Picking a Sydney Swans lineup for 2014 which includes Buddy Franklin.... an unenviable task

With the emergence today of the news that Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin will most likely don the red and white next season in a hugely expensive and headline grabbing deal, I have decided to attempt to pick my Swans lineup for the 2014 season. This turned out to be a very difficult task which underlined the vast depth possessed by the bloods, who should be the team to beat next season bar another horrific injury-laden year like the one just past, in which the Swans injuries list went on for just about as long as Franklin’s rumoured nine year contract…

Before frothing over the prospect of picking a forward line which including the likes of key forwards Franklin and Kurt Tippett and not to mention Adam Goodes, Sam Reid, Ben Mcglynn and others, I decided to pick the backline. The back thee were perhaps the easiest positions to fill, and I opted for the pacey Rhyce Shaw alongside veteran Heath Grundy and the returning Alex Johnson whose last season was finished before it had even started with an ACL injury. Of course, as with almost every other position, I had to overlook some overwhelmingly good players such as Nick Smith and 2013’s breakout star Dane Rampe, an absolute abundance of talent is at the disposal of John Longmire next season and there will of course be players who miss out.

I decided to stick with the halfback line which gelled so well this season, with the flank positions belonging to Nick Malceski and Jarred Mcveigh, who came into his own playing in that position this season. Centre half back will of course be occupied by Ted Richards, an absolute fan favourite who is undoubtedly one of the best backmen in the league. There has of course been a great deal of media coverage suggesting that  Heath Shaw of the Collingwood Magpies would join his brother at the Swans but only time will tell if that deal materializes, and even if it did, he would have to fight hard for a place in the starting lineup to dislodge some of the Swans’ stars.

The swans are blessed with what is simply one of the most, if not the most, star-studded midfields in the AFL, featuring the likes of Kieren Jack, Josh Kennedy, Daniel Hannebery and the upcoming Tom Mitchell just to name a few. Across the centre I have opted for blinding pace on the wings, with speedsters Gary Rohan and Lewis Jetta getting the nod, whilst the centre position goes to Daniel Hannebery whose quality 2013 season saw him finish in the top 5 of the Brownlow Medal just last week. Ruckman was perhaps the easiest position to fill on this list, with the increasingly impressive rugby player turned AFL superstar Canadian Mike Pyke obviously getting the nod with Shane Mumford said to be on his way to Collingwood or Greater Western Sydney if the media is to be believed. On the ball will be co-captain Kieren Jack as well as ball magnet Josh Kennedy who were both key in the Swans premiership victory of two seasons ago as well as their attempted title defence.

The Sydney forward line will be eye watering next season, with a number of superstars including big money signing Kurt Tippett and impending million dollar man Buddy Franklin set to feature in the Swans list, many people are questioning how on Earth Sydney are possibly within the salary cap as the cost of living allowance given to both Sydney clubs by the AFL comes under increased volumes of scrutiny. On the half forward line I have gone with youngster Luke Parker and dual brownlow medallist Adam Goodes on the flanks, and they are joined by the man of the moment 196cm, 100Kg centre half forward Lance Franklin. In the forward pockets I have gone for Ben McGlynn, and the ever-present Ryan O’Keefe, with last season’s controversial acquisition Kurt Tippett at full forward.

With all of the starting positions now decided I have the agonizing decision of picking a bench, substitute and a few emergencies from a group of players which includes players like Dane Rampe, Nick Smith, Lewis Roberts-Thompson, Tom Mitchell, Brandon Jack, Harry Cunningham, Craig Bird, Andrejs Everitt, Jed Lamb and Sam Reid. This is a horrendously difficult task, but I have attempted to approach it by picking a variety of players who can cover all across the ground in case of injuries, basically, who determining has the most to offer?  I decided to hand the substitute best to Tom Mitchell, a player of overwhelming potential who, if given the game time, can become one of the best midfielders in the competition. An absolute ball magnet, must be given time. I decided to opt for Sam Reid and Lewis Roberts-Thompson based on their ability to play both back and forward, leaving the final interchange spot to be decided between the likes of Dane Rampe, Nick Smith and Craig Bird. I opted for Craig Bird based on the fact that Reid and Roberts-Thompsons already have forward and back covered and a midfielder is needed to balance out the bench. Honestly, it pains me greatly to leave out the likes of Rampe and Smith who have done very well filling in injury gaps lately but there just isn’t enough room in the side. So that leaves Rampe, Smith, Cunningham, Everitt, B. Jack and Jed Lamb as emergencies and injury backups in a Swans side which is chockablock with talent, speed, size and which will be very difficult to beat in 2014.

All I can say is that I do not envy  John Longmire who will have to face these selection dilemmas weekly, although it is without doubt the best problem any coach can face!

That’s the Rosey Wrap on the Swans lineup for 2014,

Thanks for reading,

By Jake Rosengarten

2-goal Tippett unable to save slippery swans from praiseworthy Port

On a water-logged afternoon at AAMI Stadium the much awaited debutant Kurt Tippett took just 20 seconds to add his first goal in the red and white of Sydney to his name. The Swans and the Power battled it out for dominance in the opening 10 minutes of a closely fought first quarter as players struggled to find their feet in the troubling conditions. However, it wasn’t long until the Swans, led by usual ball magnets Josh Kennedy and Kieren Jack, managed to find themselves some space to get the ball into the Sydney forward 50. Goals to Adam Goodes, a second to Kurt Tippett and one slotted by Jack himself saw Sydney leading 4-1-25 to Port Adelaide’s 1-2-8, with their solitary goal scored by 19 year old midfielder Chad Wingard, at the conclusion of the opening term.

Port Adelaide came out firing in the second quarter, scoring 13 unanswered points in the first 7 minutes, closing Sydney’s lead to just 4 points. The only other goal of a congested second quarter was scored by Sydney youngster Tom Mitchell after the umpires gifted him with a free kick deep inside Port territory. The sides went into the half time break on quite level terms, with Sydney leading 32-23, with the match anyone’s for the taking.

Neither side could find an opportunity on goal for the first 12 minutes in a tense third quarter, conditions taking their toll on players as both sides struggled to find a handle on the ball, players fumbling left, right and centre. This rendered the Swans unable to put into practice their trademark brand of slingshot football as they looked to revert to their old style which has been so effective for them in the past. It was clever work from Adam Goodes which finally opened the scoring in third term, after some clever roving and a brilliant close in finish saw the former Brownlow medalist notch a much needed 6 pointer for the men in red and white. Port Adelaide began to swing the momentum their own way as the likes of Angus Monfries and Jay Schulz put the ball through the big sticks to put Port within 4 points of the reigning premiers at the final break.

It was anyone’s guess at three quarter time which side would bring home the 4 points in this game, only the brave would guess against Sydney in conditions like this, but Port Adelaide’s home crowd support and their third quarter ascendency would suggest their momentum going into the final term. Surely enough Port continued their dominance from the closing stages of the third quarter as they took charge from the very start of the last, with the outstanding Angus Monfries slotting home for Port in the opening minute. Sydney struck back just 2 minutes later with some brilliant work from Kieren Jack on the far side boundary, beating 2 players before slotting home from 40 metres on an angle, to put the Swans back in the lead by just 3 points.

It was goal for goal from Chad Wingard and Mitch Morton before Port Adelaide ran away with the final term and the match. A simply marvelous final quarter showing from aspiring top 8 finishers Port Adelaide to put the closing touches on a well-earned victory against the previously 3^rd placed Sydney Swans. Goals to Robert Grey, another to Wingard and the finishing touches from Justin Westhoff sealed a well-deserved 18 point victory for Port Power. The final score, Port Adelaide 10-12-72 beat Sydney Swans 8-6-54.

An injury to Adam Goodes saw him subbed in the third quarter for Jed Lamb, further souring an upset loss for the Sydney Swans and coach John Longmire. Major ball winners for the day were (# of disposals) Josh Kennedy (31), Jarrad Mcveigh (27), Brad Ebert (26) and Nick Malceski (26).

GOALS

Port Adelaide: Wingard 3, Monfries 2, Broadbent, Neade, Schulz, Westhoff, Gray

Sydney Swans: Goodes, Jack, Tippett 2, Mitchell, Morton

That’s Roseys Wrap on Port vs the Swans,

Thanks for Reading!

By Jake Rosengarten

Code flopping? Are Israel Folau and the code hoppers good for Australian sport?

Israel Folau is the only man in the history of Australian sport who has featured at the top level in each of rugby league, rugby union and AFL, whilst this is quite a feat and something which some would feel is commendable, it calls into question the value of loyalty in sport and also showcases the fact that sports clubs and codes are now businesses.

Folau, now 24, has already featured for the Melbourne Storm, the Brisbane Broncos as well as the Kangaroos in league, for Greater Western Sydney in the AFL as well as for the waratahs and is on the verge of making his wallabies debut in the coming weeks.  This impressive résumé reflects to his brilliant skills on a football field whilst also alluding to a certain lack of loyalty and commitment. Folau debuted in the NRL in 2007 and was an instant hit, securing himself as one of the league’s most dangerous backs in the following years until his decision to quit league at the end of the 2010 season. He was lured to GWS with a huge pay packet and lasted only one season in the NEAFL and one in the AFL before he decided to change codes once more. His AFL stint can only be considered a failure, whilst he drew increased publicity for the giants; he can only be considered a substandard AFL footballer, a testament to the fact that rugby league and AFL players need very different skills to excel in their respective sports.

Folau joined the NSW Waratahs at the beginning of the 2013 season and has been an unmitigated success in rugby union, forcing his way into the wallabies squad for the upcoming game against the British and Irish Lions on 22 June in Brisbane.  Folau was the tied top try scorer in this year’s super rugby competition with 8 tries, which is a testament to just how well he found his feet in his first season in the competition. However, this rise to union stardom has not led to him committing to another season with the tahs; reports coming out of Canterbury suggest that Folau has been in discussions over a contract starting next season at the bulldogs, which would make him the only player ever to play three different codes in three seasons.

Code hopping is not a new thing between rugby league and rugby union, and vice versa, with quite a few players becoming dual internationals in recent years, the likes of Matt Rogers, Lote Tuqiri and Wendell Sailor spring to mind. However, Folau’s swiftness in code change and the enormity of the pay packets he is picking up and the marketing he is generating suggest that sport has simply become another money making venture rather than something filled with passion and loyalty. This can be seen as a very bad thing for Australian sport as Folau could well pave the way for more and more players making the switch between codes, cheapening the image of the game, and suggesting that players do not care about fans or clubs rather just about driving around in sports cars and banking their multi-million dollar cheques.

Big money transfers to rival clubs are not rare in many other sports, including NFL, MLB and world football, and when these things do happen, it breeds an image of selfishness and a lack of loyalty for the player in question. A recent example of such a thing is Robin Van Persie’s £24 million move to Manchester United from Arsenal in August 2012, a move which saddened Arsenal fans and even led to the burning of Van Persie jerseys outside the Emirates Stadium. Sporting fans are not a hard bunch to please, they simply ask for tactfulness, honesty and loyalty, all traits that code hopping does not breed. As an overarching statement, code hopping is a terrible thing for Australian sport as well as fans of Australian sport who wish to see players who love and respect the clubs which they feel the same way for.

Thats the rosey wrap on code hopping in Australian sport,

Thanks for reading,

By Jake Rosengarten

The Purpose of this Blog

Hello and welcome to the first post of the Rosey Wrap!

If you are reading this you have stumbled onto a gold mine of sports journalistic articles, which I implore you to read and comment on. My name is Jake Rosengarten, I am a 17 year old from Sydney, Australia in my last year of high school and my aspirations after completing my final year of school (finally) are to become a sports journalist. 

On this blog, I will be posting articles which cover a wide range of sporting topics, including, but not limited to: English premier league football, cricket, and AFL. I will attempt to write an article every two to three days but this will not always be possible, because as most people are aware the life of a year 12 student is an overwhelmingly hectic one.

I am very passionate about sport, and often have trouble juggling the many teams I support in numerous sports. I am a massive supporter of Liverpool Football Club (EPL) as well as maintaining a following of the Sydney Swans (AFL) , the Sydney Roosters (NRL) and the Australian cricket team.

This is my first attempt at writing serious articles and any feedback is greatly appreciated. I vow to take on any advice given to me (within reason) and am keen to improve my writing as much as possible so that I can one day, hopefully in the not so distant future, secure a job as a professional sports journalist.

Thank you for your support,

Jake Rosengarten