Smoke and mirrors

[Go Swannies]

With some trepidation I stick my head above the parapet and will probably get it shot off.

Tonight I watched our R3 game against the Lions again. This was the game where Malcolm Blight was telling us throughout how boring we were for running a lock-down, play safe game.

It took until most of the way to 1/2 time to realise I was watching an illusion. Yes, there was no flowing game and there was stoppage after stoppage. But the team playing the close game and the flooding defence was the Lions, not the Swans. Watch the game again and see how often a Sydney player took more than 3 steps without being tackled. And the commentators were saying how good the Lions defence was while accusing us of playing rugby.

Only when the Lions found out how hard that game is to maintain, and fell off the pace (and the signs were there in the 3rd quarter) could the Swans break out. No - we weren't playing well but the defensive game wasn't us - we were getting numbers back but have a look at the Lions in our forward 50 and around the ball vs the Swans spoiling at the other end of the ground. If were were flooding as well as we've been told, the number of shots they had on goal was a disgrace.

To a lesser extent I saw this at the Gabba game last year, too - Leigh Matthews dishing out the "Swans play defensive footy but if that's what it takes" line while you could fire a cannon into the Lions forward 50 for a large part of the game.

In R3 2005 the Swans were the team trying to break out of a Lions stranglehold - not the other way around. For Malcolm Blight to keep repeating "why doesn't Sydney move the ball forward?" as one Swan after another is ground into the turf is a joke. But the Lions were champions so why would they try to shut out a lesser team like the Swans? And a lot of us fell for the trick.

[Xie Shan]

No, you're quite right. I actually think that the reason for the low scores overall in the first half was the pressure applied by both teams - I think they have developed a healthy respect/rivalry and it showed in the way the game panned out, with neither side really giving an inch early on.

But yes, I think there is evidence to support your claim that Brisbane were the ones flooding. I remember the Swans trying to be more attacking in that 3rd quarter, but more often or not they blazed away when going forward and of course ended up breaking down, not unexpected when your opposition is flooding.

Go Swannies when you watched the replay again, did you notice the crowd chanting "Boring!" during the game when the Swans had possession? I am positive I heard this when I watched the game live (or on half hour delay as it was shown in Sydney). I think that this may have even subconsciously (or consciously, I'm not sure if they were aware of it) made them play angrier in that last quarter. The way in which we won it, with attacking football, made the victory even sweeter to silence the crowd!

[Go Swannies]

I can't remember a "Boring" chant but I certainly heard it from the Lions fans all around me. But I was so depressed by our disjointed play that it took me a long way into the 4th quarter before I realised that we were back in the game.

I'd already told my Lions friend that there was no point going back to the pub after the game as I'd be too grumpy. Then we won and of course we did go back and sung ourselves hoarse (well she didn't but she bought me celebratory beers anyway). That was the memorable night when a group of us took turns calling friends in Sydney and singing "Cheer Cheer" down the phone at them. Didn't matter how often we did it, it only took someone to start the first two words and the whole bar was joining in. Great night.

[Xie Shan]

Re: Smoke and mirrors

Originally posted by Go Swannies
This was the game where Malcolm Blight was telling us throughout how boring we were for running a lock-down, play safe game.

The greatest irony of all about that game was that Blight was the one who predicted the comeback!

[NMWBloods]

One of the problems was that within the first 2 minutes of the start of the game our entire team was in the Lions' forward half. Blight commented specifically on this. After that, he tended to attribute most of the flooding to us.

[Xie Shan]

I'm not sure, I'd probably have to watch the replay again (but no time LOL) - but in the second half at least it seemed like the Swans were the ones trying to break out, watching on TV. It was no ordinary match that one. Still remember Tim Lane's boxing analogy about the Swans absorbing a ton of physical punishment and pressure yet getting up off the canvas and stunning Brisbane - while that obviously wasn't their game plan (if it was, it is a very dangerous one - can't rely on coming back from that far behind too often unless you're the Kangaroos) - it certainly did sum up how that game panned out, at least. A bit like Hewitt vs Nalbandian in the Australian Open - Hewitt looked in trouble at the end of the fourth set I remember, but somehow kept persisting and persisting.

I'm not sure if my ramblings managed to do justice to what I wanted to say, but anyway...

[cruiser]

Re: Smoke and mirrors

Originally posted by Go Swannies
With some trepidation I stick my head above the parapet and will probably get it shot off.

Dont worry about that on here. Its no more than words on your screen.

[ScottH]

Keen observation, GS!!

Lets hope we "flood" like we did in Rnd 3, for the same result!!!!

[ROK Lobster]

I think Liz was at great pains to make the same point at the time.

[giant]

I think a number of teams have been just as "guilty" as us on the flooding front this year when we've played them - Roos, Crows, Carlton & I'm sure there were others.

However, opposition fans would point out that it's only the Sydney games that tend to get this defensive - so empirical evidence suggests we're the cause not the effect.

[floppinab]

Originally posted by ScottH
Keen observation, GS!!

Lets hope we "flood" like we did in Rnd 3, for the same result!!!!

I don't, bloody hell, I've had a gutful of close finishes. I want Akers hammy to go 'twang' in the first minute coz that's about the only thing that's going to beat him. I want us to be up by 6 goals at 3/4 time and hold that margin through the last q. Not too much to ask.

[barry]

Originally posted by giant
I think a number of teams have been just as "guilty" as us on the flooding front this year when we've played them - Roos, Crows, Carlton & I'm sure there were others.

However, opposition fans would point out that it's only the Sydney games that tend to get this defensive - so empirical evidence suggests we're the cause not the effect.

Yep, Crows play almost the exact game as us.

But we do flood a lot, and it is boring, lets be under no illusions there.

Coupled with our flooding is the fact that oppositions specifically heavily man up against us, because our offense is based on run (midfield and half back), this makes a boring game even more boring.
Finally, our game plan of moving the ball slowly around the boundary line often causes many more ball ins, which is also boring.

In summary, our perceived style of "borring" footy is warranted, but its us and our oppositiion tactics against us thats causing it.

[Mike_B]

Originally posted by barry
In summary, our perceived style of "borring" footy is warranted, but its us and our oppositiion tactics against us thats causing it.

Yep, they're to blame for us playing that style of footy - if they'd let us run through the corridor unchecked all day, I'm sure we would, and nobody could say that would be boring now could they???

[punter257]

i think its funny that everyone is gullible enough to think that we are the only side to play "boring" footy with stoppage after stoppage and flooding.

i'm happy for the public to think this and i honestly believe we have the game for various situations come finals time

[Sanecow]

Originally posted by barry
Finally, our game plan of moving the ball slowly around the boundary line often causes many more ball ins, which is also boring.

The possession game is deliberately "boring". It's to change the tempo of the game when the opposition gets a run on (which can be exciting to watch but not good to encourage). It's amazingly effective (except when you can't get a clean possession and the Crows put on a handful of quick goals).