Swans Shellacking By Cats Is Déjà Vu
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AFL side, the Sydney Swans, went down to Geelong undermanned and got thumped. Swans shellacking by Cats is déjà vu, after the 2022 grand final thrashing was repeated. The Geelong team were mighty and won the contest all over the ground. The Swans were missing their full back, centre half back, and other big man in defence. Sydney was also without their full forward and first choice ruckman. The Swans battled manfully and never gave up but were severely outclassed and outplayed.
The result of the match exposed some serious flaws in the #Swans recruiting over the previous few years.
Sydney Thrashed in Grand Final Repeat
Sydney has neglected the recruitment and development of big men in their squad. Dean Cox has been an assistant coach for years and they are awful at centre bounces. Swan’s ruck stocks have been thin for a decade in truth. The club obviously does not value ruckmen because they have been second rate in this regard for a long time. In my view, you cannot win premierships without two bloody good ruckmen.
Yes, Sydney currently have a lot of injuries but they haven’t developed depth in the talls for too long and now are woefully exposed in this regard.
Sydney Swans Injuries Expose Poor Recruiting & Development
The McCartin brothers have been great but this set up makes the team vulnerable because of the concussion situation. Where are the back ups in defence? Sam Reid has been a crock in terms of the numbers of games missed through injury over his career. That is harsh but true. Similarly, Lewis Melican has been injured for long stints and hasn’t come on. Will Gould is young and largely untried and unknown at this level. Dan Rampe is getting old. The Swans have great run off the half back line with Nick Blakey and Ollie Florent but lack size and strength. Braeden Campbell and Jake Lloyd are too small and can’t tackle to save their lives. Against the best attack, like last night, the Swans defence was paper thin.
Yes, the Swans are a very young side and will get better as they mature. Yes, they are exciting to watch when running and passing well. Errol Gulden and Chad Warner are wonderful players.
Luke Parker has been a bit flat of late but always tries hard. Dylan Stephens needs to learn how to tackle and defend. Callum Mills is a great player who was wasted in defence and is needed on the ball. Winning the ball out of the centre is what wins games and the Swans are second rate at this right now. Peter Ladhams is not a first string ruckman. Geelong crushed Sydney in terms of winning the ball and winning contests. Hayden McLean lacks the necessary experience to provide big man presence right now. Tom Hickey is injured and has been wonderful, but is not in the prime of his playing career.
The Swans have beaten Gold Coast, Hawthorn, and Richmond. Two cellar dwellers and a side that will battle to make the eight. Something is not right in the harbour city. Young men need a strong and capable big man to follow out on the ground. Sydney lack this physical presence when up against strong and seriously good sides. The Swans will never win a premiership until they fix this glaring omission in their ranks.
John Longmire needs to make the hard decisions on his list if the club is to deliver on the talent already there. Longmire is asking too much of boys, without providing the strong big men in their ranks necessary for the task of competing at AFL level, and you can go to the well too often in this regard.
©WordsForWeb
