Changes for Rnd 2 V Port.

[graemed]

As I am travelling to Adelaide tomorrow I have been keeping a close eye on the weather.
(Not least because the only seats I could get were with the cheer squad in the open and whilst I'm looking forward to the experience as I think it will be really fun, my wife has threatened not to come if it's wet or even dampish)
So to the forecast 40-60% showers on Saturday night. The whole week looks very overcast with the possibility of rain and showers and increased early in the week. Clearing on Sunday, of course when we come home.

That said we cannot go in to this game without Mitchell. I hope everybody was watching their spread when in possession and their ability to hit targets with handball around clearances. Their speed is predicated on first touch in contested footy and pressure on the ball carrier.

We must have players ready for the contest., eager to make contact and responsible for their opponent at all times.

I have already made my thoughts clear about who cannot do this so I'll say no more.

[0918330512]

It's astonishing how Goodes is being written off. He missed a shot on the run, but you could see him pulling away from his opponent. The pace is still there. I would still back him to beat Tom Mitchell, Craig Bird, Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker, Heath Grundy, Ted Richards, Issac Heeney and Jeremy Laidler over the 40 yard time trial.

By all accounts he is better prepared in 2015 than 2014. His output was good in 2014 and you would think that his output would be better in 2015. If his output is better in 2015 then he will play in 2016.

ROK was a very good player at AFL level, but Adam is an all-time great. ROK could not survive in the open field in 2014, Adam Goodes can in 2015.

He will be handy at the Adelaide Oval where he will lead into space and give some great options.

Adam is building. It would not surprise me if he was amongst our better players on a dry deck.

No everyone is writing Goodsey off, it's more the breaking Tuck's record that seems a bit optimistic

[goods78]

As for changes, I'd go with the following

Cunningham out - McVeigh in
Mitchell in for Parker (if ruled out with Concussion)

I'd keep the rest as I really think they all deserve a second chance given the comeback but they will need to raise their efforts massively to roll Port next week. Goodes is clearly on notice as is Reid. I think Towers deserves an extended run, if only to "make or break" him and I think Tom Mitchell is way to good a player to not be in our top 22.

I'll trust the coaching staff to manage Heeney but I don't see how giving him less game time if he is playing well helps the team.

Agree Mug except for Reid.

I think he is doing his job and will only get better. A drier ball he sticks a few more marks. Did you notice how many times he got to a contest in the last QTR - a bump, pressure or a paddle of the ball to a team mate? These are not traditional stats, but I think they would be highly valued by the team.

[aguy]

The problem with goodes is more his defence I think. He appears unable to be able to tackle and unable to be able to prevent the opposition from stepping around him. That's hard to remedy if you ask me. I hope I'm wrong

[dejavoodoo44]

It's astonishing how Goodes is being written off. He missed a shot on the run, but you could see him pulling away from his opponent. The pace is still there. I would still back him to beat Tom Mitchell, Craig Bird, Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker, Heath Grundy, Ted Richards, Issac Heeney and Jeremy Laidler over the 40 yard time trial.

By all accounts he is better prepared in 2015 than 2014. His output was good in 2014 and you would think that his output would be better in 2015. If his output is better in 2015 then he will play in 2016.

ROK was a very good player at AFL level, but Adam is an all-time great. ROK could not survive in the open field in 2014, Adam Goodes can in 2015.

He will be handy at the Adelaide Oval where he will lead into space and give some great options.

Adam is building. It would not surprise me if he was amongst our better players on a dry deck.

Yes, Matt, I'm with you on this one. I definitely am a little bit surprised and disturbed, that on the strength of a mediocre, wet weather game in round one, some people are writing Goodes off for the rest of the season. I mean, over the years, I've seen plenty of evidence that Goodes is one of the greats, and very little evidence that he is no longer worthy of his place in the side; despite the fact that he will probably never be as dominant as he once was.
And as far as pace goes, I'm pretty sure that in 2013, the story from the coaching staff was that Goodes was actually the fastest person in the club over 20 metres and it was only when the distance went up to 50 metres, that the more obvious speedsters had the better of him. So I doubt very much, that his pace would have dropped so markedly over the ensuing 18 months, that he is now only capable of running around (slowly) in the NEAFL.

[DamY]

McVeigh hasn't played a pre season match yet. Stepping in against Port may be a bit too tough for him. I wonder how far away McGlynn is too.

I agree that Mitchell is a logical inclusion for Parker if concussion rules him out. Agreed on Towers too, I thought he was one of our cleaner users of the footy last night. Reid will be a full time defender very soon the way he's going. He looks so much better back there.

Agree on all counts [emoji106] Reid was better down back than up forward, Towers was good enough and Jetta was composed with the touches that he had.

[Gary]

Just don't see Towers having the strength or level of skills to help us have a good year ... Laidler surprised but don't rate him over the journey either. Heeney looks good ... Reid and Jetta a worry ... but like Goodes too early to call. Don't know how I would have felt if the bombers hadn't blown up ... I still don't feel great about our prospects, but clearly we do not know how to play in the wet!

[S.S. Bleeder]

Out goodes. In mcveigh
Out Cunningham in Mitchell.

We are carrying goodes. He isn't playing accountable footy and he isn't chasing. I was doubtful about that decision until i watched the game again this morning. There was a passage early in the first quarter when he was playing on heppell at a stoppage on our forward fifty and he just let him go. He is already getting run off in the forward line. His left footed kick in the second quarter was terrible.

I can see him playing sub. But I doubt whether it makes sense.

Mcveigh will be short of match fitness and we may be carrying him as well. It might be better to wait a week with goodes in the ones and get mcveigh to play in reserves.

I like Cunningham as a player. But he was lost last night. He might actually be a dry tracker. But I think most teams are sitting on the pyke to Kennedy at the front of the pack. I think changing things around by having a second ball winner may help the team.

People are constantly looking to drop our hff (me being one of them). But it doesn't matter whether you are towers, Cunningham, rohan or whoever. We are so buddy conscious that the ball goes his way far too often. The change to kick it to Tippett made buddy more dangerous (he really is a natural rover rather than tal forward) as well as making Tippett what he should be. If we can do the same with towers rohan, Reid etc where they can go by hand to buddy streaming past and kicking from 40-60 he might just kick the ton

???? Nailed it. I would add that Jetta is lucky to be in the side. No use being a fast runner if you don't utilise that skill.

[barry]

Don't expect miracles from Laidler. Hes handy. In our best 22. And will play the role of matner as someone said earlier.

He can get exposed for pace, but thats a matchup issue.

I wonder if shaw is in best 22 by the end of the season.
i wished we kept everitt

[Ludwig]

I think Macca will come in. He had a full preseason before the injury and he's an exceptionally fit player. We need his skill and decision making.

I agree with most of Melbournehammer's comments, but it's obviously going to be hard to drop Goodes. I think Laidler played more than well enough to keep his spot. It's only a question of matchups. I do worry that we will get caught out for pace against as side like PA. I'm also not so sure about his fitness level, as he often comes off the ground and looks spent. The conditions and the opponent suited him on Saturday.

Starting with our GF side, we probably have 5 players that look to have legitimate chances of coming into the side and nailing down a spot: Towers, Heeney, Mitchell, Laidler and Jones. And so far we have one out, Malceski. Cunningham seems the one under pressure now. There will be questions on whether Goodes and Shaw have played one season too many.

[Ludwig]

I've had some further thoughts after watching all the games this weekend. I know it's only round 1, but I have to agree with the consensus that the Hawks will be near impossible to beat this year. They have improved with the addition of Frawley and Jed Anderson, and we have probably gone a bit backwards with the loss of Malceski.

I am not so quick to write off Goodes and Shaw, but we simply have to try something different just to give ourselves a chance. Heeney is a bright spot where we may be able to get some improvement, even though he's such a young player. I think we need to bring in our 2 young contested ball winners in Mitchell and Jones and hope that our quicker outside players in Jetta, Rohan and Towers can improve their game as the season progresses. We cannot match Hawthorn for skill, but we can match them in competitiveness, hardness and commitment and I believe we have enough of those players in the team below that bring that sort of game to the park. I doubt if it's good enough to beat the Hawks, but I am nearly certain it's not good enough with the a basically unchanged side from last year minus Malceski.

FB Grundy Reid Richards
HB McVeigh Rampe Smith
CTR Jetta Bird Hannebery
Rk Pyke Kennedy Parker
HF McGlynn Franklin Jack
FF Towers Tippett Rohan
INT Heeney Mitchell Lloyd Jones

EMG Cunningham Robinson Laidler

[Matt80]

I've had some further thoughts after watching all the games this weekend. I know it's only round 1, but I have to agree with the consensus that the Hawks will be near impossible to beat this year. They have improved with the addition of Frawley and Jed Anderson, and we have probably gone a bit backwards with the loss of Malceski.

I am not so quick to write off Goodes and Shaw, but we simply have to try something different just to give ourselves a chance. Heeney is a bright spot where we may be able to get some improvement, even though he's such a young player. I think we need to bring in our 2 young contested ball winners in Mitchell and Jones and hope that our quicker outside players in Jetta, Rohan and Towers can improve their game as the season progresses. We cannot match Hawthorn for skill, but we can match them in competitiveness, hardness and commitment and I believe we have enough of those players in the team below that bring that sort of game to the park. I doubt if it's good enough to beat the Hawks, but I am nearly certain it's not good enough with the a basically unchanged side from last year minus Malceski.

FB Grundy Reid Richards
HB McVeigh Rampe Smith
CTR Jetta Bird Hannebery
Rk Pyke Kennedy Parker
HF McGlynn Franklin Jack
FF Towers Tippett Rohan
INT Heeney Mitchell Lloyd Jones

EMG Cunningham Robinson Laidler

I think the most concerning aspect for the Swans is the lack of the quality at the lower end of the Swans depth chart.

A Swans reserves side that contained 14 listed players was beaten by Sydney Uni.

Sydney Uni have some highly rated players, but they don't train for 7 hours a day like those 14 professionals. They don't have the access to the medical, physiotherapy or analytic resources that the Swans players have. They probably train three nights a week, do a couple of weights sessions in their own time and primarily focus on their studies or work commitments.

That Sydney Uni team showed up the Swans reserves team of 14 full time professionals. It's frankly alarming that this occurred.

The Swans reserves have some players that are severely overrated. This is the overrated list:

Aliir Aliir
George Hewitt
Toby N
Zac Jones
Brandon Jack

I'm not sure these guys are up to success in senior football. They could not engineer a win against a suburban side.

Those five guys should be smashing the door down, but they are not at the moment. Unless these guys and others start putting pressure on then the senior players we have will be the ones going forward.

[mcs]

I think the most concerning aspect for the Swans is the lack of the quality at the lower end of the Swans depth chart.

A Swans reserves side that contained 14 listed players was beaten by Sydney Uni.

Sydney Uni have some highly rated players, but they don't train for 7 hours a day like those 14 professionals. They don't have the access to the medical, physiotherapy or analytic resources that the Swans players have. They probably train three nights a week, do a couple of weights sessions in their own time and primarily focus on their studies or work commitments.

That Sydney Uni team showed up the Swans reserves team of 14 full time professionals. It's frankly alarming that this occurred.

The Swans reserves have some players that are severely overrated. This is the overrated list:

Aliir Aliir
George Hewitt
Toby N
Zac Jones
Brandon Jack

I'm not sure these guys are up to success in senior football. They could not engineer a win against a suburban side.

Those five guys should be smashing the door down, but they are not at the moment. Unless these guys and others start putting pressure on then the senior players we have will be the ones going forward.

The point overall is valid about potential weakness in our depth, although some of those players are still very much in the development phase (Jones/Hewitt/Allir/Nankervis) and need to be given more time.

The reserves side were playing a warm up game - look at how many games the senior team has lost over the years in pre-season to get some sort of indication of the importance of results in pre-season.

Also, any chance you can stop using ridiculous gridiron terms like 'depth chart' - it is really, really annoying. This is an AFL forum, not a gridiron forum.

[Scottee]

That would be the GWS uni side wouldn't it?

[Mug Punter]

Also, any chance you can stop using ridiculous gridiron terms like 'depth chart' - it is really, really annoying. This is an AFL forum, not a gridiron forum.

Don't hold your breath......