Boring

**sharpie** · 3 April 2005, 01:38 PM

While I'm on my high horse, I think I'd like to add something else, a bit more tactical.

Here's the scenario:

The weather is hot
the swans play a hard running game with a high number of possessions
obviously they are going to get tired very quickly in that heat
no wonder they fell apart in the last quarter
and no wonder it happens far too often

This gameplan is completely flawed. You can not keep up that pace for an entire 4 quarters.

We have one of the most potent forward lines in the comp. Hall, O'Keefe, Davis, Jolly (when forward). Throw in O'Loughlin and maybe Saddo when they return. All these guys can take a contested mark.

BUT WE NEVER JUST PUMP THE BLOODY THING LONG INTO THE FORWARD 50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to mention the likes of Schneider and Buchanan, that can then pick up the crumbs from the resulting marking contests.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

**liz** · 3 April 2005, 02:08 PM

It's not quite as simple as that.

The Swans DO kick it long into the forward line when they are able to move the ball quickly through the midfield. They even did it a little bit yesterday. But

a) you have to deliver it well, especially if Archer is running loose, because otherwise it will just be picked off.

b) when you do get it in the hands of a forward, he has to kick the goal. Even back in 2003 our success was dependent on excellent accuracy. Yesterday Hall kicked lazily and Davis' long kicks from just beyond 50 were off target.

c) you have to have midfielders willing and able to run into the forward line to provide support, preferably to crumb if the big blokes manage to bring it to ground and then to apply defensive pressure to stop it rebounding easily.

d) you need more than two targets down there. It was rare that there was more than Hall and Davis to aim at yesterday. Not quite sure where O'Keefe was but he wasn't running back towards the goals very often.

None of the above happened with any consistency yesterday. I can barely remember any real pressure being applied to the Roos in our forward 50 and they were able to clear it ridiculously easily.

Ordinary skills were part of the problem but it was also a very lazy performance from the team. Either that or their fitness isn't up to scratch. Their tackle count was well down on what it normally is. Any game plan would have looked ordinary yesterday with that level of commitment and skill level.

I don't dispute that yesterday's game was dull as ditchwater, even while the Swans were ahead on the scoreboard. But I don't think it was dull for the same reasons as many games last year. Those were dull because there was too much contested football at ground level. Yesterday's was more because there was too little genuine contesting, combined with the ordinary skills.

There isn't much fundamentally different between what the Swans tried to do yesterday (or at least, what Roos wanted them to do) and what they managed to do in 2003. The difference was in skill and application and, to some extent, the degree of risk taking. Even back in 2003 we saw some insipid performances when the Swans didn't apply themselves properly - the Manuka game being one obvious example.

**gazza** · 3 April 2005, 02:37 PM

i have 2 answers to the boring problem.
1. sack all coaches and let footballers play football.
2. put all of team a in the defensive 50,all of team b in their defensive 50 and they can play kick to kick for 2 hours.
if this type of game continues there will be no spectators,no tv audience and eventually no afl.

**SXP** · 3 April 2005, 04:35 PM

Sorry, liz, but as much as I'm trying read your comments which ar every insightful some times, it becomes very boring when you ntrying to defend such a poor performance. Liz, please have another gin and tonic (not just one please) before you try to defend them again...

***NMWBloods*** · 3 April 2005, 04:43 PM

I watched the Essendon v. Carlton game and it as much much more entertaining than ours. Wasn't great football, but at least it resembled football with the ball moving long and going from one end to the other and goals being kicked.

We are now reaching the point where the majority of our game is a demonstration of some of the worst football I have seen. It is horrendously dull.

**liz** · 3 April 2005, 05:21 PM

Originally posted by SXP
Sorry, liz, but as much as I'm trying read your comments which ar every insightful some times, it becomes very boring when you ntrying to defend such a poor performance. Liz, please have another gin and tonic (not just one please) before you try to defend them again...

Sorry - but exactly where was I trying to defend a poor performance? I called it lazy and severly lacking in skills and I don't think I cited any redeeming qualities.

**JF_Bay22_SCG** · 3 April 2005, 05:46 PM

Re: Boring

Originally posted by sharpie
Well, I've finally admitted it to myself - the swans' boring gameplan is no good for football, even if we get wins.

NWM's comment about not watching our replays anymore made me realise that I am exactly the same.

Gradually last year I stopped watching replays of the swans, which led to me no longer watching all the other games.

I'm just not excited by it. I'm addicted like hell to this team, and I want to enjoy watching it again.

I do understand what you mean Sharpie. Our games are often terrible spectacles. Actually I think footy is really struiggling as a spectacle because of the constant ball-ups ad the flooding which results in sides just kicking it around to each other.

I am still watching other team's games. Even if i'm staying up to 2am to do so (I'm a late night person in any case.). But it is noticeable that I have started to watch rugby league again. I know I have good mates in the Roosters Chook Pen. But I have started to watch the league again. Unlike many footy matches these days, at least the NRL matches apear to have some sort of structure to them. All these ball ups are doing my head in.AFL, do something. Footy today is often terrible to watch.

I have bitten my tongue about Roos because I wanted to show support for him as my club's coach. But I'm sory, but just as Sydney HAS to be thereabouts every year, we HAVE to be playing attractive footy so as to win a discernable sporting public.

I'm as loyal as they come. But ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Things have to change!

JF

**GoSouth33** · 3 April 2005, 05:57 PM

I have to admit yesterday was hard to watch. But, watch you do, and you turn up to the next game in your red and white and cheer the boys on. After this weekend we're sitting fifth. It's likely we'll stay within the eight right through the home and away, and, we'll be there at the end when the whips are cracking. We're bound to have some great wins, and dare I say, we may lose a few a long the way. Let's enjoy the ride. One loss doesn't make a season.

**barry** · 3 April 2005, 06:20 PM

I've got to admit I'm bored sensless by the Swans at the moment.

Even coming into this season I couldnt get enhused about AFL. After 25 years of following the game. Last week l looked at our soft draw, and on-field talent, and got a bit hyped up, but at the end of the day 18 wins of boring footy is still boring.

**jenky28** · 3 April 2005, 06:44 PM

Originally posted by barry
I've got to admit I'm bored sensless by the Swans at the moment.

Even coming into this season I couldnt get enhused about AFL. After 25 years of following the game. Last week l looked at our soft draw, and on-field talent, and got a bit hyped up, but at the end of the day 18 wins of boring footy is still boring.

I dont think it is just sydney that contributes to the game being boring. Yesterdayeven the roos were flooding bak in numbers in order to limit our forwards getting possesion let alone score. Yes we were inaccurate and prob were partly our own worst enemy at the end but as someone already said in another thread you need to deliver the ball to the forwards extremely well or the likes or Archer and Colbert just pick it off with relevant ease!

Dont jump off the wagon just yet every team has weeks where they play bad and loose games they maybe should have won. The boys need your support most when they are down and out of form so lets stick to the positives out of the game hey.

**sharpie** · 3 April 2005, 06:51 PM

Originally posted by jenky28
I dont think it is just sydney that contributes to the game being boring. Yesterdayeven the roos were flooding bak in numbers in order to limit our forwards getting possesion let alone score. Yes we were inaccurate and prob were partly our own worst enemy at the end but as someone already said in another thread you need to deliver the ball to the forwards extremely well or the likes or Archer and Colbert just pick it off with relevant ease!

Dont jump off the wagon just yet every team has weeks where they play bad and loose games they maybe should have won. The boys need your support most when they are down and out of form so lets stick to the positives out of the game hey.

But the issue here, jenky, is that we're not only upset that the swans played badly. We are upset because they are boring, win or lose. And the roos played the way they did to combat our style of play, so they were not so much adding to the boredom as just reacting to it.

And I doubt anyone here is jumping off the bandwagon. We're all just having a good whinge coz we want to be entertained, and it aint happening.

**jenky28** · 3 April 2005, 06:59 PM

Originally posted by sharpie
But the issue here, jenky, is that we're not only upset that the swans played badly. We are upset because they are boring, win or lose. And the roos played the way they did to combat our style of play, so they were not so much adding to the boredom as just reacting to it.

And I doubt anyone here is jumping off the bandwagon. We're all just having a good whinge coz we want to be entertained, and it aint happening.

Mayb bandwagon was the wrong word.

**Whitefox** · 3 April 2005, 07:04 PM

An interesting read here

**Diego** · 3 April 2005, 07:10 PM

I agree with the boring comments. For the first time in many years i couldnt give a toot about this season. I am not excited about the lead up nor am i excited about watching the swans. I am bored of footy. Maybe being in Melbourne and the over saturation of the game has turned me away but i am sick of footy.

And for the first time in many many a moon i allowed myself to be distracted and not pay attention to the game yesterday.

I cannot see us win a flag under roos no matter how much some people defend his game plan. It makes me wonder if 2003 he was really coaching and had anything in place, becasue as soon as 2004 came around and he put a game plan into place it was like watching the swans under eade.

I am not fussed atm if i miss any swans games this year, frankly i rather doing something more construstive and creative than watch a game of stop start footy.

Roos let the boys play like you did in 2003 and watch them go direct. Our talented forward line is being wasted atm.

/rant over

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