Sydney Swans best 22, 2015 AFL Premiership Season

[Matt80]

My updated team;

B Reid Richards Smith
HB Rohan Grundy Rampe
C Jetta K.Jack Hannas
HF McVeigh Franklin Mglynn
F Goodes Tippett Cunning
Foll Pyke Parker Kennedy

Inter
Mitchell
Heeney
Lloyd

Sub
Jones

[Auntie.Gerald]

a team which some might say is the change of the guard...........no Shaw and no Bird

IF rohan can make the spot his own on the HBF then I believe this will be the team but I am not sure about Reidy and his role??

I do believe Cunningham will improve and will be vital for the tagging the best outside players in the comp but Heeney, Lloyd and Tommy i think need to beat Birdy for the spot not the other way round just yet

but 6 games at the beginning of the season could tell a different story as Goodes will be under pressure also as he has a lot to prove re his lateral movement and ability to come back from his knee issues

unfortunately Goodes is not the same 2012 player

[mcs]

My updated team;

B Reid Richards Smith
HB Rohan Grundy Rampe
C Jetta K.Jack Hannas
HF McVeigh Franklin Mglynn
F Goodes Tippett Cunning
Foll Pyke Parker Kennedy

Inter
Mitchell
Heeney
Lloyd

Sub
Jones

Reid in a back pocket - can't see that happening. if he is going to go back he will be at CHB or eventually FB - I doubt you'll see him the pocket anytime soon.

I think McVeigh will go back to defence to replace Mal - thus opening up a spot in the midfied for probably Mitchell. I don't think he will be playing on the HF flank (although I don't mind the idea either).

[Mountain Man]

As someone else posted, because the Swans will field such a tall forward line, this is both a strength and weakness - the weakness identified as enabling defensive players a bit more freedom to move quicker to win the ball, and then start the rebound. Goodes is the most likely casualty if his movement remains restricted.

[Flying South]

Reid in a back pocket - can't see that happening. if he is going to go back he will be at CHB or eventually FB - I doubt you'll see him the pocket anytime soon.

I think McVeigh will go back to defence to replace Mal - thus opening up a spot in the midfied for probably Mitchell. I don't think he will be playing on the HF flank (although I don't mind the idea either).

Is there such a thing as a back pocket player these days? IMO everything is based on matchups. You just have tall, medium and small defenders. Reid should play in defence as a 3rd tall, but swing forward where matchups dictate. Our main opposition in Hawthorn and Port all got taller with the addition of Frawley and Ryder, he will become an important swingman for us.

I agree Macca will move back into a defensive midfield (HB) position and share this rebounding role with Rampe and Rohan. This will enable Mitchell to slot into a inside midfield role. I think there could be a generational change about to happwn with Jones, Heeney and Hewett to be pushing strongly for selection early on.

[sharp9]

I don't think that it is out of the question to play 3 tall defenders....Fletcher, AJ anyone??? And if so, one of them gets named in the back pocket....so it's completely plausible to name Reid there as he would be less suited to being the man on man KPD that Ted and Reg currently are...... Harley and *cough* Maxwell....intercepting, marking tall attacking defenders.

[wolftone57]

I think the side needs to be flexible. Match ups are so important in today's footy. Look what happened in the Granny, our match ups were all wrong, for a start Bird should have been on Mitchell. The current best 22 don't really match up well on the Hawks. Richmond give us trouble when the isolate Dusty because we tend to play a real FB, Teddy on him, instead of Smithy or Rampe.

I said in another thread that you need at least 30 players vying for the best 22 to win premierships. The more competition the better. Harder at the selection table but it does give us the chance to get the match ups right. This year we need to be more flexible in our selection. I think we been progressing in this area in the last two years. Three years ago you could have picked the side without much debate as to who would be included in the best 22. But today there is more competition for spots and therefore a much stronger list.

[dimelb]

I think the side needs to be flexible. Match ups are so important in today's footy. Look what happened in the Granny, our match ups were all wrong, for a start Bird should have been on Mitchell. The current best 22 don't really match up well on the Hawks. Richmond give us trouble when the isolate Dusty because we tend to play a real FB, Teddy on him, instead of Smithy or Rampe.

Couldn't agree more. I fondly imagined that at some early stage in the selection process the question would be: "Who's our best stopper?" And the obvious next step is to put him on Mitchell or Hodge.

Back on topic, I really like the problems of who to go where that we look like having this season. It can only be beneficial.

[Flying South]

I said in another thread that you need at least 30 players vying for the best 22 to win premierships. The more competition the better. Harder at the selection table but it does give us the chance to get the match ups right. This year we need to be more flexible in our selection. I think we been progressing in this area in the last two years. Three years ago you could have picked the side without much debate as to who would be included in the best 22. But today there is more competition for spots and therefore a much stronger list.

I agree. I brought up the same last year and was howled down on many occasions. The problem with having a best 22 selection policy is you don't know what some of our up and comers are capable off at senior level. IMO, I would have a squad of about 26 players who are regularly rotated, including Jones, Heeney, Hewett, Towers, Robinson. And then other key players who will be used as substitutes like X Richards, Aliir, Naismith, Nankervis, etc. We should be utilising the substitute role a lot differently than we currently are. We should be using it to test key players and see what they can bring to the team. Example. Say against Melbourne, we start with Aliir on the ground and Reg as the interchange for insurance. If Aliir is struggling we can bring Reg on. Reg can also provide mentoring at the breaks. Aliir will be better for the experience and we will learn a bit more about potential match ups for him. In different games you could bracket X/Ted, Nankervis/Tippett, Naismith/Pyke, etc. The substitute shouldn't be used only for midfielders. IMO there is more upside than down side to this proposal. It promotes a club first mentality rather than an exclusive 22 group and it creates competitiveness amongst the playing group. And we will also know if they are up for the job if called on for a regular role in case of injury or form slumps. Just an idea.

[wolftone57]

Horse has played Jetts and Sammy back in the Intra at Coffs. Not totally surprising but would be surprised if they played there all year. He is trying things. He also gave Lewis Melican a big wrap. I was impressed with him too. FS you mention 26 players but I believe you need 30 who are capable of coming in and the side not suffering at all. 26 isn't enough if you have a bad injury run like Freo did in 2013.

[JPK12]

So Jetts is going to be an option for our running half back to replace Mal?

Is this the new slingshot, the rubber band in which jetts runs in a straight line and bombs it long to an open paddock for buddy or tips?

[Flying South]

FS you mention 26 players but I believe you need 30 who are capable of coming in and the side not suffering at all. 26 isn't enough if you have a bad injury run like Freo did in 2013.

I agree completely Wolfy. What I am proposing is the following 26 players would be rotated through the starting 21;

D: Smith, Richards, Grundy
HB: McVeigh, Reid, Rampe
CTR: Parker, Hannebery, Jetta
FOL: Pyke, Kennedy, Mitchell
HF: Jack, Franklin, Lloyd
F: Goodes, Tippett, McGlynn
INT: Rohan, Bird, Cunningham

Rotational Players (or fringe players)
Jones, Heeney, Hewett, Towers, Robinson

We then utilise the substitute role for the following players in selected games
Naismith, Nankervis, X Richards, Aliir

That makes up a squad of 30 players who are being exposed to senior footy and providing depth. If any of these players are injured then it provides the opportunity to expose others such as Melican. But for it to happen, Horse would have to change his best 22 philosophy.

[wolftone57]

I agree completely Wolfy. What I am proposing is the following 26 players would be rotated through the starting 21;

D: Smith, Richards, Grundy
HB: McVeigh, Reid, Rampe
CTR: Parker, Hannebery, Jetta
FOL: Pyke, Kennedy, Mitchell
HF: Jack, Franklin, Lloyd
F: Goodes, Tippett, McGlynn
INT: Rohan, Bird, Cunningham

Rotational Players (or fringe players)
Jones, Heeney, Hewett, Towers, Robinson

We then utilise the substitute role for the following players in selected games
Naismith, Nankervis, X Richards, Aliir

That makes up a squad of 30 players who are being exposed to senior footy and providing depth. If any of these players are injured then it provides the opportunity to expose others such as Melican. But for it to happen, Horse would have to change his best 22 philosophy.

I agree totally. I still remember the frustration of 2011 where we played very few new players. We really sould have been trying heaps as the so called best 22 was definitely not our best. Of course we didn't have the depth we have now. I am of the firm belief this is the best depth we have had since the advent of the AFL.

[Aaron]

And Ryce will be the Player-coach in the reserves?

[YvonneH]

And Ryce will be the Player-coach in the reserves?

We could do worse.