RIVERINA FILES: GRIFFITH SWANS
2015 Finish: 7th
Home and Away: 6 wins, 1 draw, 9 losses
Club Best & Fairest: Ben King
Rising Star: Henry Delves
Snapshot:
The Swans will head into 2016 with a new-but-familiar look. Adrian Pavese is back at the club as coach and star player Guy Orton returns. Pavese is based in Canberra but will be in Griffith at the back end of each week for the second training session and game day. As well as implementing structures and overseeing the direction of the club, Pavese says his role is as much about supporting and developing emerging coaches, like new senior assistant Will Griggs, who will take responsibility for training early in the week, as well as much of the pre-season.
Pavese replaces Brandon Mathews, one of four ex-Swans headed to Coleambally, including Josh Hamilton (Blues coach), Tom Groves (assistant) and Chris Cerato. Michael Griffiths has also headed off to Victoria.
The Swans retain their former Canberra players who are living in the city – Griggs, Ben King and Sam Daniel – while their former teammates Alex Birch and Jordan Iudica will travel from Canberra, adding to the ex-NEAFL experience in Griffith.
Guy Orton’s return from the NT Thunder is a massive gain while Alex Blissett (Albury Tigers), Glen Snaidero (Perth) and Shane Russell (West Wyalong) are all returning to the club.
The immediate challenge is to analyse and avoid the sort of narrow losses that ultimately cruelled the Swans’ 2015 season.
And Pavese –a ‘career coach’ with experience in Canberra, the Ovens and Murray and as an assistant at NEAFL level – hopes to implement structures that put the club in position to challenge the top teams.
Highlights:
The Swans were at their best in the early to middle of the season, with four of their six wins coming in the first half of the year, including victories over Collingullie-Glenfield Park and Wagga Tigers in rounds seven and nine respectively. After 12 rounds, they were sitting in fifth spot but with losses of one point (Coolamon), seven points (GGGM) and four points (Leeton-Whitton) also on their record, the Swans were cursing not heading towards the finals with at least another couple of wins to their name, and their season fizzled out in disappointment (see lowlights).
But they did introduce one of the best players in the league… In his first year in the RFL, Ben King lit up the competition like a Christmas tree at times, catching the eye of opposing coaches and players pretty quickly. A class player originally from the Tallangatta district, he said the footy suited his playing style as an in-and-under midfielder.
“The way he goes about his footy is pretty impressive. We want to recruit the right type of guys and Ben showed he was in that category,” said Swans president, Jeff Harris.
King, Griggs and Daniel are happily living in Griffith and Mathews told AFL Riverina TV late in the year that they had made a big difference.
“Once they got into their groove, they’ve been really good,” he said.
“They’re obviously professional, they’ve played at a high standard. We really, really lacked experience the last few years and they’ve certainly helped. And they’re terrific guys around the club so they’ve been all and more than we could’ve asked.”
It also increased the exposure of Griffith’s younger players to talented footballers with experience at a higher level.
The progress of youth at the Swans was what Harris deemed the highlight of the year.
“The continued development of our young and middle age group of players,” Harris said.
“We see them as the long term future of the club, and future leaders, and to get some more experience into those guys was ideal.”
Lowlights:
Three losses of seven points or less; a draw; and another loss of less than three goals (to ladder leaders, MCUE) meant 2015 looks like one that got away. Injuries to key position players didn’t help and by the time they were thrashed by Collingullie in round 16, the Swans were without most of their tall options.
But that 81-point loss was one of five defeats during the season of at least 46 points, including another 81-point margin in the last round against Tigers.
It meant a disappointing end to a year which had looked promising, as the Swans failed to win after round 12, closing out the season with four losses, a bye and a draw.
“There was a handful that we should’ve won, and that comes with experience in those tight games,” Griggs said.
“I think the club’s had a bit of a dry spell in winning those tight ones and getting over the line, so it’s just teaching what to do in those types of games… once you win one you can get a knack for it.”
Surprise Packet:
Promising forward Henry Delves was the club’s rising star nominee, after absolutely in a few of his appearances while home from university. His studies meant he wasn’t a regular, and wasn’t even regularly training, making the achievement of 22 goals in eight games even more impressive, including three five-goal hauls.
But King was the, well, king, of the surprises. It was only in the last round that he was eclipsed by MCUE’s Harry Collins for the ‘Player of the Year’ award, having led the count for much of the year. And he was equal second in the Quinn medal count, two votes behind Jayden Kotzur after failing to poll in the last round loss to Wagga Tigers.
Even those teammates who knew him well were impressed with his 2015 form.
“He had a great year,”Griggs said.
“I’ve played with him for the last few years but it was by far the best I’ve seen him play. He thrives on this type of footy, the in-and-under type of footy.”
Areas to improve:
Pavese said Griggs is responsible for pretty much running the pre-season program, and improving the standard and depth right through the list is the main priority.
“We’re doing a lot of skills in the pre-season, with a bit of running in there obviously, but a big focus on skills,” Griggs said.
“In this league it’s more your lesser 10 players in your team than your standout five or six that will win you games, so we’ve got a big focus on bringing those guys up.”
Plenty of experience has gone with Mathews, Hamilton, Groves and Cerato, but the return of Guy Orton and addition of Birch and Iudica will help offset those losses.
“They bring that level of professionalism being at a higher level – all of a sudden you’ve got six or seven guys (including Mick Duncan, Griggs, Daniel and King) who have played a really good standard.”
Pavese said his game plan and structures will include helping the Swans learn how to finish off and close out victories.
“They felt they had the cattle and the playing group but just couldn’t get over the line in some games… We’ve got to put in some defensive mechanisms to make sure that when we get in front we make the changes to stay in front.”
Pavese pointed out that the competition benchmark, Collingullie-Glenfield Park, had set an example on that front.
“It’s the belief and structure that they just knew they had to get there, they knew they had the structures and the players from all the work (the coaches) had put in over the years, they knew they could do the job.”
What to look forward to:
Guy Orton’s return is a real boost for the Swans, as Pavese says: “It’s one of those things where the stars aligned and he wanted to return to Griffith. A dual Quinn Medallist and former coach, so to get someone of that calibre is great for the club.”
Alex Blissett will be an interesting prospect after three years in the Ovens and Murray with Albury Tigers’ under 18s and reserve grade teams, while Shane Russell and Glen Snaidero bring experience.
Then there’s the former Canberra trio in their second season, as well as the two travelling recruits. That’s not Griffith’s preferred recruitment model but the coach says they have the right attitude.
“Even though they’re travelling in, I know they’re training really hard already, they’re not taking anything for granted,” Pavese said.
Birch is a tall forward who at 194cm is likely to have a big presence at centre-half-forward, while Iudica adds to a classy midfield.
Harris believes having a handful of players who have been under Pavese previously will be an asset.
“He’s a modern coach with that knowledge… applying a game plan and playing structure to the group, it gives the guys the chance to accelerate their learning… it’s probably a matter of giving the guys a framework to apply to their footy knowledge.”
Griggs says they’ll have plenty of solid ball winners across the park and with their work on skills, are hoping they’ll be in a lot more games than they were last year.
He’s excited to be working under his old coach again.
“He’s got a great footy brain – I was lucky enough to be coached by him at Queanbeyan. He likes to take the game on – his main focus is to kick a lot of goals because obviously you’ve got to kick more than the opposition to win games, but also having a strong defensive mindset – being quick on turnovers and quick on transition,” Griggs said.
Griggs and Harris are keen to see their younger players continue to improve.
“I think we’ve got a lot of promising young juniors coming on, like Jake Conlan, he’s only 17 and ended up being probably our best backman.”
Conlan played 12 senior games last year, and was named in the Swans’ best in nine of them.
