Predictions for Season 2022

[Aprilbr]

I watched the Brisbane v Bulldogs practice game last night and felt that those two teams are probably still a step ahead of us. Many players for both in their absolute prime. So breaking into the top 4 will be tough when you consider Port and Melbourne are also full of players at their peak. I think a finish between 5 and 8 is our most likely scenario.

[Auntie.Gerald]

The hard thing to get a sense of right now is the development of teams circling the top8 and or top4

The Swans were an amazing example of that in 2021........it was very hard to see the Swans only 2 wins behind Melb and Port last year.

I am quite bullish on the GWS list as I under estimated their depth of talls they now have developed, drafted and or attracted via smart trades.

The Bears, Dogs, Melbourne, GWS, Port and Tigers probably have better top22 player lists than us right now...........that doesnt mean we dont have strong upside in emerging players.

It also doesnt mean we cant make the top6.

I know we deliberately were testing our contested ball footy the first 2 qtrs and driving it long and fast in the trial intra last week vs GWS........ugly to watch but necessary for us to really really test our contested footy in that trial against GWS so we know where we are at in a semi style dog fight game.

Sadly we are a long way behind to be honest.......i loved our bravery but we were a long way off GWS

What does that mean vs other top6 teams only time will tell in 2022.

To hard to call for me.......i think we are top7 but i hope top6

Top4 will come down to injuries for us and other top teams

[i'm-uninformed2]

Brownlow Medal: JMac
Norm Smith: JMac
B&F: JMac
AA: JMac
Player most likely to score a goal and run past every single team mate demanding a high five: JMac

[Ludwig]

Brownlow Medal: JMac
Norm Smith: JMac
B&F: JMac
AA: JMac
Player most likely to score a goal and run past every single team mate demanding a high five: JMac

You could be right. I can see a big year coming for Jackson Macrae.

[i'm-uninformed2]

You could be right. I can see a big year coming for Jackson Macrae.

I certainly wouldn't have picked you as part of the whole Mac/Mc nanny state thing doing the rounds on here.

[Bloods05]

I certainly wouldn't have picked you as part of the whole Mac/Mc nanny state thing doing the rounds on here.

"Nanny state"??? It's a simple matter of clear communication.

[i'm-uninformed2]

"Nanny state"??? It's a simple matter of clear communication.

Who else am I possibly talking about?

There is only one JMac. He's a damn fine young player who I'm seriously high on and have consistently raved about on here. And after watching him on the weekend, my post might have been a little cheeky, but not preposterous.

Any other imitators are poor substitutes. I mean, can you imagine Jackson Macrae, who is part of a team of cheats who deserve to be wooden spooners forever, being talked up on here like that, or doing a lap of all his team mates, strutting over the ground, collecting high fives? No, it defies logic.

What next? Accusing me of leaving people confused as to whether I'm talking the great Justin McInerney, or the Brisbane ruckman (who as an aside, was the nephew of a friend and I saw play as an 11yo, though he was a bit shorter then). Honestly.

[Bloods05]

Who else am I possibly talking about?

There is only one JMac. He's a damn fine young player who I'm seriously high on and have consistently raved about on here. And after watching him on the weekend, my post might have been a little cheeky, but not preposterous.

Any other imitators are poor substitutes. I mean, can you imagine Jackson Macrae, who is part of a team of cheats who deserve to be wooden spooners forever, being talked up on here like that, or doing a lap of all his team mates, strutting over the ground, collecting high fives? No, it defies logic.

What next? Accusing me of leaving people confused as to whether I'm talking the great Justin McInerney, or the Brisbane ruckman (who as an aside, was the nephew of a friend and I saw play as an 11yo, though he was a bit shorter then). Honestly.

JMac is OK. Buddy is OK. The concern that was expressed was about the routine use of nicknames and abbreviations that may or may not be well-known even to Swans supporters. Personally I find that in-crowd, faux-insider stuff irritating and unnecessary, perhaps even a bit self-important, and clearly I'm not alone.

[bloodspirit]

JMac is OK. Buddy is OK. The concern that was expressed was about the routine use of nicknames and abbreviations that may or may not be well-known even to Swans supporters. Personally I find that in-crowd, faux-insider stuff irritating and unnecessary, perhaps even a bit self-important, and clearly I'm not alone.

I doubt I'm one of the worse offenders but, to the extent that I am, it's just laziness not hubris.

[Thunder Shaker]

I watched the Brisbane v Bulldogs practice game last night and felt that those two teams are probably still a step ahead of us. Many players for both in their absolute prime. So breaking into the top 4 will be tough when you consider Port and Melbourne are also full of players at their peak. I think a finish between 5 and 8 is our most likely scenario.

Last year, we missed the top four only by percentage.

[bloodspirit]

Yeah, our window is open now. It may only have just opened but hopefully it will stay open for a while to come. The point is: we are a contender right now. There are a lot of other good teams in the hunt and a lot of things will have to go right for us to finish top 4, let alone win the flag, but we are ready to legitimately aim for nothing less than the premiership. On our day we can beat any team. If our youth keep building on the promise they have shown, this year is not too soon! We can aim to emulate the Hawks in 2008 where they got their first flag 'ahead of time' and while many of their stars were still pretty young.

[SwanSand]

Yeah, our window is open now. It may only have just opened but hopefully it will stay open for a while to come. The point is: we are a contender right now. .

We are excellent in my departments but as always lack in a few and how we cover it will determine if we take the next step.

Injuries always play a big role come September.
Addition of Paddy McCartin means we can handle the opposition big forwards now. Our defence looks good. Loss of Dawson is going to be huge but I reckon we can cover him.
Forward line is alright.
Contested possessions and handling big bodied midfielders are the other problems we have. I reckon if we get good at this through the year our ceiling is higher because of exquisite disposal skills of some our players and high work rate of our endurance specialists and in general.

[707]

I doubt I'm one of the worse offenders but, to the extent that I am, it's just laziness not hubris.

I for one would appreciate the cessation of the stupid Mc abbreviations, I find myself having to stop reading the post and think about who the player being written about actually is! Just type a few more letters please for the players christian name. Maybe I'm a bit slow of mind or aged but it detracts from my enjoyment on here and I think a few others have made similar requests.

[Blood Relative]

I for one would appreciate the cessation of the stupid Mc abbreviations, I find myself having to stop reading the post and think about who the player being written about actually is! Just type a few more letters please for the players christian name. Maybe I'm a bit slow of mind or aged but it detracts from my enjoyment on here and I think a few others have made similar requests.

Here,here!

[Aprilbr]

The Herald Sun has just released Robbo's top 50. Only 2 Swans make it - Buddy at 11 and Mills well into the 40s. No Heeney, Parker, Paps, Lloyd etc. Underestimating us, I think.