Mitchell vs Lloyd and others

[Matt80]

I think 5 issues have worked against Mitchell this year:

- Parker has emerged as a far superior player to Mitchell and is working alongside Kennedy and Jack to be the inside midfield guns.

- Myglyn has emerged this year as a midfielder as well as a small forward.

- McVeigh is playing in the midfield and not off half back.

- Mitchell has been injured and down on fitness.

- Longmire is preferring quicker players meaning that Cunningham and Lloyd are playing ahead of him.

If this continues for the rest of the year, then it will be best for Mitchell to get first team football at another club. We may be able to move our first round pick into the top 10 by trading him.

We may also be able to trade for a young key defender. I'm sure the Swans would do a deal immediately if you give Tom Mitchell and our first round to Essondon for a disgruntled Jake Carlisle.

The Swans would plonk him in key defence and not worry about this forward business. This would totally regenerate our key back line.

This assumes Carlisle faces no sanctions.

[Ludwig]

I think 5 issues have worked against Mitchell this year:

- Parker has emerged as a far superior player to Mitchell and is working alongside Kennedy and Jack to be the inside midfield guns.

- Myglyn has emerged this year as a midfielder as well as a small forward.

- McVeigh is playing in the midfield and not off half back.

- Mitchell has been injured and down on fitness.

- Longmire is preferring quicker players meaning that Cunningham and Lloyd are playing ahead of him.

If this continues for the rest of the year, then it will be best for Mitchell to get first team football at another club. We may be able to move our first round pick into the top 10 by trading him.

We may also be able to trade for a young key defender. I'm sure the Swans would do a deal immediately if you give Tom Mitchell and our first round to Essondon for a disgruntled Jake Carlisle.

The Swans would plonk him in key defence and not worry about this forward business. This would totally regenerate our key back line.

This assumes Carlisle faces no sanctions.

I think this and the previous post sum up the situation very well. I don't think Lloyd and Mitchell are competing for the same spot long term. Mitchell's main competition at this point is Bird, who you would think is not going anywhere. I think the current balance between inside and outside players is good, and it's not likely that we will make a change that will slow the pace of the team.

I really like Matt's suggestion about Carlisle. Frankly, with out midfield depth, we wouldn't miss Mitchell at all, but Carlisle would make a big difference to the defence for the next decade. ASADA is the key to a trade.

[707]

Highly doubtful we will have first round picks this year or next year as you would think on current trajectories both will be needed to secure Heeney and Dunkley.

[Dosser]

In typical RWO fashion, if we lose two games in a row later this year, this thread will spin 180 degrees and we will be whinging about the fact that we have no depth, etc. Ah, the beautiful cycles of life...

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Already contemplating trading a father-son who started with a bang.

Bad form.

[mcs]

I think this and the previous post sum up the situation very well. I don't think Lloyd and Mitchell are competing for the same spot long term. Mitchell's main competition at this point is Bird, who you would think is not going anywhere. I think the current balance between inside and outside players is good, and it's not likely that we will make a change that will slow the pace of the team.

I really like Matt's suggestion about Carlisle. Frankly, with out midfield depth, we wouldn't miss Mitchell at all, but Carlisle would make a big difference to the defence for the next decade. ASADA is the key to a trade.

Mitchell will be a star - give him the time he needs. Remember, he's had a pretty wretched run with injuries, and it can take a young player a couple of years or more to truly get the body right and going. He is far too good a player to be considering to be 'traded'. Crazy talk imo!

[Nico]

Mitchell will be a star - give him the time he needs. Remember, he's had a pretty wretched run with injuries, and it can take a young player a couple of years or more to truly get the body right and going. He is far too good a player to be considering to be 'traded'. Crazy talk imo!

I doubt the club would want to trade him. More likely that Tom might see limited opportunities for himself at the Swans. As I said before, 17 other clubs will be lining up to trade for him .I don't think you can compare Tom and Craig. Craig plays a completely different role to Tom. Lets see how Tom goes injury free.

[Matt80]

We need to replenish our key position defence:

Next season Richards turns 32, Grundy 28, LRT 31. They are our three best key defence options.

Sam Reid is an option but the club likes him forward.

Alex Johnson with his knee injuries is speculative. X Richards and Allire show good signs but are untested on big classy power forwards.

Jordan Lockyer and Tommy Walsh are not viable options.

Maybe Patty Mitchell who is perfectly built to play key position defence may be an option?

We have been lucky that Grundy and Richards have not been injured over the last three years.

I think the club needs to ad a proven youngish key defender like a Carlisle. To do that you need to give something good up. Tom Mitchell may be that something good we have to give up.

[liz]

We need to replenish our key position defence:

Next season Richards turns 32, Grundy 28, LRT 31. They are our three best key defence options.

Sam Reid is an option but the club likes him forward.

Alex Johnson with his knee injuries is speculative. X Richards and Allire show good signs but are untested on big classy power forwards.

Jordan Lockyer and Tommy Walsh are not viable options.

Maybe Patty Mitchell who is perfectly built to play key position defence may be an option?

We have been lucky that Grundy and Richards have not been injured over the last three years.

I think the club needs to ad a proven youngish key defender like a Carlisle. To do that you need to give something good up. Tom Mitchell may be that something good we have to give up.

So X and Aliir are untested, and Walsh is not an option, but Mitchell, whose been playing the game for five minutes and is still learning to kick and mark, might be an option?

It's not beyond the realms of possibility, though I think ruck is the only position on the ground he has a realistic chance of filling. But he'd be way behind any of X, Aliir or Walsh as a short to medium term option.

[707]

Liz, do you think Aliir could be up to seniors by next year? Seems to be doing quite well at ressies level albeit in a steep learning curve.

[Steve]

Stuart Dew was asked on SEN before the game and said Mitchell was a definite in our best 22.

Also confirmed what Liz mentioned above, that his ankle had not allowed him to get any continuity in backing up from games and training during the week.

Sounded as though they expected him to be considered for selection after the bye if he kept pulling up OK.

[southsideswan]

It is subjective doing the comparison. One thing should not be forgotten is that moment the swans are probably the the form team in the comp and both would be an asset in the top 22. I nice "problem" to have.

[tasmania60]

Looks good in principle but can you remember his old man , such a determined player . Dont believe Swans will let him go .

[Auntie.Gerald]

great to see players striving like their position in the 22 depends on it

we are on a healthy trajectory with minimal injuries compared to 2013 !!!!!!!

[Mug Punter]

I can see Reid being converted into a defender instead of LRT, he is mobile and agile.

I'd be surprised to see Mitchell out of the side for too long though the list management business is a ruthless one and he could become tradeable. We are having a good run with injuries at the moment but I see having Rohan and Mitchell in the twos as a positive not a negative. I think in a top 22 we'd see either of them in ahead of BJ but the subs vest is a bit of a poisoned chalice.

Father time will start to catch up with Teddy next year I'd say so I'd see defenders as our focus this off season, much like the ruck got a bit of attention last summer.