Tonight's Match

[Mike_B]

Skills were very poor, as Des said, handballs were of poor quality. 120 or so handballs in a game is pushing the limits of a reasonable number in dry weather. In wet weather its far too many. We also had 200 kicks, again too many because we weren't direct.

The passes to teammates often were to players in no better position, and when they were, the passes were of poor quality and didn't give them any advantage.

As for our delivery into the forward line - sitting balls up on the head of a marking forward is a perfect way of giving the opposition defenders spoiling practice and we did it way too often tonight. The fact we seemed to get killed at ground level for most of the night obviously meant that was where we suffered.

The fact is, we were beaten by the better team on the night. Are they the better team? I don't think so. We played VERY poorly, Collingwood played fairly well (I'm sure they could play better than they did tonight as well). I just hope we get another crack at them this year, and do ourselves justice.

[motorace_182]

Well it was a game that has almost certainly cost us 4th spot and it can be attributed to a few poor efforts from a group of players. I dont wanna player bash but players like Sunny and Matthews are never going to take us to a premiership.
A lot of the boys tried so hard tonight but couldnt find the brains to match the heart. Stupid errors like giving off a handball to a player under more pressure than you, handballing short instead of playing the centre corridor. They werent great tonight the Pies, we just played poor enough to let em thru.
Kirk, Schneider, Willow, Jude etc put their ody on the line only to sufer due to nothing performances from Davis, Magic etc

[liz]

Originally posted by motorace_182
I dont wanna player bash but players like Sunny and Matthews are never going to take us to a premiership.

But you will anyway...

We've been over the Mathews debate time and again and there are obviously varying views on his abilities and role in the team.

But to write off a kid playing, what, his 6th or 7th game of AFL, a kid who's already demonstrated he's got good skills, who's been in and out of the team, and on and off the bench when he has played, on a dog of a night weather wise, for a couple of errors is just plain stupid IMO.

There were many more senior players who made as bad and more frequent errors tonight at times when the game was still there to be won. And he set up one goal directly and kicked his own first ever in AFL.

Long long way to go yet before we know whether Sunny will be a long term AFL player but I'm erring on the side of "yes" at this stage from what I've seen.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by Rob Ahmat FC
I attended the match and I come from Melbourne. I couldn't over how many Grandmothers and fairweather theatre going supporters where in the crowd.

Sydney sportsfans are just about the worst going around

Mate, I know. But what can you do? We should be very very proud of our crowd tonight! Yes, there were 1000s and thousands of blow-ins. Our average crowd is 26000 odd. We got 72000. But hopefully if 50% of those blow-ins come back again our club will be the stronger for it.

We still managed 72000 against a live telecast in the pelting rain. I personally don't think getting the biggest crowd this year is too bad of an effort!

Diego Mike B and I (who should be heartily thanked for coming around to help us with the Cheer Squad tonight) had a horrible time trying to get the fans around us to start chanting. Especially when we were getting pumped in the 1st half I'd try and rev them up by banging out a chant with the drum and despite wearing Swans scarves etc they've just reply with blank slightly annoyed stares. We had a great group of drinkers behind us who helped with some of the cheering, but on the whole the Sydney crowd will only cheer when we are winning or doing something well.

Luckily the crowd got into it in the 3rd quarter. The new roof behind my end definitely helps with the atmosphere (even if it was mainly Pies fans up there making the noise ) I'd get the drum going and they even started joining in the !! !!! !!!! SYDNEY! one. I was close to peaking when the whole eastern grandstand joined in. A few of the SYYYYYYYDDDDDNNEYs I started had the whole crowd join in too.

But the Sydney crowd has to learn to give their team more support when we are down. The majority of Sydney supporters are simply "Sing when your winning" types.

Still we got 72000. Rugby League, be VERY afraid!

JF

[PhylandFanClub]

Shake down the thunder from the pies...

Lift that noble banner blah blah blah onwards to victory.....

Hahahaha....what a song!

[liz]

Originally posted by PhylandFanClub
Shake down the thunder from the pies...

Lift that noble banner blah blah blah onwards to victory.....

Hahahaha....what a song!

Gee mate, haven't you got anything better to do? Get a life!

[PhylandFanClub]

Hi Lizzy baby......u want to hmmmmmmm do it????

[Ruda Wakening]

This one ring a bell sweetie ?

We are the pride of Brisbane town,
We wear maroon, blue and gold.
We will always fight for victory ...


No? Oh well , perhaps this might help jog your memory ...

Grand Final 2002
Collingwood Brisbane Lions
9. 12. 66 10. 15. 75


Good on you for winning tonight , but you really need to grow up . Have the brains to wait a few weeks before you get too carried away . You did the same thing last year, see above , on what happened .

[robbieando]

Didn't we beat you guys by more in Round 6???? Yep thats right on For and Against we beat you this season and anyway how about beating Brisbane just once, I suppose such a great club like Collingwood can take the army to Brisbane and WIN.

Not bloodly likely

[ugg]

Still tried to play the same game plan, i.e. quick handballs and short passing, was never really on in this kind of weather. Fumble fumble fumble....Would have been better off it it was pouring down the whole game. Really annoyed by Fosdike, for a guy of his experience his disposal is really poor. Either its a high kick that just balloons off his boot or it drops short of its intended target. Gotta improve Fossie.

The absence of Ball was certainly accentuated tonight. Meiklejohn is just not bulky enough to match it in the ruck. And Fraser easily bumped off LRT in one ruck contest and took possession uncontested. Never thought I'd say this, but I wonder how useful Ricky Mott would have been in this kind of situation? Centre clearances especially in the 1st half just killed us.

Okay enough of my ranting, time to cool off.

[hammo]

Just like Hawthorn... we can't afford to give away such big leads.

Let's face it, that was an extremely disappointing performance... apart from Goodes, Kirk and O'Keefe there was no one worth mentioning for the Swans.

The Wobbles were playing much better in the conditions and we were hopeless.

I know we are a young team but Sundvist and Lewis-Thomson were really found out tonight... clangers from both of them led to goals. In these big games this is totally inexcusable.

Matthews also had a shocker and I barely sighted half a dozen of our other "guns".

Bolton played but well Swans were never the contest. A shame because there was everything to play for.

[liz]

Originally posted by hammo
apart from Goodes, Kirk and O'Keefe there was no one worth mentioning for the Swans.

Not entirely true. I couldn't sleep and decided to subject myself to the video (except the second quarter - couldn't face that one).

Schneider played a decent game. His first quarter was like an oasis in the desert of the rest of his team mates, quite apart from his goal. And while he didn't get as much of the ball as the game went on, he was putting his body on the line right to the final siren.

Kennelly also played a good second half and, apart from one bad kick that went straight to a 'Wobble, his wet weather skills were passable. It helps, of course, that he was kicking the ball long rather than handballing short, most of the time.

B1 never stopped working and that effort of his midway through the final quarter was superb - first to get to a contest he didn't look like reaching and to kick the ball forward, then to follow up and wrap the ball up in a tackle. And Crouch did some pretty good things as well.

I know it's searching for small crumbs under the table but the endeavour was there, just not the skills nor the smarts.

[Charlie]

Mathews had a shocker? He had more of the ball than just about anybody... I reckon it was his best performance for the year. Sure, he stuffed up a couple... but point me to a player wearing red and white who didn't.

[Dpw]

I wasn't that unhappy we played poorly the kids learn't a lesson on wet weather and big games in one. I also thought we missed BALL and it showed MJ gave the pies two goals from poor ruck play and Ball would not have.

For me this is still a rebuilding year look at the ages of some of the kids in particular the Kpp players these guys will drift in out of games for years to come.

We aren't good enough to win the flag and most will we see that, we have been better than we could have dream't and I can't wait for the next few years.

[dawson]

We had them - We were down by just 2 goals when Magic took a poor option kicking forward into 50.

Our problem was the inability to kick consecutive goals which came about from us getting comprehensively smashed at the centre square clearances.

How many times did we kick a goal only for them to kick one virtually straight after the bounce?

I would venture to say that they had more (contested) marks in their forward 50 than we did in ours which can basically decide the match.

But the noise and crowd was clearly a factor and the Pies reacted to it better than we did. How many times did our players bomb for the square only to be a long Magpie there?

We win Melbourne - finish 14-8 which is a fantasic season.

Finish 5th, win the first final at home against 8th and like Adelaide circa 1998, peak at the right time of the year