There are 8 rounds to go. If Buddy's form falls off a cliff for the rest of the season he may very well reconsider his desire to continue in 2023. A player can go "over the hill" very quickly.
There are 8 rounds to go. If Buddy's form falls off a cliff for the rest of the season he may very well reconsider his desire to continue in 2023. A player can go "over the hill" very quickly.
Buddy will play another year. That seems obvious. We're all (not just Swans fans) going to miss him when he retires so let's
not wish him away too soon. Reid is still a very capable, versatile and experienced footballer. He can play at either end at the
drop of a hat and can fill in in the ruck. And he can hold a mark in a way most can't. We all thought he was going to turn into
a superstar years ago when he was starting out (and he's always been judged on that) but instead he has turned out to be a
pretty good "ordinary footballer" as the saying goes.
Buddy has played 11 games this year. In seven of those games he's kicked either one or two goals, in three games four or more. Doesn't seem to be kicking bags with regularity at present. Still, 2-3 a game is more than handy. I have concerns for his flexibility these days. He seems unable to bend down to collect a loose ball (I'm reminded of a dipping bird) and dispose of it without getting tackled or pressured. Almost as though he needs to kick it off the ground instead (which led to a goal on the weekend) or hope for a kind bounce. Like to see another year though.
It's very hard to live in a studio apartment in San Jose with a man who's learning to play violin. That's what she told the police when she handed them the empty revolver.
The Scarlatti Tilt - Richard Brautigan
Gould is starting to remind me of Casey, a character from Harold Pinter's play Betrayal. Regularly spoken about, but he never appears.
It's very hard to live in a studio apartment in San Jose with a man who's learning to play violin. That's what she told the police when she handed them the empty revolver.
The Scarlatti Tilt - Richard Brautigan
I am little bit unsure of Cunningham in the forward half. Wicks and Bell both cover a lot of ground and not sure if Cunningham has it in him after the injury to cover as much ground. Also I would be worried about his kicks in the forward half. He is not great with his kicks and tends to usually kick to a contest or a dump kick on most occasions. Not saying that Wicks or Bell are doing any better but Cunningham would be a much more liability at present. I would rather have Campbell or Matt Roberts doing this. Campbell with his stint in defence should have the tactical nous to defend a halfback in the forward half and his kick is better than most.
We can add McLean to the list, although he's looking more a depth player at this point, but not a bad depth player. Otherwise, I agree with you and am happy to keep them all. I would also be looking to add at least 1 KPP from this year's draft.
My point is that I don't think we should go into 2023 led by a 36 year old forward, however great his career has been. We are a young side than needs to concentrate our talent in this youth demographic as we enter a period where we hope to seriously compete for a premiership.
True that the jury is still out on Amartey, but the jury should come in on Amartey. He's playing well and the time is right to see if he is indeed a key part of our best side going forward. I would like know by the end of this season if McDonald and Amartey are the ones for the next decade, or we need to continue to look for another combo. Buddy and Reid won't be around forever, so this issue needs settling sooner rather than later.
Buddy is game winner, for sure, but do we want to enter next season banking on Buddy to win us a premiership?
Two words:
Taylor Walker
Does Buddy play poorly ? (I think he plays alright at present) or is it that the others in the forward half play poorly when he is around ? Is this the effect of having Buddy in forward line and the focus is solely on him ? or is this the effect of others not being able to adjust with regards to positioning?
I reckon it is lack of positioning across the forward half and I think this is probably due to the way he always gravitates towards the ball or the ball gravitates towards him. This has to be coaching related. It is upto the coaches to get the positioning and the structure right. The way we want to function is a mobile forward group. Amartey is probably better suited for this. I reckon we will probably let go McLean in the next year or two. Callum Sinclair may go at the end of the year too.
Amartey, Reid, Logan, Buddy, Ladhams and Hickey would be a good group of players next year if Hayden Mclean decides to go.
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