NAB Challenge v Lions

[Auntie.Gerald]

I'm not going to jump the gun on this one
For me bird will fore fill more to a win then Henry or Mitchell in the initial rounds

After that who knows ?

The door is open as an out the back dunny door banging in a stiff southerly breeze

[RogueSwan]

...Encouraged with the play of a number of the senior regulars Rampe took another step up I think, Grundy was excellent and seems fitter than for years. Bird is in good nick, Jetta was classy and effective, KJ was excellent. Joey was excellent, Pykey looked fit. Rhyce Shaw is still quick....

I agree with all of this except Josh appeared to be following ROK's kicking style of just bombing it forward at every chance. The disposals I saw on my wing were very scratchy.

..Birdie was crap too. Last two seasons he has started the season very slowly. I thought when Towers got the pill he was pretty impressive the only problem is a couple of times he did some really clever stuff ..

I was pleasantly surprised by Bird, especially coming off of surgery, he seemed to have fast hands and side step working well (disclaimer: I have always been a fan).
Towers looked very good early on. It looked as though he and Reid were the only forwards and Towers seemed to make the most of Reid getting double/triple teamed.

[S.S. Bleeder]

I'm not going to jump the gun on this one
For me bird will fore fill more to a win then Henry or Mitchell in the initial rounds

After that who knows ?

The door is open as an out the back dunny door banging in a stiff southerly breeze

A lot of the posters here don't seem to think too much of Birdie but he consistently finishes high in our B&F every year. Too many people simply look at the stats rather than what a player does. Preventing an opposition player from gaining possessions doesn't show in the stats.

[JPK12]

Maybe because we already have plenty of bird type players.

[Mel_C]

Kennedy's kicking for goal has been terrible the last couple of years. He had one real shocker on Friday.

[Matt80]

Maybe because we already have plenty of bird type players.

Good point. Analysis of Craig Bird's depth chart position as an inside midfield extractor has him in 4th spot behind Kennedy, Parker and Mitchell. Some would argue that he should be in 3rd spot ahead of Tom Mitchell.

Kennedy, Parker, Mitchell and Bird are not fast players. How many can you play in the one team when you play Port Adelaide, The Hawks or the Lions. If you play them all then you may end up with a match up against a player such as Isaac Smith, Brad Hill or a Cyril Rioli. They will be destroyed in open space even if they are competitive in tight.

You then have Heeney coming through who can play inside and has better pace to spread than both Mitchell and Bird.

I like Craig Bird as well but you cant play four slower players in the one team (Kennedy, Parker, Mitchell Bird). One of those four will need to drop out. It wont be Kennedy or Parker. It may be either Mitchell or Bird.

This is just my opinion.

[S.S. Bleeder]

Bird isnt fast either (like those mentioned) but he's a tagger. The players you've mentioned aren't. I agree that we need more midfield pace but unless we can get someone to fill Birds position he has to stay.

[jono2707]

Good point. Analysis of Craig Bird's depth chart position as an inside midfield extractor has him in 4th spot behind Kennedy, Parker and Mitchell.

That'd be your analysis of your own fabricated depth chart...... Or an alternative way of repeating your misguided notion that Bird should be dropped. We've heard it all before and it hasn't happened yet so how about contacting the club directly with your concerns and not going on about it on RWO?

[RogueSwan]

A lot of the posters here don't seem to think too much of Birdie but he consistently finishes high in our B&F every year. Too many people simply look at the stats rather than what a player does. Preventing an opposition player from gaining possessions doesn't show in the stats.

Maybe because we already have plenty of bird type players.

Bird isnt fast either (like those mentioned) but he's a tagger. The players you've mentioned aren't. I agree that we need more midfield pace but unless we can get someone to fill Birds position he has to stay.

Craig is highly by those in the Swans (based on his B&F perfomances) because, IMO, he is a footballer first and athlete second. We have quite a few midfielders (I may be wrong) that are good athletes that decided to play football. You don't have to be super fast if your quick with your head, feet and hands.

[S.S. Bleeder]

The spectrum of opinion on Birdy is amazing. Bigfooty is also discussing him; Opinion - who's set for a big year? who needs a big year? Swans | BigFooty AFL Forum.

[Matt80]

Craig is highly by those in the Swans (based on his B&F perfomances) because, IMO, he is a footballer first and athlete second. We have quite a few midfielders (I may be wrong) that are good athletes that decided to play football. You don't have to be super fast if your quick with your head, feet and hands.

I have this GF vision in my head that I can't shake. It was Brad Hill in the first quarter with miles of space at half forward with only Parker chasing 20m away. He was cantering towards Brad Hill as Hill kept pulling further away.

The only people on the Swans list with a hope of keeping up with Hill are Cunningham, Brandon Jack and Hiscox. Hiscox and Brandon may disappoint on occasions but they are electrifying and have huge upside. They must be given more time than most.

[JPK12]

I agree Bird might be a footballer first and athlete second but in modern day footy you need the second to be the first.

The way fast teams open us up in the middle with ease is a massive concern when we have too many Bird type players.

[goswannies]

I agree Bird might be a footballer first and athlete second but in modern day footy you need the second to be the first.

The way fast teams open us up in the middle with ease is a massive concern when we have too many Bird type players.

Yup, I can just imagine the headlines at the end of the year when there is a cry from some on RWO for Bird to be traded to Collingwood "Swans flip Eddie the Bird!"

[Ludwig]

I have this GF vision in my head that I can't shake. It was Brad Hill in the first quarter with miles of space at half forward with only Parker chasing 20m away. He was cantering towards Brad Hill as Hill kept pulling further away.

The only people on the Swans list with a hope of keeping up with Hill are Cunningham, Brandon Jack and Hiscox. Hiscox and Brandon may disappoint on occasions but they are electrifying and have huge upside. They must be given more time than most.

What about Jetta, Rohan, KJ, AG, Rampe, Towers and Buddy to name a fsw. Remember the man with possession has to bounce the ball, so can run as fast.

[dimelb]

Another outbreak of Bird nonsense.
Bird has his place: he is widely regarded as the best stopper in the team. He also manages to get his own share of the ball. He is there until someone does the job better, which has not happened yet.