My understanding was that freeo want the med tall defender Marcus Adams from the dogs
That was rumoured a lot prior to trade week
Marcus wants to go back to WA
My understanding was that freeo want the med tall defender Marcus Adams from the dogs
That was rumoured a lot prior to trade week
Marcus wants to go back to WA
BTW those on here, me included, who are disappointed we only got a lateish second round pick for Hanners, talk is that Scully will go to the Hawks for a 3rd rounder.
That is even more ludicrous. I know Scully missed most of 2018 with injury but he's still a gun. The Giants must have major problems with their salary cap if they are willing to offload a player with years left, who isn't get paid a huge amount, and who is still contracted, for such a meagre trade return. And while they still have a pretty strong midfield - Kelly, Coniglio, Ward, maybe Deledio (but not for long) and Taranto, Hopper and Bonar young players who look great - their depth will be severely tested next year. And what happens if Kelly then decides he wants to leave at the end of 2019?
They'll get a good pick back for Shiel (at least the Bombers pick 8) but Setterfield has now gone, Scully looks like going, and their ruck stocks look pretty ordinary too.
I actually think scully is a decoy to get the shiel deal done. Can't see how giants would need to lose so many players.
My top is one of scully or shiel will stay.
If not, then they are stuffed. Another GC coming up.
We certainly don't have the come home factor of any of the Melbourne clubs but in the past could offer a club culture second to none and a guarantee that if you joined, you were a chance to win a flag. Our inability to attract any top liners of late may possibly indicate that either our culture is not what it once was and / or we are viewed as not being a realistic place to go if you want a chance at a premiership. I hope this is not the case and its more just that the club is clearing cap space for a big move at a later date,
With the trade week over, I have been thinking about a possible best 22 as we know it.
B: Smith Melican Rampe
HB: Mills Aliir Lloyd
C: Jones Parker Florent
HF: Heeney Franklin Hayward
F: Papley Sinclair Reid
Foll: Naismith Hewett Kennedy
Int: Cunningham Ronke McVeigh Clarke
Emerg: McCartain, Dawson, Stoddart, Ling, Cameron, O'Riordan, Jack, Grundy, Robinson, Fox
I think when you do this exercise, it shows that we are at least one star midfielder short if not two. For the last 2 seasons, we have been effectively playing that way with a badly out of form Hanners and Jack having to be carried by Parker and Kennedy (both just looked knackered at times during 2018). We really need guys like Jones and Florent to step up, with others like Heeney, Mills, Hayward, Papley and Ronke to improve on their ability to push into the midfield as support. If they don't, and we don't manage to nab any external midfield talent between now and 2019, I fear we will get well and truly left behind next season.
Right now our list management strategy is something of an enigma. The club has clearly decided to move on Hanners and Rohan to clear cap space but without any target for the cleared funds being obvious.
The big fish explanation is one that Harley has denied and for which there is no evidence whatsoever, only wishful thinking on the part of some of us RWOers.
So its either a need to find money to re-sign AA, Lloyd and others that we didn't have or we are going after an A grade target for next year. The way in which we got rid of Hanners implies a level of necessity / desperation i.e. the former. But $800k plus Rohan plus the removal of some or all of Tippett's salary surely can't mean it's all being spent?
My new adjusted wishful thinking is that the Swans decided to give the list a serious prune, and next year to give Mills, Jones etc the run in the midfield they've been crying out for. I wonder if the Swans are prepared to treat 2019 as something of an experiment. Give a load of young players a run on the ball, on the understanding there is a war chest available to bring in player(s) should we not have the talent in house that we hope we do?
And we've been looking to trade for players to facilitate that. Langdon and other backs mooted (Duryea etc) would help free up Mills in particular to go to the midfield. Jones moving into the centre would create an opening for Ling or Stoddart. Clarke actually sounds like he might be something of a gut-running Hanners replacement.
To all those who criticise Jones disposal. Many explosive midfielders (except Dustin Martin), even those of the highest rank, Danger, Judd, Shiel etc tend to not have a high disposal efficiency. I think we are holding him to an exceptionally high standard. He could have a great impact on our 'one-paced' midfield if the move works out.
- - - Updated - - -
You are right we lack A graders in our midfield. Trade week isn't over yet but.
O'Riordan should start in the back line, which lets Mills play midfield. Because we've been going to the draft to recruit players the past 5 years, we are very dependent on those developing young players to fill the shortfall in midfield stars. It will make a world of difference if Blakey, Ling and Stoddart seriously challenge for spots in the side as Hayward, Florent and Ronke have the past couple of seasons. We need Heeney, Mills, Jones, Hewett and Florent to become those midfield stars.
Dawson should also be a regular in the side if he can stay off the injury list. His NEAFL performance has been better than any of Lloyd, Hewett and Jones, so history says he should be in that level of player.
I've had several posts on how critical this core of young players packed into a relatively tight age demographic is to success of the Swans in the coming years. We have to stay positive until proven otherwise, but the verdict won't be in for a few more years.
We do need a couple of good role players to add to the side, which is why Langdon and similar players would be a big help if we could recruit them in the remaining days of the trade period. It would seem preferable to going to the draft with the current lot of picks and getting Blakey and a couple of picks around the 40 mark.
Really getting excited about that Big Fish we're about to land.
Bookmarks