I'm starting to get excited.....

[sharp9]

About the next couple of years.

If you take our 4 over 30s out of consideration, we still have quite a team with a max age of 27!

KPP/Ruck - Goodes, Doyle, Hall, O'Loughlin, Meiklejohn, Schauble, LRT, Stevens, Hunt, James, Powell

Tall Running Players - Barry, Kennelly, Saddington, O'Keefe, C. Bolton, Sundqvist, Dempster, Malceski

Medium Hard Nuts - Seymour, Thewlis, Mathews

Medium Midfielders - J. Bolton, Kirk, McVeigh, Crawford, Bevan, McGlone, Ablett, Davis

Small Midfielders - Crouch, Fosdike, Fixter, Schneider

That's 33 players who all have something tangible to offer. Wow. Not too many teams have supporters who can go through their list thinking "who the hell can we cut?"

The rest of the list are.....

Old (but still some juice left) - Maxi, Cressa, Willo, Ball
Gawn - MacPherson, Buchanan
Hanging around for another year or two - Nicks, Warfe

By my analysis we most need clearance king/hard nut to be either drafted or recruited (Solomon). From the reports I've read the NSW boys Potter and Daly might fit at least part of the bill. We've got heaps of utilities and rebounder/flankers and goal-kickers. Maybe one more tall who can ruck. Need to focus on someone who gets first (clean) hands to the ball. Simple, really.

[jixygirl]

The future seems very promising!!!!!

[Charlie]

I'd scratch Bevan, Crawford and McGlone at this stage, from your plans. If they come up it's really just a bonus, as opposed to the regular draftees who would be expected to make it.

Personally, the players who we haven't seen much of yet that excite me the most are Thewlis and Malceski. Both of these players were latish draft picks, because they were relatively injury stricken during their under-18 years. Malceski is a tall midfielder who early in the year was close to selection, whilst Thewlis sounds like a genuine hard nut. They'll both be great additions who I look forward to seeing in the seniors next year.

Jarrad McVeigh certainly has wraps on him, and must have some silky smooth skills to have gone as high in the draft as he did. I'm also optimistic that he'll come through. Sean Dempster it's hard to say anything about... I've only ever seen him in photos, and I haven't read much about him either, as I have Malceski and Thewlis.

Daniel Hunt is a player that I'm slightly less optimistic about... simply because he hasn't been reported as coming close to selection in two years with the club, despite the early-season policy of giving rookies a taste of it. If he doesn't make it into the side next season, you'd imagine it's curtains.

Jarrad Sundqvist, in my mind, has some class. He just needs a fair run at a senior spot and some decent game time to show it off. He'll be very handy I reckon... a Matthew Nicks style player, back when Matty was a classy running defender who set up goals, rather than occasionally kicking them.

Mullet Powell has the same sort of devil-may-care attitude that Leo Barry has... let's just hope that injury is kinder to him than it has been to Leapin' Leo. Mullet has the talent, he just, like Sunny,needs a long enough senior stint to show it.

Of the two young ruckmen, I think that Roberts-Thompson has considerably more talent than Meiklejohn. That's not to say that MJ won't make it, but I see him more as a back-up to Stephen Doyle if Doyley never gets over his injuries (which is looking more and more likely, and unlike James, they aren't the same injury over and over, so the chances of him getting over them are less).
LRT WILL be a very handy player, but he'll develop gradually, and is probably still a couple of years away from showing what he can do regularly.

Buchanan is a hard one. I thought he looked reasonably good last year in his 6-match stint, when he got game time. He's also impressed me in the odd occasions when I've seen him play for Port Melbourne. This year was ruined by injury, but I can't help feeling that there isn't space in the team for both Schneider and Bucky. Luke Ablett I feel is likely to get more time. He's more a football type body shape than Buchanan, that much is certain. The fact that he got a game last week against Port would suggest that he still figures in calculations... I'll reserve any form of judgement 'til next year.

Just my two cents.
:)

[desredandwhite]

I'm a big wrap for Sean Dempster and McVeigh - both look like they have plenty of class. Of course, I'm notorious for being big fans of guys who either chronically break down (FitzGerald, James) or who just never seem to show anything in seniors (Buchanan, Stevens). Time will tell, especially for the guys entering their third year.

[robbieando]

I think that LRT and Powell are the ones that give me the most hope for the future because I see both filling the hole in defence for a rebounding type of CHB. LRT is NOT a ruckman, can fill in well at the position every once in a while, like Barry Hall can do, but I feel he will serve us better if he is used in defence. His game on Sunday gave me great hope for the future. He is willing to get stuck in and can mark the ball.

Powell I have high hopes for. I think he wasn't quite ready for senior football when he got into the team, but it will only help him, because he now has a taste for it and knows what is needed. The thing that impresses me about him is that he has no fear and can mark a ball in any situation.

If one of LRT or Powell can make the CHB position their own we would be so much better off. I see LRT as the most likely to do so and Powell would become a Back Pocket player.

Of the midfield bunch, Schneider, Fixter, Sundqvist, McVeigh, Malceski and Thewlis all look good with Schneider and Sundqvist the likely to really step up into midfield roles next season.

Dempster is a very good player, but from the looks of things needs a bit of time, because he missed the TAC Cup altogther.

Stevens, Buchanan, Hunt and Ablett are close to the chop. Of these however I only think we would need to get rid of one because of the fact we only need to rid ourselves of at least 3 players with Warfe and McPherson as good as gone. I think sadly that Amon is looking like the one to go, which I think is sad because in a years time Schneider should be close to playing rover full time and then a position for Amon should open up.

[liz]

Originally posted by robbieando
I only think we would need to get rid of one because of the fact we only need to rid ourselves of at least 3 players with Warfe and McPherson as good as gone.

Not that straightforward.

Warfe still has a year left on his contract so maybe sticking around next year.

Cressa may or may not decide to stay.

Ditto Seymour - he must be getting frustrated with his inability to get out on the ground.

Will the club decide to promote one or more of our rookies to the full-time senior list. James obviously heads the list of possibles, but McGlone may be knocking on the door as well and Meiklejohn is another possibility. MJ can probably be retained on the rookie list but if McGlone isn't promoted I suspect he'll nominate for the draft. Of course, we can always pick him back up that way if no-one else nabs him first.

Also worth remembering that the club said a few weeks ago that they would probably turn the list over more than the minimum amount. The likes of Stevens, Ablett, Buchanan have a nervous couple of months ahead of them, particularly Bucky who has no opportunity left to influence his fate.

[jude_boltons_babe]

i cant belive you would get rid of scotty mcglone hes been playing excellent in reserves hes been kicking heaps of goals plus mark powell they have been playing great the swans will be the number one team in years to come well done swannies

[sharp9]

My BIG reservation about LRT at CHB is his disposal, seems to take an age to make up his mind and his foot delivery is a very long way below AFL level...even his goals are usually helicopters. Can't afford those mistakes when rebounding as all your midfielders will be sprinting upfield and a turnover is very often a goal.

[Dave]

Originally posted by sharp9
My BIG reservation about LRT at CHB is his disposal, seems to take an age to make up his mind and his foot delivery is a very long way below AFL level


eg Kicking into the man on the mark last time against Brisbane

He actually seems better disposing under pressure esp with the hands but is not so flash when he has too much time to think about it.

[liz]

Originally posted by Dave


He actually seems better disposing under pressure esp with the hands but is not so flash when he has too much time to think about it.

I reckon that's spot on. A few times against Port he was forced to dispose quickly and did well each time, including the goal he scored. Give him time to think and he starts to worry about getting rid of the ball and what option to take.

This doesn't worry me too much because as he gets more experienced he will learn to have faith in his first instincts and learn to make better decisions when he does have the time.