At least they've got Tippett on the list.
--------------------------------
The Swans’ gamble to recruit injury plagued Cat Daniel Menzel has already hit a speed bump, with the forward undergoing groin surgery.
The 27-year-old won’t return to training until February, reports the Herald Sun.
While the news is less than ideal for Sydney, particularly given superstar forward Lance Franklin is also facing a delayed start to pre-season and could be in doubt for Round 1, it’s understood the club wanted to get on the front foot with Menzel.
Indeed, Menzel’s 2018 campaign was cruelled after injections into his groin backfired, limiting him to just 13 games.
Sydney will now be sweating on the fitness of Sam Reid, a prodigiously talented but injury prone key position player, who has the potential to alleviate the burden on the Swans’ younger forwards.
In the Qualifying Final against GWS, the likes of Will Hayward (20) and Tom McCartin (18) struggled, with Franklin inhibited by a groin injury sustained late in the season.
While the duo will be better for the experience, the 26-year-old Reid — who only played one match in 2018 because of quad and Achilles issues — would ideally be the Swans’ key forward in the absence of Franklin.
In essence, the Swans didn’t pay much for Menzel.
He was recruited as a free agent, and even if he only plays a handful of games for the club it may well prove to be a sage decision on the behalf of list manager Kinnear Beatson and his team.
But the Swans’ glaring problem towards the end of this season was their inability to kick a winning score when Franklin wasn’t firing.
A forward line with Buddy, Reid and Menzel — not to mention Hayward, McCartin, Ben Ronke and Tom Papley — appears, on paper, rather formidable.
But they need to get out on the park.
The Swans kick off their 2019 campaign against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Saturday 23 March.
Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2018 4:53 pm
