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Life's tough under the microscope
May 14, 2004
Sydney's opponents have done their homework and it's paying off. Richard Hinds reports on the Swans' fall from grace.
In professional sport it is never long before the hunter becomes the hunted. Talk to the backroom boys at some of the teams who have played and, in recent weeks, beaten Sydney this season and it is apparent that they have been stalking their prey.
If the Swans were badly underestimated as they rolled to third place last year, they are no longer slipping under anyone's guard. But how greatly has the opposition's tactical response contributed to the Swans' recent run of three consecutive defeats?
Sydney coach Paul Roos has a matter-of-fact response to the proposition his team has been "worked out". "I reckon that sort of stuff is a bit of a myth," he says. "We're on TV every week. If they didn't do that last year then they can't have been doing their jobs."
However, with the help of a few opposition assistant coaches who have plotted some victories - or unexpectedly close finishes - against the Swans, here are some of the areas other clubs claim to be targeting.
Keeping the Swans defence accountable
The pace and skill of the Sydney defence was one of their great strengths last season. Tadhg Kennelly and Leo Barry were particularly adept at finding space and running the ball out. A quick break would give the Swans time to find a teammate in the midfield who could, in turn, quickly pick a forward target.
Last year Hawthorn and the Kangaroos worked hard on making the Swans defenders accountable for their opponents and achieved victories over Sydney that defied their ladder positions. Now, more teams are making sure the Swans defenders don't have the same freedom.
Melbourne did a particularly good job of curtailing the Swans' defensive rebound. Subsequently, some opponents have been left with the impression that a Swans team drilled to retain possession freezes when its defence cannot run free and is forced to play an ineffectual game of keepings off.
Against this, Roos notes the Swans kicked 15 goals while losing to Essendon and Melbourne - often enough to win. "It's not as if we are not kicking goals," he says. "The opposition might be kicking too many."
Luring Brett Kirk from the stoppages
Kirk has been lauded for his ability to shut down the opposition's gun midfielder. He does not merely achieve that feat by scragging his opponent, quite often he just gets the ball first.
So, rather than allow Kirk to obtain damaging clearances from ball-ups and throw-ins, some opponents are taking him away from the stoppages. Collingwood used the tactic at Telstra Stadium last year when captain Nathan Buckley sometimes sacrificed his own game by moving away from the pack. Richmond did the same with Kane Johnson last Sunday.
Roos suggests that Kirk's influence has been overstated. "No insult to Kirky but I see it the other way," Roos says. "If he takes the opposition's best player out of the game then that's a win for us."
However, with the retirement of Daryn Cresswell - one of the Swans' best in-close players - some believe Sydney's ball-winning ability has been diminished. Jude Bolton is good at getting the ball at stoppages but his hands are not as fast as Cresswell's.
Another potential problem is that the Swans ruckmen are struggling to win tap-outs and, when they do, are attempting to keep the ball in close rather than going for a tap. However, the Swans' dearth of in-and-under ball-winners makes it hard to win possession in the traffic.
Exploiting an undermanned defence
This is not so much a tactic, just a patently obvious approach against a team which lacks tall key defenders. If you can get the ball in long and direct, the Swans are going to struggle to contain opposition monsters such as Matthew Richardson, David Neitz and Matthew Lloyd.
Targeting individuals
Inevitably, some of the Sydney players who had fantastic seasons last year are being paid more attention. Bolton once played the role of minder, now he is being tagged - effectively by Richmond's Simon Fletcher last week.
At the same time, while the Swans game plan is dissected, the foibles of some players become better known. For example, there is some thought that while Barry is brave, athletic and mobile, he always runs in a straight line when he has the ball. Opposition forwards will be well aware of this when he grabs the footy and know how best to stop him. It is also apparent Adam Goodes is much more damaging running in the midfield than as a key forward.
Of course, as Roos says, if the opposition clubs did not know these things by finals time last year they were negligent. What is unknown is how much the inevitable microscope brought by success is unsettling the Swans now.
May 14, 2004
Sydney's opponents have done their homework and it's paying off. Richard Hinds reports on the Swans' fall from grace.
In professional sport it is never long before the hunter becomes the hunted. Talk to the backroom boys at some of the teams who have played and, in recent weeks, beaten Sydney this season and it is apparent that they have been stalking their prey.
If the Swans were badly underestimated as they rolled to third place last year, they are no longer slipping under anyone's guard. But how greatly has the opposition's tactical response contributed to the Swans' recent run of three consecutive defeats?
Sydney coach Paul Roos has a matter-of-fact response to the proposition his team has been "worked out". "I reckon that sort of stuff is a bit of a myth," he says. "We're on TV every week. If they didn't do that last year then they can't have been doing their jobs."
However, with the help of a few opposition assistant coaches who have plotted some victories - or unexpectedly close finishes - against the Swans, here are some of the areas other clubs claim to be targeting.
Keeping the Swans defence accountable
The pace and skill of the Sydney defence was one of their great strengths last season. Tadhg Kennelly and Leo Barry were particularly adept at finding space and running the ball out. A quick break would give the Swans time to find a teammate in the midfield who could, in turn, quickly pick a forward target.
Last year Hawthorn and the Kangaroos worked hard on making the Swans defenders accountable for their opponents and achieved victories over Sydney that defied their ladder positions. Now, more teams are making sure the Swans defenders don't have the same freedom.
Melbourne did a particularly good job of curtailing the Swans' defensive rebound. Subsequently, some opponents have been left with the impression that a Swans team drilled to retain possession freezes when its defence cannot run free and is forced to play an ineffectual game of keepings off.
Against this, Roos notes the Swans kicked 15 goals while losing to Essendon and Melbourne - often enough to win. "It's not as if we are not kicking goals," he says. "The opposition might be kicking too many."
Luring Brett Kirk from the stoppages
Kirk has been lauded for his ability to shut down the opposition's gun midfielder. He does not merely achieve that feat by scragging his opponent, quite often he just gets the ball first.
So, rather than allow Kirk to obtain damaging clearances from ball-ups and throw-ins, some opponents are taking him away from the stoppages. Collingwood used the tactic at Telstra Stadium last year when captain Nathan Buckley sometimes sacrificed his own game by moving away from the pack. Richmond did the same with Kane Johnson last Sunday.
Roos suggests that Kirk's influence has been overstated. "No insult to Kirky but I see it the other way," Roos says. "If he takes the opposition's best player out of the game then that's a win for us."
However, with the retirement of Daryn Cresswell - one of the Swans' best in-close players - some believe Sydney's ball-winning ability has been diminished. Jude Bolton is good at getting the ball at stoppages but his hands are not as fast as Cresswell's.
Another potential problem is that the Swans ruckmen are struggling to win tap-outs and, when they do, are attempting to keep the ball in close rather than going for a tap. However, the Swans' dearth of in-and-under ball-winners makes it hard to win possession in the traffic.
Exploiting an undermanned defence
This is not so much a tactic, just a patently obvious approach against a team which lacks tall key defenders. If you can get the ball in long and direct, the Swans are going to struggle to contain opposition monsters such as Matthew Richardson, David Neitz and Matthew Lloyd.
Targeting individuals
Inevitably, some of the Sydney players who had fantastic seasons last year are being paid more attention. Bolton once played the role of minder, now he is being tagged - effectively by Richmond's Simon Fletcher last week.
At the same time, while the Swans game plan is dissected, the foibles of some players become better known. For example, there is some thought that while Barry is brave, athletic and mobile, he always runs in a straight line when he has the ball. Opposition forwards will be well aware of this when he grabs the footy and know how best to stop him. It is also apparent Adam Goodes is much more damaging running in the midfield than as a key forward.
Of course, as Roos says, if the opposition clubs did not know these things by finals time last year they were negligent. What is unknown is how much the inevitable microscope brought by success is unsettling the Swans now.
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