Paul Williams - same level?

**Jon** · 11 June 2003, 11:44 AM

I think Willo has a habit of slow starts to seasons....but he's been instrumental in this current purple patch. If anything, his reduced possessions can be attributed to others around him finally taking some of the slack. Our midfield hasn't worked this well as a unit for years...and he now finds plenty of ball drifting back into defence or forward.

His tackling is still right up there...so i think the intensity is all right.

Perhaps you mean he hasn't kicked as many goals? Definitely true...but look at Fossie, Davis, and schneider....plenty of smalls ARE doing so.

**Charlie** · 11 June 2003, 11:49 AM

I dunno. Maybe he's dropped off marginally, certainly not alot.

But what has struck me this year is how little recognition our guys are getting. They're not getting the rave reviews of various Eagles, Dockers, 'Roos and Tigers for good performances... and the only reason I can think of is that the contribution has been so even all year.

Put Tadhg Kennelly into most other line-ups and he'd be hailed as one of the most improved players going around. Leo Barry is hardly known at all here in Victoria, yet he has been one of our best contributors. Brett Kirk finally got some recognition in the HS today, after being in our top 4-5 all year. Adam Goodes is in the best half dozen in the league at the moment... but tell a Victorian that and they'd rattle off the names Gardiner, Simpson, Pavlich and Coughlin etc ahead of him.

Why? Because the Swans improvement has mostly been as a team... we are twice as good as last year, although it's impossible to say that about a lot of our players. Sure, they've improved, but each improvement has been elevated in significance because they've ALL improved. Jude Bolton's improvement would probably be unnoticable had Mathews, Kennelly, Barry, Goodes, Kirk and O'Loughlin all improved as well.

The Swans are the best TEAM going around at the moment.

**Sid** · 11 June 2003, 12:00 PM

Williams has been a bit down lately, Ive noticed that he has fumbled the ball plenty of time. Obviously with other players picking up, its not gonna make it easier for him. However, we still hold our confidence in him when he does get the ball.

**EMJ** · 11 June 2003, 12:47 PM

Charlie I agree with you - it is a TEAM EFFORT and the team players are also talking about it - as a team and how well they are "jelling" as a team. Great communication. Nic Davis spoke of this TEAM EFFORT last night on White Line Fever.

**Jon** · 11 June 2003, 12:50 PM

next to beating Melbourne, the best thing that ever happenned to this team on the field was losing to the Kangas. It hit home the importance of a team effort....a 22 man effort, rather than relying on indivduals to create a result.

We've heard a lot about belief from the players and coach after the Melbourne game...but after the Kangas game all the quotes are "team effort" "team efffort" "team effort"

***NMWBloods*** · 11 June 2003, 01:09 PM

I think the comments on it being a team effort are spot on. This was the thing I really noticed after the Essendon game. Hard to really name standouts, which is great.

Willo is not doing as well as the previous years perhaps, but partly that is because we are not as reliant on him. He's still playing great footy and still one of our leading posession getters.

**sharp9** · 11 June 2003, 03:40 PM

I reckon he's doing OK. Just OK as in a really good player playing well below his best. People down here still debate whether to call him a star or a superstar, but his clangers OOB, missed targets, fumblings have been as noticeable as his lack of goals. Not to mention the times when he doesn't touch it at all.

If I had to rate our midfielders (not on form or on talent but on who would you least like to have off the ground) then he would be fourth this year behine, B1, Captain and The Tassie Devil. Sad but true.

I am bewildered that he gets in the "Best" list every week when I hardly ever see him do anything special at all. I've just assumed that I must be missing things that you can see live.

Now I'm inclined to think that you reach a certain level where commentators will just assume you are playing well if you get 20 touches.

***NMWBloods*** · 11 June 2003, 04:31 PM

He's averaging 19 disposals a game, down a bit on last year, but in line with the year before and with his career average. His goals per game are down a little on last year and career average, but still just under 1 per game. That's not surprising given others have finally stepped up to deliver. He's still easily one of our best players, he just doesn't stand out to the degree he did previously because the gap has narrowed.

**Cheer Cheer** · 11 June 2003, 08:44 PM

Originally posted by janpa
- it is a TEAM EFFORT and the team players are also talking about it - as a team and how well they are "jelling" as a team. Great communication. Nic Davis spoke of this TEAM EFFORT last night on White Line Fever.

Yeh roosy and the team seem to think that they can only win when every one plays pretty well and all contribute a team performance which is good but we are not a truly great team yet obviously if we cannot win with various players down and some of our bigger players pulling us over the line, like brisbane or port for e.g. can do when they have a lot of players down on form they have big guns which can carry the team over the line, Ideally I would like to see if that the team is down in a few spots that we have big guns that pull us over the line, yet we are still not quite there.

**chammond** · 11 June 2003, 09:45 PM

Willo is not doing as well as the previous years perhaps, but partly that is because we are not as reliant on him.

Probably a combination of factors, NMWB.

In the games when Cresswell didn't play, Willo got tagged mercilessly, and then in a couple of games he got concussed. And Roos has used him regularly in defence, both as a means of shaking his own tag, and as an extra tagger if an opposition small is getting on top.

I think the great thing about Willo is that he always bounces back - he never gets beaten for a whole game, and he performs at a high level week after week after week. Maybe that's what turns a good player into a champion?

**liz** · 11 June 2003, 09:53 PM

My two cents worth...

There were times last year when if he didn't try to win the game, the Swans would have gone down without a wimper so his performances really did stand out. The Geelong game was an obvious one but there were others as well.

Last year, Kelly (when he played - more games than not) got the most attention from the opposition. Willo is now that one, and as others have pointed out it is exacerbated when Cressa's been out.

I think he's been playing more in and under this year, where his possessions may not get noticed as much. Last year he was often playing as a receiver. Also explains why he's had fewer opportunities to burst out of the centre and sink those long bombs.

There have been a few times when his disposal has been a bit astray - noticeably the first quarter against Richmond - but that's about the only minor "gripe" I'd have about his season so far compared to last year.

Finally, I bet he's enjoying his footy a lot more at the moment than he was a year ago!

**Bron** · 11 June 2003, 10:13 PM

Originally posted by Charlie
Why? Because the Swans improvement has mostly been as a team... we are twice as good as last year, although it's impossible to say that about a lot of our players.

See my soon to be published report on the Redbacks cocktail party tonight and that's exactly what Roos thinks.

**Jimmy C** · 12 June 2003, 12:14 AM

Certainly, the "team game" has taken pressure off him to the point where his clangers are more noticeable, but on the whole, he's still fantastic imo. One general positive for us as supporters (and he as a player) is that a decreased workload on his shoulders is sure to extend his playing career by a season or two at least.

**scurrilous** · 12 June 2003, 09:10 AM

Originally posted by Cheer Cheer
Yeh roosy and the team seem to think that they can only win when every one plays pretty well and all contribute a team performance which is good but we are not a truly great team yet obviously if we cannot win with various players down and some of our bigger players pulling us over the line, like brisbane or port for e.g. can do when they have a lot of players down on form they have big guns which can carry the team over the line, Ideally I would like to see if that the team is down in a few spots that we have big guns that pull us over the line, yet we are still not quite there.

Surely we've done this CC with Micky O, Cressa, and Saddington having missed big games that we've won? I mean, you can't get more down than out. We don't have the big guns as you say, but we do have the TEAM. And the TEAM are doing a magnificent job.

(Leader of the "Put TEAM in capitals front")

Paul Williams - same level?

Paul Williams - same level?

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