2016 Team

[Auntie.Gerald]

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[Ludwig]

Lance Franklin to be a no-show at Sydney Swans best-and-fairest count

The last paragraph of the article is interesting in respect to how our list is likely to develop over the next few years:

Franklin, with a rare nine-year contract, had been paid at the lower end in the past two years, pocketing about $700,000 each season. However, that is set to rise to about $1.2 million in each of the next three years.

Add the reduction in the COLA and that makes a difference of $700k from this year. That's probably roughly equal to Goodes and Shaw being replaced by a couple of draft picks (maybe not even). We are likely to be carrying a fairly young list for a top 4 club until a rise in the salary cap kicks in pursuant to a new agreement with the AFLPA.

Perhaps we have factored in losing Jetta and Bird, which will give us just enough room to add someone like Leuenberger. The main reason I didn't think it was worth fighting too hard to get the trading ban lifted was due to these very practical limitations on our flexibility to bring in another top line player.

History would say that we should find it difficult to seriously challenge for a premiership next year, but it should nonetheless by very exciting seeing some of our youngsters develop.

[Conor_Dillon]

I think our list is certainly good enough to challenge for a premiership (with some luck on the injury front), but our gameplan/gamestyle needs some serious revamping.

[WauchopeAnalyst]

I think our list is certainly good enough to challenge for a premiership (with some luck on the injury front), but our gameplan/gamestyle needs some serious revamping.

[6'2, 220, 4.53]

I think our list is certainly good enough to challenge for a premiership (with some luck on the injury front), but our gameplan/gamestyle needs some serious revamping.

No. We are not good enough.

We are a 5-8 side who may win one final.

As much as I like John Longmire he is not Alistair Clarkson.

Clarkson will go down as the Alex Ferguson of the AFL. He is strategically superiority and tactically superior.

New specially targeted players will come in and keep doing it the Hawthorn way.

What is the Swans strategy. Eighty tackles a game and hope that Buddy will rove a couple of packs.

[crackedactor]

No. We are not good enough.

We are a 5-8 side who may win one final.

As much as I like John Longmire he is not Alistair Clarkson.

Clarkson will go down as the Alex Ferguson of the AFL. He is strategically superiority and tactically superior.

New specially targeted players will come in and keep doing it the Hawthorn way.

What is the Swans strategy. Eighty tackles a game and hope that Buddy will rove a couple of packs.

I am not sure its Longmire's fault we are not more successful. We definitely need a full team on the park. As for Clarkson, the thing that amazes me is how fresh Hawthorn look after playing hard tough finals matches?? We were completely flat in last year's GF and west coast looked even worse. I cannot work out how they do it?

[bungwahl]

No. We are not good enough.

We are a 5-8 side who may win one final.

As much as I like John Longmire he is not Alistair Clarkson.

Clarkson will go down as the Alex Ferguson of the AFL. He is strategically superiority and tactically superior.

New specially targeted players will come in and keep doing it the Hawthorn way.

What is the Swans strategy. Eighty tackles a game and hope that Buddy will rove a couple of packs.

Our list is definitely good enough! Next season we'll have a midfield of JPK, Hannebery, Jack, Mitchell, Parker, Heeney and Mills, so if we can fix up our ruck issues we'll have plenty of grunt in the engine room. Plus Buddy and Tippett up front!

You're right though - the game plan must change!

[Ludwig]

I am not sure its Longmire's fault we are not more successful. We definitely need a full team on the park. As for Clarkson, the thing that amazes me is how fresh Hawthorn look after playing hard tough finals matches?? We were completely flat in last year's GF and west coast looked even worse. I cannot work out how they do it?

It is quite stunning how Hawthorn have had the last 3 grand finals done and dusted by halftime. Everyone knows what's coming, but seem helpless to stop it.

We have a strong team that should perform well if we can have a good run with injuries, but I think history shows that the reliance we will have on players with less than 50 games to perform at a high level is unlikely to eventuate in a premiership, even though the quality is certainly there.

It goes without saying that Buddy, Tippo and Reid will all need to have strong years relatively free of injury. The likes of Heeney, Towers and Cunningham could well make up the rest of our forward line. All are capable of having strong seasons despite their lack of experience. How this forward line performs could forge our destiny for 2016.

Our list and talent is evolving and our game plan will have to evolve with it. But in the end we still have to execute our skills with high precision. That was missing last year and we can only wait to see if it improves next year.

[6'2, 220, 4.53]

Our list is definitely good enough! Next season we'll have a midfield of JPK, Hannebery, Jack, Mitchell, Parker, Heeney and Mills, so if we can fix up our ruck issues we'll have plenty of grunt in the engine room. Plus Buddy and Tippett up front!

You're right though - the game plan must change!

Most of the above players would not fit in the Hawthorn system. With the Hawks it's about the system. Kennedy, Parker and Jack are inferior by foot compared to Mitchell, Hodge, Burgoin.

The only Swans players who can play the Hawks system are Jetta, Franklin, Tippett, Heeney, Rampe and possibly McVeigh and Hannas. These players are penetrating by foot and suit the Hawks system.

I think Clarkson would love to work with Rampe. Rampe would be ideal for the Hawks system.

The swans have talented players who apply good pressure, but they don't have the a strategic system like the Hawks.

[Auntie.Gerald]

ok

being able to attract the level of players to fix the problem has been a huge part of Hawthorns success as they already had some brilliant indus in Mitchell, Rioli, Hodge, Smith, Hill, Roughie etc

Gunston
McEvoy
Hale
Lake
Frawley
Burgoyne
Gibson
orourke no2 draft pick from gws

compare our vfl, wafl purchases Jetta, Mummy, Kennedy, Mcglynn etc paid dividends a few years back which lead to enough talent in the one season to take on and win a GF............but it is nothing compared to the players the Hawks acquired i.e. our recruits had a handful of AFL games played vs hundreds and hundreds

Tippo and Bud our recent acquisitions are more in the calibre that the hawks have made happen ..........AND given our chances of getting any DECENT players in the near future they were critical acquisitions for Sydney

BUT

i did love how the Hawks didn't play with a typical CHF and FF in the finals

they left a massive corridor thru the centre of their attacking 50m arc and then we would see smalls such as Rioli float thru isolating a one on one which is the ultimate besides a one on none

conversely almost every entry by the Eagles was sent into a mass of Hawks defence and so often a loose defender was there waiting which just makes it embarrassing !

* So the Hawks have an amazing ability to Zone in defence and create a loose defender to negate the opposition entries being effective

* The Hawks have a great transition and so many of their players play all over the field which causes headaches at levels way beyond most teams able to cope with

* the Hawks have a fantastic ability at kicking goals vs behinds

* But lets be honest they have a team of indvs that can cope with the high kick and catch game plan and as long as their conversion rate at the sticks is healthy they can't be beaten........easily.......except in 2012

[WauchopeAnalyst]

I believe that you can see the Hawks always evolving, changing a having a new plan. Smashed by WC at Subiaco with narrow ground in QF. At the GF the Hawks are always great but changed their plan and went around through the pockets, flanks and wings and just 20% in corridor.

Horse and our crew are unable or unwilling to change. 5 men within 3 metres of the ball, the 1m hand pass, no-one in front of the ball, except Goodsey and his gone, will only leave if sure we have the ball, 4 defenders trying to spoil with Cyril, Popa & Bruest on the ground by themselves.

Horse can get everything from nearly every player but no ideas.

Also leadership. Would you rather have Selwood, Hodge, Fyfe ( not Pav)? Boak, Murph at Bulldogs or Macca and Kizza. All very different but you can see whats works. Boak gets tagged but works his arse off. Cotchin cries.

The Hawks teach players to back their players and win their own but the Swans teach them to help their team mates at every point even if they dont need it. The Hawks always have free players but the Swans just rarely.

We are totally reactive, the Hawks are totally proactive.

[WauchopeAnalyst]

With AA re-signed are we waiting to see if Birdy and Robbo are traded before offering a contract to Hewett and Marsh must be leaving.

[Ludwig]

Horse can get everything from nearly every player but no ideas.

I don't think the game plan is to kick the ball to the opposition, which is what we were doing all too often this year. It's hard to know what the game plan is when we don't have the skills to back it up. It's hard for the fans to know if the players are following the game plan or not, and particularly hard to know if the tactics employed in a game are coming from the coach or are made on the spot by the players.

I don't think I've seen anyone on here give a specific outline of what he or she thinks Longmire's game plan is and how they would change it. When the game is unfolding and things go wrong, I find it hard to know whose to blame.

With AA re-signed are we waiting to see if Birdy and Robbo are traded before offering a contract to Hewett and Marsh must be leaving.

Tom Harley recently remarked that Hewett was part of our long term plans, and so he should be. I'm not sure about Marsh, but I'm leaning toward keeping him another year given his considerable improvement this year. I doubt we will do better with a late speculative pick in this draft.

[ernie koala]

FB :Smith Richards Rampe
HB :Jones Grundy McVeigh
C :Hannebery Kennedy Jack
HF :Heeney Franklin Reid
FF :McGlynn Tippett Rohan

FOL: Sinclair Parker Mitchell

INT: (from) Mills, Laidler, Cunningham, Lloyd, Towers, Pyke, X Richards
EMG: Hewett,, Naismith, B Jack

This team conservatively assumes just one significant pickup, Sinclair.....Looks pretty good on paper to me.

Maybe one more outside mid/hb with pace would complete the balance....Maybe we could make a play for Jetta.

[Conor_Dillon]

No. We are not good enough.

We are a 5-8 side who may win one final.

As much as I like John Longmire he is not Alistair Clarkson.

Clarkson will go down as the Alex Ferguson of the AFL. He is strategically superiority and tactically superior.

New specially targeted players will come in and keep doing it the Hawthorn way.

What is the Swans strategy. Eighty tackles a game and hope that Buddy will rove a couple of packs.

As I said, we are good enough if our game style and plan changes drastically. It's certainly a big if though.