Josh Kennedy. Is he the best ever midfielder we've had?

[Doctor J.]

The concern may be if he comes to the club at the end of 2015 and says that Clarkson has but a huge offer through to him and my father and grandfather want me to return to the Hawks. We can reject the trade but if the Hawks offer a mega deal at the trade table ie two first round picks then we may have to seriously consider it. It's not in anyone's interest to keep players who want to leave.

Wont happen. Its not the way Hawthorn trade.
Besides Josh will be so entrenched into the Bondi lifestyle why would he want to leave for the SE burbs of Melbourne, and training on the old Waverly Park

[Matt80]

Wont happen. Its not the way Hawthorn trade.
Besides Josh will be so entrenched into the Bondi lifestyle why would he want to leave for the SE burbs of Melbourne, and training on the old Waverly Park

I've been convinced by the informed people on Red and White that lifestyle has no impact on why players want to come to the Swans or stay with the Swans.

The Bondi crap being published by the people on Fox Football is disgraceful and has to stop.

[aardvark]

We can reject the trade but if the Hawks offer a mega deal at the trade table ie two first round picks then we may have to seriously consider it.

Not saying it would ever happen but we'd do better trading him for a couple of rookie picks and a few discards. First rounders are a bust for us.

[Reggi]

SEN

Very true

[Jewels]

SEN

Very true

Thanks Reggie, a good, logical, responsible article in the sea of garbage that we have had to endure since Thursday.
It is players like Josh that I get angry for with all these so called experts calling us COLA cheats, "Bondi Billionaires" etc and basically saying that results like last Thursday are simply because of Buddy and Tipps, this undermines the rest of our team terribly.
If Geelongs much vaunted midfield had of been able to control our midfield, then Buddy and Tipps wouldn't have had the supply to run riot. If our backs weren't the stingiest in the comp, then Hawkins, Motlop and co would have been able to kick more than five goals.
Isn't this logical or am I simply a one eyed fan looking at it completely from a Swans view point only?

[Reggi]

It's a good point. If you lined up our side against Carlton's you would think on talent, excluding Tippet and franklin that their players should get paid far more.

I cannot imagine there are many clubs wanting to line up to offer Richards Grundy Shaw Malceski big $$$$

[magic.merkin]

It's a good point. If you lined up our side against Carlton's you would think on talent, excluding Tippet and franklin that their players should get paid far more.

I cannot imagine there are many clubs wanting to line up to offer Richards Grundy Shaw Malceski big $$$$

Well they are all aging, but in their prime other clubs would have. The difference is we got them pre-prime and then developed them and locked them up on moderate wages.

[Plugger46]

Well they are all aging, but in their prime other clubs would have. The difference is we got them pre-prime and then developed them and locked them up on moderate wages.

Don't know about that.

- We got Shaw for virtually nothing (I think Collingwood moved up a few spots in the draft). Any club could've snapped him up but I think the perception was that he was a list clogger.
- Teddy was cooked in 2010 until LRT got injured. He played a block of about 6 weeks in the reserves. I suspect he would've been delisted if it wasn't for the injury to LRT.
- Given Mal's injury history, I doubt he would've attracted a decent offer.
- Maybe Grundy would have but he was a rookie and a failed forward. So I'm not sure he was an overly attractive prospect a few years back.

[Gary]

Josh Kennedy is a great player ... but so difficult to compare across era's ... stats may tell a story but it would be useless trying any sort of meaningful comparison back to the Skilton era ... it was such a different game!
Ruckmen / rovers / position players ... very little movement up the ground for defenders and vice versa ... no centre square ... one umpire ... less fitness ... the drop kick (beautiful but high risk) ... have you watched some of the kicking skills (lack thereof) in old film?) ... the concept of "clearances" unheard of ... different rules... muddy suburban grounds everywhere. Stats are everything today but so many are meaningless to the game of 50 years ago i.e. kicking backwards was unheard of.

Would Kennedy have thrived? Probably but he would have been seen as too tall for a rover who was supposed to get a lot of the ball like Bobby... probably a ruck man, or perhaps a ruck rover which came in the late 60's. So different BUT I am glad we have him in this era.

[Matt80]

Josh Kennedy is a great player ... but so difficult to compare across era's ... stats may tell a story but it would be useless trying any sort of meaningful comparison back to the Skilton era ... it was such a different game!
Ruckmen / rovers / position players ... very little movement up the ground for defenders and vice versa ... no centre square ... one umpire ... less fitness ... the drop kick (beautiful but high risk) ... have you watched some of the kicking skills (lack thereof) in old film?) ... the concept of "clearances" unheard of ... different rules... muddy suburban grounds everywhere. Stats are everything today but so many are meaningless to the game of 50 years ago i.e. kicking backwards was unheard of.

Would Kennedy have thrived? Probably but he would have been seen as too tall for a rover who was supposed to get a lot of the ball like Bobby... probably a ruck man, or perhaps a ruck rover which came in the late 60's. So different BUT I am glad we have him in this era.

In the 80s he would have been a prominent full forward. He is similar dimensions to a Brian Taylor. He has good hands and is a good set shot.

[tasmania60]

Wonder why his name isnt mention as captain, might not be his choice but as a leader would be inspirational to play with ?

[magic.merkin]

Don't know about that.

- We got Shaw for virtually nothing (I think Collingwood moved up a few spots in the draft). Any club could've snapped him up but I think the perception was that he was a list clogger.
- Teddy was cooked in 2010 until LRT got injured. He played a block of about 6 weeks in the reserves. I suspect he would've been delisted if it wasn't for the injury to LRT.
- Given Mal's injury history, I doubt he would've attracted a decent offer.
- Maybe Grundy would have but he was a rookie and a failed forward. So I'm not sure he was an overly attractive prospect a few years back.

I meant in their prime with us they would have attracted offers.

[Big Al]

Formula:

Best WAG = Best Player

Therefore Josh is one of the best players I've ever seen.

[Meg]

Formula:

Best WAG = Best Player

Therefore Josh is one of the best players I've ever seen.

Hmmm think he's got a bit of competition from Jarrad McVeigh.

[MightyBloods]

I saw Bobby Skilton, Greg Williams, Gerard Healy, Paul Kelly, Josh Kennedy

for me, and I thought I'd never say it after Bobby was my childhood hero...it's Paul Kelly. Captain Courageous with undervalued skills. I know they are all from different eras but Kel had Bobby's courage, inspiration and leadership......he had Diesel & Heal's vision and goal kicking prowess and he certainly had Josh's grunt.
....no more validation than when I made my comment to my father many years ago about Kel being better than Skilts. His comment from the experience of a generation before me ...
"line both of them up in the schoolyard son and Kel is my first choice". He never said much but that simple statement spoke volumes.

..and thanks Dad for giving me the Swans.