I just got home....

[Foreign Legion]

My take on the game tonight:

Brisbane were very professional - had a good side in and beat us by what they should have.

Swans:
We are going to have trouble in the back line - yeah I know Saddo didn't play but still...This is going to be our weak spot this year.

Good players:
Stewie - tried his guts out - just why his is our captain

Stevens - will make the step up this year and looks to be taller as well. He was doing well against Leppitsch until moved.

Ablett - I saw a lot of him at Port Melbourne but I reckon he played better tonight than any game at Port - great gutsy effort.

Goodes - tried very hard in the ruck and ran out of steam but will be a key player

Powell - stats don't tell the story - I thought he really put his body on the line after 1/2 time and did some great stuff.

Schneider - could have kicked 4 or 5 - reminds me of Amon - will be a battle for these two for a spot.

Other things I noted:
McVeigh - well he does have a footy brain - his brilliant tap was worth 4 kicks

Malceski - didn't do much but I reckon there is something about him - he looks like he can "cut the mustard"! I would like to be the first member of this board on his bandwagon!

All in all - not too bad - where do we play next week?

Cheers

[LondonSwan]

Originally posted by CureTheSane
I didn't see the game, but 30 odd points is by no means a disaster against thge reigning premiers.

I refuse to read anything into a pre season game, especially after reading how Roos was treating it....

For once I agree with you, noone can read too much into this, we cant expect them to go up against a near full strength Brisbane and expect to win. If we feel bad imagine how Sheedy feels. 2 losses in just over a week.

Goodes playing in the ruck seems to be showing up as an early error - he is quite clearly needed elsewhere. Maybe we should have persevered with Mott and where is Ball.

The strength of the players should have been addressed before this if the quote above is correct. Injuries and fitness are now of concern.

Colin saw the match and said Maxfield worked hard all day but is not the player of last year before injury took him out.

[Reggi]

Schneider has a really good touch of arrogance doesn't he, persisted which was good to see.

Has a lot to do to cut it though, I think he'll easily get ahead of Buchanan who I expect will spend the year in ths SFL


Powell has intent and a bit of courage, he's surprisingly agile, he's light but could have a future, did fair on Voss

[Foreign Legion]

G'day Reggi,

I think the Schneider/Buchanan battle will be interesting. I have stood next to both guys (at Port Melbourne) and I think Adam has about 1 inch on Amon. I think though, that Amon is a more skilled player - he would have kicked probably all those goals tonight.

It is good to see two 'crumbers' of some ability playing - we certainly need 'em.

Takes me back to Silvio Foschini (showing my age).

Cheers.

[Reggi]

Yeah

Skill level is pretty similar Schneider went for a couple of 9 pointers.

Buchanan is a lazy footballer, doesn't chase, doesn't run hard - hardly runs at all.

Simply doesn't have the work ethic for AFL footy.

Schneider may have that - Schneider is a genuine midfielder who can push forward.

Buchanan is just a small forward who can sit on the bench.

[Jimmy C]

Originally posted by Foreign Legion
Takes me back to Silvio Foschini (showing my age).

Don't worry, you're in good company.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by Foreign Legion
Malceski - didn't do much but I reckon there is something about him - he looks like he can "cut the mustard"! I would like to be the first member of this board on his bandwagon!

Haha - I was going to put Malceski in for a mention too. Loved his little turn on the boundary line - pity he kicked it out on the full straight after.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by CureTheSane
I didn't see the game, but 30 odd points is by no means a disaster against thge reigning premiers.

I refuse to read anything into a pre season game, especially after reading how Roos was treating it....

We were down by over 50 at half time and I think they eased up a bit after that.

Last year I commented that there were a lot of worrying signs I noticed during the pre-season comp and everyone thought you couldn't take notice of it. However, those signs proved to be true.

I don't think it was a disaster, however I think you can take away some insights. I think we will struggle against good sides and big sides. It will be a big test for Roos to keep them motivated and confident through the season. Will be interesting to see how it goes.

[Foreign Legion]

Yeah Jimmy C - I go back to when the Swans (South) were down the bottom of the ladder. I reckon G. Teasdale was solely behind our entry to the finals in '77.

In fact (big statement coming up) I reckon Teaser played the best 1 season of football I have ever seen. I probably saw 18 games that year and he destroyed every side we played. Ruck, Full Forward, CHF etc he killed 'em.

Reggi, I reckon you're underating Amon - have you seen him at Port Melbourne? I reckon he is in a different class from most players. I admit he is slow, not desperate, not a good tackler etc but I have seen him destroy Dean Rice (Carlton 200+ games) when Amon kicked 6 goals.

I would not write him off just yet. By the same token, I hope Adam Schneider does well - I like his style.

Cheers

[liz]

Just got home from the game - and agree with much of what's been said.

Goodes may not have been brilliant but he shouldered an enormous workload. Only ruckman in the team - and he's not even really a ruckman himself.

Thought Willo showed a few touches of brilliance, especially in the 2nd half. Maxfield was busy and effective all night without being great. Stevens was good, and while Bazza seemed to have left his marking hands at home, I was impressed by his chasing.

Skills did look ordinary on the surface, but I agree with previous comments that lack of body strength was a big factor here. Brisbane really are a very very physical group of players - hardly a stick among them. Not only were our boys under immense physical pressure but, unsurprisingly, the younger ones looked very nervous, especially in the first half. Felt a bit for Schneider who let two marks literally fall through his hands. It was great to see him come back in the second half - he seemed to have regained confidence and, for such a little fella, he sure can kick the ball.

I also thought they looked very heavy legged right from the start. Whether that's the result of some hard training sessions, the soft ground or merely because they weren't applying themselves, who knows.

Pleasing signs for me were that while none of the newbies did a huge amount, none really looked out of place. They all look to have the raw ability to play - just have to get the bodies to match. Ablett's performance was also very encouraging. He was probably in Sydney's best handful over the whole game and worked much harder than I've seen him do before.

Disappointments were probably the performances of O'Keefe and Kennelly. Both looked out of sorts tonight - not really running or chasing.

And while the better team clearly won on the night, I'd love for someone to tell me how Lynch managed to snare 3 goals in about as many minutes in the second quarter - all with ample assistance from the umpires. That first one - he whacks Goodes around the head, Goodes still hangs on to the mark, yet Lynch comes up with a free? Please explain. Hardly surprising after that one that he was able to get away with two blatant pushes against Schauble for his next two.

[Foreign Legion]

Yeah NMWBloods - I reckon Malceski looks alright - reminds me of a young Leon Cameron - well we can dream can't we!

Cheers.

[Reggi]

Lizz Roos said earlier he would train them in preparation for the season reagrdless of Wizard cup as he is focussed on the main season.

He was on Melb radio on Tues he said he would rest all players with small injuries during the pre-season as it is a long season and Sydney cannot afford to have any of its top players missing.

He's probably being wise, hopefully this will pay off later.

[Foreign Legion]

G'day Lizz,

Those frees to Lynch were very doubtful - I reckon they got 6 or 7 in a row - most in front of goal. Schaubs was scared of touching Lynch after that I reckon.

BTW what was the crowd figure, and do you know where the Swans play next week?

Cheers.

[liz]

Crowd was tiny - if there were as many as 5,000 there I'd be amazed.

[liz]

Though I've just looked at the report on AFL.com.au and it reckons there were 8 odd thou