Dirty Weekender wrote:
swan42 wrote:
mikeh wrote:
Dirty Weekender wrote: My concern with Coniglio is that some of the senior blokes don't seem to trust him enough to give him the ball even when he is one on none. Happened numerous times on the weekend. Rogers as many have stated here was deplorable on the weekend and should be dropped on form. Looks like he has lost a yard and was already on the slow side. The worst game I have seen him play in black and white. Not sure why Elari is playing forward when he is so capable of finding the ball in the guts. Looks uncomfortable in a forward role. I'll sit on the fence with Burnham for now but his ball use is suspect at best and lacks speed so not sure if there is room for him in the side when the sting is not taken outta the ground. I've got Coniglio ahead of him simply because of his youth and I don't see much upside in Burnham from where his level is at now. Match ups probably should dictate who gets selected at this stage with these 2 but they are both too slow to be in the same team especially with Alby in the guts as well. We need some speed from somewhere which is why I agree with MO that Turner needs persisting with and he also can kick it further than 25metres. At least his turnovers are generally attacking ones and not coughing the ball up from brain fades or deplorable skill errors. Not sure what Rudy has done to upset Harding but clearly we could use his extra size and leg speed if he is fit.
Totally agree DW. Rudy is the one player in the club who has that 'Wow' factor that people have been talking about. He needs to be playing league if he is fit
Mikeh and DW I have a great deal of time for Rudy's potential. However, that is just what it is at the moment. In my opinion his efforts would be around 70% at best in the reserves games I have seen him play.
DW can you please give a critique of how Adam Fulkners' decision making and disposal has immproved over the years? I am not trying to single out Faulkner as no-one can doubt his commitment to get the ball; I am merely trying to illustrate that there are many others to find fault with and that I don't think that Burnham and Coniglio should be the scapegoats for our present predicament.
My opinion on Rudy is that if he is fit then the coaching staff need to play him. His upside is potentially huge and if his body can hold up to it playing him will allow his confidence in his ability to grow which is his biggest weakness atm, self belief. Others who are borderline like Rudy need to dramatically improve their skills before deserving their place whereas I believe given a consistent run at league level Rudy's work ethic will improve dramatically with growth in confidence he will gain from this, his skill level and natural flare are ahead of others atm and are what the team needs desperately right now, some attacking ability that can put the opposition on the back foot. Rudy doesn't play the sideways game. I'd rather go down swinging than kicking backwards all day.
As for Faulks I've been a fan from the start but you are right, he is hard at it and gets it frequently but has not improved much in his decision making but most notably his disposal. It's been 3 seasons now and clearly he needs to work harder on his kicking efficiency. I still have him way ahead of the other 2 simply because his ball getting ability is inside rather than outside. He has a great understanding and partnership at ball ups with Doc which we will not get to see this year. Let's hope he can work it out with Yuke. I was hoping having Malaxos around might help Faulks. Malaxos was a champ at effectively laying the ball off to a team mate in a better position which is what Faulks needs to learn to do, play within the scope of his ability.
Fundamentally I agree with your comments re a younger player being given an extended run in the league helps their confidence and they realise they won't be dropped for making a mistake and as a consequence their performances improve because of that. I think Yukich's improvement and development is a case that illustrates this as he knows he is not going to be the last in the league team and the first out. Wholeheartedly agree with your comments about Faulkner. What he basically has to come to grips with is that he needs to play to his abilities and not try fancy footwork or cute little kicks off his left foot for example. This is another reason why we Swans' supporters should hold Essendon and the AFL in contempt and disdain because of the loss of Crowley. Imagine how valuable his experiences would have been to the likes of Faulkner, Coniglio, Burnham and Yukich etc.
Speaking of Malaxos how do you think he has settled in at Basso?
Personally I think that Elari and Rogers should be given the opportunity to turn their form around against Perth Saturday week because of their history of performing well against Perth? Do you agreee? Perhaps Grassy could make a comment on that as well.
