He's certainly lucky to be learning from the best small shut down defender in recent times. Long may the legacy of Smooch live on! And let's hope Ling can have a good stint now.Originally Posted by MattW
He's certainly lucky to be learning from the best small shut down defender in recent times. Long may the legacy of Smooch live on! And let's hope Ling can have a good stint now.
if he ends up being half as good as Smooch he will be a good find
I hope he still retains the dash and flair that we drafted him for. Didn’t use a first round pick on a lockdown small defender .
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It might be that with 3 years of foot and achilles injuries he's lost a yard of pace, he might still be quick enough to play against the dynamic small forwards over short bursts but then dashing off the backline at full pace may be a step too far.. He seemed cool under pressure on debut though, and still has a good kick, so a smart lockdown small who can distribute from the backline would be a pretty good result after his injury history. If he could give us 150-250 games like Smith then that would be a great result considering what he's been through.
If that is the case ( that he’s lost a yard ) , then I agree with you . I just hope we aren’t deliberately turning a naturally attacking player into a dour defender. Hopefully he’s learning that defensive side from Smith to compliment the attacking aspect of his game, not abandon it. Especially when we desperately need some attacking flair off half back.
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His disposal by foot was a bit off yesterday. I remember watching his highlights from his draft year and he looked elite by foot. Hope yesterday was just an aberation.
He's adjusting. A couple of them only just missed. That delivery to Reid early was fantastic.
Yep agree. He played well against the Hawks but was missing yesterday.
Deserves another chance but can’t see how he is ahead of Stephens and McInerney
I’m not sure lockdown is the right role for him. That shimmy and delivery to Reid might be more his natural game.
Agree. Cunningham is doing a solid job of lockdown small defender.
It was classy. Too classy for a back pocket stopper.
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It is interesting that he is being put into that sort of role. Maybe there are concerns around whether his injuries have impacted his pace, or perhaps they are using that as a way to improve the defensive side of his game. But it does feel a bit like we spend too much time as a club trying to get square pegs to fit in round holes - but I'm sure there is some broader thinking there too. Part of it probably being trying to get him a genuine good run of footy without injury to build up confidence in his body, and to get some experience in the senior grade.
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
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