Pre-season begins

[707]

Roberts played most of last season in the senior South Adelaide SANFL side so should be well advanced. I think he'll prove to be a smart recruiting decision.

[TheBloods]

Gut feel but i reckon Corey warner wont make it , reminds me of Leonardis a bit . Hope he proves me wrong and if he works hard enough he can , god knows Leonardis didn 't

Not sure about Rankin either , going to need to put a lot of meat on , looks tiny and not in a Gulden way

[i'm-uninformed2]

Good to see a nice piece in The Age today (won't link as it seems to stuff up threads) on young guns poised to rise in 2022, with JMac singled out as the Swan to watch.

I've said before that I think based on performance, he's the clubhouse leader of our 22yo-and-under players, with maybe McCartin next. They make the point his numbers rose further when he went into defence later in the year as part of the juggle involving he who shall not be named, Blakey's injury, etc.

But for me: he's an All-Australian winger in the makings and should start there.

It's not that he can't do a job in defence. He can, because everything he does is terrific and we even saw in the match against Essendon he can go into the centre square and make a big contribution. And our players are becoming more flexible, and we're a better team for it. I just think his best will come from starting as a winger.

Anyway, he started to get some kudos from astute footy types last year, and let's hope his rise continues.

[TheBloods]

Good to see a nice piece in The Age today (won't link as it seems to stuff up threads) on young guns poised to rise in 2022, with JMac singled out as the Swan to watch.

I've said before that I think based on performance, he's the clubhouse leader of our 22yo-and-under players, with maybe McCartin next. They make the point his numbers rose further when he went into defence later in the year as part of the juggle involving he who shall not be named, Blakey's injury, etc.

But for me: he's an All-Australian winger in the makings and should start there.

It's not that he can't do a job in defence. He can, because everything he does is terrific and we even saw in the match against Essendon he can go into the centre square and make a big contribution. And our players are becoming more flexible, and we're a better team for it. I just think his best will come from starting as a winger.

Anyway, he started to get some kudos from astute footy types last year, and let's hope his rise continues.

He is already a star and will finish his career a superstar , hopefully still in the red and white

[bloodspirit]

I am also dubious about Corey without really being able to articulate my reasons. (Pretty sure I have already mentioned more than once that I would have preferred we drafted someone like Arlo Draper.) I am suspicious about how much winning the loyalty of the Warners was a factor - it was referenced as a relevant but not key consideration in an interview - I think by KB but I can't remember now.

I think Rankin is not close to ready for AFL now and so it is necessarily a bit speculative but I am optimistic for him.

I agree that Matty Roberts seems closest to being ready to play AFL and I was calling for us to draft him pre-draft (potentially even with our first pick!). He has been one of the top players in his age cohort for years and slipped quite a long way on draft night. He was consistently rated top 20 across a lot of pre-draft rankings and form guides and had been considered top 10 if not top 5 at certain stages. He already has significant senior experience and is quite versatile, which will help him to get a debut. I think Sheldrick ultimately deserved to be picked ahead of Roberts and looks evenmore promising but perhaps not quite as ready to go. Still, even assuming I'm right, Gus could still overtake Roberts and beat him to a debut.

****

BTW, SeanM can you reconfirm that it was yesterday (Wednesday) you watched training. According to the club website the club trained at Lakeside on Tuesday as well and it seems surprising they would have trained there three consecutive days when normally they only train there on alternative days.

[stevoswan]

Gut feel but i reckon Corey warner wont make it , reminds me of Leonardis a bit . Hope he proves me wrong and if he works hard enough he can , god knows Leonardis didn 't

Not sure about Rankin either , going to need to put a lot of meat on , looks tiny and not in a Gulden way

Are you trying to upset RWO's one man Warner fawn club, sorry fan club, TB?

[Scottee]

Gut feel but i reckon Corey warner wont make it , reminds me of Leonardis a bit . Hope he proves me wrong and if he works hard enough he can , god knows Leonardis didn 't

Not sure about Rankin either , going to need to put a lot of meat on , looks tiny and not in a Gulden way

Warner, a hard-running and smooth-moving wingman, recorded the best standing vertical jump result (76cm) of any prospects around the country, while he finished second in the running vertical jump (100cm), sixth in the 2km time trial (6:20) and eighth in the 20m sprint (2.969 seconds).

Not sure I agree with your assessment. He is a superb athlete and has footy smarts. Every chance he will make it.

Sent from my SM-T865 using Tapatalk

[liz]

I don't see the point in deciding - or announcing - that any young player will or won't make it before we've seen anything of them at AFL level. Especially that they won't.

Numbers tell us that fewer than half of players drafted will carve out a decent career, but, right now, they haven't even stepped up to the starting line.

What we do know is that at the Swans it doesn't matter whether you were the first player picked or the last, you will be given every opportunity if you earn it.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Great point Liz

And the weirdest thing in sport is timing

Kirky couldnt have better fallen on his feet when he came back to the swans the (3rd time) to get on the Snr list......this time style of footy and the coach couldn't have been more suited to what he could offer as a player.

Eade wanted none of it years prior.

Sport and life is so often a web of happenings rather than just a single event.

[Ludwig]

I don't see the point in deciding - or announcing - that any young player will or won't make it before we've seen anything of them at AFL level. Especially that they won't.

The point of an early call is that it increases the value of the "I Told You So" if you make the right call. It's really important for reputations built on vainglory.

[TheBloods]

Early call im guilty of now is it

Everyone must 've spoke glowingly about all the u18s in the lead up to the draft then !

[MattW]

I am back at work so not been to training since the first week. Got there Wednesday at 9.30am. It was already well underway.

- They were already doing the drill where 8 attackers work the ball past 5 opposing players using short kicks. I always like watching this drill because you see the players having to make decisions and execute their kick. The focus also seemed to be making leads into space to create a passing option.

- Next drill was the players lined up on the 4 points of a square, then ran and handballed to the opposite diagonal. Multiple balls in motion. Then they altered the drill to kicking towards the opposite diagonal.

- Next drill a kicking drill in a triangular direction. Ball kicked from the goal square to back pocket who kicks the ball inside to a player running in to have a shot at goal.

- Next a small match sim for maybe 20 minutes. Not as intense the ones I had seen previously. The attacking side would start with the ball in different scenarios and work it towards goal. Players would swap into the attacking side.

- Then a ball movement drill working the ball upfeld from the goal square using a few leading options.

- Split up into groups. Mids/Rucks were doing tap work from a ball up. Backs/Forwards were doing a 4 vs 4 drill. It was a long ball to 2 tall forwards in the goal square with 2 small forwards running in. Then they altered it to a long ball down the line to 2 tall forwards and the 2 smalls running in. Sometimes they would mix it up and have guys like McCartin or Gould play the tall forward role. During this time the 10 VFL players went off and did their own stuff as a group.

- At the end of the session players split up and did their own stuff. Papley was doing rapid short handballs to another player then quickly snapping for goal. Florent and Rowbottom were running a few laps around the oval together. Gulden and Wicks were doing contested marking against each other. McCartin and Reid were stepping back and forth between cones then kicking presumably to simulate kicking when not fully balanced. Few players were practicing picking up a rolling ground ball under the pressure of a tackle. Blakey, Stephens and Warner were doing leaping marks on Cox who was wearing a padded bag.

I think most of the squad were there. There were only 2 players I don't remember seeing. There were 6 players doing light skill stuff on the side Ladhams, Sinclair, McAndrew, Heeney, Roberts and Sheldrick. Hayward was doing a lot of boundary running. Sheather, Mills and Franklin were doing straight line running on the side. Though later Franklin was doing a 1 on 1 leading and marking against one of the coaches and joined in the ball movement drill.

- Of the new draftees Rankins was the only one training fully today. He looked promising for a late draft pick. In the kicking drill at the start of the session, he seemed comfortable kicking to an open player inside. And trying different types of kicks like kicking off the side of the foot Also very vocal in calling for the ball when he is in space. Seemed to be positioned in defence in the match sim and was marking the small forwards in the 4 vs 4 drill.

These training reports are the only reason I'm visiting the site this month. Thanks!

[MattW]

Warner, a hard-running and smooth-moving wingman, recorded the best standing vertical jump result (76cm) of any prospects around the country, while he finished second in the running vertical jump (100cm), sixth in the 2km time trial (6:20) and eighth in the 20m sprint (2.969 seconds).

Not sure I agree with your assessment. He is a superb athlete and has footy smarts. Every chance he will make it.

Sent from my SM-T865 using Tapatalk

Yeah. Difficult to credit a definitive view on a player that hasn't played a game.

[SeanM]

BTW, SeanM can you reconfirm that it was yesterday (Wednesday) you watched training. According to the club website the club trained at Lakeside on Tuesday as well and it seems surprising they would have trained there three consecutive days when normally they only train there on alternative days.

Yes it was Wednesday morning.

[royboy42]

Early call im guilty of now is it

Everyone must 've spoke glowingly about all the u18s in the lead up to the draft then !

Everyone is entitled to comment here.
Even if they see themselves as persecuted.