Season over!

[Go Swannies]

Talent - yes. We've seen it.

Team spirit and self-belief? No.

[Alec]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
One thing particularly disappointing about where we are is I think this is one of the weakest AFL competitions I have seen in a while.

I agree that a talent gap has opened up in the League this year.
After only 7 rounds 7th position is already 4 games off the pace.

But I see this as an opportunity to survive a particularly bad run of form. Looking at the other results this week, we lost nothing at all - other than touch with the top 4.

We can overcome that if the boys can iron out these glitches.

This season is far from over. We're back under the radar, where we've always excelled.

It could always be worse: we could be Collingwood fans!

[Thunder Shaker]

The problem right now is fairly simple - we simply cannot play wet weather footy to save ourselves. It happened last week against Essendon, it happened this week against the Tigers, and it is likely to happen next week against the Eagles given Perth's current weather. Our game plan seems to rely on skill, but skill goes away when the heavens open and the ball becomes as slippery as a greased pig.

Kick it long and as fast as possible out of defense. Boot it off the ground if the opposition are near. Get it into forward 50 as fast as possible and KEEP IT THERE. Don't muck around with handball in defense, that's strictly dry weather football.

Long kicks get the ball to where Bazza has a chance. Bazza may be unlikely to mark the ball because it's slippery, but the opposition are unlikely to mark it either for the same reason. But give Bazza that chance! If we can crumb it off the ground we have a chance, shame Shneiderman's injured otherwise he would have been dangerous yesterday.

While we have a noticeable aversion to kicking the ball to 50/50 contests in dry weather, these are a necessary part of good wet-weather tactics. A 50/50 contest in our forward line in wet weather is good odds. I would take them.

[Sanecow]

This thread is so long I was sure it was going to end with two pages of why Melbourne based supporters are being ripped off.

The game wasn't live here (WA), so I knew the result before it was on TV; I stopped watching at 1/4 time and the first quarter was annoying enough.

After all those years of longing for a full forward, now that's about all we have. Now I wish for a gorilla-like fullback.

[Alec]

I always used to think that a running gameplan actually hid skill deficiencies, and that in the wet (when the play has a more one-on-one look) these deficiencies would be shown up.

It's hard to hit a man on the chest with a wet ball and a tackler hanging off your jersey when you're used moving in space and racking up uncontested possessions at will.

My read on season 2004 is that only a lack of confidence through the midfield (leading to a boundary line attack) and a couple of key injuries are the difference bewteen losing all those close games and winning them.

Roos knows it's a long term plan. I'd prefer us to play a Premeirship style we aren't ready for and have to grow to achieve, than play in a competitve style that is a shorcut to success and holds the potential in our list back.

Early days, tho. We'll be right.

[kenswan]

Re: Re: Season over!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by midaro
[B]That's it.
We miss Cresswell terribly.
I don't think it's an over-statement to say that we have one of the worst midfields in the competition.

He is not the only one, but our captain is not playing very well. We do seem to be lacking some serious on field leadership at the moment. Very static play with not much inititiative being taken by key players.....

[Wardy]

Ok everyone, lets take a deep breath, have a bex, cup of tea and a good lie down.

You all have very valid points - that there is no doubt - I agree with all of them (not that my opinion means diddly squat but..)

Yes the game was awful

Yes we are crap in the wet ( we should pay someone to hold a hose over the boys at training to emulate a wet track - of course after the little man in the Water Restrictions patrol car has driven past.)

Yes it looks like we are lacking confidence big time,

Yes for the first time I left prior to the finish (have never got out of the car park so fast!) but that was more to do with getting soaked.

and yes I forked out the extra $75 for a premiership club scarf

BUT thats whats its all about that why we follow a team - we have to take the good with the bad - and there is no doubt that yesterday was one of the worst I had ever seen - BUT there is always next week.

My head says we dont have a hope of being a part of the September action - but my heart says otherwise!


I couldnt really single out anyone who had a good go.

Richardson (who IMO is one the most inconsistent dingbats running on the field) sadly had a good day, although it really does get on my goolies that he runs pretty much to the centre square to get congratulated by the entire team - wanker!

But - as all good motivators say, we move on, going forward etc etc - lets hope that they can get their @@@@ together and do what we know they are capable of.


Have a good week everyone ( and happy & safe travelling to all that are going over to WA next weekend!)

[Ruda Wakening]

Originally posted by Thunder Shaker
The problem right now is fairly simple - we simply cannot play wet weather footy to save ourselves. It happened last week against Essendon, it happened this week against the Tigers, and it is likely to happen next week against the Eagles given Perth's current weather. Our game plan seems to rely on skill, but skill goes away when the heavens open and the ball becomes as slippery as a greased pig.

Against C'Wood at Telstra Stadium last year also.

[SwallowdaFonz]

Maxi is reported in today's Hun as saying:

"Our commitment and our endeavour to win the footy was great but I think we just played dumb footy."

I am prepared to believe the captain, even if his own form is poor at present, because he holds this value highly in the way he leads the team. So I reckon it is not lack of effort, belief, ticker etc that is the problem.

The Swans list has not suddenly become full of second-rate players - a few weeks ago it was all optimistic talk about our youngsters. But at the same time I reckon our list is not one of the better ones in the league. Perhaps we were over-achieving then and now playing closer to type.

A few weeks can be a long time in footy. Look at Richmond - they were in a terrible crisis just 2 weeks ago, now they are outside the 8 only on percentage.

[Newbie]

We need to turn over a fair number of players this year and we should. We are not getting anywhere with this list. Roos was a bit too easy at the end of last year in this department.

Looking ahead. May be we should be tanking all the remaining games so we could get a hand into two of the top five best kids in the country .

I dont want to see us laying around the mid-table position forever. It should be either all-or-nothing. Since we clearly could not win the premiership with this list, let's tank games, blood new players and clean out the past-use-date's. Hello mr Maxfield . Once Doyle is reaching full fitness, I want him to take over the number one ruck duty with Goodes as the second ruckman. Ball should be replaced by LRT. This would be a truly good plan for the future. Ball is going to retire before our next premiership, surely.

[dendol]

I think its a bit early to start talking about "tanking" games. As disappointing as it was at the SCG, and then to watch the replay on tape, there is still long way to go, as they say.

Also, when we finished 3rd last year, the last thing we were talking about was a total player cleanout.

[Bart]

Originally posted by Newbie
We need to turn over a fair number of players this year and we should. We are not getting anywhere with this list. Roos was a bit too easy at the end of last year in this department.

Looking ahead. May be we should be tanking all the remaining games so we could get a hand into two of the top five best kids in the country .

I dont want to see us laying around the mid-table position forever. It should be either all-or-nothing. Since we clearly could not win the premiership with this list, let's tank games, blood new players and clean out the past-use-date's. Hello mr Maxfield . Once Doyle is reaching full fitness, I want him to take over the number one ruck duty with Goodes as the second ruckman. Ball should be replaced by LRT. This would be a truly good plan for the future. Ball is going to retire before our next premiership, surely.

This is ridiculous. Anyone that suggests we should tank games while sitting in 7th spot after only 7 rounds has rocks in their head. In fact the whole idea of tanking games is abhorrant.

[anne]

Originally posted by Bart
This is ridiculous. Anyone that suggests we should tank games while sitting in 7th spot after only 7 rounds has rocks in their head. In fact the whole idea of tanking games is abhorrant.

It might be abhorrant but it works - look at St Kilda, Freo and Melbourne. You cant build good lists by continually being in the middle of the table. Why not bite the bullet, get O'loughlin operated on and fixed up, play the youngsters and I mean give them lots of game time, and get some good picks. Our list now is not good enough. losing is not so bad when you expect it and see it as a means to an end. Bottom line is that if you can't win the flag (and we definitely won't this year) then the bottom with 5 or less wins is the next best thing.

[Charlie]

NO BLOODY WAY.

Simple as that.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by Alec
But I see this as an opportunity to survive a particularly bad run of form. Looking at the other results this week, we lost nothing at all - other than touch with the top 4.

We can overcome that if the boys can iron out these glitches.

This season is far from over. We're back under the radar, where we've always excelled.

Yes, you are right to some degree. I take comfort from the weakness of the competition and we are still in touch mainly because of that. From here it is up to us and we still have a chance. However, after a pretty ordinary start to the season and one of the worst performances I have seen in a long time, an incredible form reversal will be needed from here. Always possible, but never predictable nor probable.