2023 List Management

[The Big Cat]

So you aren't bringing Papley and J Mac in? You would rather Crouch than either of those two?

You asked who’d go out of the side. Papley and McInerney aren’t in the side at the moment.

[Captain]

You asked who’d go out of the side. Papley and McInerney aren’t in the side at the moment.

I said next week. Clearly the assumption is next week Papley and J Mac are back. Not that hard to comprehend.

Rather than derailing the point, keen for you to answer the question on who Crouch would replace (assuming Papley and J Mac play). Does he replace someone in the best 22 or are we just getting him for depth?

[MattW]

Not relevant to the question of whether Crouch is a good idea (I'm not against recruiting him), but Wicks had a pretty decent outing last weekend. Played on Salem, kept him to a single possession in the first half (which was in the first few seconds of the match) and just 8 possessions for the whole match. Wicks's own possession count was similar to Salem's but he laid nine effect tackles and kicked a gutsy goal.

Yes. The 50m he gave away for their first goal was pretty ordinary, but he did well to play effectively after that.

[MattW]

I said next week. Clearly the assumption is next week Papley and J Mac are back. Not that hard to comprehend.

Rather than derailing the point, keen for you to answer the question on who Crouch would replace (assuming Papley and J Mac play). Does he replace someone in the best 22 or are we just getting him for depth?

It's an interesting question, because Papley and McInerney in for Clarke and Stephens is close to our best 22, and Sheldrick is missing too.

But the problem is that we're relying on Papley to win centre clearance. That would be Crouch's role, enabling Papley to play forward (and, of this 22, Amartey to move out).

Even if he would be depth, is that so bad? We have no depth, which is why we keep resorting to Clarke.

Crouch is still racking up serious numbers. He's an unrestricted free agent. I don't see the downside.

[The Big Cat]

I said next week. Clearly the assumption is next week Papley and J Mac are back. Not that hard to comprehend.

Rather than derailing the point, keen for you to answer the question on who Crouch would replace (assuming Papley and J Mac play). Does he replace someone in the best 22 or are we just getting him for depth?

Amartey out on last week's performance.

[Captain]

Amartey out on last week's performance.

Not really like for like though?

[Captain]

It's an interesting question, because Papley and McInerney in for Clarke and Stephens is close to our best 22, and Sheldrick is missing too.

But the problem is that we're relying on Papley to win centre clearance. That would be Crouch's role, enabling Papley to play forward (and, of this 22, Amartey to move out).

Even if he would be depth, is that so bad? We have no depth, which is why we keep resorting to Clarke.

Crouch is still racking up serious numbers. He's an unrestricted free agent. I don't see the downside.

Yeah totally get that. So Crouch as a depth player, meaning we never need to rely on Clarke again. That's fine provided we don't need to pay him much.

I still don't see him being best 22.

[Melbournehammer]

Yes. The 50m he gave away for their first goal was pretty ordinary, but he did well to play effectively after that.

I like wicks but hot headed is an understatement and he averages a 50 a game.

Some players need to play on the edge and he’d be one

[liz]

Yeah totally get that. So Crouch as a depth player, meaning we never need to rely on Clarke again. That's fine provided we don't need to pay him much.

I still don't see him being best 22.

To me a depth player is someone you don't want to have to call on but who you know can come in and play if you need them to. Clarke, Lewis Taylor, Ronke (at the latter end of his Swans career), Brand, Thurlow.

To compete for a flag you really need 25-27 players who you are very happy to call on (obviously some more than others). With Reid and McCartin out for the year (or most of the year in McCartin's case) and their two MSD replacements not really in that 25-27 group, plus injuries to Sheldrick and Franklin at the end of the year, a long interruption for Roberts, Ladhams still struggling with his ankle, we have been down to a bare bones "first choice" group. The 23 who played last weekend, Melican (though he and Francis might be on the edge of the core/depth demarcation), with just JMac and Papley as possible returnees.

We'll probably lose Stephens at the end of the year. Hopefully Roberts and Sheldrick can cement themselves in that 25-27 group. A few others might push up into it - Warner? Buller? Mitchell? Konstanty? - but they might not. So we still won't bat particularly deep.

Most of the other contenders (and some of the non-contenders) have some seriously high quality players running around in their reserves teams, placing pressure on those in the senior team to keep performing and lessening the impact of inevitable injuries. I don't think you have to be able to nominate someone to go out of the team for Crouch to think there is value in bringing someone like him in.

[grarmy]

…Crouch is still racking up serious numbers. He's an unrestricted free agent. I don't see the downside.

Adelaide only want to offer him a 12 month contract as he is injury prone and maybe only has a year left in him. Are we so much smarter than the Crows?

[MattW]

Adelaide only want to offer him a 12 month contract as he is injury prone and maybe only has a year left in him. Are we so much smarter than the Crows?

Doesn't really matter though, mate. We may have a greater need. If we offer him a two year contract and he plays 40 games and averages 23 possessions, 4 tackles and 5.5 clearances, that's a win. (That's about what we got from Parker this year and is less than Crouch's output this year.)

[i'm-uninformed2]

Doesn't really matter though, mate. We may have a greater need. If we offer him a two year contract and he plays 40 games and averages 23 possessions, 4 tackles and 5.5 clearances, that's a win. (That's about what we got from Parker this year and is less than Crouch's output this year.)

Not if Crouch does his usual thing of win the ball, stop, look backwards and then distribute, or if he takes a mark or wins a free, take an eternity to play on.

[Auntie.Gerald]

The bulls do suffer a lot of injuries over time and especially in their last few seasons

Josh Kennedy swans played 12,21,11 games in his last 3 seasons

Dangerfield 16,18,18 in his last 3 seasons

Luke Parker turns 31yrs old in October this year and for me if we had Luke out for an extended period we would be cactus with another compareable and serviceable and experienced inside player

I can understand the interest in Crouch to ensure depth in critical roles and finals type games when it turns into a dog fight maul for significant periods of the game: case in point 2022 GF

[stevoswan]

I think both above contentions are correct - contracts offered during the year of various types and lots of vacillating but originally money wasn't as good as Adelaide but was eventually matched by Sydney. As for the exploring - not the case - Adelaide were exploring with him from the moment he started to rise as they do with most ex-SA players - always ready to jump in if any signs of weakness from other clubs

However the original post was about his character - 2-4 weeks before end of season he has a presser and lets swans fans know they have nothing to worry about - has end of season exit interview with staff with no mention of his leaving - within a WEEK of arriving back in SA for holidays he informs he is not coming back (not face to face) - furthermore he/agent then leaks his "version" of private talks with Horse - which Horse refutes in the media. I can see why swans never thought of him as captaincy material but a club that reinstates someone like Taylor Walker so quickly does - clearly a club/town that "worships" their footy players eg Ricciuto

Yep, I favour this version of events.....he'll always be Judas to me. A few on here suddenly warming to him because he was nice to a goal umpire. Let's keep it real people.

[stevoswan]

Whilst McKay and Crouch may be “free” in terms of draft picks, overpaying them will cost us when we need to extend Gulden, Logan, Rowbottom, Warner etc, and money will run out and someone we value will ask to leave.

You also have disgruntled players. How would Tom McCartin getting say $600K PA feel about McKay getting $800K and being injured half the time?

Too much speculation going on with all this....our players want to win GF's and would understand recruiting to strengthen the team.....they're not all bitter and twisted. They're Bloods.