Sydney Swans best 22, 2015 AFL Premiership Season

[Auntie.Gerald]

i wonder if Heeney does drive right into the 22 whether this will see McGlynn play more up froward again and Heeney in the midfield or the other way round ?

[barry]

Not sure goodes is automatic selection anymore

[Nico]

i wonder if Heeney does drive right into the 22 whether this will see McGlynn play more up froward again and Heeney in the midfield or the other way round ?

Still reckon Cunningham will struggle to keep his place in the side. I also doubt BJ will be a factor.

[RogueSwan]

Still reckon Cunningham will struggle to keep his place in the side. I also doubt BJ will be a factor.

Really, even though he played every game last year and Horse doesn't like to change a side around too much? It will be Harry's spot to lose and as long as he improves from last year I think he will play all year long.

[Auntie.Gerald]

nico i dont disagree that the competition is seriously hot in the midfield

i am just not sure who else will get teh run with tagging role on the elite fast opposition players in the competition

[wolftone57]

nico i dont disagree that the competition is seriously hot in the midfield

i am just not sure who else will get teh run with tagging role on the elite fast opposition players in the competition

I tend to agree AG. There are several considerations I think we need to make. Goodes will probably not play the early season. He is on light work now and it is the end of January. He has only a month to prove his fitness and play a preseason game. He won't do that in my opinion. He will probably front up against the stronger opposition. Shaw is another one who may be a horses for courses player. This might apply to several of our players. Bird might not play against Port for instance.

I think there might be a change in thinking because we need to move the ball very quickly into the forward line. More emphasis on winning clearances and stoppages than rebound. I also believe that the so called best 22 might not exist in the home and away season. I think they might opt for a match up and monster strategy which would see some players not playing in some matches due to strategies.

[dimelb]

I tend to agree AG. There are several considerations I think we need to make. Goodes will probably not play the early season. He is on light work now and it is the end of January. He has only a month to prove his fitness and play a preseason game. He won't do that in my opinion. He will probably front up against the stronger opposition. Shaw is another one who may be a horses for courses player. This might apply to several of our players. Bird might not play against Port for instance.

I think there might be a change in thinking because we need to move the ball very quickly into the forward line. More emphasis on winning clearances and stoppages than rebound. I also believe that the so called best 22 might not exist in the home and away season. I think they might opt for a match up and monster strategy which would see some players not playing in some matches due to strategies.

What is this beast Wolfie?

[wolftone57]

What is this beast Wolfie?

We are developing more tall strong mids. We are also using very aggressive preseason training, boxing, wrestling, rugby league style running at player and tackling, close checking hard high pressure training. These will make up the beast to a certain extent but i think it will also be balanced by highly skilled, high pressure gather & delivery. More pinpoint passing. This has been a criticism of the Swans for years. We don't use the ball well going into the the forward fifty. I think it has a lot to do with game plan and I also think Longmire will rethink that. A restructured midfield is on the cards with Mitchell and heeney getting good game time. Players like Towers, BJ, Hewett, Hiscox & Jones will also get game time due to match up considerations. I think it is going to depend on what strategy will work against the opposition as to who plays. Defensive strategy then one more defender, offensive strategy one more forward/running player. So monstering the opposition is keeping them under such intense pressure that they turn over the pill. But for that to be effective all the other ingredients must be in place. Otherwise we will be doing a lot of monstering as they will get the pill back.

[RogueSwan]

...I also believe that the so called best 22 might not exist in the home and away season. I think they might opt for a match up and monster strategy which would see some players not playing in some matches due to strategies.

Just about every year we see RWO posts around the "horses for courses" theory and we often agree with the poster that it is a decent strategy to try but we never see it in reality.

[graemed]

My confidence in last year's game plan has been seriously dented after two trips to Melbourne last year to see our performances at MCG against Hawthorn. In both games their ability to break into the open both by running away from us and then kicking to accurately to position and our inability to close them down or pressure their kicking was exploited mercilessly.

If we are to overcome teams such as Hawthorn and Port Adelaide this year and remain a contender we have to:

1) win more contested ball at stoppages. Unfortunately, if Kennedy is closed down or off the ground we lose these at an alarming rate. Clearly the ruck division is real weakness but the options here are limited and whilst Pyke is competitive, he is no longer a young man in the game and will undoubtedly be subject to injuries again this year. Derrickx did the job for us at an important time last year but like Pyke seems fragile, ditto Tippett, Reid and Naismith. Nankervis does not look ready at this stage and while he seems big enough, I believe he is more a resting forward than a frontline ruck.

2) be more committed to defensive running in the mid-field. The Swans have long had a reputation for two-way running but in the two games I mentioned and in the Port games, North the first time around and the Qualifying game against Freo, many runners were not taking responsibility for their opponents when turned around. In particular, Goodes, Jetta, Hanneberry, Kennedy and McVeigh need to pick it up.

3) our key position backs have to stay healthy and at the top of their games. Allir, X Richards and even Reid will not be ready this year to step up at the top level as KPP, so much depends on whether Ted and Reg, et al, can get past their GF performances, much of which can attributed to the point above, and be the players they have been in the past.

Of course, many will read this and believe this is a blanket criticism of the individuals and the coaching staff, this is not my intention. I have endured the nightmare of reviewing these matches and have tried to imagine what we need to do to win the premiership. The will is there and so is the talent, we just need to focus on the differences that will redeem our self-esteem

[Auntie.Gerald]

For me it was more simple :

The Swans greatest strength ie their forward line is also their greatest weakness

If we dont win the ball out of the middle on the big MCG oval then the fast backline of the Hawks push off their man and flood forward in numbers

Thats what the Hawks did and they have plenty of potent kickers coming off their HBF

If we watched the replays indv matchups i am 100% positive that our forwards could go with the HBFs etc of the Hawks...........there was too many mis matches............and we didnt win in the ball ups

I wonder whether we will go with a slightly smaller forward line in 2015 ?

[mcs]

For me it was more simple :

The Swans greatest strength ie their forward line is also their greatest weakness

If we dont win the ball out of the middle on the big MCG oval then the fast backline of the Hawks push off their man and flood forward in numbers

Thats what the Hawks did and they have plenty of potent kickers coming off their HBF

If we watched the replays indv matchups i am 100% positive that our forwards could go with the HBFs etc of the Hawks...........there was too many mis matches............and we didnt win in the ball ups

I wonder whether we will go with a slightly smaller forward line in 2015 ?

I'd like to think we will try a smaller forward line in 2015 - I think as you've identified it was a huge weakness in 2014. On that issue, it will be hard to make it smaller - perhaps more possible if Tippett can stay fit enough to literally play as a 2nd ruckman/resting forward. Oh how a Schneider/Buchanan type at the top of their career would be useful for our forward line at the moment to compliment the rest of the forward line. It will be really interesting to see how we approach our forward setup.

[rojo]

I haven't ever been able to work out why we drafted a succession of players like Vespremi, TDL, Lamb and now have B. Jack, presumably to play the small forward role, yet have never found a place for them there. Benny McGlynn was used instead but he spent much of his time up the ground running back into the forward line as do all the mid/forwards. A bit like when 'our Nick' used to play there, and was ignored (most of the time).

[RogueSwan]

1) win more contested ball at stoppages. Unfortunately, if Kennedy is closed down or off the ground we lose these at an alarming rate...

Hopefully a fit Mitchell (and Jack) will help out there.

[Nico]

My confidence in last year's game plan has been seriously dented after two trips to Melbourne last year to see our performances at MCG against Hawthorn. In both games their ability to break into the open both by running away from us and then kicking to accurately to position and our inability to close them down or pressure their kicking was exploited mercilessly.

If we are to overcome teams such as Hawthorn and Port Adelaide this year and remain a contender we have to:

1) win more contested ball at stoppages. Unfortunately, if Kennedy is closed down or off the ground we lose these at an alarming rate. Clearly the ruck division is real weakness but the options here are limited and whilst Pyke is competitive, he is no longer a young man in the game and will undoubtedly be subject to injuries again this year. Derrickx did the job for us at an important time last year but like Pyke seems fragile, ditto Tippett, Reid and Naismith. Nankervis does not look ready at this stage and while he seems big enough, I believe he is more a resting forward than a frontline ruck.

2) be more committed to defensive running in the mid-field. The Swans have long had a reputation for two-way running but in the two games I mentioned and in the Port games, North the first time around and the Qualifying game against Freo, many runners were not taking responsibility for their opponents when turned around. In particular, Goodes, Jetta, Hanneberry, Kennedy and McVeigh need to pick it up.

3) our key position backs have to stay healthy and at the top of their games. Allir, X Richards and even Reid will not be ready this year to step up at the top level as KPP, so much depends on whether Ted and Reg, et al, can get past their GF performances, much of which can attributed to the point above, and be the players they have been in the past.

Of course, many will read this and believe this is a blanket criticism of the individuals and the coaching staff, this is not my intention. I have endured the nightmare of reviewing these matches and have tried to imagine what we need to do to win the premiership. The will is there and so is the talent, we just need to focus on the differences that will redeem our self-esteem

And win a heck of a lot more centre clearances. To me this a no brainer to get the footy quickly to Franklin, Tippett and Goodes.