2019 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[Auntie.Gerald]

I think from memory DFA can join a club as at 1st nov

I’m guessing that with our late delistings as at yest, we may have one or two players in mind to join us ?

[Auntie.Gerald]

Sam Gray 50 game milestone highlights - PTV - portadelaidefc.com.au

[bloodspirit]

Sam Gray 50 game milestone highlights - PTV - portadelaidefc.com.au

Great highlights package! Those goals from the game where scored he first his first goal at AFL level! Especially the second one! Brilliant. That got me a bit excited.

[Markwebbos]

If we do pick him up to go along with Taylor, that's a pretty handy pair of small quick players for virtually nothing.

Random thoughts:

*Can both of them have a run through midfield to add a bit of speed?
*I'm hoping they've been recruited to order by Stevie J because he knows he can bring out the best in them as players
*I wonder why Port refused to offer Gray more than a one year deal?
*Will having Taylor and (without being too presumptuous) Gray alongside Papley reduce the Bunyip boy's future trade currency?

[Auntie.Gerald]

I remember hearing Simon Darymple earlier in the year talk about exit speed from contests and how testing is done in this area Re lateral movement from contests etc

The smaller players tend to exude this quality

When we watch the tigers 17/18/19 and dogs 2016 swarm ahead of the contest and play on I suppose we have been looking more and more at our midfield / forward pocket rotations and to increase our capacity to flood forward from a midfield contest etc

I agree sam gray and Taylor fit that bill and can both get goals up front and are good pressure smalls in locking in the game upfront

Paps, gray and Taylor rotation makes it much tougher for opposition teams to tag as well because they are all very high score involvement players but can kick goals

[Blood Fever]

I remember hearing Simon Darymple earlier in the year talk about exit speed from contests and how testing is done in this area Re lateral movement from contests etc

The smaller players tend to exude this quality

When we watch the tigers 17/18/19 and dogs 2016 swarm ahead of the contest and play on I suppose we have been looking more and more at our midfield / forward pocket rotations and to increase our capacity to flood forward from a midfield contest etc

I agree sam gray and Taylor fit that bill and can both get goals up front and are good pressure smalls in locking in the game upfront

Paps, gray and Taylor rotation makes it much tougher for opposition teams to tag as well because they are all very high score involvement players but can kick goals

Our exit speed from contests is our biggest problem. Kenndey, Parker and Hewitt need guys around them with pace. Anything to rectify this is good. If we don't improve in this area, top 4 well beyond reach.

[Markwebbos]

One question is what we do with Kennedy, Parker and Hewett if we want to have a quicker midfield? Having at least one of them playing FWD or on the bench at any time would allow space for one quicker player e.g. Florent. But that leaves 2 out of 3 at a centre bounce being plodders.

Do they bite the bullet in 2020 and move Kennedy out of the midfield, a la Burgoyne in a break glass / 4th quarter only role? That would leave just Parker and Hewett and if only one of those two attended any centre bounces, we'd have room for 2 quicker players. Admittedly they'd have to be able to win the clearance, and that's not been a huge strength of ours ... So that's the challenge of 2020 for me. How to become both a better clearance team and have faster onballers.

[bloodspirit]

A less optimistic thought: have we perhaps turned to Gray as a plan B because Bennell didn't work out (whether he chose someone else or we decided it was a risk we weren't interested in taking)?

[Markwebbos]

A less optimistic thought: have we perhaps turned to Gray as a plan B because Bennell didn't work out (whether he chose someone else or we decided it was a risk we weren't interested in taking)?

Maybe. Whoever takes Bennell it's going to be a long shot.

[Blood Fever]

One question is what we do with Kennedy, Parker and Hewett if we want to have a quicker midfield? Having at least one of them playing FWD or on the bench at any time would allow space for one quicker player e.g. Florent. But that leaves 2 out of 3 at a centre bounce being plodders.

Do they bite the bullet in 2020 and move Kennedy out of the midfield, a la Burgoyne in a break glass / 4th quarter only role? That would leave just Parker and Hewett and if only one of those two attended any centre bounces, we'd have room for 2 quicker players. Admittedly they'd have to be able to win the clearance, and that's not been a huge strength of ours ... So that's the challenge of 2020 for me. How to become both a better clearance team and have faster onballers.

Good question. Having a ruckman (Naismith) get first hand on the ball would be a help in terms of anticipation. Hewitt played well as a forward when he first came into the team and Kennedy has done well there at times. Not sure it helps us locking the ball in. Depends on how you use rotations I guess. We definitely need more speed in there.

[Melbourne_Blood]

I think the apparent Gray interest , assuming it is true , points to Paps potentially spending a fair bit more time in the midfield. Perhaps most of his time. With Jones leaving we do lose a lot of drive and explosiveness so it makes sense. There was a stat getting thrown around during trade week ( which I can’t recall exactly ) but apparently some of our best centre clearance numbers occurred when Paps was starting in the middle for us this year. Not sure what his tank is like, I think he could be a star as an explosive midfielder though , which is more valuable / rarer than a gun small forward.

[Nico]

Our exit speed from contests is our biggest problem. Kenndey, Parker and Hewitt need guys around them with pace. Anything to rectify this is good. If we don't improve in this area, top 4 well beyond reach.

Centre clearances anyone?

[Blood Fever]

[QUOTE=Nico;788890]Centre clearances anyone?[/QUOTE)


Lack of foot speed impacts these as well

- - - Updated - - -

I think the apparent Gray interest , assuming it is true , points to Paps potentially spending a fair bit more time in the midfield. Perhaps most of his time. With Jones leaving we do lose a lot of drive and explosiveness so it makes sense. There was a stat getting thrown around during trade week ( which I can’t recall exactly ) but apparently some of our best centre clearance numbers occurred when Paps was starting in the middle for us this year. Not sure what his tank is like, I think he could be a star as an explosive midfielder though , which is more valuable / rarer than a gun small forward.

Top 5 goal kicking small forward in the game. Leave his role as it is- pinch hitting in midfield plus @40 goals per year.

[Markwebbos]

Damian Barrett has changed his tune! A selection from the piece below.

BARRETT: The inside story of the Daniher debacle - AFL.com.au

Daniher was in Sydney to receive treatment from a medical specialist highly regarded in the NRL industry. Swans champion Buddy Franklin had also been treated by this specialist. The catch-up with Harley, with whom he had developed a special rapport in 2011 when part of the Australian Institute of Sport squad - which also included Stephen Coniglio, Adam Treloar, Luke Parker and Jeremy Cameron – was a casual one.

Harley genuinely felt the meeting was nothing more than a coffee with a person who saw him as a mentor. As he has observed privately in the months since, Harley regularly catches up with big name players from rival clubs, particularly some from the team at which he captained to two premierships, Geelong, as well as footballers from Greater Western Sydney, some of whom live near him in Balmain... Harley actually didn’t realise at the time of the July catch-up that he [Daniher] was desperate to leave Tullamarine, and the Swans, as well as Daniher's own management, had felt that any exit plans could wait until free agency applied at the end of 2020.

[Mel_C]

Damian Barrett has changed his tune! A selection from the piece below.

BARRETT: The inside story of the Daniher debacle - AFL.com.au

Barrett owes Harley and the Swans an apology the way he acted during the trade period. He basically called Harley a liar without knowing the facts. Amazing what happens if you do some investigation.