Rd 2: Swans vs. Port

[Xie Shan]

I watched the game today, and despite the satellite picture cutting out frequently in the second half, I actually stayed till the final siren. I tried explaining, in Chinese, the concept of sticking it out to the end to the friendly staff at The Brass Monkey, where I watched the game, and I think they semi-understood.

Again pretty much agree with everything that's been said on here. Port embarrassed us. I had a feeling this sort of thing might happen early on - combination of the effect of the premiership on the team's psyche (I'm already sick of reading the word 'hangover') and our usual slow starts.

Today reminded me a lot of the way we played from rounds 4-6 in 2005. Too slow, no communication, no confidence. (Thanks Mike!)It looked like a nice sunny day in Sydney - they seemed to just wilt in the heat.

We're missing Ball and Kennelly. Too bad only one of them will be back.

Hopefully being 0-2 will be the kick up the @rse they need.

I'd better stop now before the all-consuming negativity that is RWO after a loss sends me into a spiral of depression.

[satchmopugdog]

Good judgement Sydfan it's not a nice place to be.

[Xie Shan]

Originally posted by satchmopugdog
Good judgement Sydfan it's not a nice place to be.

Yeah - I've been avoiding going on the internet all afternoon! Might do some housework or something instead...

[Nico]

Why are we being so kind?

My observations:

MOL didn't move more that 20 metres from goal after the first 3 minutes but once. Worst game I have seen him play.
Will O'Keefe ever kick a bag again. Kicking for goal is woeful. Looks like he doesn't care.
Goodes - he had to be carrying a knee - see bandage, because he hardly roamed the ground at all.
J. Bolton - shocking, got a few kicks late in the game. Never touched it at a centre bounce before then.
C Bolton - Harsh criticism. Cant beat blokes twice his size every week. Gave us some dash out of backline.
Leo Barry - clown. Selfish individual who needs to do a course on how to be a team player.
Willo - we should now expect that he is not the engine room. Support player who played manfully with an injury.
Schneider - clearly showed he doesn't have the strength or know how to be a midfielder or backman. Too many unforced errors.
McVeigh - never changes, doesn't do enough and too slow.
Mathews - time for this imposter to go. Got towelled up by Burgoyne all day. Disposal appalling. Ran into open goal and decided to pass to a bloke behind his man. Sorry, this bloke is a joke.
Crouch - agree with someone else, drop him, but before no.4. Got a couple of runs through in the lastQ but up till then was always well behind his man and unaccountable.
Richards - poor in defence, gave away silly frees and dropped marks up forward. Are the Dons smirking tonight?

The good:
LRT had a real go. Dont agree that he got badly beaten. Like Bolton you cant stop everything coming forward, particularly when it comes straight out of the centre adnausium.
Buchanan tried hard and Dempster got better as the game went on.
Jolly - ok given his support ruckman has NFI.

Our real problem:

Centre bounces. J Bolton, Ablett and Mathews dont have enough leg speed and are slow thinkers. Mathews only tags anyway.
Port took it off the pack regardless of who won the tap. Ablett can kick but rarely gets it and Bolton and Mathews cant kick when they do get it.
At all centre bounce rotations we should have Davis, Kirk, Buchanan, Dempster, O Keefe and Goodes. No one else should go in there.
Reverse the centre bounce trend and we reverse our fortunes. QED.

[Nico]

Correction - dont drop Crouch before Mathews.

[liz]

Originally posted by Nico

MOL didn't move more that 20 metres from goal after the first 3 minutes but once. Worst game I have seen him play.

J. Bolton - shocking, got a few kicks late in the game. Never touched it at a centre bounce before then.

Agree with most of what you said, but believe those two statements to be factually incorrect.

To Bolton, he most certainly got the first centre clearance!

I didn't think Magic was that bad. He was down in defence a couple of times early. He seemed to lead quite hard for much of the game - when the ball came in his direction - but never really got a break on Bishop, who managed to spoil well.

[Nico]

I watched on telly so perhaps I was a little off the mark with MOL, but still he seemed pretty one dimensional to me.

Was on my way home from shopping at the first bounce, but still it doesn't excuse Bolton's less than glorious start to the season which mirrors last year.

[robamiee]

I watched it on Telly and what poor coverage it was on Channel 9 here in Perth as it cut out half the 2nd quater, 10 mins of the third and about 10 of the fourth quarter, the only good thing from that was it saved me watching more pain.

Disgusting performance if you ask me, it didn't even look like they wanted to play. This bloody handballing crap after a mark or free kick has to stop.

Chambers looks like a local footballer, not AFL. But he wasn't to blame to today some of these youngsters that lifted last year did not lift today.
No-one led, defenders well behind.
Only person i thought had any idea was Luke Ablett, constantly kicked the ball long.

Some of these players need to realise that just because your the prmiers or premiership players doesn't mean you deserve respect, They ahve to stop whinging to the umpires, although the bloke in the hat had no idea.

[liz]

Originally posted by robamiee


Some of these players need to realise that just because your the prmiers or premiership players doesn't mean you deserve respect, They ahve to stop whinging to the umpires, although the bloke in the hat had no idea.

Disagree. They reserve the utmost respect for what they achieved last year.

That doesn't mean that they can take it easy this year.

Disappointed as I am - with the rest of you - to the start to the season, I'm going to hold off questioning their motivation and attitude for a while yet. They deserve that at least.

The heads down when the umpiring decisions go against them is a tad frustrating.

[Gary]

Lots of good thoughts mixed with some terrifying misreads in here today.
LRT was admirable at times but hopelessly out of position & inflexible, slow disposal most of the time (among others). One contributor got Richards right, others far to generous. This guy is an "easy get" player with little subtlty or grit...gets the "what am I doing here...who's goin to fix this mess" look on his face very quickly. Chambers is the worst pick up in the history of AFL.
Kirk...yes our hero...was conspicuous only for that bump, but I think that was because he knew he played the worse game of his life.
Already some are confident that we have easy beats coming up...have you watched Carlton play?

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by Gary
Already some are confident that we have easy beats coming up...have you watched Carlton play?

Eventually some people will realise there are no easy games any more.

[NMWBloods]

The upside is that we were playing this badly in the first half last year.

The downside is that the other sides are a little better this year and we need luck with injuries (and a few other things) to replicate last year.

[Legs Akimbo]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
Eventually some people will realise there are no easy games any more.

Except, based on today I think most other teams would be pencilling at least one easy win.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by Legs Akimbo
Except, based on today I think most other teams would be pencilling at least one easy win.

And what makes it worse is Sam Newman's constant harping on that we won't make the eight will continue in force!

[robamiee]

Originally posted by liz
Disagree. They reserve the utmost respect for what they achieved last year.

That doesn't mean that they can take it easy this year.

"That doesn't mean that they can take it easy this year.""

Thats what i was meaning by making that statement. As what they achieved last year is last year and this is a whole new year and as Wayne Schwass said on Foxtel, that the swans ahve to realise that they ahve a big target on their backs and everyone is going to want to beat the premiers, so they are going to come out harder to knock off the premiers.

I for one am not panicking, but if by round 4 we are not 2 and 2, i will worry then.