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

[Dow]

I will always support Sydney, but I wont trust this current crop, Now to move on and focus on 2025

[Industrial Fan]

I’m more deflated that John is staying, absolutely think his time is up - but I’ve made that point enough already.

not looking forward to next year - but will remain a supporter of the club albeit from a greater distance than this year. It’s the most disconnected I’ve felt from the team since I started following in about 97-98

[KTigers]

I think Harley tapped the AI button on his laptop before he came up with that spiel. Being all slick just doesn't fly sometimes, Tom.

[Mr Magoo]

Sorry did I miss something - did we finish last ?


I can understand the anguish but we were minor premiers and we did win two finals. While we do have to look at our approach to GF day (and I dont think the answer is a bunch of phycologists) Im not sure sacking the whole team and coaching staff is the answer.

I would be looking at the following changes if mental application is the issue :
1. Trade either or both of florent and mcinenerny - both go missing in hard situations
2. Trade Logan or amartey - both mentally not strong and showed it more than once this year. Keep one but only because we dont have a ready made bigman to come in unless they trade in.

[mcs]

This won't improve the mood of many RWOers.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1237036/...-john-longmire

Sadly his letter to members didn't give me much comfort either.

I'm not going to delve into the Longmire conversation any more than I have, but what really continues to disappoint me is there is plenty of talk of 'we are hurting' etc - but no recognition of the bare fact that, from here, the only redemption is to win the Premiership Cup (maybe not next year - but soon). IMHO (and of course there is good reason I'm only a fan and not involved in footy) every message should effectively be saying we will leave no stone unturned until such time that we are able to achieve redemption by lifting the cup.

Feels an awful lot like 2022 at the moment - we feel bad about it all, but not going to commit beyond that.

[KTigers]

Sadly his letter to members didn't give me much comfort either.

I'm not going to delve into the Longmire conversation any more than I have, but what really continues to disappoint me is there is plenty of talk of 'we are hurting' etc - but no recognition of the bare fact that, from here, the only redemption is to win the Premiership Cup (maybe not next year - but soon). IMHO (and of course there is good reason I'm only a fan and not involved in footy) every message should effectively be saying we will leave no stone unturned until such time that we are able to achieve redemption by lifting the cup.

Feels an awful lot like 2022 at the moment - we feel bad about it all, but not going to commit beyond that.

Well, I guess they are not going to fire Longmire and that's really the only option open to them, and there is no other "reset" button to push, so it's
just business as usual. Thats what they (the club) and us (the fans) are left with. Hollow, is the word I think for this situation.

[MattW]

I think Harley tapped the AI button on his laptop before he came up with that spiel. Being all slick just doesn't fly sometimes, Tom.

Hmm. I thought there might have been some content in the comments re Cox. Called him 'exceptional', with 'senior coach aspirations', but entrenched in Sydney. Well, he's not going to coach the Giants!

[Meg]

Hmm. I thought there might have been some content in the comments re Cox. Called him 'exceptional', with 'senior coach aspirations', but entrenched in Sydney. Well, he's not going to coach the Giants!

Haven’t Cox’s responsibilities been overview of game strategy plus the ruck/midfield? How did those two areas go last Saturday ……?

[The Big Cat]

Wonder what all the Longmire haters would say this time next year if they got the their way and Horse was moved on. With the team probably finishing between sixth and tenth, at least it could be said they didn’t lose the grand final!

[UUaswan]

Wonder what all the Longmire haters would say this time next year if they got the their way and Horse was moved on. With the team probably finishing between sixth and tenth, at least it could be said they didn’t lose the grand final!

Not a hater at all just saying the story next year is Longmire. Can go 22-0 and probably be an underdog in a GF.

Would have thought having only a year to go might present the perfect opportunity to step aside or take another role

[Industrial Fan]

Wonder what all the Longmire haters would say this time next year if they got the their way and Horse was moved on. With the team probably finishing between sixth and tenth, at least it could be said they didn’t lose the grand final!

My money says we finish between 6-10 keeping Longmire on.

Time will tell

[OReilly Boy]

Well, I haven't been on the forum for a long, long time, and ended up reregistering because I lost track of my password and was unable to work through the system to get access again.

Can't believe that a week ago we were barrelling down the Hume, scarf trailing, feeling the love.

We had the greatest seats: near the front of tier three directly behind the posts at City End. The day was fantastic. We were hyped.

Ghastly stuff, almost from the first bounce. I so wanted to see Parker moved into the mids just to slow the game down a bit and make Neale accountable. Rowbottom is terrific, but not (yet) an enforcer. Chad and Heaney looked disengaged. It felt like they were collectively conceding possession on the assumption that they'd get them on turnover and be able to run the game out harder towards the end: the tactics that seemed to work in the QF against GWS.

Brisbane lapped it up. Strong at the contest, clean off the ground, and able to control tempo. They were so well-drilled and disciplined, chipping it around, and choosing moments for the quick inside handball generating run up the corridor. That seemed to draw our boys in, making the ground wider, and they were clean and decisive when moving it wide and exploiting our apparent reluctance to chase.

I'm not, in a strange way, convinced that Brisbane were all that great. Really well-drilled and disciplined, but up against an opposition that just wasn't an opposition.

I'm disappointed of course, but not necessarily angry or despairing. I enjoyed Roos' analysis, and Jude's. Parker going is fine: Cleary and Sheldrick need to get games. Although Parker kicked useful goals, in particular against Port in the prelim, where having him take Aliir out of the game was genius, I was concerned that playing him forward costs us in terms of forward pressure. I always thought that Wicks has been underrated in his capacity to block space and close down exit options. Shai Bolton showed that dare out of defensive 50 was a way to take on the Swans, and we seemed to allow very easy exits last week.

The Adams experiment is a 50:50 for me. If Parker hadn't been injured in the preseason he may not have got a run.

So, I'm looking forward to the list news that should come out of the end of season/exit interviews. Who goes?

[OReilly Boy]

And one more thing: for KTigers. I pulled out the great red #37 t-shirt from back in 2015 and wore it to the Prelim and the GF. Bittersweet memories of that afternoon when we handed them out , and applauded at the seven minute mark of the third quarter https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10154468122521324

[Merdo5555]

I think Harley tapped the AI button on his laptop before he came up with that spiel. Being all slick just doesn't fly sometimes, Tom.

So we do absolutely nothing, no ramifications and no downside for another embarrassing GF performance.

Why in the world would anyone think anything different will happen if they do reach another GF.

Once again losing is fine and a losing GF record is fine if the requisite effort had been applied, it hasnt thats the problem and again the club doesnt seem to want to do anything about. Just being there is enough. Id rather not if it just going to be an utter embarrassment.

[Merdo5555]

To me The squad were relieved to be facing the Lions and not Hawthorn or Geelong. They got within a couple of points in R18 without Rowie, Paps, Haywood …
and believed at last this Granny was in the bag . Mental as Anything, thats their band this yr.

In retrospect we may have had a chance if we were playing GWS (because there is a genuine hatred that motivates) or Geelong because of the revenge factor. Without that motivation that didnt have enough self-drive which is mind-boggling in a GF.