SOME QUESTIONS


HOW IS THE JOSH BRUCE TRADE WORKING OUT?

We all know that Aaron Naughton is the future of the Dogs’ forward set up, but at 28 years old, Bruce was supposed to bring a contested marking component to the line up to aid in taking the pressure off Naughton. We’re yet to see that aspect of his game materialise.

Bruce has had just two contested grabs for the season and if the Dogs are going to be finalists, they need more from him.



DOES SCHACHE GET A RUN NOW?

With Naughton hobbling off with an ankle injury (how innocuous did that look?) the Dogs will be looking for another forward option to work with Josh Bruce. This is make or break time for Josh Schache.

When he was recruited it was with a plan for him to be the number one forward eventually. Then Aaron Naughton emerged. Now Josh Bruce has arrived. Schache is now the third forward at best, but the ankle injury to Naughton sees the door open slightly. If Naughton doesn’t come up, Schache needs to put his best foot forward. Otherwise, he is wasting the years that he should be developing his game against some of the best defenders in the game.



HOW UNDERRATED IS ZAINE CORDY?

Putting this out there – he is a future AA-calibre defender. I’m not sure that he will ever be glamorous enough to get selected, but in AFL circles, he will fast become a player that is spoken about with reverence.

He rarely gets cleanly beaten, and with Alex Keath now playing alongside him, he knows help is never far away. Credit where credit’s due – he is solid as a rock down back.



IMPRESSED WITH RHYLEE WEST?

Why, yes I am. Thanks for asking.

There was enough on display tonight to indicate he will be a star for this team. He took a contested grab way too easily against Jake Lloyd, and looks like he has plenty of mongrel in him. You know we like that here.



WHO SHOWED A BIT FOR THE SWANS?

I liked the game of Justin McInerny. Found plenty of the footy early in the piece and with just a handful of games, there is plenty to work with there.

James Rowbottom will turn into the regular nuggetty Sydney contributor, won’t he? You can tell he loves the tough stuff already and will make a very good accountable midfielder in the next couple of years.

And, as mentioned above, Callum Mills rose the occasion in the second half to limit the influence of Bontempelli. The damage, sadly, had already been done.

OTHER BITS
Am I the only person that thinks Marcus Bontempelli can bear a striking resemblance to Brian of Nazareth at times? I suppose the question as to whether he is the messiah or just a very naughty boy depends on where your allegiances lay.

Am I willing to admit Caleb Daniel in defence is really working yet? No, not yet. Not completely. I am a little disappointed in the Swans, inasmuch as they failed to even try to capitalise on having a match-up on Daniel. Take him to the square! I follow basketball and have for years – they are so good at identifying mismatches. We’re not quite there yet in the AFL.

If you could only choose one of Crozier or Suckling to have off half back, who would you choose? Papley was a nightmare matchup for Crozier, particularly with some of the delivery from Kennedy, but in the air Crozier is able to impact contests the way Suckling cannot. Do you go for Suckling’s foot skills, or do the little arrogant chip kicks, on display last week, deter you?

A bit of a dirty night for Josh Kennedy, but that is quite understandable given today’s events. He had just six touches to half time, and it is becoming more apparent that the Swans need to put something in place to fill his role this off-season. Any preferences, Swans fans?

The debutant, Louis Butler – how’d he go? Had the most intercept touches on the ground, which is both surprising and encouraging. I’m not sure you could ask for much more on debut.



And that’ll do me for tonight.

Are the Dogs back? Or did they just get a team that is not destined for much this season?

Was this an anomaly for the Swans, and can they bounce back?

Is Tom Papley the front runner for the AA forward pocket role, or will he have to kick more goals than Charlie Cameron to make up for an eventual poor record?

As always, we had some questions answered, and came up with only more questions. Such is footy.