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Swans falter as Carey stars
By Richard Hinds
August 4 2003
Adelaide 14.13 (97) Sydney 14.9 (93)
This time for the Sydney Swans, the barnstorming finish did not provide heroic victory. Instead, a brilliant and sometimes courageous second half only served to highlight two umpiring decisions that could prove costly as they attempt to consolidate their place in the top four and keep their unlikely premiership dream alive.
The controversial decision to pay Crows forward Wayne Carey a mark when the ball seemed to have crossed the line for a behind late in the last quarter will be the subject of much debate. In the Sydney rooms, some were also muttering darkly about a soft free kick paid to Crows forward Ian Perrie against defender Andrew Schauble for holding late in the second quarter.
Adelaide scored goals from both incidents. The final margin was four points. You don't need a calculator to understand why smoke was coming from the ears of Swans coach Paul Roos after the match.
After a sometimes scrappy but always fiercely contested match, it was a pity umpiring decisions became the talking point. Regardless of the result, most discussion should have been about the continued resilience of this surprising Swans team and the impact Wayne Carey, the Crows' five-goal hero, could have on the premiership race.
Resilience probably undersells the Swans' second-half performance a touch. Trailing by 32 points mid-way through what had become a lopsided second quarter, it seemed the best they could hope for was to get out of town with a clean injury sheet and their percentage intact.
Yet against a talented and, for portions of the second quarter, seemingly dominant opponent at perhaps the AFL's most hostile venue, the Swans somehow reduced that 32-point margin to just one point late in the third quarter. They left the ground lamenting not only the mistakes of the umpires but a few costly errors of their own.
Even after Carey's disputed goal gave Adelaide a 10-point lead, the Swans did not lie down. Tadhg Kennelly kicked a brilliant long-range goal and, with 22 seconds left, Adam Goodes marked on the 50-metre line and had a chance to boot the winner. Instead, his ugly kick floated out on the full and the Crows held on.
The four-point defeat saw the Swans drop from second to fourth and, with matches against Brisbane and Collingwood in the final four weeks, even treading water will prove difficult. But if it did not provide the vital four points, yesterday's game performance should not diminish Sydney's confidence.
In the first half, it seemed the best they could hope to do - indeed, what they were trying to do - was cling gamely to the Crows. The Swans did this for the most part, thanks to Brett Kirk's typically tight game on Mark Ricciuto, Paul Williams's minding role on the brilliant Andrew McLeod and some bullocking work by Jude Bolton. However, when the Crows' creative small forwards came to life and Carey began to dominate the over-matched Jason Saddington, a holding operation was not going to be enough.
Even after three goals late in the second quarter kept the Swans in touch at half-time, it seemed they were simply ensuring honourable defeat. As unexpected as their second-half counterattack was the pivotal role played by the inexperienced Lewis Roberts-Thomson.
In the absence of his injured sidekick Jason Ball, Goodes had been beaten in the ruck in the first half and was unable to exert any influence around the ground. Against the talented Adelaide duo of Matthew Clarke and Rhett Biglands, Lewis-Thomson filled the breach.
"His effort to go in there and basically ruck the whole second half was a big reason why we got back and should have won the game," Roos said. "It was a terrific effort."
What Lewis-Thomson helped provide was a period of absolute dominance in the third quarter. With forwards Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin suddenly finding the ball, the Swans cut the deficit to one point deep in the quarter.
But in a game in which few of the noted stars were dominant, Carey was to play the most critical role. Deep in the third quarter he shrugged Saddington aside to take an easy mark and goal, and in the first minute of the last term he intercepted a Schauble handball to kick his fourth and give Adelaide a 15-point buffer.
Inevitably, it will be the controversy about his fifth goal that is remembered. However, opposition defences have been put on notice.
"He's not just a one-dimensional player," Roos said. "That's proven now when he's dropped back a notch. He's still got those facets and that's allowing him to be a real key for them."
What Carey also showed is that Saddington's inability to trade bodyweight with opponents leaves the Swans defence vulnerable against teams with strong-marking forwards.
By Richard Hinds
August 4 2003
Adelaide 14.13 (97) Sydney 14.9 (93)
This time for the Sydney Swans, the barnstorming finish did not provide heroic victory. Instead, a brilliant and sometimes courageous second half only served to highlight two umpiring decisions that could prove costly as they attempt to consolidate their place in the top four and keep their unlikely premiership dream alive.
The controversial decision to pay Crows forward Wayne Carey a mark when the ball seemed to have crossed the line for a behind late in the last quarter will be the subject of much debate. In the Sydney rooms, some were also muttering darkly about a soft free kick paid to Crows forward Ian Perrie against defender Andrew Schauble for holding late in the second quarter.
Adelaide scored goals from both incidents. The final margin was four points. You don't need a calculator to understand why smoke was coming from the ears of Swans coach Paul Roos after the match.
After a sometimes scrappy but always fiercely contested match, it was a pity umpiring decisions became the talking point. Regardless of the result, most discussion should have been about the continued resilience of this surprising Swans team and the impact Wayne Carey, the Crows' five-goal hero, could have on the premiership race.
Resilience probably undersells the Swans' second-half performance a touch. Trailing by 32 points mid-way through what had become a lopsided second quarter, it seemed the best they could hope for was to get out of town with a clean injury sheet and their percentage intact.
Yet against a talented and, for portions of the second quarter, seemingly dominant opponent at perhaps the AFL's most hostile venue, the Swans somehow reduced that 32-point margin to just one point late in the third quarter. They left the ground lamenting not only the mistakes of the umpires but a few costly errors of their own.
Even after Carey's disputed goal gave Adelaide a 10-point lead, the Swans did not lie down. Tadhg Kennelly kicked a brilliant long-range goal and, with 22 seconds left, Adam Goodes marked on the 50-metre line and had a chance to boot the winner. Instead, his ugly kick floated out on the full and the Crows held on.
The four-point defeat saw the Swans drop from second to fourth and, with matches against Brisbane and Collingwood in the final four weeks, even treading water will prove difficult. But if it did not provide the vital four points, yesterday's game performance should not diminish Sydney's confidence.
In the first half, it seemed the best they could hope to do - indeed, what they were trying to do - was cling gamely to the Crows. The Swans did this for the most part, thanks to Brett Kirk's typically tight game on Mark Ricciuto, Paul Williams's minding role on the brilliant Andrew McLeod and some bullocking work by Jude Bolton. However, when the Crows' creative small forwards came to life and Carey began to dominate the over-matched Jason Saddington, a holding operation was not going to be enough.
Even after three goals late in the second quarter kept the Swans in touch at half-time, it seemed they were simply ensuring honourable defeat. As unexpected as their second-half counterattack was the pivotal role played by the inexperienced Lewis Roberts-Thomson.
In the absence of his injured sidekick Jason Ball, Goodes had been beaten in the ruck in the first half and was unable to exert any influence around the ground. Against the talented Adelaide duo of Matthew Clarke and Rhett Biglands, Lewis-Thomson filled the breach.
"His effort to go in there and basically ruck the whole second half was a big reason why we got back and should have won the game," Roos said. "It was a terrific effort."
What Lewis-Thomson helped provide was a period of absolute dominance in the third quarter. With forwards Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin suddenly finding the ball, the Swans cut the deficit to one point deep in the quarter.
But in a game in which few of the noted stars were dominant, Carey was to play the most critical role. Deep in the third quarter he shrugged Saddington aside to take an easy mark and goal, and in the first minute of the last term he intercepted a Schauble handball to kick his fourth and give Adelaide a 15-point buffer.
Inevitably, it will be the controversy about his fifth goal that is remembered. However, opposition defences have been put on notice.
"He's not just a one-dimensional player," Roos said. "That's proven now when he's dropped back a notch. He's still got those facets and that's allowing him to be a real key for them."
What Carey also showed is that Saddington's inability to trade bodyweight with opponents leaves the Swans defence vulnerable against teams with strong-marking forwards.
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