Current Ladder Position 10th
Flag odds $81.00
Top 4 odds $21.00
Top 8 odds $2.30
ContestedFooty’s start of the year preview
9th to 12th. The theory was that Sydney have over performed on a consistent basis and I expected them to do the same this year, I envisioned a worst case scenario of a bottom 4 result but decided that through sheer work ethic and intensity they wouldn’t fall quite that low. See the preview here.
Current Situation
Currently the Swans have had the indifferent year I had expected from them. At times they have looked woeful but then on other occasions they have taken it right up to the very best teams in the competition. They have done this through that intensity we have come to expect from them, unfortunately they aren’t delivering it as consistently as years past and as such look likely to just miss out on finals football.
Backline
Sydney has not been the stingy, hard to score against team they once were this year, however by no means is it easy to post a huge score against them either. Leo Barry’s absence has been noticeable although the Swans are going to have to get used to life without him soon enough. The backline deserves a pass mark as I believe they have done as much as could have been expected of them.
Midfield
The Swans midfield isn’t getting any younger and this year they have had good and bad returns as a unit. Rhyce Shaw has been a good addition and has added much needed run and carry to their midfield rotations however I still feel they are short a gallop and need some young runners to emerge if they are to remain competitive.
Forwards
It is hard to have a consistent forward line when it is structured around Barry ‘Brain Fade’ Hall and unsurprisingly this has been Sydneys biggest struggle in 2009, kicking goals. With only four players kicking over 10 goals from 11 games it is always going to be hard to win games and when the two major goal scorers are the these days inconsistent Adam Goodes (20 goals) and the aforementioned Hall (25 goals) the task is only going to get harder. Ryan O’Keefe and Michael O’Loughlin really need to stand up in terms of kicking goals or the Swans are certainly set for a bottom 8 finish.
Coach
Paul Roos is a premiership winning coach and one that has delivered consistant form from his teams across the journey, lets hope he can get this Sydney team to lift to its previous levels again rather than him wasting his time whining about the Western Sydney team to come.
Best Performed Player
Adam Goodes- When Goodes is truly firing you can lock a Sydney win away and Goodes has done that on a few occasions this year however over the last few years Adam has given the impression he would rather just do enough which is a worrying sign for Sydney. Whilst Goodes has been the best Sydney player so far this year, he has another gear and the Swans would love to see more of it.
Looking Forward
Sydney are clearly dropping off from the extended period of success they have had recently, now they have to work out how best to rebuild their list and prepare for future campaigns. Barring a big win against Collingwood in their next game I’d expect Paul Roos to start looking to his younger players and try and hold their position on the ladder at the same time.
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