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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 !!
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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.
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.
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