Team Selection R1 v Bulldogs

[Melbourne_Blood]

Based on who played and who didn't play in the NEAFL practice match, my guess is that COR, Thurlow, Dawson and Clarke are all in the side. If Buddy plays, then Blakey doesn't. Florent, Ronke and Melican are vying for the final spot in the squad.

It's sad about the Bulldogs loss of Dale Morris to an ACL injury. He seems like a great guy. It does however put pressure on their KPPs at both ends of the ground. I can't see us playing both Reg and Melican for this game, although they might be handy the following week v. Adelaide.

Generally speaking, Allir, Thurlow and Rampe, plus either Reg or Melican should suffice to cover tall forwards against most sides.

The fact that we are having selection problems early in the season should be a good sign. I hope it holds up till September.

I agree most of us on here seem to be struggling to fit everyone into the team. It’s a young side and a lot of unproven performers , but there does seem ( to us at least) to be some depth there. That’s exciting .


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[baskin]

I did it myself, Liz is correct, 5 & 5, Buddy, Mills, Heeney, Macca & Blakey, think I counted Blakey at 10 in the wrong category.

This list is where they were originally drafted, that they came to us for very little doesn't affect the purpose of my analysis.

GWS still at 12 & 10 is staggering considering how many top 10 and top 20 picks have been traded out by them in recent years.

It shouldn't be a surprise 707. Every time they trade a high draft player out they get a high draft pick back again. This could go on for a long time to come.

[Blood Fever]

Based on who played and who didn't play in the NEAFL practice match, my guess is that COR, Thurlow, Dawson and Clarke are all in the side. If Buddy plays, then Blakey doesn't. Florent, Ronke and Melican are vying for the final spot in the squad.

It's sad about the Bulldogs loss of Dale Morris to an ACL injury. He seems like a great guy. It does however put pressure on their KPPs at both ends of the ground. I can't see us playing both Reg and Melican for this game, although they might be handy the following week v. Adelaide.

Generally speaking, Allir, Thurlow and Rampe, plus either Reg or Melican should suffice to cover tall forwards against most sides.

The fact that we are having selection problems early in the season should be a good sign. I hope it holds up till September.

Florent a certainty if fit - potential jet!

[S.S. Bleeder]

Going the early call for Round 1 selection. On the cautionary side that both Buddy & Menzel don't come up, here's my prediction:

B: Thurlow Grundy Allir (2nd Ruck)
HB: Lloyd Rampe McVeigh
C: Florent Kennedy Jones
HF: Hewitt Dawson Heeney
FF: Ronke Reid Papely
R: Sinclair Parker Mills

Int: Clarke, Cunningham, Blakey, Hayward

Emerg: Fox, O'Roirdan, McInerney, Melican

Melican looked rusty in the JLT & needs time in NEAFL to polish up.
Same with McCartin who missed JLT.
Jack needs to prove himself in NEAFL as he is no longer an auto selection.

Aliir in back pocket? I put him on the flank a month ago and you and a few others ridiculed me.

[Blood Relative]

Assuming we will be without Smith, Lance & Menzel. I can't see mc veigh playing more than 10-14 games with his calf history, so, will imo, only play home games.

I am not too fussy about the position they are named in as it doesn't mean much these days. Round 1

B: cor, grundy, rampe
HB: lloyd, aliir, thurlow
C: harry, jones, florent
HF: hayward, reid, dawson
F: ronke, fox, parker
R: sinclair heeney hewitt
I: kennedy, parker, papley, clarke

[liz]

Assuming we will be without Smith, Lance & Menzel. I can't see mc veigh playing more than 10-14 games with his calf history, so, will imo, only play home games.

I am not too fussy about the position they are named in as it doesn't mean much these days. Round 1

B: cor, grundy, rampe
HB: lloyd, aliir, thurlow
C: harry, jones, florent
HF: hayward, reid, dawson
F: ronke, fox, parker
R: sinclair heeney hewitt
I: kennedy, parker, papley, clarke

I agree named positions don't mean much, but I can close to guarantee that the Swans won't name their opening side with either Parker or Kennedy on the interchange bench.

Actually, you seem to have Parker on both the bench and in the starting 18, which indicates you can pick another player for your team. Mills, maybe, since he is close to a guaranteed starter (assuming no gutter mishaps in the next week).

I also think the chances of Fox being named are pretty small, even more so at FF. If Buddy isn't available, Blakey is likely to get a chance.

I also disagree with you on McVeigh - at least insofar as him only playing home games. I agree there is a reasonable chance he will succumb to injury at some point during the year but he doesn't appear to be injured right now, and hence must be close to a certainty to line up against the Dogs. Taking Fox out is one way of getting McVeigh into the side (rather than Blakey).

[Blood Relative]

Ok, begrudgingly ill drop one of my Parkers for Mills...but Fox stays.

[ernie koala]

B: Rampe, Grundy , McVeigh
HB: Mills, Aliir , Lloyd
C: Jones, Kennedy, Florent
HF: Papley, Reid, Dawson
F: Ronke, McCartin, Hayward

Foll:, Sinclair, Parker, Heeney

I/C: Hewett, Cunningham, Clarke, O'Riordan

EMERG: Blakey, Melican, Thurlow

I'm assuming McCartin is fully fit.
Aliir and/or Reid to pinch hit in the ruck.
Rampe may play CHB depending on matchups and O'Riordan in the BP.
----------------

[Markwebbos]

It looks like the Age also sees Aliir in the ruck as more than a stopgap solution:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/franklin-still-uncertain-for-swans-round-one-clash-with-bulldogs-20190316-p514rt.html

"The Swans showed their ruck hand in the preseason with Aliir Aliir filling in despite being one of the league's leading intercept marks in defence in the second half of last year."

[Captain]

I think Buddy will get up.

Very surprised if this isn't our round 1 team:

Melican Grundy Thurlow
McVeigh Rampe Lloyd
Jones Kennedy Mills
Papley Reid Cunningham
Dawson Franklin Haywood
Sinclair Parker Heeney
Aliir Clarke Florent Hewett
Emer: Ronke O'Riordan Blakey

[caj23]

It looks like the Age also sees Aliir in the ruck as more than a stopgap solution:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/franklin-still-uncertain-for-swans-round-one-clash-with-bulldogs-20190316-p514rt.html

"The Swans showed their ruck hand in the preseason with Aliir Aliir filling in despite being one of the league's leading intercept marks in defence in the second half of last year."

I would imagine its only a temporary solution until we have some fit rucks, or at least Sinclair and Naismith at a minimum

[mcs]

It looks like the Age also sees Aliir in the ruck as more than a stopgap solution:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/franklin-still-uncertain-for-swans-round-one-clash-with-bulldogs-20190316-p514rt.html

"The Swans showed their ruck hand in the preseason with Aliir Aliir filling in despite being one of the league's leading intercept marks in defence in the second half of last year."

Or its simply a reflection of us being short of rucks at the current time.... but a simple answer like that doesn't quite create a story.

[liz]

Or its simply a reflection of us being short of rucks at the current time.... but a simple answer like that doesn't quite create a story.

AA was a pleasant surprise in the ruck last weekend, and shows he might be a pinch hit ruckman if we need one. But he did get very badly beaten at hit-outs. His value came because a combination of his efforts and those of the midfielders managed to make it a ground level competition for first possession.

I think Witts is a reasonably talented footballer and he's clearly pretty tall, even by ruckman standards. I suspect he's not the smartest ruckman going around, though. Put Aliir up against someone like Gawn, who is very tall, highly talented AND pretty smart (at least in a football sense) and he'd get trounced. Gawn would find a way to feed midfielders standing a little further away and the Dees would have the ball in their forward 50 before you can blink.

What the AA ruck "experiment" did suggest, however, was that maybe AA could occasionally be used as a ruck rover in the Goodes mould. Not regularly, but just occasionally, to change things up. He showed surprising agility at ground level and some of his close-in handballing was very good too.

[Ralph Dawg]

Here's my crack at R1 for what it's worth (most probably not much seeing as it's Monday!):

B Rampe Grundy O'Riordan
HB McVeigh Aliir Lloyd
C Jones Mills Cunningham
HF Parker Reid Papley
F Hayward Franklin Hewett
Foll Sinclair Heeney Kennedy
Int Florent Clarke Blakey Dawson

I really like Parker up forward. Such a good mark and accurate kick. JPK is another in that category and would be good to see him do well in a new role. All dependent on our young on ballers stepping up but we do need more avenues to goal to be competitive. Ronke is my out - he has been out of sorts for too long now and needs some NEAFL time.

[Swansongster]

Ok, begrudgingly ill drop one of my Parkers for Mills...but Fox stays.

Based on some of the form I saw in pre-season games, I'd be happy with three Parkers.