Match thread: Swans v Lions.

[imuninformedtwo]

So good

[dejavoodoo44]

Bizarre that two more came white I was typing that.

[Hotpotato]

Nearly time for Isaac to be captain .

[mcs]

That was a bit of an odd last quarter let alone last few minutes, but we thoroughly deserved the win tonight. Did a hell of a lot right for the first 3.5 quarters.

Our back 6 in particular were superb all night. Heeney superb in the first half. Sheldrick prolific - just need him to get his disposal quality up to a Jude Bolton level and he will become a good AFL level player.

Gulder and Warner had plenty of it but their use was very hit and miss.

Good game and deserved the win.

[Kafka's Ghost]

Despite the last minute of the game, that was an outstanding win. Should have iced the game well before that, but a great effort.

[longmile]

Could only follow the score while at a friends birthday. What the hell happened in the last 2 minutes?? Also what happened to Grundy?

[dejavoodoo44]

Could only follow the score while at a friends birthday. What the hell happened in the last 2 minutes?? Also what happened to Grundy?

Grundy was buffeted and fell awkwardly in a marking contest. Looked okay after the game.

[imuninformedtwo]

Easily our best performance and win of the year.

The defence was awesome. McCartin and Cunningham obliterated Morris and Cameron. Melican and Wicks just brilliant too. And Blakey’s first half set the tone for our run and dare. They pressed hard, defended beautifully and rebounded superbly.

Heeney put on a show and I thought that was as good a game as Chad played this year. He was tough and explosive at the contest and made a huge dent on the game. Mills - tick. Gus - tick.

And we did it without Grundy repeating his form of late, Errol being off with his disposal and Paps doing bugger all.

You really can see Cox’s game plan coming together.

[Foreign Legion]

Great gutsy win in a game we should have won by 4 goals. Cleary and to a lesser extent, Sheldrick missed some gettable goals in the last. Sheldrick certainly finds the ball easily. Heeney outstanding - said he was really crook after the game. Grundy got better as the game went on and ALL the backmen played well.

Special mention to the coverage and camera work - it was @@@@HOUSE!! Missed critical moments of the game with ultra closeups of coaches etc.

[Sandridge]

A fantastic win against a top 4 team AND a free heart health check at the very end! What more could you ask for?

GO YOU MAGNIFICENT BLOODS!!!

[imuninformedtwo]

Isaac did THAT being crook as a dog. Elite.

[Kafka's Ghost]

Great gutsy win in a game we should have won by 4 goals. Cleary and to a lesser extent, Sheldrick missed some gettable goals in the last. Sheldrick certainly finds the ball easily. Heeney outstanding - said he was really crook after the game. Grundy got better as the game went on and ALL the backmen played well.

Special mention to the coverage and camera work - it was @@@@HOUSE!! Missed critical moments of the game with ultra closeups of coaches etc.

The coverage and commentating was c%$p.

[neilfws]

There were some plays in the first quarter involving Sheldrick, Campbell and Gulden that had me thinking, this is the Swans future I imagined a couple of years ago. It's gone somewhat differently to how I imagined, with Gulden making the leap to superstar, but I really hope the former two cement their places next season. They're all still very young of course. Sheldrick has looked better just for getting a few games in a row.

A great win, just goes to show that quick clean ball movement and physicality can throw the best teams off their game. That and Heeney. More of the same next season hopefully.

[liz]

Apart from his first two disposals and his failure to close the door in the final quarter with a couple of missed shots, I think that was Sheldrick's best game. He doesn't have the straight line speed of, say, Warner, but his pace in his first couple of steps is pretty good, and he used it well to create enough space and time for himself when in traffic. Sure, there's still room for improvement in disposal efficiency but he had some really nice touches that did create scoring opportunities, or put a team mate into space. And the majority of his disposal are under pressure.

Buckley's comment - after Gus's first two disposals were a little wayward - that he was a player who just hadn't kicked on was made to look a bit silly as the game progressed. Because although I think this was his best game, it didn't come from nowhere. I think Buckley just made it clear he'd not actually seen Sheldrick play much in the last couple of months.

There was a moment early in the fourth quarter that I hope Buller gets shown on his review tape. He was in a one-on-one contest with Andrews, deep in our forward line. Andrews never took his eye off the ball and marked it cleanly on his chest. Buller watched Andrews. I don't think Andrews had pole position. He just watched the ball.

This was far from Florent's best game - a long way far - but it was still his best for a while. Better than last week, after which I thought he was in danger of losing his place again. I was happy for him. A dancing Florent who is enjoying his footy is a far better asset for us than the tentative player he's been for most of the season (even at VFL level).

Campbell was good, especially early. That continues on from last week, where his opening quarter was bit of a statement. But I think this needs to become the standard that we expect from Campbell, rather than something worth commenting on. He's a player who has the talent to elevate himself to be a true X-factor player in our forward half (and reduce the reliance on the ICEmen playing well).

I agree with IU2 that this was Chad's best game for ages. I think - given what we know he can do - he's had a pretty ordinary year. Today was glimpses of the Chad we know and love.

On the other hand, I thought Errol was a bit off. Obviously there was that outrageously ambitious kick that resulted in a turnover to the Lions in the corridor. But he was generally not as clean off the ground, or as crisp with his kicking as we are used to. And he was guilty of a couple of minor, ill-disciplined acts.

Given that Papley was quiet too, it's encouraging that the whole team performance was so impressive with a couple of our top half-dozen or so players not quite up to their own (high) standards.

[imuninformedtwo]

Apart from his first two disposals and his failure to close the door in the final quarter with a couple of missed shots, I think that was Sheldrick's best game. He doesn't have the straight line speed of, say, Warner, but his pace in his first couple of steps is pretty good, and he used it well to create enough space and time for himself when in traffic. Sure, there's still room for improvement in disposal efficiency but he had some really nice touches that did create scoring opportunities, or put a team mate into space. And the majority of his disposal are under pressure.

Buckley's comment - after Gus's first two disposals were a little wayward - that he was a player who just hadn't kicked on was made to look a bit silly as the game progressed. Because although I think this was his best game, it didn't come from nowhere. I think Buckley just made it clear he'd not actually seen Sheldrick play much in the last couple of months.

There was a moment early in the fourth quarter that I hope Buller gets shown on his review tape. He was in a one-on-one contest with Andrews, deep in our forward line. Andrews never took his eye off the ball and marked it cleanly on his chest. Buller watched Andrews. I don't think Andrews had pole position. He just watched the ball.

This was far from Florent's best game - a long way far - but it was still his best for a while. Better than last week, after which I thought he was in danger of losing his place again. I was happy for him. A dancing Florent who is enjoying his footy is a far better asset for us than the tentative player he's been for most of the season (even at VFL level).

Campbell was good, especially early. That continues on from last week, where his opening quarter was bit of a statement. But I think this needs to become the standard that we expect from Campbell, rather than something worth commenting on. He's a player who has the talent to elevate himself to be a true X-factor player in our forward half (and reduce the reliance on the ICEmen playing well).

I agree with IU2 that this was Chad's best game for ages. I think - given what we know he can do - he's had a pretty ordinary year. Today was glimpses of the Chad we know and love.

On the other hand, I thought Errol was a bit off. Obviously there was that outrageously ambitious kick that resulted in a turnover to the Lions in the corridor. But he was generally not as clean off the ground, or as crisp with his kicking as we are used to. And he was guilty of a couple of minor, ill-disciplined acts.

Given that Papley was quiet too, it's encouraging that the whole team performance was so impressive with a couple of our top half-dozen or so players not quite up to their own (high) standards.

Nathan Buckley is a stone cold moron. I hope he coaches Melbourne as that guarantees one of 17 competitors goes nowhere. Paper clips have more charisma.

What Sheldrick does do well, despite not being the quickest player on the field, is continuous movement. I’ve always thought the template for him was Dion Prestia. Prestia’s pretty smart at scouring angles and lanes that work for him and get him to the ball, as well as having the wombat arse to move players off the ball at the contest. And Gus knows how to find the footy. Prestia was a better kick, but you can see Gus’ progression. It’s a case of knowing the kicks he can hit.

And yes, that’s a good observation on Ollie. He had a couple of moments, but I loved seeing him kick that goal and he looked a happier footballer tonight.