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Thread: Most talented list

  1. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by O'Reilly Boy View Post
    you know, that's the very question I was mulling over as I washed the dishes last night.
    I only saw the tail of Plugger's career (became a member in 1999: the first match i attended was Goodesy's debut).

    As I dried off the cutlery I came to the tentative conclusion that I'd put Franklin ahead of both of them as a total package. Plugger was obviously playing in a different era, when he could be a stay at home FF, and was absolutely devastating leading out of the square, but did not seem to my (admittedly uneducated) eyes to have an impact further up the ground (except insofar as he would have had a motivating impact on the mids who knew that if they got the ball into his area . . .).

    Goodes had an impact all over the field and I loved watching him play. I'm struggling for words, because I wanted to write that he did not dominate physically as consistently as Franklin, nor dominate for such long periods, but that might not be fair either.

    The other player who seemed to dominate as I learnt to watch the sport was Wayne Carey, who seemed to rule the whole game from CHF, and around whom entire games would pivot. Those Swans-North games in the early 2000s were crackers, and Carey always seemed to be not just the go to man, but had every player on the field responding to what he was doing. He was like the centre of gravity around which everything turned.

    But I do think that Franklin pips them all.

    And then I just watched that Dustin Martin 2017 highlights reel. Strewth.
    One Swans player who gets forgotten about is Big Bad Barry. Comparing Buddy's first four years with Hall's first four full years, I make the following comparisons: Hall 296 goals, Buddy 280. 2 Grand Finals each, Hall 1 flag, Buddy 0. Big Bad won a B and F over this time as well. I know Hall went silly later in his career with us, but he was an utterly dominant match winner over the period 2003-2006.

    I'm not saying he was better than Buddy over both their careers and Franklin has been fantastic for us, not to mention spectacular, but Hall, in my opinion was probably more effective for us over the four years I have cited. He was to go to man for us and delivered time after time. He was also great to watch with his mix of speed, agility and aggression. He was also a reliable kick for goal and was good outside 50. One of the modern Swans greats. I reckon he was the best player in the game for 2 or three seasons.

  2. #38
    There's no excuses. We've lost 2 grand finals in the last 4 years. Our only weakness is leg speed and our efficiency from kick ins.

    We have an incredibly talented list, even without Tippett. Had a go at my best 22, a lot of players unlucky to miss out. Have Towers pinch-hitting in the ruck.

    I think Jack will be best as a small forward/midfield type late in his career. McVeigh (who I think is a very underrated forward) should swing from forward to defence. Big question marks on Rohan

    FF: Franklin, Jack, Papley

    HF: Rohan, Reid, Hayward

    M: Parker, Heeney, Jones

    HB: Rampe, Melican, Lloyd

    FB: Grundy, Smith, Newman

    R: Naismith, Hannebery, Kennedy

    Int: Dawson, Towers, Hewitt, McVeigh
    Last edited by longmile; 10th February 2018 at 12:58 PM.

  3. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by longmile View Post
    There's no excuses. We've lost 2 grand finals in the last 4 years. Our only weakness is leg speed and our efficiency from kick ins.

    We have an incredibly talented list, even without Tippett. Had a go at my best 22, a lot of players unlucky to miss out. Have Towers pinch-hitting in the ruck.

    FF: Franklin, Jack, Papley

    HF: Rohan, Reid, Hayward

    M: Parker, Heeney, Jones

    HB: Rampe, Melican, Lloyd

    FB: Grundy, Smith, Newman

    R: Naismith, Hannebery, Kennedy

    Int: Dawson, Towers, Hewitt, McVeigh
    I like the look of this, but where's Mills???? Really hard to see who he pushes out, but someone's got to go for him. Kieran Jack will be looking over his shoulder.

    Aliir is the one that I want to see come good, and as I've said before, I think that McCartin is the smokey. So that's some nice pressure on positions at both ends of the park. And Longmire was taking up Aliir as a ruck chop out option.

    I think that Towers holds his place for now: he really added a bit of dash and chaos in traffic across HF.

    Naismith v Sinclair is interesting. I think that Sinclair came good late last season, and was full of energy across FF in the practice match I saw last month. Possibly has a bit more to offer than Naismith at FF for now, although it is easy to forget that Naismith only has 28 games under his belt (Sinclair is up over 60)

    And back to Mills: with all the talk about his rotating through midfield this year we might have lost sight of Hewitt's transition into the very guts. He's big, solid-hipped and pretty mobile; hopefully he is Joey's understudy for the hard inside work and will spend time at centre bounces, as he was towards the end of last season.
    Last edited by O'Reilly Boy; 10th February 2018 at 01:21 PM.

  4. #40
    Quote Originally Posted by O'Reilly Boy View Post
    I like the look of this, but where's Mills???? Really hard to see who he pushes out, but someone's got to go for him. Kieran Jack will be looking over his shoulder.

    Aliir is the one that I want to see come good, and as I've said before, I think that McCartin is the smokey. So that's some nice pressure on positions at both ends of the park. And Longmire was taking up Aliir as a ruck chop out option.

    I think that Towers holds his place for now: he really added a bit of dash and chaos in traffic across HF.

    There's a lot of talk aout Mills

    Naismith v Sinclair is interesting. I think that Sinclair came good late last season, and was full of energy across FF in the practice match I saw last month. Possibly has a bit more to offer than Naismith at FF for now, although it is easy to forget that Naismith only has 28 games under his belt (Sinclair is up over 60)

    And back to Mills: with all the talk about his rotating through midfield this year we might have lost sight of Hewitt's transition into the very guts. He's big, solid-hipped and pretty mobile; hopefully he is Joey's understudy for the hard inside work and will spend time at centre bounces, as he was towards the end of last season.
    Oh @@@@! I genuinely forgot Mills....

    Back to the drawing board.

    I think Naismith is a far better ruck than Sinclair, but Sinclair is a far better forward. For the sake of team dynamics and having just the one ruck Naismith takes the cake.

  5. #41
    Quote Originally Posted by longmile View Post
    Oh @@@@! I genuinely forgot Mills....

    Back to the drawing board.

    I think Naismith is a far better ruck than Sinclair, but Sinclair is a far better forward. For the sake of team dynamics and having just the one ruck Naismith takes the cake.
    Agree on that appraisal. Pity we don't yet have the technology to assemble a Frankenruckstein monsterfrom the best parts of the available: Naismith's tap, Sinclair's overhead mark, Tippett's hair.

  6. #42
    Quote Originally Posted by longmile View Post
    Oh @@@@! I genuinely forgot Mills....
    and how good is it that this can happen and you can still name a really very impressive (on paper) team.

  7. #43
    It really is an interesting list we have with so many players considered for a starting spot in our best 22. I'd imagine that many players would thrive on this internal competition to push themselves further and become better players. I'd also imagine that there are a few who would be hating it and perform much better when their place is secure and they are comfortably in the best 22.

  8. #44
    Carpe Noctem CureTheSane's Avatar
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    Just realised that with Tippett out of the team, the pressure has increased a lot on Reid.
    All eyes on him to perform now.

    His only hope is if he is played in the forward line.
    Put him down back and it's all over for him.
    The difference between insanity and genius is measured only in success.

  9. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by CureTheSane View Post
    Just realised that with Tippett out of the team, the pressure has increased a lot on Reid.
    All eyes on him to perform now.

    His only hope is if he is played in the forward line.
    Put him down back and it's all over for him.
    Don't really agree with that. Reid is - and has been for many seasons - an automatic selection in the 22 and predominantly as a forward. In 2017 he was often moved back for the final few minutes of each quarter for tactical reasons, nothing to do with how he was going up forward.

    As a forward he's performed to a pretty decent level over the stretch of his career, without ever threatening to become a star of the competition. The main knock on him has been his ability to get injured at inopportune times. I don't see how the presence or absence of Tippett really impacts on his role at all. If the coaches want yet another tall in the forward line, they'll just select Sinclair as well. If they don't, Sinclair will play in the NEAFL.

  10. #46
    Quote Originally Posted by liz View Post
    Don't really agree with that. Reid is - and has been for many seasons - an automatic selection in the 22 and predominantly as a forward. In 2017 he was often moved back for the final few minutes of each quarter for tactical reasons, nothing to do with how he was going up forward.

    As a forward he's performed to a pretty decent level over the stretch of his career, without ever threatening to become a star of the competition. The main knock on him has been his ability to get injured at inopportune times. I don't see how the presence or absence of Tippett really impacts on his role at all. If the coaches want yet another tall in the forward line, they'll just select Sinclair as well. If they don't, Sinclair will play in the NEAFL.
    I also rate Reid. I'd prefer him forward, but agree with Liz in that he has been used as a shore up against attack in the final minutes of each quarter. I think it's a solid coaching strategy actually. When he has had to play in the backline, I don't think he's been a total disaster either. Let's not forget he's also a premiership player for us.

  11. #47
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    Hopefully Aliir has the preseason to earn his way into our starting back six. That should obviate the need to use Reid defensively in the closing minutes of quarters, or perhaps we could swap Reid and Aliir at these times, as Sam reads the flight of the ball better than Aliir. I like the idea of the swap as it can shake up opposition defenses without us losing anything at our defensive end.

  12. #48
    Carpe Noctem CureTheSane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by liz View Post
    Don't really agree with that. Reid is - and has been for many seasons - an automatic selection in the 22 and predominantly as a forward. In 2017 he was often moved back for the final few minutes of each quarter for tactical reasons, nothing to do with how he was going up forward.

    As a forward he's performed to a pretty decent level over the stretch of his career, without ever threatening to become a star of the competition. The main knock on him has been his ability to get injured at inopportune times. I don't see how the presence or absence of Tippett really impacts on his role at all. If the coaches want yet another tall in the forward line, they'll just select Sinclair as well. If they don't, Sinclair will play in the NEAFL.
    I guess I should have thrown a few 'IMO's' in there.
    Tippet is irrelevant to Reids role.
    But he is very relevant to Reid attracting extra attention due to the fact that Swans fans have lost one of the whipping boys.
    Tippo leaving will also have an impact on Towers and McVeigh. Possibly Jack and Smith.
    They'll all get a bit more critique if they under perform.

    Unlikely to have much of an effect on Foote who it seems most have already completely given up on....
    The difference between insanity and genius is measured only in success.

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