From 10:30am yesterday until 9am this morning, fans had the opportunity to post a question for Swans coach John Longmire via sydneyswans.com.au and the Official Sydney Swans Twitter page.

John will answer a selection of your questions later in the week, with the answers to be posted in a separate article. Thanks everyone for getting your questions in.

You can see what the fans asked John below:

NichBaker via Twitter

@sydneyswans Do you think we have improved on last year? #askaswan

toddbalym via Twitter

@sydneyswans Dear John, have the players offered to buy you an annual heart check? Those close games must be killing you.

dave 

hi horse,  will we see jed lamb, gary rohan or mike pyke in the seniors in the near future?

Bryan

Hi John,

Considering everything that has happened this year I think you are doing a great job as our head coach.

How would you assess Henry Playfair's performance this year as the Reserves Coach?

Also, now that Kirky is back from traveling, do you think he would make a good assistant coach and if so what strengths do you think he would bring to the position?

Alan 

John,
Firstly congratulations on a seamless transition as senior coach you really appear to be able to get the best out the players. Two questions.. Firstly just wondering how much time during the week is spent on practicing goal kicking under fatigue and heavy pressure as our conversion has cost us in several games now? Also I'm concerned/wondering where Dan Currie is at with his foot injury as he was listed as indefinite in last weeks injury list, but mainly how close was he to making his debut as from what I read he was consistently dominating at reserves level for two months to the point where it looked like he would've got the nod against the Gold Coast if it wasn't for his foot injury?
Best of luck for the rest of the year.

Linda

Hi John,

I have heard people say that if we are not in the top 4, we'd be better off not playing finals at all.  What do you think?  Is finals experience always a good thing?  Other than getting later draft picks - which is pretty irrelevant this year - is there a downside of making finals?

Phill 

Hi John
Do you think the team has lost that ability to lock down a game in the last few minutes when we are a few goals up?  To me it seemed the right way to go on Saturday against Essendon. Continuing to play free flowing footy might have played into the bombers hands. I'd be interested in your thoughts.

Phill

Amanda Gray

Hi John,
My question to you is what has Jarred Moore done not to be picked in the first team? When can we see him return?
Cheers.
Amanda

Sam 

Hey Horse

I would just like to say firstly that im rapped that you have given the young blokes a run around this year, Luke Parker and Sam Reid are two players along with Alex Johnson that I rate extremely high, and are deffinetely helping the bloods on your surge towards the finals. How do you feel about them three?

Thanks Sam

Deano

Is there a big difference between being the Head Coach and the Assistant Coach??

Mark Rafidi 

Hey Horse,
Good work so far. Are you worried about GWS pilfering any of our players? And do you ever wish you could throw on a jersey, run on and impact the game? Cheers Mark

Adam 

Hi Horse,
 
Do you think you might place an emphasis on recruiting quality kicks at this year's draft? Hawthorn had a mandate some years ago to recruit players who were accurate, penetrating kicks, and it played a hand in them winning the 2008 premiership. Clearly, some players are and always will be prone to turning the footy over, so perhaps an introduction of a group of really good kicks will straighten the team up and ensure greater reward for effort. After all, the best teams are often the ones who take their opportunities when they arise. Good luck for the finals.

Heath 

In your first year as coach is there a conscious effort to ensure there is a transitional period between coaching different structures or can the team adapt to new tactics and roles more quickly? IE how much can you afford to change in your first year without throwing the players into chaos?

davo 

John,

What was the best coaching move that you will claim as your move, either when you were an assistant or as a senior coach??? Who has surprised you most this year? For me it is Alex Johnson.

Danny G 

Hey John,
I really like the job you've done this year at the swans.
Who are the biggest improvements you have seen this year ?

Sohail 

Will we ever beat Collingwood?. What are you going to do about the poor kick performance of swans?

Alan Austin 

Congratulations on a pretty good year, John. One question:
Swans lost last week by less than a kick for the second time this season. Twice more we lost by less than two goals. What is your strategy for ensuring we win the close ones as the sharp end of the season approaches? Thanks, John.

Jo 

John, Which player gives you the most grief at training?

Damien Balzer 

Mr Longmire,
I'm interested in the future of the club. The way the younger players are phased in is a credit to yourself and your team.The shared respect by all players is apparent and an asset to our club. How do you plan to maintain this culture that is integral to our success?

David Eaton 

hey John

Straight in to it, will you be looking in to a permenant FF to replace Bradshaw who was unfortunate to play with his injury? or will you continue to develope Sam Ried? also i have noticed the Swans are very similar to Arsenal in the premier league and I was just wondering will we see any big signings in the next year or 2? But I applaude your development team for what they have done over the many years

Matty 

How have you adapted to coaching? And what has surprised you the most about being head coach?

Brett Taunt 

Hello John,
Congratulations on a good season so far, its great to have you on board. I've been a Swans fan my whole life. I love our squad and our fans. One thing I would like to know is how are going to address our kicking accuracy? With our great tackling pressure and ability to make our opposition pay for their mistakes, I feel that our goal conversion for AFL level isn't what it should be considering the talent coming through our team.Other than that I hope you've got a great prospect for a key forward next year:)I'll confident you'll keep us as a strong competitor for years to come!I look forward to your response.Kind & loyal regards Brett

Matty 

Hey horse. What has been the most challenging aspect of coaching this year? Are we ahead or below where you expected us to be at the start of the year? I hope by the end of your coaching career you still have some hair left.

Guest 

Hey John,

Congratulations on the Swans performance this year. We look set to make the finals and hopefully you can take us far in September.

It seems that the Swans are capable of beating top 4 sides, but our goalkicking accuracy often lets us down. What do you think is the key to overcoming this? Are you looking at  a dominant forward or do you think Sam Reid, who has developed nicely this year, will fill that role for the Swans in future?

Matt Corby 

Hey Horse,

How has it been taking the reins (excuse the pun) from Roosey?

Also, what are your plans for next year with the forward line? Get an experienced forward as we have done in the past when it has been necessary (Bradshaw, Hall) or go with developing young players and defenders as forwards? I do like the odd Shaw or Everitt attack but do you feel that our foward line (despite being a good stock of talls) lacks that small pocket factor that we have had in the past (Buchanan and Schneider).

On another note I am very pleased to see Jetta without the green vest but are you tempted to move Malcheski from the sub and Rohan back there as a somewhat perfect fit?

Thanks Heaps,
Matt

MattyG 

G'day John,
we have seen Jesse White struggle with consistency this year playing ruck/forward, would you think parking him in the forward line would help his confidence? You can see he can hit the ball hard, mark, set up and kick goals, he just seems to be lacking a bit of spark. Sam Reid's development has been great, Goodesy has been Mr Everywhere, LRT has been competitive but we really need 2 full time, long term, key forwards.CheersMattyG

Darren1011 

Is Malceski injured , I don't understand the use of him as a sub, he may be the best kick in the team and his run off HB is much needed. Will we see him play a full game soon?

Nick 

Hey Horse,

What are the plans for Gary Rohan when he inevitably returns to the seniors? I, for one, really hope you employ him as a 3rd tall (of sorts) in the forward line. His pace and awesome tackling would be a great supplement to Benny McGlynn's pressure up there I think. And that isn't to mention his strength and knack for a goal. I reckon he could really be the x-factor for our run into September. That's my coaching tip for the week anyway...

Also, what position do you think Lewis Johnston is best suited to in the future? He's just re-signed for a further 2 years which is a positive thing, but do you want to see him develop into the FF that can complement Sammy Reid at CHF or do you think he can slot in down back (where we are already well stocked)?

No sitting on the fence, please.

Much appreciated. Cheers,
Nick

James Anthony 

Hi John. Why is it that we always seem to be tagging other teams midfielders, yet we have so few players "worthy" of being tagged? Hopefully the kids coming through will rectify this as fans would much rather a pro-active attacking team than the negative, dour style we've had (albeit with success) for so many years. More pace and better kicking skills should be the recruitment priority, as well as goal kicking small forwards.
Old South supporter

David 

Hi John
I think you and and your coaching team are doing a great job, however I have a few concerns.
Why do u start Malceski as a sub, he does not have much of an impact when he comes on as a sub, i thought he would have better on at the start and Kennelly would have been a better option as a sub ?
Rgds
David