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  • footyhead
    Banned indefinitely by Moderators for posting totally inappropriate material
    • May 2003
    • 1367

    Sydney press

    At first I thought this article very negative, and that it should only be the faithful in the likes of us that should say these things about the Swans at this point in what has been an excellent rebuilding seasone. But now I think this is exactley what is missing in Sydney and what may ultimatley help us win a flag : a criticle Sydney press !!

    terrorgraph


    Has the Swans' bubble burst
    By TIM MORRISSEY
    11aug03

    PAUL Roos didn't come out and say it but the fact the Sydney coach cannot explain his team's sudden drop-off in form suggests the Swans' bubble may have burst.
    The Swans' woeful first-half performance at the SCG against Hawthorn on Saturday had the hallmarks of a team whose season could be about to unravel.

    And with Brisbane Lions, Collingwood and Melbourne still to play before the finals start, they face a quick first-round exit in September if they don't get back on track.

    Sydney, now in fifth place with 12 wins from 19 matches, were inexplicably missing in action against the Hawks, who set up their 17-point victory with a stunning 10.5 (65) to 4.6 (30) first half.

    Not even a second-half comeback that saw Sydney get within three goals on two occasions, could erase Roos' concerns.



    "It's always hard to put a finger on why it drops off all of a sudden ... to be honest I really don't know," Roos said. "It's hard to get in the head of all the players but for whatever reason we just had too many who didn't turn up to play.

    "We said all along if that happens we are not going to win.

    "The bottom line is we just got out-worked, our players just didn't work hard enough for the majority of the game and we got beaten."

    Roos offered another reason why the Swans, who had won 11 of their past 13 games going into Saturday's match, could be about to crash land with the finals just four weeks away.

    "It's hard to be critical of the players when they've been up for so long, it is a hard, long year," he said.

    "When you perhaps don't have the effort of the whole 22, you need a couple of superstars to just keep the thing bubbling away for a little while and then the other blokes can just get back on board.

    "As I said, we know we don't have that calibre of player, so it does make it harder to keep going week in, week out."

    Exacerbating the problem is the fact several key Swans players who Roos relies heavily on to provide the drive are struggling with niggling injuries and can't train through the week. Swans captain Stuart Maxfield, playing with a knee injury that could require surgery in the off-season, is struggling to recapture his form.

    Fast-running defender Leo Barry needs pain killing injections in his heel just to get on the field and can't walk without the help of crutches after the game.

    Flashy forward Michael O'Loughlin is carrying a knee injury while veteran midfielder Daryn Cresswell is also showing the signs of wear and tear.

    On top of that Paul Williams injured his ankle against the Hawks, while key ruckman Jason Ball is out for the season after injurying a shoulder two weeks ago.

    "It catches up to you but you're hoping at the end of the year you can sneak by a bit," Roos said.

    "It's not ideal, you'd love to have blokes out on the track and you'd love to have them training."

    That's still no excuse for the Swans not to put in the same effort as Hawthorn in front of a home crowd of 33,743.

    "No disrespect to Hawthorn but you would've thought Adelaide in Adelaide is a more daunting task than playing at your home ground," said Roos.
  • BAM_BAM
    Support Staff
    • Jun 2003
    • 1820

    #2
    me too. I thought the same
    Here's my heart and you can break it
    I need some release, release, release
    We need
    Love and peace

    Comment

    • bandwagon
      Regular in the Side
      • May 2003
      • 543

      #3
      Good point footyhead! I was appalled when I first saw this article, 'sensationalist rubbish, completely lacking in perspective' I thought. But as you say, I'm sure it can be used to motivate the team. After all the hard work and excellent results earlier in the season, if they lose the next 3, this season will be remembered as a failure.

      Comment

      • footyhead
        Banned indefinitely by Moderators for posting totally inappropriate material
        • May 2003
        • 1367

        #4
        No this seasone cannot be a failer for those who truelly understand AFL. (maybe for the champane set and the sydney media), but for the perceptive football observer, we have already done more than enough to have had a really good seasone on which to build confidance for the future.

        Comment

        • Nico
          Veterans List
          • Jan 2003
          • 11339

          #5
          The correct spelling of seasone is "season".
          http://www.nostalgiamusic.co.uk/secu...res/srh806.jpg

          Comment

          • Plugger46
            Senior Player
            • Apr 2003
            • 3674

            #6
            Originally posted by Nico
            The correct spelling of seasone is "season".
            Spot on Nico, I was just thinking the same thing.

            Footyhead, our season up to this point has been great and suprised the vast majority of us. But with the ability we have shown over the season surely as supporters of the club we can expect a bit more out of the rest of the year. The players can consider themselves as a good side and not just 'making up the numbers' in the finals.

            That's the sort of attitude that has allowed us to accept mediocrity in the past. Just remember, we have been beaten by 4 points in Adelaide and 17 points against Hawthorn. Hardly reason to write us off, and just accept that we have had a good year, without considering the possibility of a successful finals campaign.

            If we get James and Sundqvist in, for Stevens and/or Mathews and Fosdike, we will look much better once again. Also we can look to Doyle, Fixter and Seymour coming back from injury and hopefully having an impact in the next few weeks and in the finals.

            Don't write us off yet.
            Bloods

            "Lockett is the best of all time" - Robert Harvey, Darrel Baldock, Nathan Burke, Kevin Bartlett, Bob Skilton

            Comment

            • Nico
              Veterans List
              • Jan 2003
              • 11339

              #7
              Good call P46.

              Time to take some risks and put some renewed enthusiasm into the squad.

              Punt on a couple of those preforming in the two's to be better than some of those just hanging on to their spots, and who are adding no sting to our tail at the moment.
              http://www.nostalgiamusic.co.uk/secu...res/srh806.jpg

              Comment

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