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Why all the hysteria?
Everybody's overlooking something. They're overlooking what is wrong.
The focus of SO many posts recently has been along the lines of 'Player X isn't up to it, we need to delist him asap. Also, our drafting hasn't been up to scratch so we should trade Players A, B and C in return for pick 5.'
Very few have escaped. Off the top of my head, Mathews, Williams, Maxfield, Fosdike, Doyle, James, Ablett, Barry, Saddington, Nicks, Bolton, Ball, Buchanan and Rogers have all been highlighted at various times as players apparently not of the necessary standard to play AFL football.
Even the recruitment of Barry Hall has been questioned, with the suggestion that perhaps we should have kept picks 13 and 17, simply because they have turned out to be good players. Forget the fact that there's no guarantee we would have picked those players, or that they would have developed to the same degree or been willing to stay at the Swans.
In the past couple of days, it's over-stepped the mark, from the professional to the personal. I won't name names, because you know who you are - but cynical names like "God's gift to football" and offensive ones like "Fosdickhead" are simply ridiculous. They add nothing.
Amidst all the bloodlust, all the hysteria and the occasional hatred... the actual problems have been ignored. It is not the ability of these players - most of them contributed to the good performances of 2003 and most of them had excellent, consistent seasons. The answer to returning to the top is NOT a massive bloodletting of experienced, talented players.
The answer is to be found in what has actually happened to the Swans system - looking past the individuals to the collective way the team functions. In round 3, we were outplayed. Bloody Cressa, his cheekiness was much more fun when he was on our side. He knew our game, and knew how to counter it. But we won the game. In round 5, it was countered again, but we lost.
Now, this is where the original problem occurred. There was no answer from the coaching box. No innovation. Suddenly, the old system didn't work - something that happens in the rapidly-evolving game of AFL football. However, we didn't evolve immediately, and before the innovation starting to come this week, confidence was gone.
The players dropped their heads, and stopped believing in themselves. Gone was the carefree confidence and touch of pride that made our 2003 season what it was. This is something that can come back. I'm not saying use the same gameplan, just the same attitude. This is what the real problem is at the moment, not the players.
Because if the confidence comes back, so will the form of those players. Jude will start to get the pill again. Tadhg will run with it. Players will start to become aware of how much time they have again, and not turn it over due to rushing their possessions. With faith in the tall blokes being able to mark it, we'll start to play more direct football again.
I'm not saying not to criticise. I'm not saying that we've been good enough the last week. But really, it's gotten so far off the track it's not funny. It's only round 8. It's too early to talk about delistings, because they can't happen for months. And it's too early to assume that what is lost can't be found again.
The focus of SO many posts recently has been along the lines of 'Player X isn't up to it, we need to delist him asap. Also, our drafting hasn't been up to scratch so we should trade Players A, B and C in return for pick 5.'
Very few have escaped. Off the top of my head, Mathews, Williams, Maxfield, Fosdike, Doyle, James, Ablett, Barry, Saddington, Nicks, Bolton, Ball, Buchanan and Rogers have all been highlighted at various times as players apparently not of the necessary standard to play AFL football.
Even the recruitment of Barry Hall has been questioned, with the suggestion that perhaps we should have kept picks 13 and 17, simply because they have turned out to be good players. Forget the fact that there's no guarantee we would have picked those players, or that they would have developed to the same degree or been willing to stay at the Swans.
In the past couple of days, it's over-stepped the mark, from the professional to the personal. I won't name names, because you know who you are - but cynical names like "God's gift to football" and offensive ones like "Fosdickhead" are simply ridiculous. They add nothing.
Amidst all the bloodlust, all the hysteria and the occasional hatred... the actual problems have been ignored. It is not the ability of these players - most of them contributed to the good performances of 2003 and most of them had excellent, consistent seasons. The answer to returning to the top is NOT a massive bloodletting of experienced, talented players.
The answer is to be found in what has actually happened to the Swans system - looking past the individuals to the collective way the team functions. In round 3, we were outplayed. Bloody Cressa, his cheekiness was much more fun when he was on our side. He knew our game, and knew how to counter it. But we won the game. In round 5, it was countered again, but we lost.
Now, this is where the original problem occurred. There was no answer from the coaching box. No innovation. Suddenly, the old system didn't work - something that happens in the rapidly-evolving game of AFL football. However, we didn't evolve immediately, and before the innovation starting to come this week, confidence was gone.
The players dropped their heads, and stopped believing in themselves. Gone was the carefree confidence and touch of pride that made our 2003 season what it was. This is something that can come back. I'm not saying use the same gameplan, just the same attitude. This is what the real problem is at the moment, not the players.
Because if the confidence comes back, so will the form of those players. Jude will start to get the pill again. Tadhg will run with it. Players will start to become aware of how much time they have again, and not turn it over due to rushing their possessions. With faith in the tall blokes being able to mark it, we'll start to play more direct football again.
I'm not saying not to criticise. I'm not saying that we've been good enough the last week. But really, it's gotten so far off the track it's not funny. It's only round 8. It's too early to talk about delistings, because they can't happen for months. And it's too early to assume that what is lost can't be found again.
indeed.
)
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