Changes Round 16 - vs Geelong

[mcs]

Re Hanners ; basically he is part of the old guard (JPK, Parker, Jack, Grundy, Smith, McVeigh, the 2012 premiership players) all who have been extremely good
players for a long time. These guys are all really smart players and leaders on the field and they need to be there. If you were a 19 or 20 year old player starting
out you couldn't learn from a better set of experienced players than these guys. This is a big part of the reason we are still playing in September every year despite having only one top ten draft pick in the last decade. It's not an accident. Do you think that if Melican (pick 52 in the rookie draft) or Rampe (pick 37 in the rookie draft) or Hewett (a pick 32) went to Carlton or St Kilda they would be the potential 200 game players they are today? The club, the coaching staff and the senior players have made these guys into what they are today. I just think there is a wider picture sometimes than jumping on an out-and-out champ like Dan just cause his stat count isn't what it was. Sure, he sprays a few, but they all do. Hanners still could have five years left in him if he can get his body right. Hopefully he can.

I agree KT in broader terms around leadership and the like of Hanners - I don't think anyone is really questioning that and his role in that space.

But the issue this year is he is more than just spraying a few - his disposal recently has been almost completely ineffective, its been the exception when he gets the ball to a teammate, especially by foot.

I hope he comes out and has a cracker tonight to prove us all wrong, but I don't think its unreasonable to wonder if the current approach is working.

[Flying South]

Re Hanners ; basically he is part of the old guard (JPK, Parker, Jack, Grundy, Smith, McVeigh, the 2012 premiership players) all who have been extremely good
players for a long time. These guys are all really smart players and leaders on the field and they need to be there. If you were a 19 or 20 year old player starting
out you couldn't learn from a better set of experienced players than these guys. This is a big part of the reason we are still playing in September every year despite having only one top ten draft pick in the last decade. It's not an accident. Do you think that if Melican (pick 52 in the rookie draft) or Rampe (pick 37 in the rookie draft) or Hewett (a pick 32) went to Carlton or St Kilda they would be the potential 200 game players they are today? The club, the coaching staff and the senior players have made these guys into what they are today. I just think there is a wider picture sometimes than jumping on an out-and-out champ like Dan just cause his stat count isn't what it was. Sure, he sprays a few, but they all do. Hanners still could have five years left in him if he can get his body right. Hopefully he can.

Bravo

[KTigers]

I agree KT in broader terms around leadership and the like of Hanners - I don't think anyone is really questioning that and his role in that space.

But the issue this year is he is more than just spraying a few - his disposal recently has been almost completely ineffective, its been the exception when he gets the ball to a teammate, especially by foot.

I hope he comes out and has a cracker tonight to prove us all wrong, but I don't think its unreasonable to wonder if the current approach is working.

For sure his last SCG performance by foot or hand was not pretty. Players even as experienced as him go thru bad runs where it looks like they are doing nothing right, but I think it's important to remember he has a lot of petrol tickets up his sleeve. A really fat wad of them actually. He's a champ and he'll come out of it for sure. That's what great players do.

[barry]

The swans weakness is the "long tail" they have (in cricket terms). Our bottom 5 players (in the 22) are far weaker than anyone else in the top 8.
This is the challenge longmire must address before september. When you have players like Kirk, Rohan and Hannerbury in your tail. Players who should be in their prime and contributing, its a worry. I dont mind having Rose, McCartin, maybe Ronke as a small tail, but right now our tail is probably 6 or 7 players deep!

[Markwebbos]

The swans weakness is the "long tail" they have (in cricket terms). Our bottom 5 players (in the 22) are far weaker than anyone else in the top 8.
This is the challenge longmire must address before september. When you have players like Kirk, Rohan and Hannerbury in your tail. Players who should be in their prime and contributing, its a worry. I dont mind having Rose, McCartin, maybe Ronke as a small tail, but right now our tail is probably 6 or 7 players deep!

I think you mean Jack not Kirk!

Geelong are a side with a weak bottom 6-8, and it’s a problem for them too.

I’m hoping that Horse is working on improving those players by bringing back Reid, Melican, Heeney to the team, getting Hanners back in form, and getting improvement out of Towers / Newman / Dawson / O’Riordan etc.

I’m sure he’d like to figure out the best 22 for finals in the next 4 weeks too. He’s not a big tinkerer.

[Ludwig]

The swans weakness is the "long tail" they have (in cricket terms). Our bottom 5 players (in the 22) are far weaker than anyone else in the top 8.

I would suggest that many of the players once considered part of our long tail,

baboon-fanimals.jpg

have moved up our anatomy this year and are now congregating in one particular area causing a lot of (may I use another cricket term) offensive constipation, leading to slow bawl movement and hardly any Inside 50s.

Once the season is over we should put a hose through the list and clean it up, tail and all.

gor.jpg

[Sandrevan]

We've got umpires Mollison, Stephens and Stevic (again).

If you're going to the game please make a lot of noise - the 'noise of affirmation' so they say.

Stevic will be teaming up with his old mate Duckwood. Geelong seem to have a few new faces in their team and Blicavs got picked as well. I'm nervous about this game (like most games) and if we make as many mistakes as last week we could be in trouble. On the team sheet, they've picked Hannebery as a forward; let's hope his disposal will be better than last week.

[mcs]

For sure his last SCG performance by foot or hand was not pretty. Players even as experienced as him go thru bad runs where it looks like they are doing nothing right, but I think it's important to remember he has a lot of petrol tickets up his sleeve. A really fat wad of them actually. He's a champ and he'll come out of it for sure. That's what great players do.

No doubt KT he has plenty of tickets, no doubt. Its just awful to see him so far from his best - lets hope he can turn it around soon!

- - - Updated - - -

We've got umpires Mollison, Stephens and Stevic (again).

If you're going to the game please make a lot of noise - the 'noise of affirmation' so they say.

Stevic will be teaming up with his old mate Duckwood. Geelong seem to have a few new faces in their team and Blicavs got picked as well. I'm nervous about this game (like most games) and if we make as many mistakes as last week we could be in trouble. On the team sheet, they've picked Hannebery as a forward; let's hope his disposal will be better than last week.

Damn cheat boy Stevic again - Hawks #1 member back for another go grrr.

[Mel_C]

According to my brother, Stevic also hates Geelong so maybe Stevic will be neutral tonight 😉.

We have to be brave tonight and go through the middle of the ground. I watched the bulldogs game live last week and they were constantly playing on through the middle leaving Geelong constantly chasing. Against Richmond we were too stagnant.

[ernie koala]

I hope Hanners is given a specific task tonight...A negating role perhaps, on someone like Mitch Duncan.

He's a good tagger and it would take the pressure off him to some extent...ie disposals.

We'll need our lesser lights to play their best footy tonight if we are to prevail.

Swans by 7

[ugg]

No changes

Starting bench
McVeigh Cunningham Robinson Fox

[wolftone57]

For sure his last SCG performance by foot or hand was not pretty. Players even as experienced as him go thru bad runs where it looks like they are doing nothing right, but I think it's important to remember he has a lot of petrol tickets up his sleeve. A really fat wad of them actually. He's a champ and he'll come out of it for sure. That's what great players do.

His last two games have netted 34% & 23% disposal efficiency. He has not had that many disposals to be truthful. He matched Gaff but wasted all but 34% while Gaff disposed at 78%, He has not been putting any defensive pressure or chasing his player. The fact is he got a shirt-front in his second game back that nearly sent him into orbit. His body was not quite right anyway and now it is even worse. Nobody, even the invincible Dan Hannaberry, can take the sort of punishment his body has over a long period of time and expect to say 'She'll be right mate'. Eventually the body needs respite and if he is quiet or does not pass the DE percentage (His Av 68.7%) and defensive acts quota tonight then he just needs to rest his body until he is right to go. If that means counting 2018 out then so be it. I'd rather have a super fit Dan Hannaberry in 2019 than a 50% fit one now.