Rnd 4 (Gather Round) - vs Eagles at Mt Barker, Adelaide Hills, at 1:30 PM, Saturday 6 April 2024

[KTigers]

Ive been laid up with that @@@, cant recommend .

Likewise. I had to spend two days in RPA over Easter, mine got that bad.... no fun that one.

[crackedactor 01]

Adams, Hamling and Cunningham in for Rampe, Mitchell and Warner

They will give Amartey another go.. it is worth persevering for another week

Does anyone know what has happened to Jack Buler? Buller.

[graemed]

Hmm looks likely that Addams will come in that being the case harry or wicks may come in for Mitchell although I’d like to see him get another chance

[barry]

I'm glad we are facing the Eagles after a loss. I would not take them lightly

[ugg]

Adams and Cunningham in for Rampe and Corey Warner

Emergencies are Warner jnr, Ladhams and Francis

No sign of Wicks

[Dow]

Adams and Cunningham in for Rampe and Corey Warner

Emergencies are Warner jnr, Ladhams and Francis

No sign of Wicks

good inclusions, Mitchell as sub would make sense and I would imagine Wicks will train with the 2s over the next 3 weeks of breaks and byes - some bridges to mend one would think (not the first or last time something like this will happen I am sure)

[Thunder Shaker]

Adams and Cunningham in for Rampe and Corey Warner

Emergencies are Warner jnr, Ladhams and Francis

No sign of Wicks

Adams and Cunningham are not a surprise.

I expect Fox will be spending more time in defence to cover for the absence of Rampe.

Wicks is a fringe player as was shown by his selection as the sub in multiple games. Now that Adams is available, Wicks has been squeezed out. He's not chosen as an emergency either. We have plenty of players in the team already who can cover the small forward role. His recent indiscretion has not helped his chances.

[Markwebbos]

Mods would it be possible to retrieve my post please?

[Trever]

Not sure if this is the correct thread for this post.

I’m feeling very uncomfortable about the Wicks story because he’s the only player that’s been mentioned by whom ever leaked the story.

Wicks had done nothing wrong according to the club investigation.

Why is Wicks carrying the can for this story whilst the other player or players in conflict get to remain anonymous?

Seems really unfair on Wicks.

I’m also disturbed that more on Red and White are not speaking up about this and are towing the Swans media strategy line.

[O'Reilly Boy]

I know that I am in a minority, but I like what Wicks brings to the team structurally. The article on half-forwards on the AFL site this week was great: a thankless, low-possession role, largely involving getting to space and closing it down. You don't get a stat for that. You don't get to tackle, because the whole idea is to appear in a KPD's peripheral vision and deny them a switch, forcing them to go down the line or take a high risk option into the corridor.

This role should not be confused with that of the small forward, who is there to crumb and to tackle, holding up the play, locking the ball in.

I think that Wicks plays the (thankless) role really well (as does Hayward), and the amount of non-love they both receive or have received is, as I see it, part of the job (although I acknowledge that Hayward, as a 'natural' marking forward is a bit more visible). It is too easy to dismiss them as 'drifting in and out of the game', or lacking concentration, or even having an insufficient motor because they don't get stats, and do not appear in the frame of television coverage.


More, I think that we missed Wicks against the Tigers. Bolton carved us up out of his defensive 50, where we seemed to have left a paddock on the fat side all day: the space Wicks or such a player) occupies, or, at the very least shifts from being a low percentage get-out proposition to a 50/50, or, better, holds up the next kick to allow the mids to drop back into the corridor.


Fox is more in the Hayward mode, I think: great leap, can take a contested mark, and is fast enough to take space, but I wonder whether we will need him in the back half tomorrow.

[Blood Fever]

Agree. Wicks does his job when in the team. Also, there is a reason that Hayward is being courted by other clubs.

[giant]

Not sure if this is the correct thread for this post.

I’m feeling very uncomfortable about the Wicks story because he’s the only player that’s been mentioned by whom ever leaked the story.

Wicks had done nothing wrong according to the club investigation.

Why is Wicks carrying the can for this story whilst the other player or players in conflict get to remain anonymous?

Seems really unfair on Wicks.

I’m also disturbed that more on Red and White are not speaking up about this and are towing the Swans media strategy line.

Have to say, I'm with you on this - the whole "non-story" and how it's played out are very strange indeed. I'm not a huge Wicks fan but if in fact he's done nothing wrong it's tough to understand why he's being punished. I've heard rumours about who the other party is, and that person (if indeed it's him) continues to play seniors.

Maybe that we're not used to dealing with these sorts of personnel issues (which is a good thing!).

[Syd76]

I think everyone should move on. Things will come out in the wash later on (trade time).

[Trever]

Have to say, I'm with you on this - the whole "non-story" and how it's played out are very strange indeed. I'm not a huge Wicks fan but if in fact he's done nothing wrong it's tough to understand why he's being punished. I've heard rumours about who the other party is, and that person (if indeed it's him) continues to play seniors.

Maybe that we're not used to dealing with these sorts of personnel issues (which is a good thing!).

The club likes to talk about the mythical “Bloods Culture” where the implication is that all the players stick up for each other and support each other.

Sam Wicks has been hung out to dry and the Swans have decided to keep the identity’s of the other players involved concealed.

Sam’s done nothing wrong and this has been established by a club investigation.

I’m sorry, thats not good enough from Longmire, the club, the leadership group or the other players.

Sam Wicks does not deserve to go through this on his own.

Story shouldn’t have been leaked in the first place.

[Maltopia]

The club likes to talk about the mythical “Bloods Culture” where the implication is that all the players stick up for each other and support each other.

Sam Wicks has been hung out to dry and the Swans have decided to keep the identity’s of the other players involved concealed.

Sam’s done nothing wrong and this has been established by a club investigation.

I’m sorry, thats not good enough from Longmire, the club, the leadership group or the other players.

Sam Wicks does not deserve to go through this on his own.

Story shouldn’t have been leaked in the first place.

The club has said Wicks has done nothing wrong - in relation to the alleged interaction with a former partner of a team mate.

Wicks was not selected following the aftermath of the incorrect allegation, that is, the friction caused and how players reacted to the allegation.

Saying Wicks did nothing wrong, can only be limited to the allegation itself.

We don’t have any other published material to verify
- that Wicks’ reactions to what must have been a hurtful allegation, was proportionate and reasonable
- that Wicks’ non-selection was punitive
- that Wicks’ has recovered emotionally from hurtful allegations by his teammates
- that Wicks is being treated to a different behavioural standard than his teammates
- that the other players acted in a way that was over the top and warranted non-selection

We simply don’t have information to back up assertions that Wicks has been hung out to dry.

We also don’t know that the leak was sanctioned.

What is the club supposed to do, if eg, one of the players involved leaked the story? They would have to respond in a way that provided privacy for the players involved, and I think they have done that.

We just don’t have the facts so anything we say is just speculation and rumour.

If Wicks doesn’t get selected again when there are injuries etc, then that would pose some interesting questions/theories, but we certainly don’t have enough info at this stage to make harsh judgement of Wicks, club, other players etc.