Retirements.

[chalbilto]

With so many potential retirements this year who will go and who should stay another year? Goodes, Shaw, Pyke, Richards and McVeigh should all get their marching orders in my book. Time for a clean out.

It's time for Goodes, Shaw & Richards to retire with Shaw potentially coaching the reserves. I believe that Pyke is contracted for another year and should be kept. Hopefully Naismith & Nankervis will develop further. Mcveigh should stay and hand over the captaincy to Parker.

[Untamed Snark]

They can all retire and we can then trade in some great talent...

Only if they're worth less than $300 thousand each.

[stevoswan]

The difference is Hawthorn can win the premiership, we can't. In my opinion the five I mentioned are just playing out time.

I might agree, if we could trade......

[stevoswan]

The thing is that whilst we are now outside the top 4, every match from now on is very winnable and we are a very good chance to finish in the 4. That is of course if some players get their act together and also if Buddy, Benny, Gazza and (perhaps) Pyke get back on the field asap. As a result we won't be going down the 'play the kids' path as we will be fighting and scratching to make the top 4.

I for one hope the team hasn't decided to put the cue in the rack. My advice would be to get yourselves back into the 4 and give it your best shot. I might be bordering on the delusional based on recent performances (except Adelaide) but that's what I, as a fan, expect to see anyway.

Agree. As disillusioned as I am about the way this season has unfolded, I still see a light, albeit small, at the end of the tunnel. I believe we will make the top four(amazing!), as we should win the remaining four games, whereas the Bulldogs draw will see them win three at best(percentage comes into play....making it 'iffy'), or maybe only two, losing to WC, and North(also 'iffy'), which would see us in the top four. From here, at best a loss in a PF. Or maybe even better..... if a 'Kirky/Bolton/Maxfield light bulb' turns on in every players and coaches head between now and then.... Optimistic I know, but hey, I've been a Swans fan for 55 years.......

[Mug Punter]

Can see Shaw and Goodes retiring with Bird and Jetta (unfortunately) traded and Marsh de-listed

In you'd get Mills and hopefully Dunkley with Naismith and Perris upgraded from the rookie list plus another academy kid if there's one good enough.

No need for anything except tweaking at this stage but in 2017 we'll see some serious action I think. the trading restrictions will be lifted and if the new TV deal that comes in for 2017 is as fat as pundits suggest then Buddy's salary of $1.2m in 2017 will not even be the highest in the league.

By then you'd hope we have our local content up to about the 35% mark with 14 NSW lads (Heeney, Perris, Jack x 2, Naismith, Hiscox, Davis, Harry, Rampe, Mills plus four new academy recruits in 2016 and 2017) which will be a good start towards the 75% we need to be at long term to negate the Go Home Factor and no COLA

Imagine we'll be very active in free agency at the end of next season

[WauchopeAnalyst]

Good post. What do you think about Newman being upgraded and signing Hewett.

[PerthSwannie]

Surely its time for Shaw and Goodes to go

Goodes should of bowed out after last years GF....... Shaw? I think maybe another year. Teddy? I think it`s time mate sorry to say.

[Ludwig]

Good post. What do you think about Newman being upgraded and signing Hewett.

We need to create 5 senior spots. 2 for Mills and Dunkley (or ND draftees) and up to 3 upgrades. Shaw retires, Bird is traded, Marsh is delisted and a spot opens up putting AJ on the LTIL, so then there's only one more to go. It may well take care of itself if Jetta leaves or Towers is traded. I have also suggested that we could delist Derickx and redraft him as a rookie (We should be so lucky that someone would pick him up). Goodes also may retire, but I doubt Richards will.

Agree with Mug Punter that not much likely to happen this year with the trade restrictions. Hopefully Jetta stays. But next year we could be set for some big changes. We should know more about how our midfield will be structured going forward, how likely some of our young KPPs are going at senior level and whether AJ will return to playing football. I suppose we will adjust accordingly.

[bloodsbigot]

Probably time for Pyke to call it quits unfortunately.

[Scottee]

Ted is not done!

[dejavoodoo44]

For what it's worth, I thought that I'd have a go. I think that Shaw is probably the only one that will probably retire. Though it's possible that Goodesy will, I personally think that he'll go around for another season. Which I think is a good thing, as he is actually in very good form. While he isn't likely to once again gather a large swag of Brownlow votes, he is still a better player than 90% of the others in the league.
Also, since it seems that it is a weak draft, we don't need to clear a lot of space. At a minimum, we need the space for Mills, Dunkley and 1 or 2 rookie upgrades. So, to clear that space, the first obvious candidate is Derickx, who is probably always going to be a reasonable stop gap at best. If we can get any sort of trade for him, it will be a bonus. In my opinion, Towers also fits into the category of; if we can get a trade, take it. The other obvious move is Alex Johnston to the rookie list. He is too good a prospect to to totally sever ties with, but we really can't afford to effectively have our list size reduced by one, season after season. And finally, maybe there is a player or two in the reserves who don't really look like making the grade, but I wouldn't know who they are.
So, with an apparently weak draft and our trading restrictions, I think that a minimal course of action is probably the best one.

[mcs]

For what it's worth, I thought that I'd have a go. I think that Shaw is probably the only one that will probably retire. Though it's possible that Goodesy will, I personally think that he'll go around for another season. Which I think is a good thing, as he is actually in very good form. While he isn't likely to once again gather a large swag of Brownlow votes, he is still a better player than 90% of the others in the league.
Also, since it seems that it is a weak draft, we don't need to clear a lot of space. At a minimum, we need the space for Mills, Dunkley and 1 or 2 rookie upgrades. So, to clear that space, the first obvious candidate is Derickx, who is probably always going to be a reasonable stop gap at best. If we can get any sort of trade for him, it will be a bonus. In my opinion, Towers also fits into the category of; if we can get a trade, take it. The other obvious move is Alex Johnston to the rookie list. He is too good a prospect to to totally sever ties with, but we really can't afford to effectively have our list size reduced by one, season after season. And finally, maybe there is a player or two in the reserves who don't really look like making the grade, but I wouldn't know who they are.
So, with an apparently weak draft and our trading restrictions, I think that a minimal course of action is probably the best one.

Derickx is contracted until 2016, so he will still be around - surely we would be still be liable for his salary in 2016 if we delisted him (I..e it would still count under the cap?).

I think Marsh will be delisted, and it wouldn't surprise me if as you say Towers is disposed of either.

Shaw should go - despite having a few good games at times this year, he has had plenty of shockers as well.

As for Goodes, I think he should retire. It wouldn't surprise me to see him play on, and I'd be ok with that, but I'm not convinced, despite some decent form at times this year, that him staying around for another year would be the best move for all.

As for Ted and McVeigh - no way is McVeigh done (despite his up and down form this year), and I think Ted will go around once more at least.

[Markus26]

Agree with this. It's been an odd year, with the team's seeming inability to play a second half. Even in our better performances, the second halves have been patchy at best. The team clearly can play good football but not for four quarters. I don't believe it can be attributed to fitness. If we were getting overrun late in quarters, maybe, but coming out after the long break and barely giving a yelp suggests its mental.

I think McVeigh is far from finished, but the gap between his best and worst this year has been puzzling (and disappointing).

I agree. McVeigh is not finished yet! When he is firing he can dominate from the mids, off half-back and can push forward and create some havoc. Jarrad stays for a little while longer in my book.

[aardvark]

I agree. McVeigh is not finished yet! When he is firing he can dominate from the mids, off half-back and can push forward and create some havoc. Jarrad stays for a little while longer in my book.

If he goes around again he should stand down from the captaincy.

[Markus26]

That's a fair call. I could see a few others being captain in due course.