Tweet
I can hear it creaking shut.
Discuss.
Discuss.
-
Wild speculation, unsubstantiated rumours, silly jokes and opposition delight in another's failures is what makes an internet forum fun.
Blessed are the cracked for they are the ones who let in the light. -
We will need our NEAFL best players to step up and carry the load. We can hope they bring that can do attitude and do their job. Never say never...
(and the wind is blowing in that direction. Hope is changes soon has entered my mind.) -
Possibly.....depends on what happens at this seasons end with trading. Our 'out's' are as important as our 'in's'......time for a bit of a clean out of excess cattle and some targeted trading.Comment
-
no...The difference between insanity and genius is measured only in success.Comment
-
No such thing, as the Tigers and Bulldogs have recently shown us.Comment
-
Don't think so, probably need a bit of a re-tool but that is already in progressComment
-
It will shut when Buddy starts to slow down, which is a year or two away yet.
We are a 3-6th side, we just need a good run with injuries and form to snatch it.Comment
-
I think we are likely baked for this year - though plenty of time to go yet. Too many critical injuries mounting up and will make it difficult.
I remain very optimistic though of the near to medium future. While we have stalwarts on the way out at one end of the spectrum, we are collecting a fantastic wedge of Cygnets to replenish our list and take us forward for the next charge.
The development of the forward line post-Buddy is well underway, some midfield options are coming through, and a reasonable spine defensively is starting to take shape. It'll take some further good hits from the draft, and perhaps some canny trading over the next couple of seasons, but I can't see us bottoming out any further than the bottom of the 8 (Assuming we make finals this year - which in theory is not a given given our injury toll) over the next season or 2. Our ongoing regeneration keeps plugging away in the background while the AFL media gets fixated on 'LLLLLOOOOOYYYYYDDDDD' and 'Buddy' and whatever else takes their short attention spans for interest at any particular time."You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."Comment
-
Think we've been rebuilding on the run for a couple of years now. We should appreciate how consistent the Swans have been given the turnover that's happened. A lot of young talent coming through, but a number of players falling off a cliff ahead of schedule. Hanners in particular.
Right now we have issues:
Our midfield has gone from a strength to a weakness.
Forward line is a huge problem in the absence of Reid, we are playing the youngest player in the AFL as our 2nd tall.
And the ruck is one injury from disaster.
I don't think we are a chance this year given the injuries to Reid, Melican and McVeigh. Upside is that this creates yet more opportunity for younger players.
Feel like the Swans need to be much more active in the trade this year. Plus it would be great if Blakey doesn't take all of our draft picks this year.
Going to be an interesting October. I don't think the window is closed, but when you compare us to Richmond, there is some ground to make up in both personnel and gameplanComment
-
I don't think the medium term picture changes that much despite the premiership door all but shut for us this year.
The main concerns are:
- Will Reid and Melican make successful returns from recent injuries and have a better run with injury in the future?
- Will Hannebery get back to close to his best?
- Will Matthew Ling prove to be worthy of his 1st round pick, or will we forever regret not taking Ed Richards?
- Will AJ make a successful return to AFL football?
- Will Dawson, O'Riordan, Stoddart and Amartey become AFL regulars?
- Will we sign FA Luke Dahlhaus? Are we even considering him?
I think our list is quite solid with a good demographic. We are the same as every club regarding how things go on the injury front. We have a lot of young players who still need to prove their ability to play senior footy over the long haul.
We have drafted the kind of players who should enable us to transition to the kind of game which should be successful, but there are far too many unknowns to guarantee anything.Comment
-
Firstly, he's a Restricted Free Agent, which means that we don't have to trade for him. We just have to make an offer that WB won't match.
I've always like Dahlhaus. He plays a fearless (Swanslike) kind of football, has very good pace and evasiveness, tackles well and can kick goals. He also has the versatility to play forward, back or in the midfield. He's also very consistent and reliable. He's hardly missed a game in the past 6 years.Comment
Comment