February 20, 2006

Big Footy's Adopt-a-Swan

Over on the Swans board at Bigfooty.com, CharlieG has issued a challenge to all BF's Swans fans to "Adopt-a-Swan" for the 2006 season and sadly because I'm:

a) a mod there and
b) this site is own by Big Footy

I have been unleashed upon these two poor souls.

Yep that right I've selected to report on the week by week happenings of Jarrad McVeigh and Nic Fosdike. Now of course as Swans fans I'm going to assume (huge gamble I know) that you know who they are and where they sit within the team as we enter the 2006 season. But from this weekend NAB Cup match against the Kangaroos, if they play I'll report back on them in a section at the end of my weekly match report. If they play senior matches, I'll do a short report on how they went and rate their game out of 10. Then I post it on Big Footy for you all to rip apart.

So enjoy my 2006 "Adopt-a-Swan" campaign, I know I will!

Posted by robbieando at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)

February 18, 2006

Fantasic Article

Was just surfing the news site on the internet for some updated news on the Swans (very little save for match reports from last night) and came across this very well written article by Peter Lalor in today's "Weekend Australian".

Swans' Premiership Cup runneth over with rancour

Basically it explains the Swans anger towards the AFL after having requests not to play last nights match at North Sydney Oval off the back of the clubs trip to LA to play North and the community camp held in Wollongong. This follows on from AFL chief executive officer Andrew Demetriou's comments in the middle of last season about our style of play and the fact Demetriou might of gained some sort of revenge on the Swans for throwing egg in his face by then going on and winning the premiership with those tactics, by introducing - no forcing upon the League new rules that some say are designed to hurt the Swans rather than improve the game.

I suggest you give it a read.

Posted by robbieando at 07:16 PM | Comments (0)

January 30, 2006

Swansblog.com 2006 Season Preview

What a difference 12 months makes, after all who would of guessed at this stage last year that our 2005 season would turn out the way it did. Personally, 4 months on I still can’t believe what transpired at the MCG on that last Saturday in September and during the rest of that magical run to make it there and I know I’m not alone in that train of though. Most Swans fans feel the same and I think most of us won’t understand the true meaning of what really has happened until we take the field in Round One as the defending premiers (still could believe those two words) and Round 2 when the Premiership flag is unveiled to the SCG crowd (even better in Round 3 for those of us living in Melbourne when we can unveil the flag under the noses of the club that tried to kill us off in 1992 and I have an un-wavering hatred for).

After 72 years we finally have the biggest monkey known to mankind off our back and we now have the honour and therefore pressure that goes with it of trying to back up last years success with yet another charge at the Premiership and therefore Back to Back Premierships for the first time in the club’s history. The question therefore is - Can we do it all again and if so how can we play even further beyond ourselves and keep the run of good luck without injuries going to keep ahead of the chasing pack which is sure to be even stronger than what we faced last year???

It’s certainly not going to be easy that’s for sure.

What certainly is going to be in our favour is the fact we will be bringing back 21 of the 22 players from the Premiership team (only the retirement of Jason Ball stopping us from bringing the full team back) and that we have a young core of players that are in a position to be able to step up into the senior side if the need arises and provide an impact that should see the Swans either further improve as a team or at the very least allow us to tread water and play to the same standard.

This therefore means the pressure is on Nick Malceski, Jarrad McVeigh, Jared Moore and Luke Vogels to deliver on the promise that they have so far shown at the senior level without cementing their spots. These are the player that so much relies upon if our super run of luck with injuries comes to an end.

So while many so called media “experts� will write of the Swans (many without even doing any “reasonable� research) mainly due to the fact they either think the Premiership win was a fluke or that our squad will be harmed by the amount of turnover of senior players such as Ball, Schauble, Maxfield, Nicks and Saddington, I believe that the Swans will proved the experts wrong for the fourth season in a row and in the process send a shockwave though the AFL with the club’s success with its new found draft policy which has seen us rebuild the squad without the need to tank in the manner which St Kilda did and has seen us restock on midfielders who should lead us into the future once the likes of Bolton, Kirk, Crouch and co retire.

The only major worry is the lack of a stand out replacement for the key positions once Barry, Magic and Hall retire in the next few years. Only LRT looks the business as a key position player and the rest of a depth in the area are guy either on the rookie list or having been promoted from it. Therefore the trading for Ted Richards and Paul Chambers might turn out to be master strokes, despite the paying over the odds in terms of draft picks.

Trading out of the first three round might seem like defeating the purpose of improving a clubs youth stocks, but with the Swans “Moneyball� style of drafting, put in place by Paul Roos and Andre Ireland it has opened the draft up for the Swans to take worthwhile punts on kids who’ll be given time to grow into senior players while at the same time getting the benefit of impact from the recruits who have senior experience and are able to fill a gap in the senior team for the short pursuit of glory ala Darren Jolly for a First Round draft pick, well over the odds for him, but well worth it in the end.

Anyway on to this season and the teams prospects of winning Back to Back Premiership and one has to say that despite been written off by all and sundry as per usual in favour of the more sexer teams of St Kilda (shit coaching) and West Coast (shit forwards), I think the Swans are in the box seat going into the season because the fact the normal pressure on reigning premiers won’t be as great because we have been written off already. Thus we can go about our business like we did last season and explode come September and “shock� the football world.

Our forward line will still be one of the best in the AFL, now with a Barry Hall who can see and our defence is still going to be as miserly as past seasons (we were second in points conceded last season, behind the Crows who conceded the least amount of points in a season ever) with Leo Barry and LRT certain to take their games to the next level (in fact I would go as far as saying LRT is on the cusp of greatness after his Grand Final effort). Nothing looks like it will change with only Doyle and Chambers to fight it out for the open spot in the ruck division to back up new number one ruckman Jolly (see what I mean by risk paying off).

Other changes I predict could see Malceski taking a greater role in the senior side to add some much needed height to a midfield that is very much on the short side. He could be a major impact player if given the match time because his skills appear to be among the best in the team and he seems to have the ability to not only burst though packs but also rack up possessions at will. If he does make the step up I predict that Ben Mathews and Paul Bevan will be looking over their shoulders in fear of losing their spot in the team. This fear could be worsened if Ted Richards is shoehorned into the senior team as is expected.

Overall I believe that this is going to be yet another fine season for Paul Roos’ boys and that a run at the Premiership and therefore going Back to Back is looking good. We just have to be able to show and prove to the AFL world that we can ride the bumps of an early season form slump and a run of injuries and suspension, oops we did all that last year didn’t we.

Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to prove them all wrong just for the sake of it now I guess.

Swansblog.com Ladder Prediction: 3rd
Swansblog.com Season Prediction: Premiers

Swansblog.com Best and Fairest Prediction: Adam Goodes
Swansblog.com Rookie Impact Player: Nick Malceski
Swansblog.com Leading Goalkicker: Barry Hall
Swansblog.com Target of abuse: Anyone in a Carlton jumper and umpires in particular Darren Goldspink

Swansblog.com Best 22

B: Craig Bolton Leo Barry (c) Jared Crouch
HB: Sean Dempster Lewis Roberts-Thomson Tadhg Kennelly
C: Nick Malceski Brett Kirk (c) Adam Goodes
HF: Ryan O’Keefe Barry Hall (c) Nick Davis
F: Adam Schneider Michael O’Loughlin Amon Buchanan
R: Darren Jolly Jude Bolton Paul Williams
Int: Ted Richards Stephen Doyle Luke Ablett Nic Fosdike
Emg: Paul Chambers Jarrad McVeigh Ben Mathews

Posted by robbieando at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)

December 31, 2005

It Never Rains, But It Pours Player of the Year

This is a hard award to hand out considering that this was a Premiership season and the Swans line up during the season was so even thoughout the season. Players like Brett Kirk, Barry Hall, Adam Goodes, Tadhg Kennelly, Jude Bolton, Leo Barry and Craig Bolton all put forward strong claims for the award but at the end of the day it really was fought out by three players who's form and impact were the difference between the Swans winning the Premiership and being also ran's.

So when you look closely at those three players who made an impact during the season, Brett Kirk, Barry Hall and Craig Bolton you have to make the difficult decision which player is the worthy Premiership season Player of the Year and basically it comes down to not just form on the field, but also the form off it as a club leader.

So therefore this means that Craig Bolton the understated hero of the defence who week after week does a simular job to Leo Barry in taking opponents who outsize him. However while his role in the team is very important the lack of leadership to the level of Hall and Kirk mean he comes third is the Player of the Year awards.

So this therefore means that we have to split Hall and Kirk in search of the Player of the Year. The common person would 9 times out of 10 pick Premiership Captain, Barry Hall who lead the team from the front and threw his weight around. In a normal year he would be a shoe in for this award, but his 80 goals and spot in club history as the 4th Premiership Captain are only good enough for 2nd spot in the Player of the Year award.

This means the first ever It Never Rains, But It Pours Player of the Year award goes to Brett Kirk.

So your asking yourself why I've picked Brett Kirk as my Player of the Year, well it’s a tough one to explain but to be honest a decision that wasn't that hard to make. For me Brett Kirk’s ability to play above himself each and every week while leading the side from the front when not even the captain was inspiring to see and when given his chance as captain the 4 or 5 times he turn was up in the rotation policy he came to play and certainly lived up to the club image of a captain forged by Bob Skilton and Paul Kelly.

However the fact he took such key role in building the teamwork that was credited in winning the Premiership though his role in setting up the players groups known as "The Bloods". However as I stated above it was not just off the field where he made an impact in his leadership.

Just watching him bring the side together as a tight group, while 8 points down before the final quarter of Preliminary Final with his head held together with tape and a rugby helmet after taking an early blow to the head which cut him wide open. The fact he came back to play an important role was one thing, to inspire the side was another.

So therefore these qualities and his overall form make him the first ever “It Never Rains, But It Pours Player of the Year�.

Posted by robbieando at 02:01 PM | Comments (1)

November 24, 2005

Robbie Ando’s 2005 Swansblog Phantom Draft

Well the draft is finally upon us and with the Swans not entering the draft until pick 51, interest from Swans fans won't be as high as it has been in past years. Still as I have done for the past 3 drafts over on RWO.com, I have done my own version of the draft for Swansblog with more hope and blind luck than ever before. I hope you all enjoy this feature but remember this isn't done based upon pure fact, just a whole lot of guess work.

Priority Round

1. Carlton – Marc Murphy (Oakleigh Chargers)
State: VIC. Position: Small Midfielder. H: 179cm W: 75kg
Profile: The long time lock-in for the first overall selection in this draft since the National Championships mid year, Marc confirmed this fact by rejecting a large 5 year deal to sign for the Brisbane Lions under the father/son rule preferring to stay in Victoria. As for what Murphy offers he is a in and under ball winner many say will become the next Ben Cousins. For Carlton this pick is a no brainer because they will still be able to get their desired key position player with their second pick in the draft.

2. Collingwood – Shannon Hurn (Central Districts)
State: SA. Position: Tall Midfielder. H: 187cm W: 96kg
Profile: A bit of a late riser and certainly not the selection Collingwood would be expected to make, but with Nathan Buckley nearly at the end of his career, Collingwood need to be aggressive and snap up the best available tall midfield in this draft. Long right-foot kick he is ready made for senior football having played a part in Central Districts past two Grand Final wins and can settle into AFL football by playing a role off half back.

3. Hawthorn – Patrick Ryder (East Fremantle)
State: WA. Position: Key Position Forward/Ruckman. H: 194cm W: 89kg
Profile: Hawks continued this season with their clean out of their older tall’s and are starting to replace them with some of the most exciting young tall’s the draft has to offer and like last season the Hawks will go with the best available tall over the best available player. With their first pick they should go with Ryder who has played most of his junior football in the ruck, but at 194cm is too small to play everyday ruck, so should be moved into the Hawks forward line to which he is more than welcomed. A good mark and very good foot skills be it set shot or on the run. This boy could be the next Adam Goodes.

Round One

4. Carlton – Beau Dowler (Oakleigh Chargers)
State: VIC. Position: Key Position Forward H: 192cm W: 82kg
Profile: Carlton get their key position player and for Dowler he gets his wish of being a Top 5 pick despite the shocking injuries he suffered only a few weeks ago in a car crash that could of ended he football career before it even started. As things stand he really impressed scouts during the year with his marking and kicking for goal and once it was clear he was making a quick recovery from his injuries his stocks shot though the roof and he will be snapped up by Carlton at pick 4.

5. Collingwood – Josh Kennedy (East Fremantle)
State: WA. Position: Key Position Forward/Defender H: 193cm W: 93kg
Profile: With an eye toward the future again the Magpies take Kennedy who can play key position’s at both ends of the ground thanks to his solid hands, good kicking ability and athleticism. Fills another of Collingwood needs looking forward and they can take time again playing him in different positions to find his greatest use for the side. Kind of player I would of wanted at the Swans.

6. Hawthorn – Dale Thomas (Gippsland Power)
State: VIC. Position: Medium Midfielder H: 182cm W: 76kg
Profile: After looking after their big man stocks the Hawks move onto their midfield to add pace and class to what is shaping up as the next big thing in midfields. Thomas has played most of his TAC Cup football as a medium forward but with the pace, skills by hand and foot and the important ability to brake lines which fits into Hawthorn’s style of play he is sure to be groomed into a midfielder after serving his time up forward to begin with. Smart pick by the Hawks.

7. Essendon – Nathan Jones (Dandenong Stingrays)
State: VIC. Position: Small Midfielder H: 177cm W: 84kg
Profile: Essendon decide to add some extra grunt to their midfield by adding Jones to their list and what could be seen by some as a surprising move. But Sheedy loves nothing more than players will to put their bodies on the line in chasing the ball and this is something which Jones does well and to some effect. A natural ball winner and a player that likes to step up on the big stage. A bolt from the blue for some but at number 7 could prove to be a value pick in the years to come.

8. Richmond - Xavier Ellis (Gippsland Power)
State: VIC. Position: Half Back/Winger H: 187cm W: 73kg
Profile: Won’t play senior football next year after committing himself to his private school team for next season in the manner which Luke Ball did in his rookie season. This move in my eyes has seen him drop from a Top 5 Lock to a floater towards the bottom of the Top 10 for teams not really looking for the quick fix an early pick should provide. For Richmond Ellis is too good to pass up on and like last year will snap up on what they see as the other club’s mistakes. As for Ellis he is a quick half back flanker who in time could become an outside midfielder.

9. Brisbane – Marcus Drum (Murray Bushrangers)
State: VIC. Position: Medium Defender H: 190cm W: 82kg
Profile: Brisbane after missing out on Marc Murphy will look towards their other great need with their first pick in the national draft by selecting Drum to add depth and a little bit of height to their defense. While Drum height might stop him from becoming a nature sized CHB, he could become Craig Bolton like and hold down a key defensive post thanks to his attacking ability off half back. For the Lions they will hope he adds on a some bulk and grows a centimeter or two in the next year or two.

10. Fremantle – Mitchell Clark (East Fremantle)
State: WA. Position: Key Position Forward H: 197cm W: 90kg
Profile: Freo hit the jackpot as one of the better local products manage to fall to them at pick 10 and in an important position as well. Clark is a Key Position Forward who many predicted at the start of the year would turn out to be the number one pick. A good pack mark and an even better kick at goal. But a poor year has resulted in a fall in rating and as such manages to stay in his home state and fulfills one of Freo’s greatest needs in the process.

11. Western Bulldogs – Cleve Hughes (Norwood)
State: SA. Position: Key Position Forward H: 193cm W: 85kg
Profile: The Bulldogs head into this years draft in a great position knowing that they only have to focus on drafting key position players and that by their first selection there should be more than enough available to suit their needs. As such the Bulldogs go for yet another South Australian with their first pick in Cleve Hughes. Hughes is a tall forward who moves to the ball well and can take a very good pack mark. Also good on a set shot, he has the ability to become the next big thing as far as Centre Half Forward’s go.

12. Melbourne – Darren Pfeiffer (Norwood)
State: SA. Position: Medium Midfielder H: 183cm W: 78kg
Profile: The Demons are looking for a hard nosed midfielder in this draft and they can exactly that in Pfeiffer who is not only courageous, but a ball winner to boot. Once he has the ball he knows what to do with it most time, but can be prone to just booting the ball as long as he can in hope of making something happen. Can grow out of that, but with Neitz at Full Forward might be the best thing for all about this kid.

13. West Coast - Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls (East Perth)
State: WA. Position: Tall Midfielder H: 186cm W: 74kg
Profile: While really looking for a tall forward the Eagles have been forced by the lack of depth in this draft to look at Oakley-Nicholls due to any selection of a tall being more of a reach than they would like. In any case Oakley-Nicholls is a fine midfielder to select and one that in time will grow to add even more depth to the Eagles midfield. Will take time to bulk up before being ready for senior football but at the Eagles he’ll get plenty of that.

14. Hawthorn – Grant Birchall (Tassie Mariners)
State: TAS. Position: Key Position Defender/Tall Midfielder H: 192cm W: 80kg
Profile: Yes you read he Position right he has the ability to play either across Half Back or on the Wing in an Adam Goodes type role. This ability won’t be lost on the Hawks who are looking to build a team suited to a possession type gameplan and looking for as much grunt as possible for their midfield as well as defense. Needs to work on his foot skills but with the talent and height he has for the type of roles he could fill the Hawks won’t let him slip by.

15. Geelong – Shaun Higgins (Geelong Falcons)
State: VIC. Position: Medium Midfielder H: 183cm W: 76kg
Profile: Has fallen slightly in the eyes of many recruiters but at Pick 15 the Cats will be more than happy to add yet another home grown players to their flock of ex-Falcons down at Skilled Stadium. Natural footballer with ability to win the hard ball and then be able to use it effectively. Will however need to work on his fitness as he has found himself on the fitness table often in the few years.

16. Adelaide – Luke McEntee (North Adelaide)
State: SA. Position: Ruckman H: 197cm W: 89kg
Profile: With their ruck stocks thining out after their starting 2 ruckmen, the Crows go for local boy Luke McEntee who has just come off his second year in Aussie Rules footy thanks to his basketball background. Good athletic ability suits the Crows style of ruckman needed and is improving all the time. Should take a year or two for him to get a taste of senior football, but should be a player to watch in the years to come once he does make it.

17. Adelaide – Travis Varcoe (Central Districts)
State: SA. Position: Small Midfielder H: 179cm W: 72kg
Profile: Again the Crows look to their future with their second straight pick and go with Varcoe with an eye to replacing Andrew McLeod in the coming year. A lighting quick midfielder who not only knows how to set up play, but can stop it as we well with his defensive work. Big problem for this kid is he is coming off a knee reco. But if history is anything to go by the Crows are getting themselves quite a player.

18. Hawthorn – Beau Muston (Murray Bushrangers)
State: VIC. Position: Medium Forward H: 188cm W: 71kg
Profile: With their fourth pick in the draft Hawthorn go with Muston to add to their forward. Coming off a knee reco has seen him fall slightly but in Hawthorn’s eyes his start to the season, known ability to take a good overhead mark and a deadly shot at goal make him the perfect O’Keefe-like forward to add to their side.

19. Essendon - Scott Pendlebury (Gippsland Power)
State: VIC. Position: Tall Midfielder H: 188cm W: 82kg
Profile: This seems a natural selection for the Bombers who are in the market for a winger of this nature, athletic and ready to play for the get go. What also makes this selection likely if Pendlebury is still available at this pick is the fact Scott’s brother played some games with the Bomber’s VFL team.

Round Two

20. Carlton – Andrew Swallow (East Fremantle)
State: WA. Position: Medium Midfielder H: 183cm W: 75kg

21. Collingwood – Richard Douglas (Calder Cannons)
State: VIC. Position: Small Midfielder H: 179cm W: 68kg

22. Hawthorn – Paul Bower (Peel Thunder)
State: WA. Position: Key Position Defender H: 192cm W: 87kg

23. Collingwood - Tom Rischbieth (Sturt)
State: SA. Position: Medium Forward H: 190cm W: 83kg

24. Richmond – Courtenay Dempsey (Morningside)
State: QLD. Position: Tall Midfielder H: 186cm W: 70kg

25. Brisbane – Austin Lucy (Caloundra)
State: QLD. Position: Key Position Defender H: 193cm W: 91kg

26. Fremantle – Danny Stanley (Geelong Falcons)
State: VIC. Position: Medium Forward/Defender H: 186cm W: 87kg

27. Western Bulldogs – Wayde Mills (Southport)
State: QLD. Position: Key Position Defender H: 196cm W: 88kg

28. Kangaroos – Tim Looby (Murray Bushrangers)
State: VIC. Position: Medium Defender H: 186cm W: 91kg

29. West Coast – Alan Toovey (Claremont)
State: WA. Position: Medium Defender H: 188cm W: 79kg

30. Port Adelaide – Jace Bode (Sturt)
State: SA. Position: Tall Midfielder H: 186cm W: 84kg

31. Geelong – Todd Grima (Tassie Mariners)
State: TAS. Position: Key Position Forward H: 193cm W: 88kg

32. Adelaide – Ben McKinley (Northern Knights)
State: VIC. Position: Medium Midfielder H: 184cm W: 80kg

33. St Kilda – Matthew Spangher (Eastern Rangers)
State: VIC. Position: Key Position Defender H: 193cm W: 84kg

34. West Coast - Kristin Thornton (Peel Thunder)
State: WA. Position: Medium Midfielder H: 183cm W: 72kg

35. Geelong – Ryan Jackson (Northern Knights)
State: VIC. Position: Tall Midfielder H: 188cm W: 80kg

Round 3

36. Carlton – Jake Edwards (Western Jets)
State: VIC. Position: Key Position Forward H: 191cm W: 78kg

37. Collingwood – Sam Gilbert (Southport)
State: QLD. Position: Key Position Defender H: 192cm W: 81kg

38. Hawthorn – Travis Tuck (Dandenong Stingrays) F/S
State: VIC. Position: Tall Midfielder H: 187cm W: 75kg

39. Essendon – Jay Neagle (Gippsland Power) F/S
State: VIC. Position: Medium Forward H: 187cm W: 97kg

40. Richmond – Trent West (Gippsland Power)
State: VIC. Position: Ruckman H: 197cm W: 90kg

41. Brisbane - Daniel Dzufer (Caloundra)
State: QLD. Position: Tall Midfielder H: 189cm W: 80kg

42. Fremantle – Toby Stribling (Re-Drafted)
State: SA. Position: Small Midfielder H: 178cm W: 76kg

43. Kangaroos – Matt Riggio (Peel Thunder)
State: WA. Position: Medium Defender/Tall Defender H: 189cm W: 83kg

44. Port Adelaide – Sam Elliot (South Adelaide)
State: SA. Position: Small Midfielder H: 181cm W: 74kg

45. Kangaroos - Kasey Green (West Coast)
State: WA. Position: Medium Defender H: 187cm W: 87kg

46. Western Bulldogs – Michael West (Redlands)
State: QLD. Position: Key Position Forward H: 195cm W: 85kg

47. Geelong – Sam Iles (Tassie Mariners)
State: TAS. Position: Small Midfielder H: 181cm W: 80kg

48. Adelaide – Ryan Gamble (Glenelg)
State: SA. Position: Small Midfielder H: 180cm W: 72kg

49. St Kilda – Matthew Laidlaw (Oakleigh Cannons)
State: VIC. Position: Medium Defender H: 186cm W: 81kg

50. Essendon - Jonathon Cheetham (North Adelaide)
State: SA. Position: Key Position Forward H: 192cm W: 83kg

Round Four

51. Sydney – Alan Obst (Central Districts)
State: SA. Position: Key Position Defender H: 192cm W: 82kg
Profile: Well it’s finally time for the Swans first selection in this years draft and as expected, some quality “scraps� remained for the Swans to choose between. This best of which in my mind is the key position defender, Alan Obst. Clearly the Swans need to add to our height down back with the retirements of Schauble and James, plus the trading of sometime defenders Saddington and Powell. The Swans will be more than pleased to have added to our defensive stocks with this pick.

52. Collingwood – PASS

53. Melbourne – Brad Kelleher (Eastern Rangers)
State: VIC. Position: Medium Defender H: 188cm W: 82kg

54. Sydney – Max Bailey (West Perth)
State: WA. Position: Ruckman H: 205cm W: 93kg
Profile: Again another quality “scrap� and this time a real left field pick considering the amount of ruckman we already have on our list. Still the club has been rumored to be interested and you can never have enough ruckman. Quick and with clean hands for a ruckman, he might not take so long to develop as Ericksen.

55. Western Bulldogs – Hugh Minson (Norwood)
State: SA. Position: Ruckman H: 202cm W: 88kg

56. Brisbane – Ben Fixter (Sydney)
State: NSW. Position: Small Defender H: 180cm W: 79kg

57. Western Bulldogs – Brett Montgomery (Port Adelaide)
State: VIC. Position: Key Position Forward H: 180cm W: 83kg

58. Port Adelaide – Thomas Redden (Glenelg)
State: SA. Position: Tall Midfielder H: 191cm W: 74kg

59. Sydney - Dylan Addison (St George)
State: NSW. Position: Medium Midfielder H: 185cm W: 73kg
Profile: With our last selection in the draft the Swans overlook picking up a experienced player in favour of a local junior who fits the build as the tallish midfielder that we lack in depth in our squad. Good mark and good skills, Addison also adds pace to the midfield.

60. Melbourne – Shane Woewodin (Collingwood)
State: WA. Position: Medium Midfielder H: 185cm W: 83kg

61. Geelong – Matt White (Calder Cannons)
State: VIC. Position: Small Midfielder H: 178cm W: 74kg

62. Adelaide – PASS

63. St Kilda – Robert Warnock (Sandringham Dragons)
State: VIC. Position: Ruckman H: 204cm W: 80kg

Round Five

64. Carlton – PASS

65. Hawthorn – PASS

66. Essendon – PASS

67. Richmond – Michael Stevens (Kangaroos)
State: VIC. Position: Small Midfielder H: 179cm W: 80kg

68. Melbourne – PASS

69. Kangaroos – Jack Edwards (Western Jets)
State: VIC. Position: Key Position Forward/Defender H: 191cm W: 78kg

70. Port Adelaide – Steven Armstrong (Melbourne)
State: WA. Position: Small Midfielder H: 180cm W: 81kg

71. St Kilda – PASS

Round Six

72. Essendon – PASS

73. Kangaroos – PASS

74. Port Adelaide – Cameron Miller (Port Magpies)
State: SA. Position: Medium Midfielder H: 184cm W: 81kg

75. St Kilda - PASS

Posted by robbieando at 06:49 PM | Comments (1)

August 28, 2005

Draw For Week 1 Of The Finals

Well here is the draw for week one of the finals. We are off to Perth after they got knocked off top spot by Adelaide. For info regarding tickets to the match check with the Swans website or better yet ring the club. If we win we play a Home Prelim Final in a fortnight, if we lose we'll play either Geelong or Melbourne next week.

Friday September 2
West Coast vs Sydney (Subiaco) 6.30pm AWST

Saturday September 3
Geelong vs Melbourne (MCG) 2.30pm AEST

Adelaide vs West Coast (AAMI Stadium) 7.00pm ACST

Sunday September 4
Kangaroos vs Port Adelaide (Telstra Dome) 2.30pm AEST

Posted by robbieando at 08:22 PM | Comments (1)

July 20, 2005

Giving Amon His Due

Many of you will remember back to the last time we played the Eagles and how I wanted Roosy to drop Amon Buchanan because of poor form, well since then I have been put in my place on that front. After being dropped for the Essendon match before getting a late call up thanks to the knee injury to Stuart Maxfield, Amon has gone on to become a much more important player and a far more consisant ball winner in midfield, with only his goal kicking letting him down.

In today's "The Australian", Amon finally gets a bit of acknowledgement from the football media and the game at large for his efforts in the past few weeks in an article called Now Amon's punching above his weight.

I think this article goes to show how important Amon has been over the past fortnight with his attack on the ball leading to a fair few goal assists. I liken his play to that of an NFL Running Back who gets the ball and chargers through a large tight pack to push the ball (and therefore the game) forward and every so offen leads to a goal as a result. That's how I liken him, Assistant coach Ross Lyon reckons Buchanan is

in the best form of his career and is fast developing into an Aaron Hamill-type defensive forward.

Not a bad wrap at all and certainly not a bad wrap for a player many had given up on after Adam Schneider became the hot new small forward the Swans had been looking for and was in fact training with Carlton after being delisted by the Swans in the hope of having some sort of AFL future. But lucky for the Swans and Amon himself the Swans had a change of heart and re-drafted him in a Troy Luff style move and last season saw him gain valuable senior gametime, showed his promise as a midfielder and kept the form going into this year where he has more than moved past Schneider according to club great Paul Kelly.

"Last year he was probably up against Adam Schneider for a spot in the team and now he's moved in front of him."

So hopefully Amon can keep up with this form and he becomes an even more valable asset to this club. Not bad for a play I wrote off 10 weeks ago.

Posted by robbieando at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)

July 06, 2005

Sydney AFL - Why Throwing Money At the Problem Isn't Working

Over the past week and a half the issue of the lack of impact the AFL is making in Sydney with kids has become a hot topic. While things are much better than they were a decade ago, things aren't where they were expected to be after years of throwing money to help develop the code in metro Sydney. Last week the AFL floated a plan where each club could select a junior from Metro Sydney to train who they could then select in a way simular to a Father Son Selection.

Under the proposed apprenticeship plan, clubs would identify players in their mid-teenage years and list them separately to their senior and rookie players. The footballers would remain in Sydney but be nurtured and developed by their sponsor club.

This is finally acknowledgement from the AFL that more needs to be done in metro Sydney, while the Swans continue to be light years away from a premiership. At the moment, while Auskick numbers continue to be riseing, kids lack the pathway to senior level that kids interstate have. Few school have an Aussie Rules team, let alone Aussie Rules program and the AFL is finally getting message on that front.

Winning Sydney an elusive formula is an interesting article from Caroline Wilson (I know, I know its a first) on the issue. Its shows the difference two cousins (one in Melbourne and one in Sydney) took in their Aussie Rules life and how the one in Sydney is now playing Union for his school because his school doesn't play Aussie Rules in any form.

Just shows you how much work the AFL has to do in Sydney to get regualar AFL players coming from the state.

Posted by robbieando at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)

June 24, 2005

Swans Mid Season Report Card

The Swans 2005 season so far hasn’t been of the better seasons from a Swans team because of the range of attacks coming from the Melbourne media for the best part of two months because of the Swans style of play that sent most fans (including our own) to sleep most weeks. So to be sitting 7-5 at the mid season break is kind of surprising yet not at all disappointing when compared to what most Swans fans predicted we would be sitting come Round 12.

Now the Swans have yet again been unlucky with untimely injuries to key players, Stephen Doyle (season), Paul Williams (7 weeks out), Andrew Schauble (6 matches), Jason Ball (5 weeks) and Nick Davis (3 matches).

So when it is little wonder the Swans played such negative tactics for as long as it did in the face of such a media storm. Certainly makes one think about how we could of gone with a full side for the entire season.

Still despite the poor style of play and basic skill errors it hasn’t been all bad news, we have seen a 7 goal last quarter against the Lions in Brisbane which saw Barry Hall kick a goal after the final siren to give the Swans the lead for the only time in the match.

We have seen Adam Goodes start to regain his Brownlow winning form and the development of regulars such as Luke Ablett and Craig Bolton into key senior players. Also good has been the form of key recruit Darren Jolly who has held his own in the ruck and so far lived up to the value we paid to get him (save for 2 weeks off for a love tap). Even more impressive has been Nick Davis. While not noticed as often as one would like, save for his 3 matches out, he has shown a re-newed commitment to his football and has spent the majority of his gametime playing in the midfield and flying into packs better than some of the more regular midfielders at the club.

We have also seen the impressive debuts of Sean Dempster, Jarrad Moore, Luke Vogels and Nick Malceski, with Dempster settling into a regular position running off Half Back. These guys are only the beginning of a group of kids that we have coming though the ranks and most important of all most of these are midfielders, thus meaning the Swans can focus on improving other areas of the team come the trade and draft period (ie. depth in the key positions)

All in all the season has been a stop start affair with the Swans only starting to show what they are capable of in the past month. Yet to beat a team sitting above us on the ladder, the Swans know they need to step up a cog or three if they want to challenge for the premiership come September.

But at the Swans know that in sitting in 6th position after 12 Rounds and only a game and percentage off 3rd spot that they are well positioned for a run at a Top Four spot considering their fixture in the coming month and a team fully fit and firing coming into the right stage of the season.

Mid Season Best and Fairest: Jude Bolton
Mid Season Most Improved: Luke Ablett
Mid Season Rising Star: Sean Dempster

Mid Season Swans Overall Rating: B+ (But is capable of doing better and should improve in coming weeks)

Posted by robbieando at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)