Sydney Swans best 22, 2015 AFL Premiership Season

[chalbilto]

I have just read on the BF site that Alex Johnson's infection has cleared and that he is scheduled to have another Lars operation in Jan/Feb with a hopeful return to playing mid year. Great news if this happens.

[Auntie.Gerald]

and it could be a seamless return ala Mal from here baby

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btw does anyone else like a fortified drink from time to time ?

[JPK12]

Great to see a fellow NFL fan on Red and White. Do you think the AFL game will get to the stage where there are all these different set plays for different scenarios?

I can see a situation where a coach with a mediocre AFL team will take an NFL approach of scripting set plays for every position on the field on both offence and defence. This team will dominate the AFL until all AFL teams start scripting set plays for 80 minutes.

With 18 players a side who can go anywhere, there could be some very exciting scripted plays.

While it makes a lot of sense for corporate advertisers, whch it seems you are very happy to support like its your lifeline, the stop start nature of NFL is what kills it as a spectator sport. Americans think they love the game but in reality its like how we think we like one day cricket, a perfect excuse to sit around and eat and drink until you fall asleep at home or to drink and eat till your hearts content at the game which you get bored after 5 minutes and are more entertained with what the idiot in bay 40 is doing.

If you want a stop start game, watch a random game from the 1960s.

Yeah riverting stuff.

[Matt80]

While it makes a lot of sense for corporate advertisers, whch it seems you are very happy to support like its your lifeline, the stop start nature of NFL is what kills it as a spectator sport. Americans think they love the game but in reality its like how we think we like one day cricket, a perfect excuse to sit around and eat and drink until you fall asleep at home or to drink and eat till your hearts content at the game which you get bored after 5 minutes and are more entertained with what the idiot in bay 40 is doing.

If you want a stop start game, watch a random game from the 1960s.

Yeah riverting stuff.

Five years ago I went to a regular season NFL game in New Jersey between the New York Giants and the Oakland Raiders. The atmosphere, passion and intensity of that crowd was superior to any AFL Grand Final I have attended.

There were people literally running between the toilet, the food stand screaming and cheering so they would not miss a play.

All the fans knew the stats of there favourite players and when their team made a big play they all turned around to high five everyone regardless of whether they knew them or not.

JPK12, you need to go to watch Seattle Seahawks at their home ground (The Kingdome) and experience the amazing passion and noise. It's so loud that the Seahawks are said to have 12 players on the field at one time instead of the usual 11.

The AFL is stop start and I believe more strategic plays will come into the game.

[S.S. Bleeder]

I have just read on the BF site that Alex Johnson's infection has cleared and that he is scheduled to have another Lars operation in Jan/Feb with a hopeful return to playing mid year. Great news if this happens.

Wow, I hope that's right. We really need him and really deserves to make it In the AFL. I can't see him playing any games next year though.

[JPK12]

Five years ago I went to a regular season NFL game in New Jersey between the New York Giants and the Oakland Raiders. The atmosphere, passion and intensity of that crowd was superior to any AFL Grand Final I have attended.

There were people literally running between the toilet, the food stand screaming and cheering so they would not miss a play.

All the fans knew the stats of there favourite players and when their team made a big play they all turned around to high five everyone regardless of whether they knew them or not.

JPK12, you need to go to watch Seattle Seahawks at their home ground (The Kingdome) and experience the amazing passion and noise. It's so loud that the Seahawks are said to have 12 players on the field at one time instead of the usual 11.

I dont know Matt after going to some crazy mad soccer countries and experiencing their match day atmosphere i find everything else sterile. The closest I would say to any club in Australia emulating the soccer atmosphere i witnessed is the WSW.

I think aust crowds are similar to yank crowds, yeah they make heaps of noise when something occurs but that's about it.

The AFL is stop start and I believe more strategic plays will come into the game.

How would coaches utilise a stop start game plan? When you mark the ball you have a short time to dispose of it and i dont think the AFL will be too happy with a tactic designed to stop the game. Coaches already use a slow down tactic by getting players to hold on to possetion by kicking it back/sideways and sharing amongst other defenders. Even then the crowd gets restless and the umps get the @@@@s by looking for any free to stop it occurring.

If any coach would to use a stop start tactic it would be ross lyon.

[Auntie.Gerald]

have not noticed Heeney in any of the pre season training ?

what injury did he suffer from recently?

[Meg]

have not noticed Heeney in any of the pre season training ?

what injury did he suffer from recently?

Saw Heeney dressed in Swans shorts and top at SCG on Tuesday just after he had bought his lunch. I assumed he had been at training.

[Auntie.Gerald]

cool

just havent noticed him doing any of the long distance running ?

i remember Heeney didnt go to the Draft combine testing etc as he was suffering tendonitis of the knee similar to Tom Mitchell a few years ago ??

[wolftone57]

Five years ago I went to a regular season NFL game in New Jersey between the New York Giants and the Oakland Raiders. The atmosphere, passion and intensity of that crowd was superior to any AFL Grand Final I have attended.

There were people literally running between the toilet, the food stand screaming and cheering so they would not miss a play.

All the fans knew the stats of there favourite players and when their team made a big play they all turned around to high five everyone regardless of whether they knew them or not.

JPK12, you need to go to watch Seattle Seahawks at their home ground (The Kingdome) and experience the amazing passion and noise. It's so loud that the Seahawks are said to have 12 players on the field at one time instead of the usual 11.

The AFL is stop start and I believe more strategic plays will come into the game.

The AFL is not stop start generally Matt. The NFL sure is. It takes 4 hours to finish a 60 minute game. They measure downs with a tape measure every play. Then the advertisements and cheer leaders start between plays. I used to watch this game years ago. Boring.

[Auntie.Gerald]

I personally would very much like Rohan, Jones and Heeney ready for finals in 2015..........that will mean Rohan and or Jones will most likely keep Shaw out of Snrs on a week to week basis.......I personally think we need a more spreading power to bring down the Hawks and to compete against Port.........I dont think we will replicate the lack of inside work we displayed in the 2nd game and final against the Hawks but teh addition of Mitchell and Heeney would really help our inside work and bring such energy as well as execution

I am not sure who would go for Heeney mid way thru the season but i suspect one of Mitchell, Bird, Jetta, Jones, Lloyd or Harry ? ............I just cant see Heeney being ignored as he is a weapon


snrs 2015

goodes, tip, harry
KJack, buddy, bird

hannes
jetta
kennedy
parker
mcglynn
pyke

smith, reg, macca
rampe, ted, rohan

19. jones
20. reid
21. mitchell
22. lloyd


---------------

ressies 2015

Rose, Nanny, Towers
Perris, Davis, ?

Derickx
Hewett
Robinson
Heeney
BJ
Hiscox

Laidler, Aliir, Marsh
Shaw, Xavier, AJ (when ready)


19. Naismith

[JPK12]

The AFL is not stop start generally Matt. The NFL sure is. It takes 4 hours to finish a 60 minute game. They measure downs with a tape measure every play. Then the advertisements and cheer leaders start between plays. I used to watch this game years ago. Boring.

I'm telling ya, the game is designed so people can sit down and eat rubbish food for 4 hours with constant ads telling people to eat drink and @@@@ more once they are done eating their first round of junk. Majority of the ads shown are for beer, fast food and sugar. Its the same as watching a one dayer in cricket. Beer, fast food and sugar. It used to be cggies as well but thats banned as we all know.

[rojo]

Yes, hopefully Mitchell and Rohan come into their own next year. They are our potential 'stars' of 2015. Also a way has to be found for Jets and Reid to contribute way beyond what we saw this year. For me being a one trick pony kicking 45 or so goals is preferable to him corralling opposition players up and down the field all day. Let someone who hasn't got his particular talents do that. Then there is KT. Unless he can stay on the park and produce something near to what the hype around him suggested he can, he should become 2nd ruck and let Sam and Buddy be trained up to become our main forward combination. On paper at least we do have a super team!

I see Lloyd, Jones, Heeney, Hewett and maybe Towers competing for spots 21 and 22. But of course we also have Shaw, Laidler and Derickx etc ........ who will be desperate for games.

My main concern with the young, tall, potentially KP backmen we have, is that no one appears to have that toughness or grunt that is useful. Rohan and Jones are not going to be able to match it with the Hawkins, Pattons and Boyds and there is going to be a tightening of the rules re blocking players. That is why I was so hoping we would take Oscar McDonald. Now it is going to have to be Reg. How hard is it to push him out of position despite his size and Reid (as with Jets), does not have one smidgen of mongrel in him.

[wolftone57]

Yes, hopefully Mitchell and Rohan come into their own next year. They are our potential 'stars' of 2015. Also a way has to be found for Jets and Reid to contribute way beyond what we saw this year. For me being a one trick pony kicking 45 or so goals is preferable to him corralling opposition players up and down the field all day. Let someone who hasn't got his particular talents do that. Then there is KT. Unless he can stay on the park and produce something near to what the hype around him suggested he can, he should become 2nd ruck and let Sam and Buddy be trained up to become our main forward combination. On paper at least we do have a super team!

I see Lloyd, Jones, Heeney, Hewett and maybe Towers competing for spots 21 and 22. But of course we also have Shaw, Laidler and Derickx etc ........ who will be desperate for games.

My main concern with the young, tall, potentially KP backmen we have, is that no one appears to have that toughness or grunt that is useful. Rohan and Jones are not going to be able to match it with the Hawkins, Pattons and Boyds and there is going to be a tightening of the rules re blocking players. That is why I was so hoping we would take Oscar McDonald. Now it is going to have to be Reg. How hard is it to push him out of position despite his size and Reid (as with Jets), does not have one smidgen of mongrel in him.

I re-watched McDonald's reel and I can understand why we didn't take him. He is slow once the ball hits the deck and even the tall forwards are quick today. someone like a Cloke, Buddy, Day, Reiwoldt, Jack Reiwoldt, Walker, Jones etc will eat him o the ground. He is good in the air a bit like Reg and similar to Reg on the ground. We need to get mobile talls not slow lumberers. I thought Creeper was a better package but of course I only the highlights reel, ther reality might be quite different.

[swans]

update on current list

SYDNEY

In: Isaac Heeney (Swans Academy), Jack Hiscox (Swans Academy), Abe Davis (Swans Academy) James rose

Out: Ryan O'Keefe, Tommy Walsh, Matthew Dick, Jordan Lockyer, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Patrick Mitchell, Shane Biggs, Tim Membrey

Rookie upgrades: Jake Lloyd, Xavier Richards, Daniel Robinson

Draft picks: 18 (Heeney), 37, 38 (Hiscox), 58 (Lloyd), 76 (Davis), 94 (Richards), 112 (Robinson)

Tall forwards: Lance Franklin, Kurt Tippett, Sam Reid, Abe Davis

Tall defenders: Ted Richards, Heath Grundy, Jeremy Laidler, Alex Johnson, Aliir Aliir, Xavier Richards

Small/medium forwards: Ben McGlynn, Adam Goodes, Dean Towers, Brandon Jack, james rose

Small/medium defenders: Nick Smith, Dane Rampe, Rhyce Shaw, Gary Rohan, Zak Jones, Harry Marsh.

Midfielders: Josh Kennedy, Kieren Jack, Dan Hannebery, Lewis Jetta, Jarrad McVeigh, Craig Bird, Luke Parker, Tom Mitchell, Harry Cunningham, Jake Lloyd, Daniel Robinson, George Hewett, Isaac Heeney, Jack Hiscox, Lloyd Perris (rookie)

Rucks: Mike Pyke, Tom Derickx, Toby Nankervis, Sam Naismith (rookie)

Most of the Swans' work is done, with Heeney, Hiscox and Davis all tied up at the academy bidding meeting six weeks ago. All have a lot to offer, with Heeney arguably the most complete player in the draft pool and someone the club can expect to play some serious senior footy next year, all things going well. Hiscox is a runner, made for the modern game, and Davis' power and courage gives him the chance to be just as big a bargain as Heeney. They've already had one of the better drafts, and it hasn't even been held yet. If the Swans have one area of need it's probably the backline, where Richards and Grundy aren't getting any younger, and Aliir and Richards are unproven. Whether or not they see a player they like at pick 37 is the big question ? the better talls will go in the first 15 ? and the Swans don't have a habit of reaching for positional types when there are other ways of getting them (provided they talk the AFL into ending their trade ban, that is). They could also look for a half-forward type , with Lukas Webb one who could fall around that mark James rose was taken to fill that small forward option.