retirement

[bennyfrou]

Trouble is we have no one to replace Leo or Spida.

Think Mathews and Crouch will retire.

Crouch has showed he still has what it takes. Injury-free these past few weeks and Crouch has shown 2005 form. He won't retire and I don't want him to.

[Rob-bloods]

FB: Bevan C Bolton Crouch
HB: Malceski LRT Mattner
C: Goodes Bird Kennelly
HF: ROK Hall Playfair
FF: Moore MOL Vespremi

R: Jolly Kirk McVeigh

Int: Currie, Jack, Thornton Fosdike

Em Smith Thornton Brabazon

[liz]

Crouch has showed he still has what it takes. Injury-free these past few weeks and Crouch has shown 2005 form. He won't retire and I don't want him to.

I reckon Crouch is an interesting case. He's played some good football over the last few weeks. But it has been good football, not great football. And it has just been for a few weeks. Not for a season. He has broken down with injury so many times over the last couple of years when he's been close to returning that there has to at least be a question mark over whether he can still play most of a season of good football.

To some extent, him playing on has to depend on spots available on the list. The issue with our younger group of players is that most of them fall into the group of showing promise, some signs of being able to carve out good quality senior careers, but with one or two exceptions, you wouldn't bank on any of them. You can make a case for giving pretty much all of them at least one more year to show whether they've got what it takes, and that includes several on the rookie list. But there isn't an unlimited number of spots on the list, and even if you assume that Everitt and Mathews will retire, and consider it likely that Davis will find himself a new home, a few more spots still need to be cleared on the list if players like Smith and O'Dwyer are to be given another year, or if the club thinks this year's draft is worth taking more than the minimum of three players.

If the club truly has decided it is time to focus on rejuventating the list, a couple of players who might otherwise be capable of one more year's decent football might have to find themselves tapped on the shoulder. It might seem tough on premiership heros like Crouch (or maybe Leo or even MickyO) but if some of those tough decisions aren't made, we'll go into next year with an even older list. The imminent retirements need to be managed so they don't all happen at the same time, especially with the talent pool to be stretched over the next four or so years.

[jenky28]

well said liz!

[swansrule100]

FB: Bevan C Bolton Crouch
HB: Malceski LRT Mattner
C: Goodes Bird Kennelly
HF: ROK Hall Playfair
FF: Moore MOL Vespremi

R: Jolly Kirk McVeigh

Int: Currie, Jack, Thornton Fosdike

Em Smith Thornton Brabazon

id like to see bevan in the middle or forward flank
davis in the side
mattner in the midfield
lrt out and barlow in as i believe he has more to offer in developing into a kpp

[Darren Thomson]

well said liz!

I agree, Crouch has always been one of my fav players with his run and dash and has appeared indestuctable. Doesn't look like that now though, and one more year might prove too much from an injury standpoint, with age comes injury, just ask my arthritic little hands, the product of a misspent youth

[SimonH]

Excellent post on Crouch, liz. Cutting the likes of Mathews and (sorry to those who think otherwise) Davis are the easy calls.

But sometimes good list management requires you to make the tough calls: blokes who may still have a good year or two to go, but who are not crucial to team structure, are nearer the end of their careers than the beginning, and to keep the list in some kind of balance, you have to take them into the office and have a quiet word. I'll go out on a limb and say that (in terms of the role he's expected to play in the team) Crouch has been closer to great than merely good, the last 4 weeks. But is that enough to bank that he'll be able to follow it up with a full year at similar quality at the age of 30/1? Based on most of his career, you'd say he probably can: but based on the last 2 years, maybe not.

Other tough calls for 2009 among the 2005 premiership class: Leo Barry, Ablett and Fosdike.

Would prefer Fossie to stay rather than go (and he is still just young enough to have some trade value) but it'd be hard to argue we don't have plenty of youth to take his place. I've doubted Ablett's ability at the highest level for a while now and the selection committee obviously shares my doubts. And I'm firmly on the team of Leo Barry staying but being used properly. He's somewhere between very good and exceptional as a running, creating (heart-palpitating) half-back. And he's got great leadership skills. However, he's now approaching merely average as a full back and gorilla-wrastler. If the Swans are going to force him to occupy that role, he might as well retire.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

I dont think many will retire unless they get kicked out. Spider and Mathews are the only 2 i can see going.
Hard to see who the club will choose to give the axe!
Nick Davis will go 1 way or another i think if he doesnt retire he will get the boot i reckon.
Do any of the players above deserve in your oppinion to go out on a high on their terms?
Some of those are great servers of the club for many years. Benny was fantastic at one point....

Um when exactly was that Aimee, at the 10 minute mark of a match against Fremantle in 2003 or something?

JF

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

I reckon Crouch is an interesting case. He's played some good football over the last few weeks. But it has been good football, not great football. And it has just been for a few weeks. Not for a season. He has broken down with injury so many times over the last couple of years when he's been close to returning that there has to at least be a question mark over whether he can still play most of a season of good football.

I personally think he should enough against the Dogs in Canberra to show that when he IS fully fit & confident that he CAN contribute to the team still.

But as you say, seeing how fit he is over a whole season is the thing. He could be taking the spot of one of our young pups, which in the medium to long term would be counter-productive to the the club's re-building process.

JF

[oogabooga1]

i really don't think Matthews or Crouch will retire. if they go it will be because they have been pushed in the back.

[bennyfrou]

I reckon Crouch is an interesting case. He's played some good football over the last few weeks. But it has been good football, not great football. And it has just been for a few weeks. Not for a season. He has broken down with injury so many times over the last couple of years when he's been close to returning that there has to at least be a question mark over whether he can still play most of a season of good football.

To some extent, him playing on has to depend on spots available on the list. The issue with our younger group of players is that most of them fall into the group of showing promise, some signs of being able to carve out good quality senior careers, but with one or two exceptions, you wouldn't bank on any of them. You can make a case for giving pretty much all of them at least one more year to show whether they've got what it takes, and that includes several on the rookie list. But there isn't an unlimited number of spots on the list, and even if you assume that Everitt and Mathews will retire, and consider it likely that Davis will find himself a new home, a few more spots still need to be cleared on the list if players like Smith and O'Dwyer are to be given another year, or if the club thinks this year's draft is worth taking more than the minimum of three players.

If the club truly has decided it is time to focus on rejuventating the list, a couple of players who might otherwise be capable of one more year's decent football might have to find themselves tapped on the shoulder. It might seem tough on premiership heros like Crouch (or maybe Leo or even MickyO) but if some of those tough decisions aren't made, we'll go into next year with an even older list. The imminent retirements need to be managed so they don't all happen at the same time, especially with the talent pool to be stretched over the next four or so years.

I do see what you are saying, that with Crouch it will be more a case of making the hard decision. However, he has fought back from a nasty string of injuries after playing almost 200 games straight. The emphasis being fought back, effort, one percenters, canberra league. Could you imagine Roos tapping him on the shoulder now and saying "I know you've done a lot to get back in the team mate but I think its time to retire at year's end"?

Injuries and being injury prone are such interesting things about AFL football. And Crouch makes them more interesting for me. Here's a guy thats played almost 200 games consecutively without injury then spends the best part of 2 years injured. I don't know whether to think "well he played almost 200 on the trot - I'm sure he can do it again (not 200 but perhaps another two seasons?)". Or do I think "His career was only ever going to be about almost 200 games on the trot and a run of injuried that forced him to retire" - the everything balances itself out theory.

With an impending youth policy looming does Crouch have anything to offer the youngens on field? If not, then perhaps an off-field role should be considered.

[Bas]

Other tough calls for 2009 among the 2005 premiership class: Leo Barry, Ablett and Fosdike.

Won't happen. The only one here at risk is Fossie and only if a trade is done.

Crouch, Matthews, Everitt and Davis will be the four to go and Davis probably a third round pick to Freo.