Lucifers Hero

Interesting given that it was a shortened preseason. So on the back of that tough, short preseason we charged out of the starting blocks for 10 rounds, did better on the 3 metrics than 2021 and then started to hit the wall and injuries exacerbated it. And we never recovered enough to go the distance. The graphs and your comment suggest we might have got the timing of our fitness schedule a bit out of kilter. Hopefully, we get it right next year. As an aside, I'm avoiding using the word 'loading' as it is very emotive and could sidetrack the discussion of the illustrative work @Watson11has put together.

Thanks for adding the trend lines. It is easy to see why we went 10.0 this year from a fitness perspective. What the trend lines show that after round 10 2022 we were worse in all three elements and the gap vs 2021 got bigger and bigger. Maybe we went too hard a bit too early in 2022? We virtually fell off the cliff as the season went on in 'High Speed Distance' which would be consistent with our inability to move the ball quickly down the wings and implement our overlap running from d50 to f50. In 2021 this element was relatively flat for the whole season. The increasing rate of the drop off for 2022 is quite alarming. It all says we did fantastically well to be second on the ladder as about a third of our players (most of them in our best 10) had heavily strapped knees, feet and ankles for much of the second half of the season.

Great work. Thanks @Watson11. I'll leave it to others to interpret your graphs for loading purposes. From the graphs, with a few exceptions there is little doubt that from round 10 2022 we were worse in all three measures. Round 11 2022 was when our injuries started, some players were ill and we had three losses in a row. We didn't get a full 14 day bye. Progressively from round 11 our injury toll mounted. I won't list all the players but the list is long and it kept growing especially knee and foot injuries. It meant fewer fully fit players had to carry more of the work load. Not sure where the breaking point is on a player or a team but we hit it. The error in our ways imv is we didn't use our VFL players enough to give the injured players a decent spell to rehab with the side benefit of getting some experience into the next group of players. I'm sure there are many other factors that caused the 2022 drop off after round 10 and equally sure the club will go through those in great detail.

I definitely have no ill will. Not sure if you saw my post a few above yours.: I genuinely hope that wherever Jackson goes his career potential is fulfilled. I respect him for not having said a word publicly. He let the media hype swirl around. Could not have been easy to be unaffected by it. I'm disappointed to lose him but if he is always pining to be elsewhere then its ok to go and I'm excited about the multiple players we will get in return via trade or draft. Our list needs a refresh and this might be our best chance for that in the next 4-5 years.

Freo have six players likely to ask for a trade: Lobb, Logue, Henry, Acres, Meek and maybe Tucker. At least a few of those are because Freo have made low ball offers, they slide down the order and uncertainty around their role if Jackson arrives. If Freo lose most of those players and don't get Jackson it leaves them in a bit of a mess with their list and perhaps player trust in future.

I get the immense disappointment. We had him for three years and he helped win us a premiership. Other young gun trades have been worse eg Rankine pick 3 goes home after a few years without making a mark at GCS. Boyd after one year at GWS goes to the Bulldogs and virtually won them a flag. Sadly for him and other potential young guns incl HW$NBN their career collapsed for one reason or another. They carry such a burden of expectation with the $ and the hype and I'm not sure any of them realised what they were getting into when deciding to go home or get big $.. I genuinely hope that wherever Jackson goes his career potential is fulfilled. I respect him for not having said a word publicly. He let the media hype swirl around. Could not have been easy to be unaffected by it. I'm disappointed to lose him but if he is always pining to be elsewhere then its ok to go and I'm excited about the multiple players we will get in return via trade or draft. Our list needs a refresh and this might be our best chance for that in the next 4-5 years.

That is weird. Blicavs plays ruck/midfielder/relief ruck. It looks just like the role he has at the dees. Does J Ralph really think if that was what he wanted we wouldn't tweak the role for him.

That is so so pathetic! Where was this angst last week when Dangerfield whinged to his bench then to Robbo that Ginnivan had laid a chicken wing tackle on him. Dangerfield who is president of the AFLPA. Did he not break the player's code? Robbo carried the story for him to the point the AFL investigated after the MRO findings were published and found Jack had no case to answer. jack-ginnivan-chicken-wing-tackle-on-patrick-dangerfield Oliver was appealing for a free in game. Dangerfield carried on through the media days after the game Which of the two, would other player's think broke the 'player code'? Players would be laughing at Cornes for that comment.

Looks like the airlines have jacked up the cost of tickets to Sydney.2022-finals-ticket-prices-for-swans-vs-collingwood-magpies-melbourne-to-sydney-airfare I wouldn't be too impressed with this: "The SCG holds 48,000 fans, so only 28,0000 tickets are available for club members. The 50-50 split means Collingwood members have been allocated 14,000 tickets, but that could increase should Swans members not take up their entire portion". 100,000 fans trying to get 14,000 tickets! I thought the PF had become the Final for club members. Bit ordinary that 20,000 tickets have been reserved for corporates, sponsors etc. I suspect that is more than is held back for the GF.

As the likely delists are eligible to play in the VFL GF it will probably be next week.

Not yet. The defacto version is the Treloar trade and the Grundy trade. The difference to what is being discussed is their is no player attached to the trade.

"Carlton is not seeking to offload Zac Williams, despite a report on Monday suggesting he was “gettable”. An RSN report said Carlton was “subtly shopping him (Williams) around”, despite the 27-year-old being just two years into a lucrative six-year deal. That report has been categorically denied to foxfooty.com.au." The skeptical me thinks they hadn't yet told Williams/his Manger he was being "subtly" shopped around!

Very good of Freo to sign up the players that we might be interested in. Not! With all the players they have signed up, the posturing to keep the 4-5 'wantaways' they are setting up to drive hard bargains for any trades with us or other clubs. They want Jackson they should get the deal done and move on.

The example was lifted from the article so not sure I have the answer. I'm guessing the $500,000 in the example wouldn't necessarily be in the first year but could be spread over several years.

An interesting article on this the-new-bargaining-tool-set-to-shape-trade-period. There has been 'salary dumps' as part of player trades and the where the receiving club gives a lower pick than the player would otherwise be worth. But it can go to a whole new level where a club pays for part of the salary for a player at another club. Described thus: "As an example, it could allow Essendon to use its salary cap room to pay $500,000 of Luke Parker's deal at Sydney in exchange for one of the Swans' first-round picks. It would alleviate any salary cap pressure faced at the Swans, make use of the Dons' money and also see them buy a pick". Sounds simple but it looks like a way for a club to exceed their TPP and would most likely favour the better clubs to keep help their best players and are in contention. So safeguards would need to be put in place. Nonetheless, food for thought.

Agreed. Do the deal and move on to the next is our mo. It could happen quickly after Jackson announces he wants to go if we are going to offer our 2023 first for Grundy. But if Grundy trade is dependent on the Jackson trade it may take a while as Freo need to get their trade package together which may depend on the deals for their 4 or 5 'wantaways'. They could make it easy and offer up their 2022 and 2023 first round picks plus Meek/player who it has been reported we are interested in. It is being reported Jackson's decision will come this week. But I suspect a Grundy decision will be after Coll season ends. Apparently Geelong are still in the hunt for Grundy but they are also chasing Bruhn and Henry so may not have the currency to do all three.

DL's must have forgotten the game is on! Are we playing our Home game at St Kilda's Home ground or just agreed to wear dark shorts?

GWS might do their pick 3 for 11 and 13 to get us Cadman. They will be drowning in first round (and later) picks after the Hopper, Taranto, Hill and Bruhn trades and not many noises of who they might get in to replace them. As it is they have 3, 21, 39 etc But if the club wants Grundy I can't see how we get a high enough pick for Cadman. Anyway will WCE take at pick 2 to replace Kennedy...

I desperately hope we don't give Coll a first, in fact I would prefer not to get him at all. But I fear that we will get him and give up a first or equivalent for him, not necessarily one of Freo's. Just don't see them accepting a second for him which will be in the 30's. Our future first might get it done which for a player around $700k looks about right. It depends on what other trades Coll want to do. Perhaps not as desperate for a first for Grundy now that Taranto and Hopper have nominated Richmond. The other trades mooted for them are Hill from GWS and Frampton from Port which won't be first rounders or anything like it.

I doubt they will get the dog's first pick for Lobb even if they throw in Logue. Freo will probably be bottom end of the 8 next year so their 2020 first will be in the 11-13 range so not a lot of diff with this year's dog's first. mfc is pragmatic and will to the deal that gets us the player's picks we want. If we want Meek we may give them a 3rd round pick back with the two firsts. Of course if we take Grundy, Pies will be pushing for one of those first round picks.

Yet he received 5 coaches votes in rnd 22 and 1 vote in rnd 23. He can't have been that bad! And in the last game, rnd 23 he kept Neale to a few cameo roles.

Swans to bring Pies down to earth! Cats to tame the Lions.

The only good part of us being out is that we deny Geelong gloating over a revenge PF mauling.

Couldn't stay away, eh. 🙃💕

We did a few years ago in PJ's days. That may change now that our membership is substantially higher. Geelong ask for the majority of their i/state games in the first half of the season which is why they always have so many games at GMHBA at the end. They back themselves in to have a tough stretch early, win their fair share and then 'rest up' at the pointy end. I think Richmond request something similar to Geelong so have lots of games at the G at the tail end, altho they play so many MCG tenants, often twice, it is hard for them to not have the vast majority of their games there.