Tweet
Roos stands on forward progress
By Jenny McAsey
April 24, 2004
MELBOURNE boast the competition's second-highest goalkicker, David Neitz, but Sydney coach Paul Roos will be punting on his multi-pronged forward line to do the damage tonight at Sydney's Telstra Stadium.
Roos said yesterday he intended to leave former defender Jason Saddington in attack after his four-goal haul last week.
Along with menacing centre half-forward Barry Hall, the athletic Adam Goodes and smaller forwards Adam Schneider, Ryan O'Keefe and Nick Davis, Roos believes the Swans are developing a forward line that will stretch the defence of most teams.
And that is without Michael O'Loughlin, who is still on the sidelines with hamstring soreness.
The return of Davis, who has been absent since round one with a hip injury, was a big bonus.
"It adds to our forward mix," Roos said. "He's another different type of forward. They all complement each other, and they all have different skills and different ways they play.
"It certainly makes us even more dangerous when we go forward."
Roos believes the forward line's flexibility is its strength, as Sydney sit third on the ladder with three wins.
"I don't think we're set in having to play a full-forward or a centre half-forward," Roos said. "Sometimes teams can target a player if he is very important.
"We obviously have a number of players who are important but 'Hally' can go to centre half-forward, 'Goodesy' can go to full-forward, and vice-versa. So it does help us being a little bit less predictable. It makes it a little bit harder for teams to prepare for us."
Neitz, who has 18 goals for the season, including nine in round two, will be the chief focus for the Swans' defence tonight.
Roos has handed the task to the inexperienced Heath James, who has held down full-back this season after overcoming several years of injuries.
Neitz kicked six goals in the first three quarters when the Swans played Melbourne on Anzac Day last year.
But the last term of that game produced a turnaround that is still having ramifications for both clubs 12 months on.
The Swans slammed on 10 goals to stage a come-from-behind win that set the foundations for the team's surprise march to the preliminary final and earned them the respect of the football world.
"Last year taught us a fair bit," Roos said yesterday. "It shows you every game is difficult, it doesn't matter where you are on the ladder, every game is winnable, but every game equally is loseable. We know we have got to be spot-on tomorrow night. It is another big test for us."
On the other hand, last year's inaugural contest for the Ron Barassi Cup marked the beginning of a slump for Melbourne that left them in 14th place at season's end.
So now it is the Demons who are intent on gaining respect. They have made a strong start with three wins, including a confidence-boosting 53-point victory over Port Adelaide a week ago.
Captain Neitz has led the way, but midfielder Adem Yze said every player was determined to improve.
"Last year, we had patches in games where we fell away and that was what happened in that quarter (against Sydney) last year," Yze said.
"We know we can play better footy than that.
"We are just trying to play consistent and strong footy and show a bit of passion out there and so far we are doing that."
By Jenny McAsey
April 24, 2004
MELBOURNE boast the competition's second-highest goalkicker, David Neitz, but Sydney coach Paul Roos will be punting on his multi-pronged forward line to do the damage tonight at Sydney's Telstra Stadium.
Roos said yesterday he intended to leave former defender Jason Saddington in attack after his four-goal haul last week.
Along with menacing centre half-forward Barry Hall, the athletic Adam Goodes and smaller forwards Adam Schneider, Ryan O'Keefe and Nick Davis, Roos believes the Swans are developing a forward line that will stretch the defence of most teams.
And that is without Michael O'Loughlin, who is still on the sidelines with hamstring soreness.
The return of Davis, who has been absent since round one with a hip injury, was a big bonus.
"It adds to our forward mix," Roos said. "He's another different type of forward. They all complement each other, and they all have different skills and different ways they play.
"It certainly makes us even more dangerous when we go forward."
Roos believes the forward line's flexibility is its strength, as Sydney sit third on the ladder with three wins.
"I don't think we're set in having to play a full-forward or a centre half-forward," Roos said. "Sometimes teams can target a player if he is very important.
"We obviously have a number of players who are important but 'Hally' can go to centre half-forward, 'Goodesy' can go to full-forward, and vice-versa. So it does help us being a little bit less predictable. It makes it a little bit harder for teams to prepare for us."
Neitz, who has 18 goals for the season, including nine in round two, will be the chief focus for the Swans' defence tonight.
Roos has handed the task to the inexperienced Heath James, who has held down full-back this season after overcoming several years of injuries.
Neitz kicked six goals in the first three quarters when the Swans played Melbourne on Anzac Day last year.
But the last term of that game produced a turnaround that is still having ramifications for both clubs 12 months on.
The Swans slammed on 10 goals to stage a come-from-behind win that set the foundations for the team's surprise march to the preliminary final and earned them the respect of the football world.
"Last year taught us a fair bit," Roos said yesterday. "It shows you every game is difficult, it doesn't matter where you are on the ladder, every game is winnable, but every game equally is loseable. We know we have got to be spot-on tomorrow night. It is another big test for us."
On the other hand, last year's inaugural contest for the Ron Barassi Cup marked the beginning of a slump for Melbourne that left them in 14th place at season's end.
So now it is the Demons who are intent on gaining respect. They have made a strong start with three wins, including a confidence-boosting 53-point victory over Port Adelaide a week ago.
Captain Neitz has led the way, but midfielder Adem Yze said every player was determined to improve.
"Last year, we had patches in games where we fell away and that was what happened in that quarter (against Sydney) last year," Yze said.
"We know we can play better footy than that.
"We are just trying to play consistent and strong footy and show a bit of passion out there and so far we are doing that."
