positives from today

[sharpie]

Re: positives from today

Originally posted by Richard Davis
Ablett played the best quarter of football (last) since he's played firsts.

I dont think anything that happened in the last quarter is worth getting excited about. Port had let the pressure off. If Ablett's so good in these conditions, he should be playing in the reserves permanently, coz when the blowtorch is applied, he has never shown anything. Lucky for him these injuries keep on keeping on.

[swansrule100]

the only positive was that the players got to fly on a plane and it might of been fun for them!

and we didnt wear the hoop socks

[swansrule100]

Re: Re: positives from today

Originally posted by Brit
You cannot write off a young ruckman after (is it) 6 games, especially when we get monstered against a tough outfit. How many times must we say it, ruck can take 5 years to mature/learn their craft it is far too early to write of M-J or Doyle for that matter!

perhaps...but have we the ruck depth to carry them until then???

[Go Swannies]

Re: Re: Re: positives from today

Originally posted by swansrule100
perhaps...but have we the ruck depth to carry them until then???

And the other option is . . .?

[dendol]

Re: Re: Re: Re: positives from today

Originally posted by Go Swannies
And the other option is . . .?

we play Ball and Doyle until they tear both their hamstrings and cant move at all.

[ScottH]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: positives from today

Originally posted by dendol
we play Ball and Doyle until they tear both their hamstrings and cant move at all.

Then just stand them both in the goal sqr and kick it long to them, hope they can mark it, and then manage to swing their legs far enough to kick the ball over the man on the mark.

[Nico]

I think this week showed that Ablett is genunely not up to it or is plain for a transfer. He doesn't get to a contest often and I think once he made a dash to the boundary miles ahead of an opponent who nailed him on the boundary.

He had enough ground time to make a statement but all we got was silence.

When we needed a few of the middle range players to lift it didn't happen when required. A few put in late but that was the junk time.

Kennelly is a big worry for me. He is either still carry that knee or has lost interest. He did not have a tackle which suggests he was a long way from a contest all game.

The big positive is simple. When you have:

LRT - hasn't played for weeks
Williams - clearly injured
Ablett - no good
Meikejohn - to be kind, not ready
Buchanan injured
Davis injured
Crouch concussed
Kennelly off with the birds
McVeigh, Powell, James highly inexperienced.

It is always going to be tough.

Reverse this situation with fit players and close to your best team on the ground and you probably have a top 6 team.

A fact of life that this is where we are at. Fortunes change by the week.

The Saints are looking ordinary, Bombers crap themselves against the top side, Pies are gone, Freo resurrects itself etc. etc.

Who knows what will happen next week. AFL has ceased to be predictable.

[Bleed Red Blood]

Originally posted by Nico
AFL has ceased to be predictable.

Except for the knowledge that the Hawks and Tiges will continue to give high hopes to there supporters, before crashing,burning and drawing lines through sand.

[ScottH]

In fairness to Kennelly,Nico, he start badly, but when he went forward in the last qtr he atleast got some kicks!!

[Go Swannies]

You are right Nico, there's no predictability at all at present except that the Lions continually perform okay. Port, Freo, Weagles, Swans (SCG) goodish at home. I wouldn't put money on the Aints beating the Hawks next week except I think Spider is gone. Everyone else can put in a good game every second week or so - except the Hawks and the Tigers and, until this weekend, the Doggies.

Well, the salary cap is meant to be like horse racing handicaps - every team should cross the line together. This year, it's like the halfway point is time to start the comp again. Too bad we didn't win some of the winnables earlier but if we don't get some players back soon it'll be irrelevant for us anyway.

[penga]

Originally posted by chammond
Powell was hopeless until he was moved into the back-line. I hope this has finally proven to Roos that he is a natural defender.

i agree with this!

as a forward, powell seems to lose all interest

as a back, powell wants to kill someone when in a contest

IMO, he is the perfect BP/HBF. who, in a few years, could take a resting ruckman. in the meantime, he may get the opportunity to prove himself with all thee injuries

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Re: positives from today

Originally posted by gloveski
NOG - Looks good when he gets it sadly though he just doesn't get it enough maybe a run as a tagger in the middle to teach him were to run.

I think you have a point there, certainly something different must be tried, rather than letting him drift on.

Similarly I believe we should give McVeigh a full game, certainly he may make errors and be beaten, but it worked for Tadgh. Also for a player who's renowned for having enormous endurance, having him spend most of the game on the bench seems a very strange way for him to exploit his greatest asset.

[BAM_BAM]

Originally posted by penga
as a forward, powell seems to lose all interest

as a back, powell wants to kill someone when in a contest

I agree, but do you think it may be because he can spoil as a back and isn't reliant on his marking ability. Perhaps he doubts himself a little.

When he plays forward in the reserves, he generally doesn't play to bad.

[stellation]

Re: Re: positives from today

Originally posted by Ruckman

Similarly I believe we should give McVeigh a full game, certainly he may make errors and be beaten, but it worked for Tadgh. Also for a player who's renowned for having enormous endurance, having him spend most of the game on the bench seems a very strange way for him to exploit his greatest asset.

Could not agree with you more. Give the kid a full game.

[penga]

Originally posted by BAM_BAM
I agree, but do you think it may be because he can spoil as a back and isn't reliant on his marking ability.

IMO, FWTIW*, his confidence grows when he can follow someone rather than create and be followed

i really doubt he has hesitations in his confidence of marking, its just the pressure to create

his major asset is his hardness, he doesnt seem to use this when forward

he really looked like tadhg streaming out of defence on sunday, im looking forward to the day that tadhg is moved off the HBF and is moved on to the wing, middle or even forward. maybe powell will take his role.

*for whatever that is worth