Swans 2013 Draft Strategy

[Auntie.Gerald]

we peaked with a superior list of depth in 2012 and 2013

we walked away with the chocolates in 2012 and came 4th 2013 due primarily to injuries and a couple other teams peaking which is every season to contend with

i think it is important to remember Bolton, Mattner, Morton were passed their best

Also Dre and Lambie have a lot to do to prove themself and could be taken over by a few others up and comers by mid way thru season 2014 !

Mummy is a top 4 team player no doubt and maybe a loss but in our current depth with tippo lending a hand we may even see an improvement in the ruck.......quite possibly

the new list of 2014 is tweaked top heavy in game breaking game winning players and that makes sense as we go for another shot at the title with a few older players that can still play the game very very well and a good 8 or so emerging players that are ready to soar ie rohans, jettas, parker, cunningham, mitchell, Reid, BJ, Rampe, AJ and maybe even Lloyd, Robinson etc etc could be knocking on the door

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Buddy the game changer

did anyone else get a chance to re this article?

i missed it till today

lets me get this straight !

1. If Caroline worked all year busting her arse for the paper.......and she had to go on a conference overseas and had a very close friend getting married on one of the last days of the conference - she is saying that she would stay for the conference cause that is what she expects buddy to do ????.........the game in Ireland was organised a long way in front of the marriage Buddy had to attend......so there is no doubt in my mind he made the right decision to attend both the series and the wedding !

2. Buddy to the Swans is at our peril or success - we went for a high risk high reward strategy which equally work or not !..........why have a go when everyone else walked around with their balls in their hands not wanting to have a go at securing Buddy............even though he wanted to come to Sydney we still had to put a deal together that no one else could match easily and secondly we are peaking and we are fighting fair for our market share.........anything less would be negligent and would scare the hell out of the AFL that we were laying down without a fight.

3. 10% each of the cap to two stars ie 20% combined is right on the money with any other sport around the world.....full stop !!!

4. we got the best out of our players and performance not because we didnt go for stars.........far from it........there was so many factors that lead to our success.......it was for many many reasons.......... but we always have brought in marque players in Plugger the best of all time, Hally and now Buddy. We are a club in a town that is so far behind League and Union and SOCCER it is not funny. OUr marketing dept would be laughed out of the room if we offered Ben McGlynn for a TV / Video shoot !!! ..........The HAWKS to traded for the missing pieces to their premiership ie Lake and without him they generally would have struggled down back on KP forwards.

5. Caroline claims we have tarnished our image at the Swans ? for me that image is only tarnished to a supporter of another club or a CEO of another club because they are now more then jealous. They were envious but now jealous and fearful of our line up..........especially on the back of two marque players being so keen to join the Swans......also Supporters of other clubs only support the Swans in a GF or Final when we are playing the pies or Hawks etc because they dont want the cross town rival club to win..... Reporters will only give the Swans the time of day when they spin spin spin that we are a bunch of reserve graders over achieving.........

[Ruck'n'Roll]

did anyone else get a chance to re this article?

i missed it till today.

It was the starting point of the thread below, which went for several pages.

Buddy the Game Changer

[scolsey22]

Dylan Addison I think would be a good player to have on the list fo a bit of depth

[Jeffers1984]

Jay Kennedy-Harris looks like something that we need. Small explosive forward with incredible defensive pressure but also versatile enough to push into the midfield to help Jetta with the slingshot.

[Melbourne_Blood]

Addison is a spud, who even the dogs don't consider worth having as depth. He may get a go at Melbourne, but I doubt any other club will show any interest.

[liz]

Addison is a spud, who even the dogs don't consider worth having as depth. He may get a go at Melbourne, but I doubt any other club will show any interest.

I don't completely agree with this. We and the Dogs are at different stages of the cycle. The Dogs need to fast track young players, and need as many as they can squeeze onto their list. For them, Addison is a list clogger.

We're a premiership contender with a very strong best 24 or so, but with practically no depth other than talented (we hope) but largely untested kids. Winning games next year matters far more for us than it does the Dogs. If we get another spate of injuries in 2014, there may be benefits to bringing in someone with experience, rather than going into games with 4 or 5 players with less than 10 games experience, as we did in 2013. Especially since, if this eventuates, a large core of our players with more than 10 games experience could well have less than 50.

Addison has been an effective defensive forward at times, can kick the odd goal or three, and can tag too.

Also worth bearing in mind that we've cleared a lot of list spots (some unwillingly) in a year when draft depth is said to be weak. If Addison really wants to prolong his senior career in any way possible and has modest salary demands, bringing him on a one year deal with an understanding he probably isn't best 22 and has to prove himself to win another year's contract might not be a bad thing. It's probably the kind of arrangement Morton was on and his two years at the club were not without merit. Another club might offer him something more attractive, but if not, I think it might make sense (especially as he's a local and grew up as a Swans fan).

[Melbourne_Blood]

You make a very good point Liz, it's hard to argue with that, damn you. I still don't rate him, and I just can't see what position he'd be cover for that we'd need. A medium sized, one paced, forward / mid. I'd honestly rather take Nahas, at least he plays a position in which we don't have a lot of options. Benny is our only true small crumbing forward and his form of late hasn't been very comforting at all. Like you say though if we can get him ( Addison) on the cheap we have little to lose, maybe we can get them both !

[GordonS]

surely grab addison for depth. doubt he'll cost much

[jono2707]

Addison is a spud, who even the dogs don't consider worth having as depth. He may get a go at Melbourne, but I doubt any other club will show any interest.

88 games - not bad for a spud. I'd love to have been considered a spud if that's the case.

Quite disrespectful to a guy who's made it to the top level and managed to play a solid fair few number of years as a professional footballer.

Ps we could do worse if we're looking for a local lad who wants come back home and bring a bit of experience to the 2's - plus a decent backup if required.

[Melbourne_Blood]

Jesus we can't use "spud" now without upsetting somebody ? Thats getting a touch precious Jono. Look, There's Been far worse players who have played many more games than Addison. IMO, he's a below average footballer.

[ned]

For what it's worth (i.e precisely nothing) I would take Addison in a heartbeat, he's not flashy, but I can't fault his endeavour. It's not a bad thing to have guys who would take a boot to the face just to put pressure on a kick.

[SimonH]

I think this kid Josh Pitson has the best highlight reel in draft. He's just an incredible user of the ball.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcctMnFRGfY

I agree that I really liked this. Not all disposal is perfect if you look closely, but he attacks the ball confidently, his best disposal is a pleasure to watch?and his composure, balance and discipline in sticking with the game plan (take a moment, check the free options, and hit someone up if they're free even if they're very close?never blaze away unless there is absolutely no alternative) is outstanding for a kid his age. There's always the odd bolter in every draft, but basically he has very little hype. So you don't need to waste your first pick on someone who will almost certainly be there at the end. With Rampe, Malceski, McVeigh filling in, Rhys Shaw going on and the excellent Alex Johnson coming back, he doesn't play mostly in a position/role where we badly need someone right now. But you could say that of most spots on the field for Sydney right now, and he could be great for the future. Definitely look closely for our last live ND pick (whichever one it is, won't be later than 53, and you'd happily punt that he'll still be there at that stage).