2018 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[Markwebbos]

Right now our list management strategy is something of an enigma. The club has clearly decided to move on Hanners and Rohan to clear cap space but without any target for the cleared funds being obvious.

The big fish explanation is one that Harley has denied and for which there is no evidence whatsoever, only wishful thinking on the part of some of us RWOers.

So its either a need to find money to re-sign AA, Lloyd and others that we didn't have or we are going after an A grade target for next year. The way in which we got rid of Hanners implies a level of necessity / desperation i.e. the former. But $800k plus Rohan plus the removal of some or all of Tippett's salary surely can't mean it's all being spent?

My new adjusted wishful thinking is that the Swans decided to give the list a serious prune, and next year to give Mills, Jones etc the run in the midfield they've been crying out for. I wonder if the Swans are prepared to treat 2019 as something of an experiment. Give a load of young players a run on the ball, on the understanding there is a war chest available to bring in player(s) should we not have the talent in house that we hope we do?

And we've been looking to trade for players to facilitate that. Langdon and other backs mooted (Duryea etc) would help free up Mills in particular to go to the midfield. Jones moving into the centre would create an opening for Ling or Stoddart. Clarke actually sounds like he might be something of a gut-running Hanners replacement.

To all those who criticise Jones disposal. Many explosive midfielders (except Dustin Martin), even those of the highest rank, Danger, Judd, Shiel etc tend to not have a high disposal efficiency. I think we are holding him to an exceptionally high standard. He could have a great impact on our 'one-paced' midfield if the move works out.

- - - Updated - - -

With the trade week over, I have been thinking about a possible best 22 as we know it.
B: Smith Melican Rampe
HB: Mills Aliir Lloyd
C: Jones Parker Florent
HF: Heeney Franklin Hayward
F: Papley Sinclair Reid
Foll: Naismith Hewett Kennedy
Int: Cunningham Ronke McVeigh Clarke
Emerg: McCartain, Dawson, Stoddart, Ling, Cameron, O'Riordan, Jack, Grundy, Robinson, Fox
I think when you do this exercise, it shows that we are at least one star midfielder short if not two. For the last 2 seasons, we have been effectively playing that way with a badly out of form Hanners and Jack having to be carried by Parker and Kennedy (both just looked knackered at times during 2018). We really need guys like Jones and Florent to step up, with others like Heeney, Mills, Hayward, Papley and Ronke to improve on their ability to push into the midfield as support. If they don't, and we don't manage to nab any external midfield talent between now and 2019, I fear we will get well and truly left behind next season.

You are right we lack A graders in our midfield. Trade week isn't over yet but.

[0918330512]

With the trade week over.

Woah! Pulling the trigger a little early there RD - not over until next Wednesday. Plenty of action to come, including elusive big fish coming our way

[Ludwig]

With the trade week over, I have been thinking about a possible best 22 as we know it.
B: Smith Melican Rampe
HB: Mills Aliir Lloyd
C: Jones Parker Florent
HF: Heeney Franklin Hayward
F: Papley Sinclair Reid
Foll: Naismith Hewett Kennedy
Int: Cunningham Ronke McVeigh Clarke
Emerg: McCartain, Dawson, Stoddart, Ling, Cameron, O'Riordan, Jack, Grundy, Robinson, Fox
I think when you do this exercise, it shows that we are at least one star midfielder short if not two. For the last 2 seasons, we have been effectively playing that way with a badly out of form Hanners and Jack having to be carried by Parker and Kennedy (both just looked knackered at times during 2018). We really need guys like Jones and Florent to step up, with others like Heeney, Mills, Hayward, Papley and Ronke to improve on their ability to push into the midfield as support. If they don't, and we don't manage to nab any external midfield talent between now and 2019, I fear we will get well and truly left behind next season.

O'Riordan should start in the back line, which lets Mills play midfield. Because we've been going to the draft to recruit players the past 5 years, we are very dependent on those developing young players to fill the shortfall in midfield stars. It will make a world of difference if Blakey, Ling and Stoddart seriously challenge for spots in the side as Hayward, Florent and Ronke have the past couple of seasons. We need Heeney, Mills, Jones, Hewett and Florent to become those midfield stars.

Dawson should also be a regular in the side if he can stay off the injury list. His NEAFL performance has been better than any of Lloyd, Hewett and Jones, so history says he should be in that level of player.

I've had several posts on how critical this core of young players packed into a relatively tight age demographic is to success of the Swans in the coming years. We have to stay positive until proven otherwise, but the verdict won't be in for a few more years.

We do need a couple of good role players to add to the side, which is why Langdon and similar players would be a big help if we could recruit them in the remaining days of the trade period. It would seem preferable to going to the draft with the current lot of picks and getting Blakey and a couple of picks around the 40 mark.


Really getting excited about that Big Fish we're about to land.

[ernie koala]

With the trade week over, I have been thinking about a possible best 22 as we know it.
B: Smith Melican Rampe
HB: Mills Aliir Lloyd
C: Jones Parker Florent
HF: Heeney Franklin Hayward
F: Papley Sinclair Reid
Foll: Naismith Hewett Kennedy
Int: Cunningham Ronke McVeigh Clarke
Emerg: McCartain, Dawson, Stoddart, Ling, Cameron, O'Riordan, Jack, Grundy, Robinson, Fox
I think when you do this exercise, it shows that we are at least one star midfielder short if not two. For the last 2 seasons, we have been effectively playing that way with a badly out of form Hanners and Jack having to be carried by Parker and Kennedy (both just looked knackered at times during 2018). We really need guys like Jones and Florent to step up, with others like Heeney, Mills, Hayward, Papley and Ronke to improve on their ability to push into the midfield as support. If they don't, and we don't manage to nab any external midfield talent between now and 2019, I fear we will get well and truly left behind next season.

While i agree we could do with another A grade mid....Same could be said of most sides....You could of said it of the 2016 Dogs. And also the 2017 Tigers(unheralded going into the season)..

Not to mention the 2005 and 2012 Swans...Even the Gaffless , Nic less Eagles this year.

To contend for a flag you need luck (particularly with injuries) , a good list, a really good complementary game plan, and a squad that totally buy into that game plan.

We mightn't have the best list, but we have a good list...IMO, it's all those other factors that will decide our fate next season.

[waswan]

Still need to bring in someone this trade period to be a success
However Mills Jones Heeney Floreant Hayward Dawson should all get more midfield minutes

Just about any other team would have had them regular mids by now its only horse that makes players do a 4 yr apprenticeship

[crackedactor]

Woah! Pulling the trigger a little early there RD - not over until next Wednesday. Plenty of action to come, including elusive big fish coming our way

And the radio keeps saying that Hogan is on our radar. Maybe we know more next week, though I cannot see how we can afford him.


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[Ralph Dawg]

Woah! Pulling the trigger a little early there RD - not over until next Wednesday. Plenty of action to come, including elusive big fish coming our way

Yep, got ahead of the schedule! However, I still think we need either an A grade mid fielder to develop in 2019 or for us to acquire one. Imagine what we could do with quick ball out of the centre to a rampaging Buddy one on one with the recent rule changes..........

[CureTheSane]

Actually, I think they'd be having a bit of a giggle at some of the 'experts' on here and the amount of 'outrage' on display .....or did you actually mean 'tears' of laughter?

I meant (sarcastically) that they would all be very sad about the forum posters being unhappy

[CureTheSane]

The swans (Harley) would not want a repeat of the Mitchell experience with Hanners.

To lose one gun in a bad trade is a mistake, to lose two is incompetence.

1. Hanners is no longer a gun, and likely will not be again.
2. No real opposition from supporter to keep him because they know 1. above
3. Cannot compare 2018 Hanners to 2018 Mitchell
4. People were not desperately crying for Mitchell to stay. A few didn't want him to leave, but there was no real passion in that.
5. It's only a mistake f we have a nett loss at the end of trading and drafting.

[Auntie.Gerald]

We’re for Sydney | Daily Telegraph

I don’t subscribe to DT but anyone who does may find this locked article re Ryan Clarke of interest

[RogueSwan]

I don’t subscribe to DT ...

Way too sensible AG :-)



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[S.S. Bleeder]

And the radio keeps saying that Hogan is on our radar. Maybe we know more next week, though I cannot see how we can afford him.


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I've heard that too. Sounds ridiculous. Won't happen.

[KTigers]

That is even more ludicrous. I know Scully missed most of 2018 with injury but he's still a gun. The Giants must have major problems with their salary cap if they are willing to offload a player with years left, who isn't get paid a huge amount, and who is still contracted, for such a meagre trade return. And while they still have a pretty strong midfield - Kelly, Coniglio, Ward, maybe Deledio (but not for long) and Taranto, Hopper and Bonar young players who look great - their depth will be severely tested next year. And what happens if Kelly then decides he wants to leave at the end of 2019?

They'll get a good pick back for Shiel (at least the Bombers pick 8) but Setterfield has now gone, Scully looks like going, and their ruck stocks look pretty ordinary too.

The gist of what Matthews from GWS said was losing the retention bonus of $50K for 40 players meant they have to cut their
salary bill by $2M. So basically Shiel ($800K say), Lobb ($600K allegedly), Scully ($500K) have to go. Lobb is overrated in my
opinion, but the other two are AA level players. It is kinda mind boggling just how short sighted all those who pushed so
hard for the northern clubs to lose the retention allowance/COLA are. How does anyone with even a quarter of a brain not
understand that all the additional money that has come into footy over the last thirty years is a result of it not being a bankrupt
suburban comp in Melbourne anymore. Do they think that Coke or Toyota (or even the betting companies) would pony up
tens of millions of dollars every year if all the games were still being played at 2:10PM every Saturday at suburban grounds in
Melbourne? Have they forgotten that the VFL even by their own admission was basically insolvent in the mid-80s? The AFL
distribution of between $12M & $25M to each of the clubs that keeps them all afloat, where does this money come from?
It’s not from selling a few extra scarves each week down at Vic Markets.

[Auntie.Gerald]

FYI I didn’t realise trades can still happen up to nov16th ???

“The AFL trade period begins on Monday October 8 at 10am and ends on Wednesday October 17 at 8:30pm (for moves involving players; trades involving picks can be made until Friday November 16).”

[barry]

1. Hanners is no longer a gun, and likely will not be again.
2. No real opposition from supporter to keep him because they know 1. above
3. Cannot compare 2018 Hanners to 2018 Mitchell
4. People were not desperately crying for Mitchell to stay. A few didn't want him to leave, but there was no real passion in that.
5. It's only a mistake f we have a nett loss at the end of trading and drafting.

If hanners gets back to his AA form, it will be worse than the Mitchell trade.