Mind over matter

[dawson]

The Swans clearly have motivation issues - twice they have played the top team (St Kilda and Brisbane) and twice they have given them a resounding bum smacking.

This two wins plus the famous one (away!) last year against Port in the finals shows this team can be the competition's best - but only on its day.

And that day seems to be when they have their backs against the wall and no one gives them a chance of victory.

To compound is, is the really bad football the Swans have played when up against a team which it should smash. Their victory against the Cats in Round 3 showcased some of the worst football by a winning team.

The wins against Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs, Collingwood and Adelaide were all quite ugly, very much the opposite of the victories against the Saints and the Lions.

Sadly the Swans will never go anywhere if they continue to play this hot and cold style of football - Was this the same team which played Richmond?
There is no point in winning the games you shouldn't if you are going to lose you ones you shouldn't as well. What's the point of a crappy season for five seconds in the sun when you knock off the top team?

Brisbane are Brisbane because they win the games they shouldn't and also win the games they should.

But who knows? Maybe we are good enough to win a flag from 7th with four on the road knockout finals win in a row.

[Damien]

Funny isn't it, our record shows we can match it and even out class the top 4 sides, yet it also shows we have big problems with the bottom 4 as well!

We maybe could win it from 7th or 8th. Would be a hard road though, if we say went to Freo and Adelaide in consecutive weeks, it would be near impossible. If each week was Melbourne, I would rate our chances.

I have always felt the boys remembered where they were at 3 quarter time of the prelim final last year and it spooked them.

Hopefully securing a finals birth and destroying the Roos finals aspirations will be all the motivation they need this week.

[Nico]

IMO that was our best performance for the year. Finally the disposal came good, and for whatever reason they decided not to go those extra handpasses that so often bring them unstuck.

2 things that never cease to amaze me about 2 players.

Leo Barry - why does he not kick the ball deep when running down the wing. Is it because he has very little idea of spotting a player. We do have some quality forwards if someone on the coaching panel cares to tell him.

Barry Hall - week in week out he has a kick from a mark on the 50 metre line close to the boundary. For whatever reason he tries to short pass to a player in heavy traffic. If he feels he can't kick a goal or score why doesn't he do the obvious and put it to the top of the square quickly. Micky, O'Keefe and perhaps a taller option would have a genuine chance of marking or crumbing. In the form that M.O'L is running into he is a chance to mark every time.

The wasted kicks into the forward line has been a real weakness this year so you would think maybe someone might rattle the cages of these 2. Good footballers as they are I sometimes wonder at their level of intelligence.

[stevej]

who knows! maybe its part of the grand 4-5 year plan. Use this year as a testing ground for different game styles against different opposition. Knowing that they can play more than 1 dimensional footy will be great when we spank the opposition when the rest of our young blokes come through.

[sharpie]

Re: Mind over matter

Originally posted by dawson
The Swans clearly have motivation issues - twice they have played the top team (St Kilda and Brisbane) and twice they have given them a resounding bum smacking.

This two wins plus the famous one (away!) last year against Port in the finals shows this team can be the competition's best - but only on its day.

And that day seems to be when they have their backs against the wall and no one gives them a chance of victory.

You could perhaps throw in the Kangaroos in Canberra earlier in the year. The Roos were on top after 3 successive wins, and we were the first team to knock them off, IIRC.

Its the old thing that many of us have been saying for years, that the Swans play to the level they expect the opposition will be at.

[Bron]

Dare I say that this is my (oft repeated) point exactly for a long time.

[CureTheSane]

Yep, mine too.

I say again.... I have no idea why we don't have a team psychologist.

I find it amazing that in a multi million dollar professional team there is no-one to help with the mental state of the players.

We have physical trainers, and Roos as a coach covers some issues, but to me it is a gaping hole.

[Bron]

Originally posted by CureTheSane
but to me it is a gaping hole.

Huge!

[Schneiderman]

Originally posted by CureTheSane
I say again.... I have no idea why we don't have a team psychologist.

Thats Roos' role. He is learning to motivate when there is no reason to try, and relax them a little when they get carried away.

Also, we should be fair and not compare this team to the ones we've seen before last year. At least not until Roos has had a few years to correct the behaviour that currently seems endemic.

But I do agree... when was the last time we buried, TRULY buried a bottom 4 side?? Could have done it to Adelaide, should have done it to the Hawks. The last 100 point shellacking I can remember is North when Carey v Dunkley was a sight to watch.

Mmm... Maybe again this week?

[Nolie]

[

Barry Hall - week in week out he has a kick from a mark on the 50 metre line close to the boundary. For whatever reason he tries to short pass.... [/B]

Agree with you Nico. Sometimes Hall makes some inexplicable gaffers.

[footyhead]

Originally posted by Nico
IMO that was our best performance for the year. Finally the disposal came good, and for whatever reason they decided not to go those extra handpasses that so often bring them unstuck.

2 things that never cease to amaze me about 2 players.

Leo Barry - why does he not kick the ball deep when running down the wing. Is it because he has very little idea of spotting a player. We do have some quality forwards if someone on the coaching panel cares to tell him.

Barry Hall - week in week out he has a kick from a mark on the 50 metre line close to the boundary. For whatever reason he tries to short pass to a player in heavy traffic. If he feels he can't kick a goal or score why doesn't he do the obvious and put it to the top of the square quickly. Micky, O'Keefe and perhaps a taller option would have a genuine chance of marking or crumbing. In the form that M.O'L is running into he is a chance to mark every time.

Nico, I would like to encourage you to try to get this message through to Paul Roos - either ask Roosy, or email or even better a letter, or all three.
The wasted kicks into the forward line has been a real weakness this year so you would think maybe someone might rattle the cages of these 2. Good footballers as they are I sometimes wonder at their level of intelligence.

[sharp9]

I agree that all professional sports teams should have a specialist "between the ears" person...but they don't necessarily have to be a psychologist. The person needs to be a genius, and needs to focus on the players' perfromance both ON AND OFF the field, ie in their everyday life.

Now if you could cross Anthony Robbins with Allan Jeans and Nelson Mandela you might be on to something.

Hawthorn have a club psychologist and, clearly, he is not much chop.

Encouraging the players to do the Landmark Forum would be a good start. I know that Collingwood is looking at this and my personal feeling is that the first AFL team to do some of this work will get a jump on other teams.

[cressakel]

Originally posted by Nico
IMO that was our best performance for the year. Finally the disposal came good, and for whatever reason they decided not to go those extra handpasses that so often bring them unstuck.

2 things that never cease to amaze me about 2 players.

Leo Barry - why does he not kick the ball deep when running down the wing. Is it because he has very little idea of spotting a player. We do have some quality forwards if someone on the coaching panel cares to tell him.

Barry Hall - week in week out he has a kick from a mark on the 50 metre line close to the boundary. For whatever reason he tries to short pass to a player in heavy traffic. If he feels he can't kick a goal or score why doesn't he do the obvious and put it to the top of the square quickly. Micky, O'Keefe and perhaps a taller option would have a genuine chance of marking or crumbing. In the form that M.O'L is running into he is a chance to mark every time.

The wasted kicks into the forward line has been a real weakness this year so you would think maybe someone might rattle the cages of these 2. Good footballers as they are I sometimes wonder at their level of intelligence.

Your kidding Nico, give me spell, stop it....

If Hall had a shot and missed from 50-55 metres on the boundary, he would be construed as selfish and not playing the team game that Roos adhers all players in that position find an option, either short or long, on a better angle. As Ball and definitely Doyle are not smart or good enough to drop into the goal square to contest or take the mark, the opposition Ruckman ALWAYS takes the mark and rebounds from there - as O'Keefe, O'Loughlin and the other forwards are not tall or strong enough to compete against the tall Ruckman of the competition. Therefore, the team rule from that angle is to look for another option one out either short or long.

In regard to Leo Barry, it is a credit to his defensive skills that invariably he forces his opposition player to lead to the pockets where, more often than not, Leo rebounds from the pockets in a straight line down the boundary side by baulking around a couple of players and then looks for options further afield. If Leo doesn't handball to a rebounding C.Bolton, Crouch or Kennelly, the best options are usually with a fast leading Hall & O'Keefe leading to the FLANKS. There are very few forwards, J.Brown & Tredrea coming to mind, that lead straight down the ground, as the safest and easiest option is to lead to the boundary and flanks, hence Leo Barry kicking long down the flanks to the forward options mentioned.

From Under 10's onwards Nico, coaches have instructed never to kick accross goal in the backline. I would rather Leo play the safe option of going down the boundary side then going inboard, where an easy turnover could occur and thus making Leo look stupid.

If Hall and O'Keefe led straight down the middle and ran over the square diamond, then Leo would kick long ( 50 odd metres ) to these options - BUT THEY DON'T !

I think you should be concentrating your annoyance at Nic Fosdike and Ben " No vision " Matthews who, when the team has a run on straight down the ground, either do the following -

a) Stop and prop, run around in circles and usually kick sideways only 22 metres, thus giving the opposition enough time to man up.

b) When taking a mark they have players streaming past, but they decide to go back SLOWLY back to there mark and then the first option, WHICH IS AWALYS THE BEST OPTION, is always ignored. Consequently the opposition has manned up on our midfielders and forwards, whereby these players pass to the WORST option.

c) kick the ball to the nearset option only 20-25 metres away along the boundary, thus giving the opposition enough time to get back on the Swans forwards and midfielders. Therefore, the next option has no other options due to the opposition manning up.

Hall & Barry are great bookends with excellent intelligence, team ethics and good vision, which is more I can about dumb (Matthews) and dumber (Fosdike).

[CureTheSane]

Originally posted by Schneiderman
Thats Roos' role. He is learning to motivate when there is no reason to try, and relax them a little when they get carried away.

Also, we should be fair and not compare this team to the ones we've seen before last year. At least not until Roos has had a few years to correct the behaviour that currently seems endemic.

But I do agree... when was the last time we buried, TRULY buried a bottom 4 side?? Could have done it to Adelaide, should have done it to the Hawks. The last 100 point shellacking I can remember is North when Carey v Dunkley was a sight to watch.

Mmm... Maybe again this week?

Yep, it is Roos' role it appears, but why?
Surely a trained professional would be better than an ex footballer learning the ropes?
No disrespect to Roos, but if there is someone better available, use them.
His role should be primarily coaching the game, to win it.
I don't want him worrying about individual players and their states of mind.

A positive is that this team seems to be much better mentally than over the last few years, but we do lack that killer instinct I feel.

Again, this is a question the Swans should be addressing to their fans.
Maybe it is all under control with various people on the staff.
Who knows?

[pillowtalk]

Originally posted by CureTheSane
Yep, mine too.

I say again.... I have no idea why we don't have a team psychologist.

I find it amazing that in a multi million dollar professional team there is no-one to help with the mental state of the players.

We have physical trainers, and Roos as a coach covers some issues, but to me it is a gaping hole.

I thought they did have one
I'm pretty sure they had one last year. Maybe I'm just getting confused with the motivational guest speakers they had ...