Realfooty - Sydney 2005

**swan_song** · 13 March 2005, 12:48 PM

Interesting analysis for sure...and not too bad. I think and hope we can do better than those predictions. I find it really strange our attitude to the pre-season cup though, whether its good or bad I don't know. After the S&Don trial at NS I was a little cocky perhaps, but having lost EVERY trial game since hasnt filled me with too much optimism for 2005, maybe like the pundits in the REALFOOTY article. Its strange to have Pagan saying that he can't see a better lead up to round 1 than to play in the Wizard Cup GF, while we haven't taken the preseason comp seriously for years...Lets hope they're all wrong and that we do make a top four finish and a home final or two...

**RogueSwan** · 13 March 2005, 01:30 PM

Originally posted by swan_song
Its strange to have Pagan saying that he can't see a better lead up to round 1 than to play in the Wizard Cup GF, while we haven't taken the preseason comp seriously for years...Lets hope they're all wrong and that we do make a top four finish and a home final or two...

Think about where Carlton are coming from. If the Swannies finished last a couple of seasons ago I would love them to win a Wiz cup! It has gotta be great for the Blues as a team to show that they are on the right rebuilding track. The Swans aren't coming from the depths that Carlton are, finals appearances in the last two years that have gone beyond the first week, the Blues could only dream of that.

Let's hope that Fevola can't get any better though.

**liz** · 13 March 2005, 01:40 PM

Originally posted by RogueSwan
Think about where Carlton are coming from. If the Swannies finished last a couple of seasons ago I would love them to win a Wiz cup! It has gotta be great for the Blues as a team to show that they are on the right rebuilding track. The Swans aren't coming from the depths that Carlton are, finals appearances in the last two years that have gone beyond the first week, the Blues could only dream of that.

Agree with that. Roos' aim isn't to be up and running at full tilt in round 1 (though of course he'll want to be winning it). Far more important is to have the senior players still in one piece and in good form at the end of the year, and hopefully to have some younger players ready to step into the breach if and when injuries strike.

Pagan needs wins on the board early and the confidence up. A few big losses early to a young and still developing side could be a crucial blow to their confidence.

It's interesting to speculate if the Saints would have finished top 2 last year had they not had such a spectacular start to the year. By the final third of the season it looked as if they might not win another game, so far had their wheels fallen off. It is credit to them that they managed to regroup and make us look so ordinary in the SF.

I'm not worried about the fact the team's not won since NS. We've only been blown out of the water once, by Brisbane, with a team that bears no resemblance to the one that will line up against the Hawks in a fortnight.

My only slight concern is that some of the senior players seem to have had a casual approach to games thus far. I've seen it with my own eyes in three games and reports from the other two seem to indicate the same. I'm not sure whether intensity is something that can just be switched off and on at will, and while we don't need to team to be in top form at the beginning of the year, we do need to be winning the "easy" games right from the start.

**swansrule100** · 13 March 2005, 01:42 PM

i tend not to give a rats where people predict we will finish...doesnt mean anything at all.

But based on how we have been and our gains and also the current form of us and others you couldnt tip us much higher than 6-10 and keep your job....

**Nico** · 13 March 2005, 03:22 PM

What gets me about Rohan Connolly is that his is so Essendon biased it's not funny. He never rates us, and like Mrs Wilson bags us at any opportunity.

Guess what? He's speaking at the Melbourne lunch this week.

There are better journos in Melbourne to invite to a Swans do. Saw his name on the flyer when I got it and decided work was a better option.

**cruiser** · 14 March 2005, 11:40 AM

The lack of a superstar??? So far as I'm concerned, Barry Hall is a superstar and when he's on song, can win games for Sydney.

Listing Bevan as an "arrival" is also wrong.

I don't mind so called experts ranking Sydney down in the 6th- 9th positions. Other teams can underestimate Sydney at their own risk.

**chammond** · 14 March 2005, 12:53 PM

Originally posted by swan_song
I find it really strange our attitude to the pre-season cup though, whether its good or bad I don't know. After the S&Don trial at NS I was a little cocky perhaps, but having lost EVERY trial game since hasnt filled me with too much optimism for 2005, maybe like the pundits in the REALFOOTY article. Its strange to have Pagan saying that he can't see a better lead up to round 1 than to play in the Wizard Cup GF, while we haven't taken the preseason comp seriously for years...

The flaw in Pagan's theory is that it isn't an either/or situation.

If you get all your senior players up and firing for the start of the Wiz Cup, and then get a flying start to the season proper by making the Wiz Cup Final . . . well the theory looks great.

But if you rush all your best players into the pre-season, and then don't make the final . . . like say Richmond who got knocked out in round 1, or even worse, like the Kangaroos who flogged their senior squad through 3 hard games and still missed out . . . then your squad is going to be peaking at completely the wrong time for the first half of the season.

The Swans are actually taking the sensible, low-risk option to the pre-season . . . unfortunately this equates to the boring option for us fans

**swansrule100** · 14 March 2005, 01:24 PM

Originally posted by cruiser
The lack of a superstar??? So far as I'm concerned, Barry Hall is a superstar and when he's on song, can win games for Sydney.

Listing Bevan as an "arrival" is also wrong.

I don't mind so called experts ranking Sydney down in the 6th- 9th positions. Other teams can underestimate Sydney at their own risk.

i think barry hall is a star week in week out. He is up there with treadrea and riewoldt and i rate him ahead of brown.

I like teams underestimating us!

**cruiser** · 14 March 2005, 02:58 PM

Originally posted by swan_song
I think and hope we can do better than those predictions. I find it really strange our attitude to the pre-season cup though, whether its good or bad I don't know. After the S&Don trial at NS I was a little cocky perhaps, but having lost EVERY trial game since hasnt filled me with too much optimism for 2005, maybe like the pundits in the REALFOOTY article. Its strange to have Pagan saying that he can't see a better lead up to round 1 than to play in the Wizard Cup GF, while we haven't taken the preseason comp seriously for years...Lets hope they're all wrong and that we do make a top four finish and a home final or two...

Can you remember who won the Wizard Cup last year 2004? In 2003? It wasnt Port and it wasnt Brisbane. (If my memory serves me correctly it was St Kilda last year and Adelaide the year before). Pagan and Carlton can have their celebration now while they can 'cause I don't think they'll have much else to celebrate during the year.

**Reggi** · 14 March 2005, 04:09 PM

The lack of 'superstars' was kind of amusing.

Given

Hall - ****ey had himas top 5
Goodes - Rising Star and Brownlow
Kirk - 3rd in Brownlow
O'Loughlin - Twice AA

Little bit disrespectfull to 4 pretty good players (Leo Barry is one of the star defenders in the comp).

But I was over it

**Glenn** · 14 March 2005, 05:58 PM

Shows how much the "experts" know if they say Sydney lack a star player, must mean we lack some pretty boy who is a protected species when it comes to tribual, and the Melbourne media wet themselves over him.

**dendol** · 14 March 2005, 06:03 PM

Originally posted by Glenn
Shows how much the "experts" know if they say Sydney lack a star player, must mean we lack some pretty boy who is a protected species when it comes to tribual, and the Melbourne media wet themselves over him.

we've got one now: ROK. He's looking as pretty as they come.

**Glenn** · 14 March 2005, 06:08 PM

Originally posted by dendol
we've got one now: ROK. He's looking as pretty as they come.

Not a protected species

**Nico** · 14 March 2005, 07:11 PM

Originally posted by Glenn
Shows how much the "experts" know if they say Sydney lack a star player, must mean we lack some pretty boy who is a protected species when it comes to tribual, and the Melbourne media wet themselves over him.

Not referring to Chris Grant are we?

Realfooty - Sydney 2005

Realfooty - Sydney 2005

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