rohan vs armstrong vs a better Swans team in 2012 ?

[Auntie.Gerald]

i couldn't help but think to myself had Rohan not got injured this season .....would we ever have seen Lou make the 22 this year?

secondly, I believe our back line counter attack and set up of play is miles ahead of last year and primarily in the last 4 or 5 games

our defence in the first part of the season had less pressure because the first 5 games or so our midfield was simply awesome

This is a massive call but I do think Armstrong is the missing gap we needed so badly for set up of play

Lou makes decisions very fast and execution is smooth.

I think our pressure up front without Rohan is still very good.....our attack without Rohan is still very good.........but our backline counterattack is 2 levels above last year which is allowing us to put the opposition defence under some serious pressure and leading to goals !!

our counter attack is allowing us to play with a much taller forward line because having one on one contests works when you have space to move into

[TPR4]

Valid point and you may be right. I think though that right now, it's Mal's spot that Prince Armstrong has taken with both hands. Agree that he definitely adds some good footskills and decisions to the back half. If Rohan is fully fit, he'd take Dre's spot as that half-forward/wing/3rd tall. No reason why they couldn't play in the same side.

What I do like at the moment is the depth we're building. TDL, Seaby, Mal, Spangher, Parker are all fit and not playing 1s this week. Obviously Parks will come in when match fit, but it's good to know that we've got some stocks should anyone go down - those guys listed can all contribute at AFL level and are putting heat on for spots.

[bloodsman]

I'm keen at present on Armstrong for the above mentioned reasons however I'd like to see how he goes on the big grounds in a one on one in a contest. Hopefully he is OK. No doubt his decision making and skills are very good at this stage. Rohan is a big out in my opinion, his speed and potential is very obvious. I just hope that he can recover well enough in the future to be even a good player. No doubt it will take quite a while.

[sharp9]

Nah.....Rohan's grab in the first minute v North was the demonstration (along with a couple v Geelong last year) that he was the genuine second tall/aerial/leading target we wanted to be contenders. now we need Goodes ion the forward line to make that happen....and, at the moment, we are doing enough in the midfield for that setup to work, but in the more difficult games to come I think we are going to need Goodes to shore up the midfield from time to time and we will be back in the position we have been for 3 or 4 years....not enough targets. Loss of Rohan is worse than emergence of Armstrong is good.

[Dirtyburt]

Nah.....Rohan's grab in the first minute v North was the demonstration (along with a couple v Geelong last year) that he was the genuine second tall/aerial/leading target we wanted to be contenders. now we need Goodes ion the forward line to make that happen....and, at the moment, we are doing enough in the midfield for that setup to work, but in the more difficult games to come I think we are going to need Goodes to shore up the midfield from time to time and we will be back in the position we have been for 3 or 4 years....not enough targets. Loss of Rohan is worse than emergence of Armstrong is good.

Agree, Rohan wil be elite. Pace, decision making, strong overhead mark and very good long kick. Armstrong looks like he is a sound trade. Spades of difference in class though

[jono2707]

There's a big difference between the 2 guys' styles, however we will be a better team with both in and with more games under their belts. Armstrong has taken Mal's spot by the looks of it, but Gazza is that x factor we will always need. Geez I hope he comes back bigger and better than ever next year....

[Primmy]

I see that Tony used the word "synergy" in his interview along with a well constructed sentence that would make some commentators hang their heads. I therefore feel fairly relaxed about his (and our) future in this club long term as I have great belief that intellect counts as much as talent and ability to work.

So Rohan has a mad broken leg, and although he is a happy nutcase who has no thoughts of what will happen next, he is going to struggle with it for at least a year after the all clear. It appears to me that we have a moot point. He is not available and won't be for a while yet, possibly another year.

We have options in our depth that perhaps we didn't see coming. Its not something we are commonly used to. I for one am just going to sit back and see where these kids take us to.

[grarmy]

Nah.....Rohan's grab in the first minute v North was the demonstration (along with a couple v Geelong last year) that he was the genuine second tall/aerial/leading target we wanted to be contenders. now we need Goodes ion the forward line to make that happen....and, at the moment, we are doing enough in the midfield for that setup to work, but in the more difficult games to come I think we are going to need Goodes to shore up the midfield from time to time and we will be back in the position we have been for 3 or 4 years....not enough targets. Loss of Rohan is worse than emergence of Armstrong is good.

The inclusion of Rohan and Spangher last year got us into the Finals. Spangher proved himself a reliable target up forward. Our forward line will continue to be our archilles heal this season until we get Everitt working harder or Spangs back into the side.

[DA_Swan]

Armstrong is a pretty player with skills that we need in the side - others can play tough for him until he gets stronger - Rohan has that something special in both attack and defence that we have seen glimpses of and hopefully will see a lot more of - we are winners with both and the only positive thing out of injury is the opportunity that it presents to others - Armstrong got his chance because Malceski was our turnover king.

[GongSwan]

I see that Tony used the word "synergy" in his interview along with a well constructed sentence that would make some commentators hang their heads. I therefore feel fairly relaxed about his (and our) future in this club long term as I have great belief that intellect counts as much as talent and ability to work.

So Rohan has a mad broken leg, and although he is a happy nutcase who has no thoughts of what will happen next, he is going to struggle with it for at least a year after the all clear. It appears to me that we have a moot point. He is not available and won't be for a while yet, possibly another year.

We have options in our depth that perhaps we didn't see coming. Its not something we are commonly used to. I for one am just going to sit back and see where these kids take us to.

Spot on, bit surprised by the effectiveness of our lower graded players in the last few games