A flag from nowhere

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  • NMWBloods
    Taking Refuge!!
    • Jan 2003
    • 15819

    A flag from nowhere

    I commented in another couple of threads how amazing I find it that we really came from nowhere in the last third of the season to grab the flag. When I watched Sensational Swans last week this was reinforced - we were pretty much just another middle level side up until rd 15.

    In rd 14, we lost by 1 pt to a poorly travelling Richmond in a fairly insipid display.

    This made us 8-6, with a percentage of just 99.1% and in 6th place.

    Looking back I am amazed how poorly placed we were at the time.

    However, maybe the last quarter against Richmond inspired the team and showed the guys what they could do if they get it together.

    For the rest of the season we went 10-2, with a percentage of 142.1%, and of course finishing first!! Indeed, over that time the highest score against us was just 98 while we scored over 100 six times.

    Given such a dramatic turnaround in form, I was curious to look back at the position of other premiers in rd 14 (2/3 of the way through the H&A season).

    We were the worst-placed eventual premier since West Coast in 1992.

    In most cases the premier had won 9-11 games and had a healthy percentage of at least 115%, and were usually in the top 4.

    In 1997 and 1998, Adelaide had also won only 8 games, but was placed 3rd and had percentages of 122% and 113%.

    In 1992, West Coast was only in 5th place (final 5 system) with 7.5 wins, although they had a good percentage of 122%.

    To find another team with low wins and low percentage, you have to go as far back as 1975, when North Melbourne was in 4th place (final 5 system) with just 7 wins and a percentage of only 101%.

    So 2005 is a bit reminiscent of 1975 - neither eventual premier looked likely to win a significant way into the season and both broke huge droughts by their win and both had to get to the GF the tough way by playing each week of the finals and both were associated with Barassi!
    Captain Logic is not steering this tugboat.

    "[T]here are things that matter more and he's reading and thinking about them: heaven, reincarnation. Life and death are the only things that are truly a matter of life and death. Not football."
  • OldE

    #2
    It's strange: watching the St Kilda Round 10 match again, it's virtually impossible to believe the same team won a flag.

    Comment

    • hammo
      Veterans List
      • Jul 2003
      • 5554

      #3
      I watched the DVD last night and had exactly the same thoughts.

      We were struggling for the first third of the year, just keeping our heads above water for the second third (Collingwood win), and awesome in the run up to the finals.

      I wonder if people will keep this in mind if our early season form next year is a bit scratchy??
      "As everyone knows our style of football is defensive and unattractive, and as such I have completely forgotten how to mark or kick over the years" - Brett Kirk

      Comment

      • Sanecow
        Suspended by the MRP
        • Mar 2003
        • 6917

        #4
        The team I watched lose to West Coast in round 6 was depressing as hell (and wet too). Matera kicked 3.2 but apparently Woosha didn't notice.

        Comment

        • giant
          Veterans List
          • Mar 2005
          • 4731

          #5
          Agreed. For me, the differences were:
          - started kicking straight
          - Goodes made a huge difference as the link man in midfield
          - team & coaching staff started getting a real level of self-belief
          - luck + desperation = PREMIERS!

          It was a staggering transformation - I don't mean to degrade their effort - for me, the Swans were the best team in the competition in 2005, no disclaimers necessary.

          Comment

          • j s
            Think positive!
            • Jan 2003
            • 3303

            #6
            Originally posted by Sanecow
            The team I watched lose to West Coast in round 6 was depressing as hell (and wet too).
            Ditto

            Started promisingly but then faded badly.

            WC fans were ungracious winners that night. The media had hyped the game as revenge for the 2004 EF.

            Comment

            • stevej
              On the Rookie List
              • Jun 2004
              • 134

              #7
              [QUOTE]Originally posted by giant
              [B]Agreed. For me, the differences were:
              - started kicking straight


              Very true Giant--- How many games early in the season did we kick 7.17 or 8.18. Turn that early season poor kicking around and the first half of the season may not have looked that bad!!
              go bloods!!

              Comment

              • liz
                Veteran
                Site Admin
                • Jan 2003
                • 16758

                #8
                Doesn't it just go to show that early season form means little (so long as a team can scrape enough wins together to keep itself in contention)?

                Comment

                • Bear
                  Best and Fairest
                  • Feb 2003
                  • 1022

                  #9
                  Originally posted by liz
                  Doesn't it just go to show that early season form means little (so long as a team can scrape enough wins together to keep itself in contention)?
                  I think you've answered your own question. Clearly early season form is important as you need to keep in touch to enable a good finishing position. You don't win many games with consistently bad form.
                  "As a player he simply should not have been able to do the things he did. Leo was a 185cm, 88kg full-back and played on some of the biggest, fastest and best full-forwards of all time, and constantly beat them." Roos.
                  Leo Barry? you star! We'll miss ya, ''Leapin''.

                  Comment

                  • NMWBloods
                    Taking Refuge!!
                    • Jan 2003
                    • 15819

                    #10
                    Originally posted by liz
                    Doesn't it just go to show that early season form means little (so long as a team can scrape enough wins together to keep itself in contention)?
                    No - because as Bear says you've answered your own question.

                    Also, as I noted and it's one of the key parts of my post, it's rare for a team to turn around their form so dramatically. If you're not performing well by 2/3rds of the way through the season, the odds are you're not going to win the flag.
                    Captain Logic is not steering this tugboat.

                    "[T]here are things that matter more and he's reading and thinking about them: heaven, reincarnation. Life and death are the only things that are truly a matter of life and death. Not football."

                    Comment

                    • liz
                      Veteran
                      Site Admin
                      • Jan 2003
                      • 16758

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Bear
                      I think you've answered your own question. Clearly early season form is important as you need to keep in touch to enable a good finishing position. You don't win many games with consistently bad form.
                      But surely the Swans didn't have consistently poor form for the first half of the season. Apart from the string of three losses (Crows, Dees, Wiggles) they were generally getting by without necessarily impressing. They were arguably mediocre for that part of the year but not poor.

                      Comment

                      • Nico
                        Veterans List
                        • Jan 2003
                        • 11337

                        #12
                        Interesting NMW that you mentioned Barassi.

                        The hallmark of his teams was versatility. He liked players to play in a variety positions and take on various roles. He was the inventor of versatility.

                        Ditto Paul Roos's style of coaching. The master at mixing things up.
                        http://www.nostalgiamusic.co.uk/secu...res/srh806.jpg

                        Comment

                        • Bear
                          Best and Fairest
                          • Feb 2003
                          • 1022

                          #13
                          Originally posted by liz
                          But surely the Swans didn't have consistently poor form for the first half of the season.
                          I agree, hence early season form (on the whole rather than individual games) is actually important as it keeps you in with a chance to be a real contender.
                          "As a player he simply should not have been able to do the things he did. Leo was a 185cm, 88kg full-back and played on some of the biggest, fastest and best full-forwards of all time, and constantly beat them." Roos.
                          Leo Barry? you star! We'll miss ya, ''Leapin''.

                          Comment

                          • NMWBloods
                            Taking Refuge!!
                            • Jan 2003
                            • 15819

                            #14
                            Originally posted by liz
                            But surely the Swans didn't have consistently poor form for the first half of the season. Apart from the string of three losses (Crows, Dees, Wiggles) they were generally getting by without necessarily impressing. They were arguably mediocre for that part of the year but not poor.
                            Which is what was said - they were just another middle level team, and it's rare for middle level teams to win flags!!
                            Captain Logic is not steering this tugboat.

                            "[T]here are things that matter more and he's reading and thinking about them: heaven, reincarnation. Life and death are the only things that are truly a matter of life and death. Not football."

                            Comment

                            • liz
                              Veteran
                              Site Admin
                              • Jan 2003
                              • 16758

                              #15
                              Originally posted by NMWBloods
                              Which is what was said - they were just another middle level team, and it's rare for middle level teams to win flags!!
                              Methinks we're going round in circles here but...

                              hence my comment that it's more relevant the form a team is in at the end of the season than at the start of the season.

                              Comment

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