The pre season begins !!!!

[Auntie.Gerald]

4th for Robbo but only yards away from Dane

Robbo u can do it in 2016 !!!

[Scottee]

Up until now I had no knowledge of any special physical attributes Robbo had. I now have to upgrade my assessment of the list The midfield gets deeper and deeper.

[graemed]

Graemed - did u mean Robbo or Abe ?

I was actually replying to a comment about Franklin but both Davis and Robinson have been heavily involved in all the drills.
The younger Richards and Allir are also training well and this year could be very important for them. AA was marking well and appears more confident when attacking the ball.
I still worry about his recovery and decision making but they are both experience driven and I hope both he and the club are patient.

[Auntie.Gerald]

We have 5 or 6 young players that will have some great opportunities the next couple of seasons. Injuries strike......new blood emerges.....our opinions then can change dramatically just like mine did when I saw Brett Kirk take on snrs many years ago now.......he just got better and better and he was ready after 4 seasons or so of toiling away learning his trade is ressies

[wolftone57]

I don't think we have a lack of depth at all. In fact if we did we would be far lower on the ladder than we have been. I think this is a misconception. Players who could step up for Goodes, Shaw and Jetts for instance. Towers, BJ, Robbo, Hewett, Rose, Mills, Abe Davis, Benny (he lost his place due to injury) and both Leonardis and Dawson are being talked up as well. That is a good group of players who have just a bit of talent between them.

If you look at the backs then you get Talia, Aliir, Xav Richards, Newman and Melican. Macca can also play back and should do so more this year.

I think our so called lack of depth is not lack of depth but lack of experience. As we get games into players you will see the depth for what it really is, very strong.

[707]

Gee Wolfie, I like your enthusiasm and faith but a whole heap of those you have named are unproven or have shown only glimpses at senior level.

I'd love BJ to actually step up a gear and become a genuine small forward and Towers could be an X factor player but also needs to lift a couple of notches.

I think almost everyone thinks depth is PROVEN players not in your best 22.

[Ludwig]

Can Wolfie and 707 both be right? Well, perhaps so.

707's point about lack of experience and unproven talent is well taken and correct. But Wolfie has good cause to be enthusiastic with the quality of apparent talent coming through our system.

Maybe it's just because the season hasn't started yet that I feel that we will look back on 2016 and find that a fair number of those youngsters will come through with flying colours and go on to have big-time footy careers.

[wolftone57]

Gee Wolfie, I like your enthusiasm and faith but a whole heap of those you have named are unproven or have shown only glimpses at senior level.

I'd love BJ to actually step up a gear and become a genuine small forward and Towers could be an X factor player but also needs to lift a couple of notches.

I think almost everyone thinks depth is PROVEN players not in your best 22.

Depth is the talent pool you have. Experience turns depth into proven performers. We have the potential to have at least 10 players able to just step up. at this stage I think we have Towers, BJ, Rose, Jones, Benny. For instance Hawthorn consider every player on their list as depth and expect them to perform at the highest level no matter if they have played a game or not. Alistair Clarkson when asked about a group of young players who filled positions for injured stars said no matter who they are or how many games played he expected them to come in and play a role. We should expect the same of every player on our list. It doesn't matter how many games a player has played he should be able to slot in and play a role. If not then he shouldn't be on our list. Marsh is a good example of this 3 seasons no games. Any abject failure at AFL level, other than a ruckman, would probably struggle to get a second game. I exclude ruckmen because their job is probably the hardest on a footy field and young ruckmen have to be nurtured. But continued failure would herald delisting.

[liz]

Most commentators / coaches (and probably players) agree that it takes players time to a) adjust to the pace of AFL football compared to lower levels and b) perform consistently. A "50 game threshold" is often given as the point at which players start to feel comfortable at the senior level. In practice I suspect it varies considerably, and clearly some players feel comfortable much sooner.

The ability to contribute consistently is clearly something that takes time. Even players who come in and play "wow" games early in their first season usually have also have plenty of games where they struggle to have an impact. Look at Heeney's 2015 season as a prime example. He's clearly a player with lots of natural ability and the confidence that he belongs at the top level. But even allowing for his injuries, he wasn't a player that the team could rely on each and every week to have a significant impact.

If you are looking at whether a team is a legitimate challenger for the flag (or even a top 4 spot) I think you have to consider how many relatively inexperienced players the team is likely to have to field at any one time. Most teams - especially good ones - can integrate a couple of inexperienced players and it barely show. But once you have six or seven, a team is likely to struggle to back up every week, or sometimes even from quarter to quarter. It doesn't matter how talented these players are. For their first couple of seasons, most won't have the combination of physical maturity, endurance, game knowledge, decision making skills under pressure etc to be a reliable contributor week in week out.

[Scottee]

Most commentators / coaches (and probably players) agree that it takes players time to a) adjust to the pace of AFL football compared to lower levels and b) perform consistently. A "50 game threshold" is often given as the point at which players start to feel comfortable at the senior level. In practice I suspect it varies considerably, and clearly some players feel comfortable much sooner.

The ability to contribute consistently is clearly something that takes time. Even players who come in and play "wow" games early in their first season usually have also have plenty of games where they struggle to have an impact. Look at Heeney's 2015 season as a prime example. He's clearly a player with lots of natural ability and the confidence that he belongs at the top level. But even allowing for his injuries, he wasn't a player that the team could rely on each and every week to have a significant impact.

If you are looking at whether a team is a legitimate challenger for the flag (or even a top 4 spot) I think you have to consider how many relatively inexperienced players the team is likely to have to field at any one time. Most teams - especially good ones - can integrate a couple of inexperienced players and it barely show. But once you have six or seven, a team is likely to struggle to back up every week, or sometimes even from quarter to quarter. It doesn't matter how talented these players are. For their first couple of seasons, most won't have the combination of physical maturity, endurance, game knowledge, decision making skills under pressure etc to be a reliable contributor week in week out.

I think the 50 game threshold is a pretty good rule of thumb as the players by that stage know what to expect out on the field, but I also think it is just as important for their team mates to trust and to know the characteristics of the young player. That takes time too.

[707]

Nice reports about the Irish recruit who is apparently well advanced on where the coaching staff expected him to be. Has pace, very competitive, good decision making, already got a good understanding of the game .... can we hope for a Kennelly MkII and maybe a shock debut this season?

[Markus26]

If O'Riordan debuts this season that would be huge. Sounds like the coaching dept have uncovered a good prospect. Can't wait to see him run onto the pitch for the first time.

[Bloods05]

If O'Riordan debuts this season that would be huge. Sounds like the coaching dept have uncovered a good prospect. Can't wait to see him run onto the pitch for the first time.

They use drop-in pitches these days.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Lights, camera, action - January 20, 2016 - sydneyswans.com.au

macca wearing jersey 21 ?

rampe wearing jersey 19 ?

[Conor_Dillon]

Nice reports about the Irish recruit who is apparently well advanced on where the coaching staff expected him to be. Has pace, very competitive, good decision making, already got a good understanding of the game .... can we hope for a Kennelly MkII and maybe a shock debut this season?

Great to hear that they expected to have to leave him out of a few match-simulation drills but he's impressed that much that he's been able to partake.