Backline 2015

[Auntie.Gerald]

All....righty......... so back from holidays and so much has happened the last few days !!!

Loving Heeney, Davis, Hiscox as our new recruits BUT I must say Mal will leave a gap ............a gap of opportunity as well as a gap of class no longer with us on the HBF

So after watching the elite kicking from the Hawks back line the last few years turn into a masterpiece a couple of weeks ago (along with their midfield and forwards) no doubt we will be looking how to mould our 2015 backline as well as potentially tinkering with our transitions from defence. Obviously we need to keep evolving and we need two play makers to replace Mal and maybe Shaw if Rhys falls behind

So we have Rohan evolving with ups and downs in 2014.......then we have Zak Jones, Towers, Laidler, Biggs, Marsh and maybe even Heeney who could all feature off the HBF along with the obvious 6 below BUT my Smokie is Jetta playing half his game down back..........he has the vision and run and kick..............I am leaning towards Rohan and Jetta featuring deeper into our backline for our counter attack.........ala the way that Danyle Pearce sets up so much play for Freeo

Smith, Teddy, Rampe
Macca, Grundy, Shaw / Jetta ?

Macca has proven he is a formidable force down back and lets be frank he just doesnt have the speed for many minutes in the middle anymore nor forward.

I do think that a full pre season at HBF for a couple of our emerging players and simply having Mal missing in all the drills and week to week disposals he accumulates with enable a Jetta, Zak Jones or Gary Rohan the opportunity to be the attacking HBF role / wing role we need

We could equally find ourselves playing differently from the backs if Macca plays down there more so..............we may chip around a little more like Hawthorn and play more uncontested football which we could equally do if we trained for it

[barry]

Shaw and teddy make this backline look old. Perhaps time to make reid a key defender. Let ted play on third tall like fletcher does.
A lot so expect laidler to cement his place. Tough as nails.

[Cant turn right]

It's go to be Macca for me. We need him to do the kick ins and play that creative role from the back half. Would you be comfortable with Jetta kicking in yet?

[ugg]

Jetta is one of the best kicks in the side so I wouldn't have an issue with that. Whether you would have him as part of the back six though is another matter altogther.

[Plugger46]

He'd need to show a whole lot more intensity if he were to move to the backline.

[Auntie.Gerald]

i think we need to step back and say where was Mal at when he was 25yrs of age (same age as Jetta) and how did he get to the next level as a HBF ?

I didnt rate Mal to highly in his early years...........i rated his kicking but his defence and workrate was not up to scratch and that changed massively the last 4 years or so - plus injuries got in mals way too

Im certainly not saying i am right with Jetta as the competition is hot hot hot for the backline rotation but I cant help but think Jetts could play a couple of the qtrs deeper and be a very good transition player with his pass and run ability and Macca setting up structures down back

Zak Jones and Rohan appear more obvious candidates right now

[Ludwig]

Our core backline for next season will be Ted, Reg, Smith and Rampe.

It's not easy to replace Malceski. I think he was tops, or nearly so, in kicks and metres gained in the league, so we can't look to one player to fill that hole. I think the most important quality of Mal's game over the past couple of years has been his ability to read the game and be in the right spot at the right time. He played his defensive role so well, yet was still such a high possession accumulator.

It makes the most sense to move Macca to fill that backline general role. He's already played it and played it well. He has a lot of those same qualities that Mal has. It also creates a bit of space in the midfield where we have so much emerging talent waiting for a spot to open.

I understand why Reid played the role he did this year, given the injuries and slow start to all 3 of our other tall forwards, as well as Mike Pyke. But now that the forward line has settled, it is time to give Reid a permanent spot at CHF, where he can make a contribution commensurate with his talent. He cannot play more than a cameo role in a forward line that includes Buddy and Tippett. It has also been noted by many that Ted and Reg have struggled a bit more this year in marking contest. We looked better with a 3 tall setup, being Ted and Reg plus either LRT or AJ. Reid adds both height and pace to our KPD structure.

So adding Macca and Reid to core 4 makes to back six for me.

The 7th defender and fill in roles can come from Rohan, Shaw and Jones. I still see Laidler as depth player, but a very good one at that.

[mcs]

I think this really represents a point where we will need to reconsider our overall defensive set up and strategy - especially as Rhyce Shaw only has 1 year to go.

Macca is the clear one to go back for me. Jetta is certainly not one I'd send back - he is not suited to defending, and its a waste of his strengths in my opinion.

Zak Jones I think will be given an opportunity to cement his spot in the 22 next year - maybe off the HB line, maybe from somewhere else.

[barry]

I think its time to reignite the "McHack" naming convention.

McHack is not a penetrating kick. This is what we need from the Mal replacement.
Shaw, no. His kicks are more random, than penetrating.
McHack. Floaters
Teddy. Average
Grundy. Average to wayward.
Rohan. ???

I think we need to get Laidler in there. He can kick ok, and has a bit of mongrel. Rohan can stay to give us coverage of the speedsters.

[rb4x]

Not a big fan of Reid at CHB. He is just not strong enough. Likely to be ragdolled by the likes of Hawkins, Cloke, Roughead, Pavlich etc. Maybe OK on the likes of Riewoldt(2) or Vickery.

[chalbilto]

I think its time to reignite the "McHack" naming convention.

McHack is not a penetrating kick. This is what we need from the Mal replacement.
Shaw, no. His kicks are more random, than penetrating.
McHack. Floaters
Teddy. Average
Grundy. Average to wayward.
Rohan. ???

I think we need to get Laidler in there. He can kick ok, and has a bit of mongrel. Rohan can stay to give us coverage of the speedsters.

No it is very disrespectful of our co-captain. He has been and still is a great servant of the club. Give him the respect and dignity he deserves.

[Nico]

I for one reckon Malceski's kicking accuracy is way overrated. Had a habit of kicking to nowhere or to an opposition player. Yes his line breaking work was good but kicked a lot of low altitude stuff. Probably served the game plan well by pumping the ball into the territory of our tall forwards.

[barry]

No it is very disrespectful of our co-captain. He has been and still is a great servant of the club. Give him the respect and dignity he deserves.

McHack went missing when we needed him most.

[mcs]

McHack went missing when we needed him most.

One game doesn't make or break a career..... if your going to call McVeigh Mchack again on the basis of that game, I hope your going to reproduce similar nicknames for about 18 other players on the field that day....


That's not saying he doesn't deserve criticism for not standing up as well as you would hope from a Captain. But he wasn't alone in having a shocker.

[Bloodthirsty]

I don't know about all this. Seems like a spanner in the works and I can't envision a setup that is going to rival Hawks or PA for precision and/or intensity. Hope I'm wrong. As someone else has said on this forum, Buddy papered over a lot of cracks this season. Maybe the Swans actually aren't that good. Eyes are rarely lowered when entering forward 50. And yes, backline kicks are often random or down-the-line. Down-the-line. Down-the-line. Australia's most predicatble football side? Not having a go here, just concerned that we will not be stronger next year, even if Tippett, Buddy and Goodes are in good shape.