Changes to R21 Against St Kilda

[707]

We won't lose any player the club sees as integral to our Premierships assault!

Cows in a bit of bother this morning with Tex getting 6 matches for a racist slur at a Cows SANFL match.

On the subject of the handful of SA players lured home, from memory Scott Thompson was the most minor part of a three way trade between Cows, WC and Melbourne, at the time of the trade he was just a promising two season player. I remember the outrage on Adelaide talk back radio that Cows had traded X back to WC for this unknown Scott Thompson from Melbourne FC. Similar kind of rage on radio when the Cows recruited some Vic country schoolboy Patrick Dangerfield instead of SA boy Brad Ebert. There are some real shallow idiots on talkback radio!

[Ludwig]

I thought Stephens finished the season well last year and looked a near certain starter for 2021, but came up against strong competition for spots from Gulden, Campbell, Chad, Bell and Wicks. He wants to stay at the Swans. He's getting a game this week ahead of the alternatives, so there shouldn't be any complaints about lack of opportunity. I think he's a very good young player who will only get better and don't think he's a serious risk to leave. Hopefully he plays well and keeps his spot.

I don't think Chad is an automatic inclusion. He has real competition from Stephens, Rowbottom and Campbell for that 22nd spot in the side. It's just what happens with a full list. It's a key reason why we've been doing so well, and beyond what most expected from this year. We thought we could play finals if a lot of things went right, and a lot of things have gone right, especially on the injury front. Let's keep it up.

[barry]

Stephens has come to the realisation that just being a top 10 draft pick does not get you selected. Best thing that could have happened to him is that these other young kids went past him.
He's probably been having his ego pumped up all his junior footy.

This is what the bulldogs did with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. Smart.

[Faunac8]

I’ve known a few South Australians over the years and you never take the South Australian out of them. It’s like Queenslanders, you never take the Queenslander out of them. People from NSW or Victoria look at themselves as Australian’s and don’t have that same regionalism inbuilt in their DNA.

Quite the sweeping proclamation BS.
Having lived four to five years in NSW ten years in Victoria four years in SA and ten years in Queensland I think I am reasonably qualified to say that all states and their residents have inbuilt parochialism and tend to think their part of the world is the best.
This is called human nature and happens everywhere in the world. It’s natural to be tribal just ask the United Kingdom 😀
If you don’t think this is the case just listen to the respective premiers fighting over vaccinations and federal government handouts as they highlight how important their state is in the scheme of things.

[TheBloods]

I thought Stephens finished the season well last year and looked a near certain starter for 2021, but came up against strong competition for spots from Gulden, Campbell, Chad, Bell and Wicks. He wants to stay at the Swans. He's getting a game this week ahead of the alternatives, so there shouldn't be any complaints about lack of opportunity. I think he's a very good young player who will only get better and don't think he's a serious risk to leave. Hopefully he plays well and keeps his spot.

I don't think Chad is an automatic inclusion. He has real competition from Stephens, Rowbottom and Campbell for that 22nd spot in the side. It's just what happens with a full list. It's a key reason why we've been doing so well, and beyond what most expected from this year. We thought we could play finals if a lot of things went right, and a lot of things have gone right, especially on the injury front. Let's keep it up.

No chance is Chad in competition with any of them . Even Stephens and Campbell , rate them but they are not at his level and have not proven themselves like Chad has this year . If stephens goes well then someone else can go for Chad

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Sam Wicks. Rotate his role between Florent, Parker and Chad.
Wicks is now the selection tables low hanging fruit after Bell had filled that role for a number of weeks.

Ummm, somehow I don’t think we’re going to relegate Luke Parker to the role of defensive, pressure forward.

Papley is a small pressure pressure forward as well.
It’s not relegated it’s rotated through there. Maybe when they go forward they don’t kick to Wicks often because he rarely wins one on ones and is the least dynamic out of Franklin, Heeney, Papley and Hayward. If you had Parker up forward one on one you are probably kicking the ball to him more than the other guys. The other guys would then become the pressure forward if the ball goes to ground.
You then rotate Florent (great shot at goal) and Chad in there. Chad would put on a lot of pressure on and you could have him also in the centre square.

I think the primary attribute required of a small defensive forward is the footspeed to chase and harass. Parker is an excellent footballer, but footspeed isn't one of his attributes. I remember reading that the lack was the reason why he fell through to #40.
I'm sure he will continue to make a great contrbution up forward, he's an excellent mark and more than 60% of his scoring shots are goals.

[Nico]

No chance is Chad in competition with any of them . Even Stephens and Campbell , rate them but they are not at his level and have not proven themselves like Chad has this year . If stephens goes well then someone else can go for Chad

I don't think Campbell should be in this discussion. He showed enough in the games that he played that he will be automatically top 22. If he had stayed fit I am sure he would still be in the side. Unfortunately some young player's bodies struggle early. The injury he had is due to his body still growing and is not uncommon in young footballers whose bodies are not ready for the physical load they get confronted with. Braeden is an absolute bonus sitting on the sidelines. With a few games left they may just let his body mature and get ready for a tough pre season. A star in the making.

To me Chad is a walk up start when fit. No coincidence that our centre clearance work slowly ebbed away when he left the team. His great asset is he reads the play off the ruckmen beautifully, and unlike our other mids at centre bounces, he gets clean, quick and explosive clearance with his possessions. It will be nice to get him back before the finals, fresh and raring to go. It will give the opposition a lot more to think about.

- - - Updated - - -

I think the primary attribute required of a small defensive forward is the footspeed to chase and harass. Parker is an excellent footballer, but footspeed isn't one of his attributes. I remember reading that the lack was the reason why he fell through to #40.
I'm sure he will continue to make a great contrbution up forward, he's an excellent mark and more than 60% of his scoring shots are goals.

Why on earth would we even entertain changing Parker's role? He is a gun at how he plays his game.

[BRISWAN]

I’ve known a few South Australians over the years and you never take the South Australian out of them. It’s like Queenslanders, you never take the Queenslander out of them. People from NSW or Victoria look at themselves as Australian’s and don’t have that same regionalism inbuilt in their DNA.

HAHAHAHEHEHE. You can tell that they're from NSW & VIC.............................but you can't tell them much !!!

[barry]

We won't lose any player the club sees as integral to our Premierships assault!

Cows in a bit of bother this morning with Tex getting 6 matches for a racist slur at a Cows SANFL match.

6 matches for racial comment not directly at the person.
vs
2 matches for an elbow into someones neck.

Seems disproportionate.

[RogueSwan]

6 matches for racial comment not directly at the person.
vs
2 matches for an elbow into someones neck.

Seems disproportionate.

Agreed, both should be 6 matches

[Markwebbos]

Stephens has come to the realisation that just being a top 10 draft pick does not get you selected. Best thing that could have happened to him is that these other young kids went past him.
He's probably been having his ego pumped up all his junior footy.

This is what the bulldogs did with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. Smart.

Maybe he’s homesick?

[liz]

Maybe he’s homesick?

He's from country Vic and spent at least some of his schooling as a boarder in SA, so that seems unlikely. It's more likely that he's frustrated with not getting more senior opportunities, but even that is supposition rather than known fact.

Even though competition for midfield spots will remain competitive over coming seasons, I hope he backs himself to win a regular spot in due course. If not, good luck to him elsewhere.