Some thoughts

[dawson]

Very similar almost eerie resemblance to Port game last year.

But we need to play like this more regularly and not just when the situation deems it.

The Swans side of today would have smashed the Swans side which played Richmond, Hawthorn, Bulldogs and Geelong.

But on the plus side you can see why Thomas is such a bad coach, he had done no homework and let us play our natural game. We got so much drive from the backline its not funny.

We played the ground to perfection and left the Saints players dazed. I'm going to keep saying it but this is our home ground and we play our best football here. It feels like home and the players respond accordingly.

What was extra pleasing was the Swans use of the corridor. For once most of our delivery went down the guts and we avoided this down the boundary line passage to the goal line.

Crouch and Kirk are simply amazing. The jobs they do is second to none.

Our hardness was really pleasing and we won many free kicks on the back of that. Magic's miss late in the first quarter was disappoint as Craig Bolton's effort really deserved better.

With Schneider, Davis and Schauble to come back in - we really are looking good.

If we go 8-3 in the last 11, finish at 14-8 and they may be enought to snag a top four spot.

[ScottH]

I guess todays game also waterdown the argument about a small backline. Gehrig Kosi, Reiwoldt and Hamill, had little impact on the game for 4 qtrs.

Tho' Reiwoldt's mark was simply spectacular. Mark of the Day. Leo's would've come a close second if he had held it.

[swansrule100]

lets just hope it wasnt flash in the pan stuff
we need to keep up that sort of effort every week if we did that no one will beat us

[Nico]

Simpy magnificent effort. Makes you wonder what planet they were on when playing the short game a few games back.

Incredible running and hardness and finally, at last, about time, their kicking into the forward line clicked.
This was because they beat the Saints at their own game by running off at every opportunity and kicking deep into the forward line or to a leading player.

[Nico]

Originally posted by swansrule100
lets just hope it wasnt flash in the pan stuff
we need to keep up that sort of effort every week if we did that no one will beat us

Don't think so. The writing was on the wall the previous week. Kick straight and we beat the Dogs by at least 10 goals.

[liz]

Originally posted by Nico
Simpy magnificent effort. Makes you wonder what planet they were on when playing the short game a few games back.

A few things have changed in the last three or so weeks.

Stuey is now back close to 100% fit (or as fit as any league player will be midway through the season)

Ditto Tiger

Goodes is now playing like a footballer again (and a bxxxxx good one at that!!), after a few weeks running around like a headless chook.

O'Loughlin is now back which makes a huge difference to the forward line structure - he and Hall just work so well together.

Don't underestimate the impact of a few missing or weary players on the confidence and mindset of a team, especially key ones like these.

[robbieando]

Re: Some thoughts

Originally posted by dawson
But on the plus side you can see why Thomas is such a bad coach, he had done no homework and let us play our natural game. We got so much drive from the backline its not funny.

I think this statement is on the money. Before the game Thomas was quizzed on the Swans taggers and how he would try and brake the tag, Thomas was like, "at least they won't get near the ball then". Someone should of pointed out there and then that Kirk, Crouch and Mathews are more than just taggers, they get a fair share of the ball as well. The interview comfirmed my belief that we would win.

[CureTheSane]

Re: Some thoughts

Originally posted by dawson

But on the plus side you can see why Thomas is such a bad coach, he had done no homework and let us play our natural game. We got so much drive from the backline its not funny.

Are you serious?

"Thomas is such a bad coach"?

Damn, he has coached the Saints to 10 straight wins before todays game.
A record breaking effort.
And I love how people come up with "well with the draft picks they've had, they SHOULD be playing well"

Well, guess what?
Someone has to coach those fresh players into stars, and personally, I think Thomas has copped a lot of flack, and right now, when he is coaching a team who are doing so well, he perhaps should have earnt at least a bit of respect.

Just my opinion, but if I had the choice of Frawley, Schwab, Thompson, Daniher, Worsfold, Laidley, Connolly, Ayres, Rhode or Thomas, I know who I'd be partial to...

[dawson]

Re: Re: Some thoughts

For mind it would be line ball between Thomas and Rhode for least partial.

Connolly has taken a Freo side farther than Thomas with St Kilda.
Daniher has just about been a miracle worker at Melbourne including one Grand Final.

Ayres took the Cats to a GF in his first year and has taken the Crows to a PF.

Spud has taken the Tigers to a PF. Ditto Schwab with Hawthorn.

Worsfold has taken the Eagles to the finals two years in a row.

Thompson has taken the Cats to the finals.

Infact the only coaches on your list who havent coached in the finals are Rhode and Thomas.

Just my opinion, but if I had the choice of Frawley, Schwab, Thompson, Daniher, Worsfold, Laidley, Connolly, Ayres, Rhode or Thomas, I know who I'd be partial to... [/B]

[anniswan]

Re: Re: Some thoughts

Originally posted by CureTheSane
Are you serious?

"Thomas is such a bad coach"?

Damn, he has coached the Saints to 10 straight wins before todays game.

I think it was 14

[dendol]

Re: Re: Some thoughts

Originally posted by CureTheSane
Are you serious?

"Thomas is such a bad coach"?

Damn, he has coached the Saints to 10 straight wins before todays game.
A record breaking effort.
And I love how people come up with "well with the draft picks they've had, they SHOULD be playing well"

Well, guess what?
Someone has to coach those fresh players into stars, and personally, I think Thomas has copped a lot of flack, and right now, when he is coaching a team who are doing so well, he perhaps should have earnt at least a bit of respect.

Just my opinion, but if I had the choice of Frawley, Schwab, Thompson, Daniher, Worsfold, Laidley, Connolly, Ayres, Rhode or Thomas, I know who I'd be partial to...

Fair call, but really, his team wasnt even in with a chance to win after half time. How does a team go from two 100+ point wins to a fairly easy loss the week after? Maybe the Wednesday off to go the movies was a bad call after all. When I first heard about that, I just thought that it was the Saints players and coaching staff getting ahead of themselves.

Most times, when you win by 100+, your team has it so easy that they shouldnt be feeling fatigued. The hard games to come up for the following week are usually the wet, slog-fest games, or the really tough, nail-biter, down to the wire ones. His team may have worked hard to get those easy wins, but to me, it shows that they had taken their foot off the accelerator in their preparation for us. Even their supporters on saintsational.com were mostly predicting land-slide 60 point wins, saying that even if we kicked 15 goals, they'd easily kick 25.

The radio 630 commentators today were also saying that they got the matchups and tactics totally wrong. All Thomas had to do was watch the tapes of our Geelong and Essendon games to see that we would be troubled if they manned up. However, they left spare players all over the ground for all 4 quarters. No accountability, no respect. The difference today was that we treated this game like a final; they - and I mean their coaching staff, players, and fans - thought they would win by simply turning up and playing like they played against Carlton, without any regard for how we played.

[monopoly19]

Just on the St Kilda fans - some real d*ckheads showed up today. Very poor form.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by Nico
Simpy magnificent effort. Makes you wonder what planet they were on when playing the short game a few games back.

Incredible running and hardness and finally, at last, about time, their kicking into the forward line clicked.
This was because they beat the Saints at their own game by running off at every opportunity and kicking deep into the forward line or to a leading player.

I think we saw the difference today between the short game of this year and the short game of last year.

We still short passed a lot today and looked after it, but we did it with much more purpose. We were trying to set players up for an attack. You could see us work the ball around carefully, and then suddenly let loose with a longer kick or a runner from the back line.

[swansrule100]

we simply made very few mistakes.... the few we did make were for instance the oloughlin shot at goal at the end of the 1st quarter... but then that goal he placed for fosdike (from memory) was awesome