Match Thread. Grand Final!!! Swans v Lions.

[dejavoodoo44]

There is an article just today with quotes from Robbie Fox. Love Robbie as a player, and love how he has worked so hard to get to where he has - but it exactly sums up what is wrong culturally at the club at the moment.

"“We would like to win a grand final, but it won’t define us. You always have to take those learnings, and hopefully, everyone believes that good things are coming. It wasn’t this year, but hopefully, it’s in the years to come.”

I've only just read that article and it seems an odd message to drum into players before a finals series. I'd consider something like that to be more appropriate for consoling someone after a loss. Maybe Robbie misconstrued what Emma Murray said? Or maybe it was a message that was tailored for Robbie, who was stressing out before the finals? If it was the latter, then it possibly worked.

And as far as I know, she did play an influential role in the Richmond premiership sides, by doing things like; getting Dustin Martin to concentrate on football, rather than family problems, and getting Damien Hardwick to delegate, instead of driving everyone crazy with his micromanaging.

Anyway, hopefully the players were also getting messages that were almost the opposite. Such as, you can define yourself as a Swans premiership winner. Or you can fulfil your dream and the dreams of all those involved in the club, by going as hard as possible on the day. Etc.

Of course, I'm only guessing what was said, but if the predominant message was, "It's cool, it won't define us", then that seems problematic.

[UUaswan]

We can speculate forever on what went wrong, but I just don't think there is a rational reason for it. We have enough skilled players. We have a proven game plan. We beat the same team Brisbane beat in the same way (giants).

It can only be two things:
Our preparation went wrong before the game.
Or
Brisbane discovered a new gear during the finals. To beat giants and cats, they had to play Richmond-style helter skelter, and they found out they were bloody good at it

Was erratic at times but composed is more the word, 100+marks isn't helter skelter

Win the contest take the ball away, disarm the Swans.

[Hotpotato]

Its the latter, the Lions form headed north , Swans form erratic .

[barry]

We can speculate forever on what went wrong, but I just don't think there is a rational reason for it. We have enough skilled players. We have a proven game plan. We beat the same team Brisbane beat in the same way (giants).

It can only be two things:
Our preparation went wrong before the game.
Or
Brisbane discovered a new gear during the finals. To beat giants and cats, they had to play Richmond-style helter skelter, and they found out they were bloody good at it

[UUaswan]

Too.much left to too few, like when we had that dry patch, if our elite aren't elite, the others get exposed

1 quick example is Amartey is clearly ourfwd but a few times this year he should have been put in the 2s with poor performance. Never happened.
Can't blame him when it matters. he is just doing what he did all year