Covid 19 and footy - season (suspended) now resumed

[barry]

I think the reason hubs were initially abandoned by most codes was the sheer cost involved.
Right now the AFL would be close to losing money week by week. They at least need WA and SA teams back home.

[Meg]

Interesting issues in attached article including:

‘The AFL has officially scuppered Sydney's hopes of signing an emergency ruck recruit after informing clubs on Tuesday that there would be no mid-season draft or trade period this year.

Swans coach John Longmire had earlier flagged the concept of loan moves akin to the NRL - where rival clubs have offered players on a short-term basis to the injury-ravaged New Zealand Warriors - which could have alleviated his side's remarkable big-man injury crisis.

Although Longmire admitted he didn't think it would actually happen, the idea received support from his Greater Western Sydney counterpart Leon Cameron, who said it was "definitely worth exploring" given the circumstances of 2020.’

Swans high and dry by lack of draft, loans The AFL has quashed John Longmire's hopes of bolstering his injury-hit squad.

http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/swans-at-a-loss-with-no-mid-year-draft-no-loans-and-no-end-in-sight-to-injury-crisis-20200707-p559sd.html?btis

[Melbourne_Blood]

Covid 19 and footy - season (suspended) now resumed

Interesting issues in attached article including:

‘The AFL has officially scuppered Sydney's hopes of signing an emergency ruck recruit after informing clubs on Tuesday that there would be no mid-season draft or trade period this year.

Swans coach John Longmire had earlier flagged the concept of loan moves akin to the NRL - where rival clubs have offered players on a short-term basis to the injury-ravaged New Zealand Warriors - which could have alleviated his side's remarkable big-man injury crisis.

Although Longmire admitted he didn't think it would actually happen, the idea received support from his Greater Western Sydney counterpart Leon Cameron, who said it was "definitely worth exploring" given the circumstances of 2020.’

Swans high and dry by lack of draft, loans The AFL has quashed John Longmire's hopes of bolstering his injury-hit squad.
http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/s...59sd.html?btis

Boo hoo , we had the same ruck issues last year. Had a whole trade period , drafts etc. to try and fix it and did nothing. No point whinging now .

Meaning Longmire and the swans , not yourself .
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[Mr Magoo]

Boo hoo , we had the same ruck issues last year. Had a whole trade period , drafts etc. to try and fix it and did nothing. No point whinging now .

Meaning Longmire and the swans , not yourself .
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the club probably thought at that time - we have Naismith, Sinclair, Knoll, McLean and Amartey. Sure not in the class of grundy et all but serviceable and Naismith at that time had played a NEAFL game to end the year and looked to have recovered finally. Who would predict that ALL of those guys would go down injured , sure you could have said that Naismiths a risk but not pretty much all five.

As to trading in, Im not sure who was realistically on the market but at best it would have been a second or third tier big man elsewhere that probably didnt seem any more promising then the guys above.

[Melbourne_Blood]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the club probably thought at that time - we have Naismith, Sinclair, Knoll, McLean and Amartey. Sure not in the class of grundy et all but serviceable and Naismith at that time had played a NEAFL game to end the year and looked to have recovered finally. Who would predict that ALL of those guys would go down injured , sure you could have said that Naismiths a risk but not pretty much all five.

As to trading in, Im not sure who was realistically on the market but at best it would have been a second or third tier big man elsewhere that probably didnt seem any more promising then the guys above.

I completely disagree ! We had this EXACT issue last year, they had the chance to address it and they didn’t.

Only 2 of those you list are recognised AFL Ruckmen. One is a big hearted battler but not a great ‘ruckmen’ in terms of tap outs / taps to advantage etc. The other averages around 4 games a season over his 7 year career.

Knoll was speculative and Amartey gets thrown around from Ruck to forward to back as I understand it, and is yet to prove he’s worthy of a debut in any of those positions . They preferred Allir over giving him a go last year.

We could have had a crack at any number of second or third stringers. Either of Pittonet or Preuss would be mighty handy right now, I’m sure there are several others in the right age group and height profile that could have done a job for us this year in the ( high) likelihood that Naismith doesn’t last the season.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mr Magoo]

I completely disagree ! We had this EXACT issue last year, they had the chance to address it and they didn’t.

Only 2 of those you list are recognised AFL Ruckmen. One is a big hearted battler but not a great ‘ruckmen’ in terms of tap outs / taps to advantage etc. The other averages around 4 games a season over his 7 year career.

Knoll was speculative and Amartey gets thrown around from Ruck to forward to back as I understand it, and is yet to prove he’s worthy of a debut in any of those positions . They preferred Allir over giving him a go last year.

We could have had a crack at any number of second or third stringers. Either of Pittonet or Preuss would be mighty handy right now, I’m sure there are several others in the right age group and height profile that could have done a job for us this year in the ( high) likelihood that Naismith doesn’t last the season.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Didnt we bring in McLean and Knoll ?. Im sure that was done so for that very reason. I think at the time they had faith that Naismith was on the mend so all they needed was a possible stopgap to help Sinclair and then this year Naismith would be available.

Maybe also consider that salary caps and other restriants might have prevented any play on anyone considered even half decent ?

In addition , if we wanted a decent ruckman , we would have had to give up someone pretty reasonable to do so and really we were limited as to who we could give up.

What does suprise me is that we didnt go to the draft for one in all our draft picks but maybe the longer play is that they saw someone being available at the end of this year. With Papley likely to go and their draft selections already set around Campbell and Gulden , they thought that a bigger play would be more appropriate at the end of this year when the team around that ruckman had developed a further year.

Or maybe your right and they just stuffed up.

[neilfws]

Likewise. I'm enjoying the season and it's weird quirks. Have actually been to two games and am planning to go to the
Suns-Demons game at Giant Stadium on Saturday if we can get tickets with some Melbourne supporting friends (yes,
they exist in Sydney). Watching games where you a neutral is always so much more relaxing anyway.

So true! I went to Giants v Tigers a couple of years ago and it was the most relaxed I've ever been at a game. Would be great to see Cats v Lions at the SCG this week, but no chance of that.

I'm struggling to enjoy this season, since so much of the fun in footy is going to it. And I don't feel like the premiership really means much this year - can't see at this stage how grand final day can be anything like normal. But I'm glad they're keeping going. The financial implications of a cancelled season would be horrendous. Likely goodbye to AFLW, much community footy and who knows what else.

[Ludwig]

The Swans can't afford the medical costs of carrying more ruckmen on the list.

This has always been my number 1 argument about ruckmen. There is a ridiculous amount of focus on one of 18 positions on the ground. It is simply an assiduous approach to catastrophic (in football terms) risk aversion to find an alternative to the standard ruck setup. If a club strategically plans for an alternative to winning the hitouts at stoppages, a game plan can be developed around this. But now we're stuck without a ruckman and not a plan what to do about it.

But instead of an alternative game plan, we have our annual excuse for why we get killed at stoppages. You would think we would learn by now, but it seems not. The ruckman saga has become ritualized at the Swans.

I would love to have Sam Naismith lead the Swans in the ruck for 10 years. That would be great. Pleasant dreams.

[KTigers]

So true! I went to Giants v Tigers a couple of years ago and it was the most relaxed I've ever been at a game. Would be great to see Cats v Lions at the SCG this week, but no chance of that.

I'm struggling to enjoy this season, since so much of the fun in footy is going to it. And I don't feel like the premiership really means much this year - can't see at this stage how grand final day can be anything like normal. But I'm glad they're keeping going. The financial implications of a cancelled season would be horrendous. Likely goodbye to AFLW, much community footy and who knows what else.

There are tickets available on the Ticketmaster site for the Collingwood-Hawthorn game at Giants Stadium on Friday night for a very
reasonable $30 per. You have to buy them in multiples of two in what they call "fan pods". I think this means you have to sit with
your own partner, family or friends. Damn. Should be great opportunity for all the many fans on RWO of these two awesome clubs,
and maybe a chance to catch up with Eddie and Clarko at the coffee stand out the front and hear what they have planned for the
AFL in the future.

[snajik]

Perhaps this is the future of AFL. Collingwood versus Hawthorn. Over and over again. For ever.
I'm sure they've both entertained that option.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Interesting issues in attached article including:

‘The AFL has officially scuppered Sydney's hopes of signing an emergency ruck recruit after informing clubs on Tuesday that there would be no mid-season draft or trade period this year.

Swans coach John Longmire had earlier flagged the concept of loan moves akin to the NRL - where rival clubs have offered players on a short-term basis to the injury-ravaged New Zealand Warriors - which could have alleviated his side's remarkable big-man injury crisis.

Although Longmire admitted he didn't think it would actually happen, the idea received support from his Greater Western Sydney counterpart Leon Cameron, who said it was "definitely worth exploring" given the circumstances of 2020.’

Swans high and dry by lack of draft, loans The AFL has quashed John Longmire's hopes of bolstering his injury-hit squad.
http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/s...59sd.html?btis

Thanks Meg - and not just Horse, I think there might be others on RWO disappointed that there will be no return of . . . . . . DerickX

[barry]

Rumour is the grand old lady of Australian sport has the granny this year.
No RWO'er would be seen dead out there right comrades?

[Markwebbos]

Rumour is the grand old lady of Australian sport has the granny this year.
No RWO'er would be seen dead out there right comrades?

The Gabba?

[KTigers]

Rumour is the grand old lady of Australian sport has the granny this year.
No RWO'er would be seen dead out there right comrades?

The AFL has always been way more interested in selling two grand hospitality packages than the measly four hundred bucks
we have to pay to see a GF so it seems obvious that they'd be thinking about Sydney rather than elsewhere if it can't be
played in Melbourne with crowds. As Vic centric as they are, I don't think even they have the heart to play it in an empty
MCG with sponsor logos superimposed over the stands for the TV audience.

[707]

The AFL has always been way more interested in selling two grand hospitality packages than the measly four hundred bucks
we have to pay to see a GF so it seems obvious that they'd be thinking about Sydney rather than elsewhere if it can't be
played in Melbourne with crowds. As Vic centric as they are, I don't think even they have the heart to play it in an empty
MCG with sponsor logos superimposed over the stands for the TV audience.

Don't put anything past the VFL!