the game. They will become better players for it.
Forward structures ? we are still missing some key forwards so it is difficult to get these structures figured out. But the coaches and forwards need to watch how NRoo and Cyril played the game over the weekend. Perfect leading forward and small forward games.
Well that?s my lot. We will bounce back this weekend. Go Bloods.

[Matt80]

People are talking about Naismith being a potential selection, due to good form in the reserves.

He is on the rookie list. Does he need to be elevated to the senior list before he is selected? Is this an easy process for the club?