Match Day. Round 1 Sydney V Port Adelaide SCG. 4.35pm.

[liz]

Poor Florent can divert some of the responsibility on Mills & Heeney for his potentially premature debut. For many years, Swans' draftees could expect to do a 1-2 year NEAFL apprenticeship before injuries & looming finals series (ie we had secured a finals berth) tended to give them an opportunity for a senior debut. Fast forward to 2015&16 and the early debuts (& successes) of Heeney & Mills & it seems a first round pick might be granted an early senior game. Having said that, who would have been selected in Florent's place?

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He's with us for another 2 years. With hindsight, should we have re-signed Towers or Xav?

We tried to resign X, remember. He declined. Towers didn't resign until very late in the piece, and it is possible that he was only offered a contract (or that the club increased their interest in him, possibly financially) once X had walked out.

I don't agree with your assertion re Florent. It's a myth that the Swans have routinely expected draftees - even high picks - to do a 1-2 year apprenticeship in the NEAFL. Mills and Heeney are far from alone in making early debuts. You only have to go back to last year to see Papley debut in round 1. Craig Bird was a round one debutant. Alex Johnson, Luke Parker, Dan Hannebery, Zac Jones are others who have debuted sometime in their first season, albeit not in round 1.

Based on pre-season form, Florent earned his spot. Sure, yesterday suggested he might not be ready (or maybe he just had a poor first game and will show a bit more if he gets another outing soon). The fact he won a spot says less about expectations created by Heeney and Mills and more about how very young and inexperienced our squad is. The fact that Rose and Dawson both spent most of the pre-season on the sidelines, or slogging around in the boundary line doing laps in an attempt to get their fitness up, rather than participating with the main squad, didn't help. They the alternates that might well have pushed Florent down the pecking order but neither had done the work necessary to warrant a spot.

[dejavoodoo44]

I got the impression they tried everything they could.

Yes, but unfortunately, if there was a chance to have traded Towers for something useful, I suspect that it's gone now. Especially if he spends most of the season in the NEAFL.
Though we could offer Towers and Cunningham as a package, and see if we could get Erin Phillips in return? Would probably add a bit more toughness to the team?

[dejavoodoo44]

The umpiring certainly left a lot to be desired but we were probably slightly benefited by it. The free to Tippo and one of the frees to Bud in front of goal were soft.

Yes, it was the frees paid against the defenders, that I found to be the most head scratching. If that game was an indication of how they're likely to umpire for the rest of the season, then I think there will be many times, when I'm feeling Reg's pain.

[Meg]

If it's any consolation (ok, it's not but) I'm watching Crows v GWS and both teams are making bloopers galore! (It's very hot, 33 degrees in Adelaide which is some sort of excuse).

[crackedactor]

Yes, it was the frees paid against the defenders, that I found to be the most head scratching. If that game was an indication of how they're likely to umpire for the rest of the season, then I think there will be many times, when I'm feeling Reg's pain.

As per normal status we received the crap decisions again!! The second free kick to Dixon was based on nothing, and the Wingard free kick before half time I also found amusing. Yes they got 4 goals from free kicks, we got one again!! Same Old story. No doubt we deserved to lose and the umpiring had no bearing on the end result. But you think, based on the laws of average, and if umpiring was fair, that one day, we would get 4 goals from free kicks and the opposition only get one. But I don't think that will ever happen in my lifetime, much less in 2017. Yet people on this forum keep saying the umpiring is fair!!

[Meg]

I feel for Dan Robinson hurting his shoulder again. Very miserable and painful for him - and after he has gone through surgery and rehabilitation the first time. And Swans can ill afford another player on LTI list.

Can someone tell me when in the match this happened? Or in other words, how long did we play with one down on the bench?

[dejavoodoo44]

I feel for Dan Robinson hurting his shoulder again. Very miserable and painful for him - and after he has gone through surgery and rehabilitation the first time. And Swans can ill afford another player on LTI list.

Can someone tell me when in the match this happened? Or in other words, how long did we play with one down on the bench?

Some time late in the second quarter. Not totally sure when and how it happened, but he came out after half time with it strapped.

[S.S. Bleeder]

I think we need to remember that we've had as much of a pre season as the Bulldogs. Port are a month ahead of us. Historically, we start off slower than most teams plus we have a heap of players missing.

[WauchopeAnalyst]

GWS will be lower then us on the ladder????

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[stevoswan]

I tipped Adelaide, at home.......and no anti-Giants prejudice involved! Laughing a little bit right now.

[dejavoodoo44]

I tipped Adelaide, at home.......and no anti-Giants prejudice involved! Laughing a little bit right now.

I also tipped the Crows, but there was plenty of anti-GWS prejudice involved.

[mcs]

I tipped Adelaide, at home.......and no anti-Giants prejudice involved! Laughing a little bit right now.

So did I - I thought they would be hard to beat over there, in the heat that can still be around this time of year, and on the ground Adelaide unsurprisingly play very well.

Didn't tip the Bombers or Port or Brisbane though - but happy enough with my tipping for Rd 1, as I'm usually as slow a starter like our Swans