Season 2017

[Jeynez]

He is very slow....a summer with a sprint coach would help.

He is evasive and good in congestion. Playing as a defensive forward just doesn't suit him, might be time to give that role to Rohan. Quick enough to pressure the Shaw/Johanissen/B.Smith type players and make them accountable as well.

[neilfws]

Here's a 2016 season review. Obviously written with a positive slant for the website, but I think it's worth remembering how much went right this year.

2016 season review - sydneyswans.com.au

I don't see why 2017 shouldn't be at least as good.

[Nico]

He is very slow....a summer with a sprint coach would help.

Only thing that will improve his speed is liniment on his nether region before a game and at all breaks.

[waswan]

It's difficult to eliminate the pain of a fractured leg completely. As time passes it subsides and there are usually/often pain free periods, however, pain still occurs & not necessarily consistently (either for the individual or comparing different individuals). There are also a near infinite number of variables that contribute to their pain frequency and severity. I am astounded that Gary has actually come back to play some good footy (at times) but I can fully appreciate that he is not his pre-injury self ... and may never will be. A fractured leg can have a lifelong impact.

Rohan will have his first real shot at a big Pre-Season, I say give him a tank and make him a big bodied midfielder/fwd like Parker.

[chalbilto]

Rohan will have his first real shot at a big Pre-Season, I say give him a tank and make him a big bodied midfielder/fwd like Parker.

Wouldn't we love to see that!

[Levii3]

Rohan will have his first real shot at a big Pre-Season, I say give him a tank and make him a big bodied midfielder/fwd like Parker.

Or Dangerfield if you look at their body shapes when they were draft they're very similar just skinny and fast.

[Mug Punter]

Rohan will have his first real shot at a big Pre-Season, I say give him a tank and make him a big bodied midfielder/fwd like Parker.

You get the feeling they need to do something with Gary and they just don't know what. Turning him into a midfielder is not the craziest idea I have heard today

[ScottH]

You get the feeling they need to do something with Gary and they just don't know what. Turning him into a midfielder is not the craziest idea I have heard today

He needs to be the receiver, as Jetta was. Then he can use his pace or kick to get it going forward.

[barry]

Gary is a makeshift forward simply because we ran out of options with reid being out and heeney transitioning to the midfield.

Unfortunetly speedy lead up forwards get found out in finals. Its almost impossible to hit a lead when all your kicks are under pressure.

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To realize his full potential he needs to become an outside mid.

[mattybloods]

To realize his full potential he needs to become an outside mid.

He really is the obvious choice for this role. We've got this fast exciting player but we keep him in the forward line, he needs to get up the ground and become the link up player we need. He's also a very good mark which is ideal for the role. Maybe Heeney and Rohan on the wings next year

[RogueSwan]

Though I don't think it is just about speed. I think it is more cleanness with the ball on ground and ball use under pressure.

We were good against Geelong in those areas. But the Bulldogs were smoother out of stoppage and crumbed the ball in the goal square to kick a few goals. The type of thing we were doing to Geelong.

We could have had players like Hiscox, Towers, BJ and Cunningham in midfield for better speed. But they still need to be able to cleanly get the ball and use it well.

Hooray, someone else that thinks speed by clean disposals will kill any speed by running. It, amongst other things, is how the Hawks were unbeatable for so long.
We had the two fastest in the league with Rohan and Jetta a couple of years but it was Jetta's field kicking that open things up for us, not his leg speed.
Everyone wants a Judd/Ablett/Dangerfield that can burst from inside to outside but those footballers only come along every five/six years.
Keeping a consistent/fit bunch of 25 on the field for the last dozen games of the year would probably have more benefit than trading for one quick footballer.

[Nico]

Gary is a makeshift forward simply because we ran out of options with reid being out and heeney transitioning to the midfield.

Unfortunetly speedy lead up forwards get found out in finals. Its almost impossible to hit a lead when all your kicks are under pressure.

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To realize his full potential he needs to become an outside mid.

Put Rohan on the wing where has to put himself in the play. He seems to have plenty of speed but a limited tank. He made that big run to goal in a final only to stuff it up, and was completely cooked after that.

[Go Swannies]

Throughout the season, I kept saying that I'm waiting for the kids to get tired and run out of puff. But they kept defying my expectations. However, now I'm calm enough to analyse, not react, I think they finally did fall short just short of the final goal.

It was a lot better season than I expected - and it had a lot of highlights - but I'm still in despair that we fell short when it mattered.

[Mountain Man]

I agree that the GF performance in part was just lack of puff - pretty well every one, young and senior (except the remarkable Mr Kennedy).

What I would like for 2017 was for nearly every position to have a clear rotation strategy. Right from the get go, there is a plan that almost no one will play more than 20 games. If Newman had played 5 games, and one of Jones, Mills, Marsh Laidler, Lloyd, McVeigh or Cunningham, had been fresher it might have been enough. Heeney certainly benefited mid season.

We would need to avoid "lack of respect" by resting Buddy against a cellar dweller, but we could say to him for 1 or 2 games that he plays on the wing and has to avoid being bashed up and double teamed.

Injuries and form do create rotations, but we don't do "resting" as a practice. Bulldogs happened to have a number of well rested player coming back after injuries, and it worked in their favour.

[Ludwig]

Skipping next year and going on to a possible 2018 team just from players already on our list gives some idea of our depth and a reason to feel positive about the future. I have also left our Macca, KJ, Mitchell and Tippett, which adds to the feeling that we should go well for some time to come. I've omitted a number of other listed players as well as the players to be drafted from these next 2 drafts. I suppose the Giants will be the big challenge over the next few years and suspect the Bulldogs will too, although Murphy, Boyd and Morris will probably be gone by then and the rest of the league will have worked out their system.

2018	Starter	Starter	Starter
FB	Johnson	Grundy	Smith
HB	Newman	Aliir	Rampe
C	Mills	Hanners	Hewett
F	Naismith	Kennedy	Parker
HF	Rohan	Reid	Heeney
FF	Lloyd	Franklin	Papley
INT	Jones	Davis	O'Riordan
#22	Rose	Nanka	Dawson
EMG	Cunningham	Talia	Foote