Beaten Again

[Craig]

I have just heard that we have been flogged again - this time by Carlton! They beat us by 40 points this afternoon. Apparently we were kept goalless in the second and third quarters.

This is very disappointing, I thought that we would have put up a better effort than that - even though it was only a practice match.

[swansrock4eva]

looks like our lack of defense and a ruckman of any sort may have cost us. but meh. i think i'd actually prefer to see us get flogged at this stage so that everyone thinks "hehe swans - easybeats" then we come out and whomp them when it counts!

[desredandwhite]

I guess it depends how seriously the respective teams were taking the match. If Scott Stevens was going to be our #1 ruckman, then the match mustn't have been much of a priority

I'd wait for reports and the real season before writing us off though. I keep saying.. Remember Collingwood last season - We beat them by 80 points in the pre-season, but THEY made the grand final in September.

[desredandwhite]

From the AFL website article: http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=new...rticleid=76516

Adam Goodes, Paul Williams, Daryn Cresswell and captain Stuart Maxfield will be rested, while Jason Saddington, Jared Crouch and Nic Fosdike are available after injury.

Roos sees the match on the New South Wales north coast as a final chance to try something different ahead of the season opener, also against the Blues, at Telstra Stadium on 29th March.

?We will play Jude Bolton at halfback flank so really tomorrow (Saturday) is giving the young kids time, experimenting again,? Roos said.


?The last two practice games is when we will look at getting our better players on the field. That is when you start to get a bit more concerned about how we are playing, the team chemistry and all that sort of thing.?

?We have Scott Stevens rucking, and he?s not played there since Auskick, so that will be an interesting experiment. I was going to get Dylan and Tyler (his children) but they are not quite tall enough,? Roos joked.

?Saddington and Crouch will play a half while Barry Hall and Andrew Schauble will only play the first half as we just have to be continually mindful of monitoring the guys throughout the pre-season.

What this DOESN'T tell us is what Carlton did. We saw with the Essendon game that Roos pretty much sticks to his game plan in these early matches (one hopes that he will be as adaptable as necessary in the H&A season) - the kids would have got a good taste of it, and be better for it.

You NEVER like losing, but here's hoping we start showing something next week (wherever that's going to be played.

[Mike_B]

Originally posted by desredandwhite
You NEVER like losing, but here's hoping we start showing something next week (wherever that's going to be played.

True, but I prefer losing when the game counts for nothing. Just remember, the score only matters come March 29. Till then, as long as the kids are getting a chance and we are not suffering injuries, I don't give a hoot if we lose practice games by 200 points.

Originally posted by desredandwhite
Remember Collingwood last season - We beat them by 80 points in the pre-season, but THEY made the grand final in September.

Keep focused on the important stuff. Yes its nice to have a couple of wins under your belt going into Rd 1, but its what you do from Rd 1 on that counts.

[chammond]

As you say, the result is irrelevant. But there is still cause for concern, if for no other reasons than -

we've failed to kick a goal in three out of our last eight quarters of football;

with only two practice matches to go, neither of our (only) two ruckmen have yet kicked a ball in anger!

[Mike_B]

Brief match report

<HR>http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=new...rticleid=76695

Carlton has broken through for its first win of any description under new coach Denis Pagan, with a 40-point win over Sydney at Coffs Harbour in their Wizard Regional Challenge Series clash on Saturday.

In front of more than 5000 people on the northern coast of New South Wales, the Swans were held scoreless from late in the first term until early in the last as Carlton?s experienced players ? Brett Ratten and Scott Camporeale - took control of the match.

The improved Brendan Fevola booted three goals for the Blues, as did Simon Beaumont.

The Swans, who took a young and inexperienced squad into the match, had five single goalkickers.


The two teams meet again in round one of the 2003 AFL season at Telstra Stadium on 29 March.

Carlton: 12.7 (79)
Sydney: 5.9 (39)

GOALS: Carlton: Fevola 3, Houlihan 3, Camporeale 2, Davies, Beaumont, Wiggins, Waite. Sydney: Hall, Kennelly, Dempster, Crouch, Schneider.
BEST: Carlton: Ratten, Camporeale, Hulme, Beaumont, Houlihan. Sydney: Schauble, McPherson, Stevens, Malceski, O?Keefe
At Coffs Harbour
<HR><BR>
Good to see Malceski listed in our best and Dempster and Schneider on the scoresheet.

[Reggi]

Sydney were up 3 goals to 2 at half time.

It's a practice match, interesting to see Malceski got in the best I guess the team was shocking or he was good.

Interesting to see if he plays next week seeing as Roos nominated it as his final hit-out.

Collingwood actually won zero games in the pre-season including a flogging by St Kilda.

Roos seems to be doing the sensible thing of experimenting and resting the older guys, but good to see O'Keefe and Malceski get named.

Re: previous posts I understood the kid was pretty skilful?

[SWANSBEST]

Does anyone know if Meiklejohn is injured? If not ,why didn't he get a game? He is inexperienced but he is at least a ruckmen and played reasonably well against Essendon. Surely it is better to play a young ruckman in a practice game rather than playing people out of position to fill in. Meiklejohn seems mobile , contested strongly and his kicking was OK . I would love to know the club's thinking on Meiklejohn.
On a positive note it is good to see Malceski among the best players.

[NMWBloods]

The match report is at:

http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=76724

Some of the worrying comments are:

"A victory looked anything but assured when the Blues took 20 minutes to score and trailed by 21 points at quarter-time."

"The Blues piled on eight unanswered goals in the two middle quarters to give Denis Pagan his first win as Carlton coach."

"Without Hall as a target, the Swans went close to an hour without scoring a goal."

Here is the full text:

Carlton's waning confidence received a much-needed boost with a solid 40-point win over Sydney in the AFL Wizard Regional Challenge Series match at Coffs Harbour on Saturday.

Inspired by a 10-goal-to-two second half, the Blues won 12.7 (79) to 5.9 (39) after an ordinary start to the year, with humbling losses to the Aboriginal All Stars and Collingwood in the Wizard Home Loans Cup.

A victory looked anything but assured when the Blues took 20 minutes to score and trailed by 21 points at quarter-time.

But a brilliant third term from midfielder Scott Camporeale (two goals) and three goals to full forward Brendan Fevola turned the game for Carlton.


The Blues piled on eight unanswered goals in the two middle quarters to give Denis Pagan his first win as Carlton coach.

"We had a talk at quarter-time and the players said they wanted to lift the situation and do something about it and they did," Pagan said.

"We got a little fired up and we just had to stand for something.

"Scott was terrific and I thought some of our more seasoned and experienced players like Lance Whitnall and Brett Ratten and Fevola were pretty good."

Star Blue Anthony Koutoufides, still on the comeback trail from his knee injury, worked his way into the game after a slow start.

"He's completed four games now and his confidence is going to grow week by week and hopefully he will be cherry ripe by round one," Pagan said.

Sydney rested Nick Davis, Darryn Creswell, Stuart Maxfield, Michael O'Loughlin, Jason Ball and Adam Goodes and was stretched even further when spearhead Barry Hall left the field in the second term after copping a knock to his hip.

Without Hall as a target, the Swans went close to an hour without scoring a goal.

The Swans lacked height around the ground with 194cm Scott Stevens carrying much of the workload in the ruck.

"The hot conditions probably played into their hands a bit more given our lack of size in the key position areas," Sydney coach Paul Roos said.

Despite the capitulation after the first break, Roos was impressed by youngsters Nick Malceski, Scott Dempster, Jared McVeigh and Josh Thewlis.

"The way they finished off their three-game senior experiment was really positive," he said.

Sydney could have Goodes, Davis and Ball return next week, with Stephen Doyle the week after.

Carlton rested big men Corey McKernan and Matthew Allan.


CARLTON 0.1 2.3 8.4 12.7 (79)
SYDNEY 3.4 3.6 3.9 5.9 (39)

Goals: Carlton: B Fevola, R Houlihan 3, S Camporeale 2, J Davies, S Beaumont, J Waite, S Wiggins. Sydney: B Hall, S Dempster, J Crouch, A Schneider, T Kennelly.
Best: Carlton: S Camporeale, B Fevola, D Hulme, S Beaumont, R Houlihan, T Sporn.
Sydney: A Schauble, N Malceski, S Stevens, D McPherson, R O'Keefe.
Injuries: Carlton: Nil. Sydney: B Hall (hip) R Warfe (corked thigh).
Reports: Nil.
Umpires: M Head, M Lee-Archer, B Sheehan.
Crowd: 2537
At Coffs Harbour.

[jude_boltons_babe]

yes the swans were beaten again

i know the swans lost but adam goodes wasnt playing and plus rowan went off with a corked thigh and barry hall with a hip injury and plus micky and others wernt playing

[Norris Lurker]

Playing Scott Stevens as a ruckman, comments before the game about too many trial games, playing people out of position in trial games, not really going flat out to win.
Roosy's never played under Sheeds, but what he's been up to comes straight out of the Kevin Sheedy coaching manual. And it usually works out OK once the real stuff starts for the Bombers; so be patient. As long as the Swans don't get any more injuries (and Warfe & Hall today are a worry) then they'll be fine.

[Jimmy C]

Bah! I would be worried if this was the H&A season and not some crappy practise match where important players were either not listed or being rested. It counts for little imo. Sure hope that I'm not wrong.

[NMWBloods]

I've seen these comments nearly every year though!

[Rod_]

This is a game is very much a past tense - What happens next?

You can hardly rate this as a game as both side were trying something new - Swans played younger ones and Carlton had better (Older players named in the best)

Therefore I am not placing a lot on this game!!

Rod_ ( I did loose a couple of beers on the game)

What is next weeks game and who is playing......