TOPIC:

Harding to me is more a development coach and is certainly good at getting players drafted, no problems there.
I think that is his go and would be better as a colts or reserves coach as the league side has some baffling selections at times and we have blokes that cant hit targets more than 10 metres away and handball at blokes feet.
we also play a terrible brand of footy, blokes who kick the ball sideways 10 metres to build up stats like Burnham and Coniglio should be either droppped or told to get the ball into our forward line quicker, its terrible to watch.

Mad Dog wrote:

MarkOlsen wrote: I do query whether Smart and Harding know a good footballer at times, Smart is still living off picking up Nat Fyfe and Harding plays his favourites.
both should be on borrowed time and have had long enough to do something.

Cmon MO! Credit must be given to both for the number of kids we've had drafted in recent years?! Add that to the fact we've had little to no recruiting and we find ourselves in our current situation on the back of also some unforeseen circumstances. You can't polish a turd!

the real question is this MD...is the ultimate goal for a WAFL team to develop kids so they can go off and play AFL or to win flags? I'll put it another way...do you consider SD has had a successful season if they get say 5 young fellas drafted or if they play finals? for mine it has always been winning flags as that is what is important for members, supporters, sponsors and I dare say players. now you can criticise Subi all you want for its recruiting policy but imo, I wouldn't have it any other way if you take into account the clubs success since 2004. sure getting players taken up into the AFL system is good for them and a nice by-product but it shouldn't be the main aim of any WAFL club.

MD I have been around footy long enough to realise that when you lose a winning culture and ethos it can take a long time to rediscover it. Ask the Perth guys for conformation.
In regards to the selections I'm not only suggesting the Rogers/Cary non selections are bizarre to me young Aidan Clarke is miles above at least half a dozen currently getting a game he is quick (a trait we have absolutely none of at present) can use the footy by hand and more importantly foot well and over a distance. Alby Dean is another who's non selection has me stumped. I would have thought if a player that struggles to impact at Reserves level he is fairly certain to struggle at League level also wouldn't you think? I hope I'm wrong in thinking some of these selections of late are for convenience reasons only as I said previously you should have to earn a League berth at SD in my books and not to see if a player will make it and or not!

Clarke would be in the best 5 kicks at the club and is a good prospect, a waste him playing reserves, kicked a goal into the breeze from outside 50 on saturday.
Dean played some top games earlier in the year and then 1 bad game and is dropped.
I cant work it out either.
and recruit some blokes who can kick more than 10 metres !

BC wrote:

Mad Dog wrote:

MarkOlsen wrote: I do query whether Smart and Harding know a good footballer at times, Smart is still living off picking up Nat Fyfe and Harding plays his favourites.
both should be on borrowed time and have had long enough to do something.

Cmon MO! Credit must be given to both for the number of kids we've had drafted in recent years?! Add that to the fact we've had little to no recruiting and we find ourselves in our current situation on the back of also some unforeseen circumstances. You can't polish a turd!

the real question is this MD...is the ultimate goal for a WAFL team to develop kids so they can go off and play AFL or to win flags? I'll put it another way...do you consider SD has had a successful season if they get say 5 young fellas drafted or if they play finals? for mine it has always been winning flags as that is what is important for members, supporters, sponsors and I dare say players. now you can criticise Subi all you want for its recruiting policy but imo, I wouldn't have it any other way if you take into account the clubs success since 2004. sure getting players taken up into the AFL system is good for them and a nice by-product but it shouldn't be the main aim of any WAFL club.

We all want to win a Grand Final! Reality is that only one team can do so and only one team can afford to place themselves as genuine contenders EVERY year.So unless you're primed and ready to go then the next thing to worry about is development and draftees. In an ideal world we'd play finals and have boys drafted and in recent years that had been the case. It catches up with you as we are now seeing.

As stated before,it's not like we've been languishing at the foot of the table for 3-4 seasons. Yes this is a bad year but with some quality players returning and a bit of a change up around the club I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We only need to look at South as to how quickly it can turn around.

Beasley Hutton wrote: MD I have been around footy long enough to realise that when you lose a winning culture and ethos it can take a long time to rediscover it. Ask the Perth guys for conformation.
In regards to the selections I'm not only suggesting the Rogers/Cary non selections are bizarre to me young Aidan Clarke is miles above at least half a dozen currently getting a game he is quick (a trait we have absolutely none of at present) can use the footy by hand and more importantly foot well and over a distance. Alby Dean is another who's non selection has me stumped. I would have thought if a player that struggles to impact at Reserves level he is fairly certain to struggle at League level also wouldn't you think? I hope I'm wrong in thinking some of these selections of late are for convenience reasons only as I said previously you should have to earn a League berth at SD in my books and not to see if a player will make it and or not!

I think you'll find some of the boys getting games are more deserving than blokes that aren't and it's not purely based on how good you play on a Saturday afternoon. I'd much rather have a lesser light that gives 100% all of the time than another who gives 90% sometimes.

Mad Dog wrote:

BC wrote:

Mad Dog wrote:

MarkOlsen wrote: I do query whether Smart and Harding know a good footballer at times, Smart is still living off picking up Nat Fyfe and Harding plays his favourites.
both should be on borrowed time and have had long enough to do something.

Cmon MO! Credit must be given to both for the number of kids we've had drafted in recent years?! Add that to the fact we've had little to no recruiting and we find ourselves in our current situation on the back of also some unforeseen circumstances. You can't polish a turd!

the real question is this MD...is the ultimate goal for a WAFL team to develop kids so they can go off and play AFL or to win flags? I'll put it another way...do you consider SD has had a successful season if they get say 5 young fellas drafted or if they play finals? for mine it has always been winning flags as that is what is important for members, supporters, sponsors and I dare say players. now you can criticise Subi all you want for its recruiting policy but imo, I wouldn't have it any other way if you take into account the clubs success since 2004. sure getting players taken up into the AFL system is good for them and a nice by-product but it shouldn't be the main aim of any WAFL club.

We all want to win a Grand Final! Reality is that only one team can do so and only one team can afford to place themselves as genuine contenders EVERY year.So unless you're primed and ready to go then the next thing to worry about is development and draftees. In an ideal world we'd play finals and have boys drafted and in recent years that had been the case. It catches up with you as we are now seeing.

As stated before,it's not like we've been languishing at the foot of the table for 3-4 seasons. Yes this is a bad year but with some quality players returning and a bit of a change up around the club I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We only need to look at South as to how quickly it can turn around.

There is a tension between the two areas. As a paying member I expect some value for my money and to be honest I haven't got it this year. However as MD says this year needs to be seen in the context of the bigger picture in that Swans have bottomed out after a decade of either being in finals or strongly challenging for them. You also have to take into account that due to financial constraints the club has not been able to recruit for a number of years and therefore has been forced to develop its young players which has its up and down sides. There will be a better perspective on the situation in 2017 and I would be very concerned if there is not some sort of improvement in the group from this year.