Don't think we should assume NicNat won't play round 1. He played in a WAFL practice game at the weekend and reportedly pulled up OK. My guess is that they'll bring him in so long as he's physically OK, even if he's a bit rusty. The fact that the Swans will be a bit light on for ruckmen will probably encourage them to take the risk.
I agree. They haven�t got a lot to lose.Originally Posted by liz
I hope they do play him.
Firstly, because he's always fun to watch. He'll no doubt provide some highlights but......
Secondly, after 19 months on the sideline and only 1 WAFL preseason game, you would think he'll be off the pace and his minutes would have to be managed...
Which means others will have to take up the slack while he spends a fair bit of time on the bench.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect... MT
I agree.
It would seem an unusual management of your star player to bring him back to AFL with such little preparation, but I too think it would be to our advantage if they did, especially since neither NicNat nor Lycett do particular much around the ground.
Any talk of NicNat coming back is just mind games.
If it happens it would be crazy and ill conceived...
The difference between insanity and genius is measured only in success.
This is my round 1 selection using my own categories which doesn't use and interchange bench, but is a 7 x 3 table plus ruckman with new lines for Centre Backs, Midfield, Centre Forwards. I left out Reg in order to give all the other players who had good preseasons a go in round 1 and still have room for Sinclair. This puts off the harder selection decisions for later rounds.
Player Player Player
FB Melican Aliir Rampe
HB Lloyd Smith Newman
CB Jones Mills Harrry-C
MI Hewett Kennedy Parker
CF Fox Jack Heeney
HF Florent Papley Towers
FF Reid Rohan Franklin
Ruck Sinclair
We need to go into round 1 with a view of how we will play the following 2 rounds v PA and GWS. Both these sides are likely to play a 3 tall forward line, with Dixon, Westhoff and Watts for PA and Cameron, Patton and Himmelberg for GWS. They both have dangerous ruckmen who can go forward and kick goals in Ryder and Lobb, respectively.
Whatever we do in round 1, we will need Reg, Melican and Aliir to play rounds 2 and 3 if we're not to be seriously outmatched for height. We may have won the JLT game v GWS, but they did take 15 marks inside 50, which if way too much.
Rounds 2 and 3 will be tough going against 2 teams that are strong all over the ground, with both pace and height. Not dismissing WCE, especially in Perth, but we need this game to sort our the selections for the following weeks. It won't be easy, especially with Hanners and McVeigh a good chance to be fit to play.
It's true that we have a stingy defence, but we did have 2 weaknesses last year: Rebound from defence and height mismatches, especially picking up tall opposition players following the play through the midfield. We've added some more speed and kicking ability from defence and some line breaking run if Cunningham plays. We looked as though we were doing much better in this regard in the JLT. There's not much to do about the height mismatches except to play taller. Playing the 3 talls seems the only viable solution to this problem.
Agree with both sentiments - love watching him play: can't see how (barring Ben Cousins style assistance program) he could come back with that level of preparation and be AFL ready.
I don't think you can really get away with insisting that "we will need Reg, Melican and Aliir to play rounds 2 and 3 ..." given that Rampe plays tall. And given we went OK (admittedly we conceded 15 marks inside 50, of which 10 were to tall players) against GWS last week without 3 of those 4 "tall" defenders - Rampe, Reg or Aliir. If you put Reg and Rampe into last week's side, I think it would go OK v GWS.
I'm really no clearer at all on the Aliir conundrum. There's been a lot of talk about finding a role for him in the team this year, but it's still not clear where it is. I'm more inclined toward your suggestion of playing AA and Deano in the ruck and leaving out Sinkers that playing him in defence.
After the Freo shellacking I'm probably feeling overconfident of our chances v WCE first up. It's definitely a game we need to win.
We really have to look to cover 4 talls with these 2 teams, so 2 + Rampe is one short. One problem with Sinkers is that he's more a natural forward, albeit a mediocre one. He's not a good defender and would have problems covering a Ryder or Lobb. If Aliir plays in the ruck, and I agree with you that this is preferred, we have a natural defender to go with their ruckman. It also solves the problem of who goes out if Reg plays. But we still need to eventually find room for both Macca and Hanners, but we can wait and see on that one.
PA have some big tough midfielders who also play forward, including Robbie Gray, Boak and Powell-Pepper, who will need physical defenders to keep them in check. I'm not sure Harry C is quite up to the task. There's a lot of talent at Port this year.
I really like this matrix as a way to understand the possibilities of team structure, and particularly the way in which the CB 'line' reflects a style of play in which run and drive from behind the ball is so important.
I also note the article today on afl.com.au [URL="http://http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-03-16/swans-set-to-evolve-by-sharing-the-load"] which indirectly quotes Parks claiming that we have "about a dozen players capable of rolling through" the midfield, and which goes on to name Papley, Newman, Jones and Mills as mid-field rotations, as well as Hayward (I'm less convinced).
I'm interested that the article overlooks Hewitt, who I think is destined for an inside mid role. I feel like Hewitt has crept up on us and is now a core member of the team, much as Lloyd a couple of seasons back became a fixture. Thoughts anyone?
Hewett's name was omitted because he's already part of the inside midfield mix. Being 5th in the B&F says he's solidified his position in the team. It's long been my contention that a major factor in the Tom Mitchell trade was to make room for Hewett as an inside midfielder, which has now come to fruition. He's had a strong pre-season and looks to raise his game to another level.
Most of the team plays behind the ball, rolling up and back as dictated by play. Aside from a core 5 or 6 defenders, the rest of the side may find themselves just about anywhere on the ground with the passage of time without a stoppage to reset. Lacking a strong ruck division, it will be in our interest to keep the play going as long as possible without a stoppage, although non centre bounce stoppages have evolved into a simple restart of play without a clear advantage for the ruckman. I think that throw ins now favour a smaller and more agile ruckman.
I noted that Parker flagged the intention of making the stoppages more of a nullification process and 'making it a scrap.' It will be interesting to see how successful this will be when a team specifically goes into the ruck contests expecting to lose the hitout. I believe Luke Beveridge started this a couple of years ago and was picked up by Richmond last year, so we might see the Swans play a bit more like the 2016 Bulldogs, but with nuances that fit the specific talents of team.
Back to Parker's midfield comments, we should see a large group of players prepared to play on the ball, depending on who is closest to a stoppage at the time. I think we have the kind of on field leadership, even from the younger players, that can make this successful.This kind of preparation will also derive benefits from the reduced activity of runners, as it is less dependent on getting positional instructions from the sidelines. Parker's comments are a window to the coaching and preparation going into this season.
I like the trend in the kind of players we are drafting and the evolution of our game style. We've kept the core values of the 2012 premiership team, but are moving toward a more skill and speed based offence. This is the key to being a perennial top 8 side.
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