I like Franklin as a roaming hff with Reid chf n the resting ruck deep forward. Papley as your crumber n Hayward as the other hff/fp with resting mids like Parker who can take a grab. It's why I've said previously I'm done with Sinclair who is supposed to be our ruck/forward but can't mark. That's the missing piece to our forward line I think. I know a few will say it's to tall for the scg but sadly the grand final is not going to moved from the mcg in a hurry.
I hate to play devils advocate here but we still have Tippo and he can take a really good contested mark when he's up and about.
If he can get fit and firing, there aren't too many forwards better. He was sensational last year until that hammy.
Cameron looks a good prospect to be that third tall forward/resting ruck. Hopefully (1) by the time Sinclair's contract is up, we can have decent talent under him and trade/delist him or at least keep him on a modest wage; (2) we don't further extend Tippo's contract and one day in the too-far-off future he'll be off our books - in the meantime we hope he returns to form and plays to his considerable potential.
I am fortified in my view that we want to keep Reid because I've just been thinking about some of the young alternative KPF talent out there that might be available and they've pretty much all been signed up. McCartin is out of contract perhaps end of next year and worth keeping an eye on although his worth continues to fall. The big names will be almost impossible to get (although people would have said that of Buddy too - but we're not ready for another godfather offer) i.e. Daniher, Tom Lynch (Suns), Patton, Cameron etc. All the young talent I can think of have been re-signed already: Curnow, McKay x 2, Weideman, Lobb, Wright, Day, Boyd etc. Sam Reid is just about the only KPF on the market and while he's not the second coming of God, he's extremely versatile as well. I can't see us letting him go. I agree with whoever posted that he is more important than Jones - not because he's better but because he's rarer and harder to replace.
A lot of re-signings going on at the moment, but none from us. Sure hope that is not a bad sign.
Bloodspirit, you may have missed the news that Tippet has been re-signed until 2020 but at a reduced wage. Not sure if we did that as a decision or whether his existing contract had clauses meaning we had to extend. I'd love to see him in early 2016 form, was best Fwd/Ruck in the comp.
Naismith looks to now be our number 1 ruck so Tippett must make a go of FF/2nd ruck. Allows Reid to play CHF and Buddy to run rampant everywhere forward of centre.
I think we will do everything we can to keep Reid.
There is such a big effort and cost to draft/trade a young key position forward and then have the patience to develop them. We are a club that always searched for a figurehead forward. We paid big money for Franklin and Tippet. I can't see us skimping on money trying to resign Reid.
Long term you can build a functional forward line around him with Papley, Rohan and Hayward. They are more effective with his presence.
Even if we could replace him with a young player like McCartin, Schache, Hipwood or draftee. They themselves are going to be inconsistent with form and injury at times.
Still no response to my question, who was the last home grown KPF at the Swans? I don't think there has been one for over 30 years, that's why we keep Reid.
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