Round 19: Sydney Swans Reserves v Gold Coast Suns Reserves @ Sydney Cricket Ground

[dimelb]

Thanks ugg, Primmy, liz and other comments. Like a drink in the desert down here!

[ugg]

Surprised not to see Perris' game acknowledged by the coaching staff. He was my best Swan. Starting modestly but seemed to get better as the game went on, and I thought he was the main reason why the team won - not only his late goal, but the fact he played like he believed the Swans were never out of it.

Enjoyed Newman's game too. Looks like he's ready to see if he's up to the next level.

And a special nod to all the toppies who played. In seasons past, the success of the team has largely been due to having some quite impressive toppies, as well as continuity. This year, whether through policy or necessity, we've seen a lot of players rotated through the team, and I'd guess a lot of them are younger, in average, than in past years. Many have not looked like they believed they belonged out there. I thought yesterday's group held their own well, and took responsibility for being part of the team, not just making up numbers. Others have mentioned Brown, and he was the stand-out. Not sure whether he's got any stand out attributes that suggest he might make it to the list in time, but he was a very valuable contributor out there. Behagg was a presence too, and took his opportunities in the forward line well. And no 55 (not sure who that was) caught my eye a couple of times too.

Finally, a word on young Kelly. He didn't inject himself into the play very often, but when it was his turn, he certainly went. I don't know if the Suns deliberately targeted him physically (as by far the smallest player out there) but he certainly got crunched a couple of times. He looks like he has Dad's courage, and maybe a smidgeon of his pace too. The obvious drawback with him is his size - not height, he's tall enough, but just how slight he is. I know PK was a skinny kid when he first arrived at the Swans, but was he ever that slight?

These were the topups:

49 Jackson Kelly
50 Jake Brown
52 Callum McFadden
53 James Cubis
56 Ryan Hebron
59 Lachlan Behagg
60 Nathan Cooper

Perhaps you meant 56 Hebron? He was playing defence.

Speaking of defence, I thought the defenders contained Peter Wright very well. He has looked great in the NEAFL and shown glimpses at AFL level and I was a bit worried going into this game but he was a non-entity for this game. A few of the talls played on him at times including Aliir and Melican but the majority of the time Xavier was on him and did well especially in the one on one contests.

Agree with Perris getting unfairly snubbed, his last goal was a great reward for some great, hard running. Towers played well in the sense he was competing hard but I cringe every time he wastes a forward 50 entry by carelessly throwing it on his boot without any real thought.

[Ludwig]

I believe Jake Brown is only 17 and not eligible for the draft this year. Maybe someone can confirm this. If he is only 17, he displayed good skills and speed for his age and could be something with another year of development.

The problem I find with Aliir is that he doesn't read the play well and is often caught out of position. He would take a lot more marks if he had that split second extra to position himself better for the flight of the ball. When he played for WA under 18s he was routinely beaten in one on one contests because his opponent was just out of the blocks so much quicker. I'm hoping he can improve on this in time. Look where Pyke has come from. And even BJ is gradually improving his awareness and making better decisions. Surely our recruiters saw this too about Aliir, but thought he could learn enough within our system to become a good player.

[Primmy]

Don't know if Perris was unfairly subbed. I would have put it down to management. He has been out of the game for a fair time.

Loved watching Kell2's running, that head went down and the shoulders went up - its a Kelly thing. And he is little, but he is a real willothewisp in his style. If they take a chance, it may be just a chance, but you never know. he has a better arse than Kell ever had.