Sydney Swans Vs Essendon Bombers Game Thread

[anniswan]

Just home from the debarcle.

IMHO, without Goodes, LRT and CBolt we would have lost by a lot more.

The first quarter efforts by the umpires screwed us.

God I hate Essendon Scum

[liz]

Most have said it already.

Hall and Goodes are stars.

Some of the rest are really decent players but didn't choose to show it tonight. Most made some contribution but none enough.

Maybe B2 and Monty muster a pass mark.

Having said that, I'm a lot less depressed than I was at 8pm (watching it on delay). At least the second and third quarters showed that they haven't completely forgotten how to play football. Was a tad disappointed that they fell away in that final term. The final margin flattered the Bombers just a tad but they were the better team out there tonight and deserved their win.

Final word kept for Nick Davis. He's a good player - probably more than a good player - and he wasn't the worst out there tonight. But if you're going to talk yourself up during the pre-season you better deliver. Learning to keep your feet in the contest would be a good start. And not paying out on your team mates. Hopefully he'll study the tape of that game and realise his ambition is just slightly ahead of himself at the moment.

[Mike_B]

Lost it in the 1st quarter. After that played some decent football in patches, but also some pretty poor stuff. Will need to start much better next week and then maintain that intensity.

I'm not too upset by it all, considering we could have fallen in a heap and been belted by 100 but they stuck it and really were in the game until 10 to go, when they fell away a little.

Thought Goodes, Hall, Buchanan and Ablett were our best, while I was pretty disappointed in McVeigh and Chambers.

I would like to see McVeigh get a couple more games to prove his worth, but if his involvement and effect doesn't improve, it really will be time to give guys like Willoughby and Schmidt a run ahead of him as the season progresses.

[Foreign Legion]

Originally posted by liz
Most have said it already.

Hall and Goodes are stars.

Some of the rest are really decent players but didn't choose to show it tonight. Most made some contribution but none enough.

Maybe B2 and Monty muster a pass mark.

Having said that, I'm a lot less depressed than I was at 8pm (watching it on delay). At least the second and third quarters showed that they haven't completely forgotten how to play football. Was a tad disappointed that they fell away in that final term. The final margin flattered the Bombers just a tad but they were the better team out there tonight and deserved their win.

Final word kept for Nick Davis. He's a good player - probably more than a good player - and he wasn't the worst out there tonight. But if you're going to talk yourself up during the pre-season you better deliver. Learning to keep your feet in the contest would be a good start. And not paying out on your team mates. Hopefully he'll study the tape of that game and realise his ambition is just slightly ahead of himself at the moment.

Yep Liz, and we hope he never says the word Brownlow again! Talk about put yourself under pressure...

Willo, Jude, Kirky, Jolly, Leo and Crouchy (wasn't that bad) need to lift next week. Monty, apart from the hea duck, looks to be almost a key link player - he really has stepped up I feel.

[anniswan]

One good thing would be BBB's goal in the last qtr from the boundary line, so far it would have to be goal of the year.

I have yet to see the replay, but a currently watching it on Fox Footy, but I am sure that the ball went thru the Goal Umires legs.

[dimelb]

For most of the game they played better than we did - more space and time, faster to the ball, quicker and more direct out of the middle.
And as for the song at the beginning - who changed it? And where the bloody hell was the banjo?

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by TheMase
Luke Ablett - Had patches of very good football. I think as the season goes on we will see exactly what Ablett is capable of.

I still believe Ablett is not going to make it as a quality midfielder. Always rushes, never seems to have enough time, and his kicking is wayward.

Leo Barry - Got absolutely towelled up by Lloyd early on before being moved. Was great to see some of his traditional running on half back and down the wings after that. Pretty average performance overall.

Yep. Always suspect technique with his scragging and pushing, but has managed to get away with it for a long time. New rules will make it more difficult. Shame they don't apply those rules to Hall's opponents though.

Craig Bolton - I though he played quite well, moved up the ground and didn't seem to have too much of a lack of fitness. Mr consistant is in good knick. Not sure who he was on though.

I thought he was one of our best.

Jude Bolton - Just did not do enough at the centre clearances. We seemed to be winning the taps when Jolly was in the centre, but just not reading it well at all. His disposal wasn't anything to write home about either. Very average.

Yep. He may need to change his game style as the diving on the ball technique will no longer work so well.

Amon Buchanan - Did well around the ground and presented. Probably slightly underdone but I think we will see more of the same from Buchanan this year.

Okay in patches although some ordinary disposal.

Paul Chambers - Hopeless. Average ruckman, no good skills regardless of whether he is marking, handballing, kicking or even trying to collect the ball off the deck. Jolly did a lot more whilst on ground (although was quiter than I would have hoped). Surely Doyle is a better option.

Yep.

Crouch - was quiet overall but his running was first class. That tackle near the boundary line was magic. Has been injured and thus would have been slightly underdone.

Yep.

Davis - Did not appear to present enough, or at least didn't have the ball kicked to him. Needs to work harder if he wants to become the star he believes he has the potential to be.

Was very good in patches, dod some nice things, but faded later and was also not brought into the game.

Dempster - Quiet but didn't seem to spend much time on the ground. Has been injured and thus underdone. Didn't do anything wrong per se.

But also did nothing.

Fosdike - Had patches of good work, and when he had the ball did quite well, but just did not present well enough.

Pkay in patches.

Goodes - Brilliant. Other than Hall probably our best. Was all over the place and his direct oponent had little effect on the match. Looks fit and strong.

I thought he was very good, but a few times he just ran around and actually created nothing. But was definitely one of our best (not that hard though).

Hall - What can you say? Should have kicked the first one? Can't complain too much from a guy that kicked 7 goals. Class

Yep.

Jolly - Chambers seemed to get a better run than Jolly. Was great around the ground early on and effective in the ruckwork, but players don't seem to be reading the taps.

Started slow but improved during the game.

Kirk - Did not get anywhere near as much as usual but didn't see anything to be concerned after he gets fitness under his belt.

Same comment as J BOlton.

Matthews - Did okay. Don't know who his direct oponent was though. VERY soft though. He had the opportunity to get an intercept in the 3rd term, but was caught flat footed as one of the Essendon players cut between him and another Swans player. Not good enough. He should have been on his feet and attacking the ball instead of waiting for it to come to him.

I thought Mathews was just ordinary.

McVeigh - Didn't seem to get a whole lot of game time, but did okay when he had the ball. I have never been this blokes greatest fan, but just don't think he is built well enough for this level.

The more I watch him play the less convinced I am that he will have a long AFL career.

O'Keefe - Had a reasonable amount of the ball. Needs to have goal kicking practice though.

Thought he was beaten by McPhee.

O'Loughlin - Kicked a couple of goals, but after quarter time just did not present often enough. Not much leading. However, we should be greatful he is playing in round one@

Yep.

Richards - Did very well after going onto Lloyd. However, I am not sure whether this is due to his good work, OR the increased pressure in the midfield. I feel it was more the latter. Very strong mark.

Yep.

LRT - Didn't get a lot of the ball. Needs to work on his kicking. Kept Lucas fairly quiet for the first few quarters so did his job without starring.

Thought he played well.

Adam Schneider - Did well when had the ball, but needs to get around it more often (not sure how much time he spent on the ground). Roos seems to have installed in him the kicking out duties as did it a few times, and did it very well might I add.

Good in patches but let down by some slow play or poor disposal.

Williams - Looked alright, but like a few of the midfielders just didn't get in there and present often enough.

Very quiet.

THe first quarter was ordinary, but there are some slight mitigants of the "hangover" and very poor umpiring. The second quarter comeback was pleasing.

I was most disappointed by the second half. I thought we controlled much of the game despite playing poorly, but failed to put the score on the board. We wasted an awful lot of very gettble opportunities.

I was particularly annoyed with the last quarter. I was still confident we were going to win about 5-10 minutes in. Essendon looked gone - they were tired and slowing and we had all the run. However we messed about and failed to score a goal, and when they kicked a couple they regained the momentum.

Ordinary game. However, at least we will improve. Not sure how much the Bombers will. They will be excited by their win but I didn't really see it as particularly fantastic.

[Refried Noodle]

I'm still drunk, but **** me,! that result was all down to the first quter which was half due to the porr umptiring.

I mean I thought the umpriing was supposed to get better?!

One of those Llyod free kicks was waranted, bu some of the others to Ess were pretty weak....

Plenty of positives to come outta this game, but @@@@house umpirinf in the first 1/4 is the main issue.[/ignore drunken rabble]

[anniswan]

Originally posted by Refried Noodle
I'm still drunk, but **** me,! that result was all down to the first quter which was half due to the porr umptiring.

I mean I thought the umpriing was supposed to get better?!

One of those Llyod free kicks was waranted, bu some of the others to Ess were pretty weak....

Plenty of positives to come outta this game, but @@@@house umpirinf in the first 1/4 is the main issue.[/ignore drunken rabble]

Tell us tomorrow what you really thought RN

[Refried Noodle]

Originally posted by anniswan
Tell us tomorrow what you really thought RN

Haha, no seriously, I'm not really that bitter bout the loss. Alot of improvement, which doesn;t ahve me too waorried, but some of those free kicks do.

Ok i'm done for the noght. teheeheee...

[swans_premiers]

Originally posted by Refried Noodle
Haha, no seriously, I'm not really that bitter bout the loss. Alot of improvement, which doesn;t ahve me too waorried, but some of those free kicks do.

Ok i'm done for the noght. teheeheee...

I don't think anyone really cares too greatly about tonights loss.

[liz]

Originally posted by Refried Noodle
I'm still drunk, but **** me,! that result was all down to the first quter which was half due to the porr umptiring.

Almost all the frees were there, albeit a couple were very soft. The Ablett HTB was harsh, I thought, while one of Lloyd's was barely there.

But you can't blame the umpires for the Swans getting absolutely smashed out of the middle for the first quarter.

I felt a bit for Leo at quarter time, because it probably wouldn't have mattered who was on Lloyd with the way the ball was coming down to him. Was glad that Leo was a decent contributor in another role for the rest of the game.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by ugg
I think we better get used to it. We're the hunted now.

Exactly, I think in the 1st term we struggled with the run out of the midfield of the Bombers. They caught us very off-guard. We played like a team flat after the Grand Final.

Still I saw enough fiooty there to think that once we hit our straps we will be more than fine this year.

But as Ugg said we ARE the hunted & people will be wanting to knock us off. Even if sad cases like me still see us as the little old Swans that never win anything, ie hardly a team to want to go out & destroy.

JF

[numbnuts]

Anyone would have thought Darren Goldspink was umpiring out there tonight. We got murdered by them as usual. Too many wasted opportunities though and that cost us in the end. Hall's poster from point blank range summed up our night!

Not too disappointed though. Back to back here we come!!

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by liz
Almost all the frees were there, albeit a couple were very soft. The Ablett HTB was harsh, I thought, while one of Lloyd's was barely there.

That was the one when he and Barry collided and Lloyd sprawled in the ground. Very few players would get that free kick.

The worst decision of the game was the no call of trip for O'Keefe followed up by a shocking HTB decision.

The Ablett HTB was a bit harsh, but the Kirk one in the centre was even worse.