Swans v Tigers Match Thread

[Gary]

Glad you noticed that McVeigh kick to Hall Nico...what happened to Barry happened...but it was an awful disposal...so typical the 2 games so far. Ted is doing well most of the time but still capable of brain explosions like that back pass which became a goal right on half time(?).
I think Benny, Jude, Fosdike & McVeigh better have a hard look at themselves in terms of getting / using the ball well. Kirk is Kirk & we have to live with that for a while, but we can't have 3 or 4 others who lack pace, ability to break the line & to dispose efficiently. This mix can't win the flag this year (or next, or ever again) IMO because the game is changing all the time.

[Old Royboy]

At present I reckon our boys are about two weeks ahead of where they usually are, so they are due to hit their straps about round 5 instead of round 7-8. Encouraged that we were able to take the win with Goodes, Bolton, Kirk, O Keefe and McVeigh still well below standard. I am still shaking my head at Grundy?s selection ? I thought it pretty stupid to bring a fringe player in cold from a long lay-off: he played accordingly. Was it his ineffectiveness, which tempted Roos to let Baz back on the field after he got hurt? Any of Vogels, White or Rowe would have done a better job.

I still can?t understand why we are not taking advantage of Spida?s ruck dominance. To have 20 guys milling around ruck contests is counter productive when an artist like Spida is at work.

Too many on here are willing to bag Mathews out of habit, I reckon Benny knows his limitations and generally plays to them ? leaves the line breaking and pin-point passes to Kennelly and Malceski who have the ability to do so. His role is stopping and sweeping, that?s all he can do. I even saw one newspaper report this morning that said he ?towelled up? his opponent.

Tim Schmidt was just OK. He did a few good things but to me at present he is, to use a Dyerism, just a good ordinary footballer. Time will tell I guess, but I see far more potential in Simpkins and Jack who both dispose of the ball as well as Schmidt but have the ability to break the lines as well.

I agree with Wardy that it was stupid to let Baz back on the field dragging a bung leg behind him. At one stage he was succeeding in making that hack Gaspar look like a good footballer

[giant]

Personally I thought Fossie was one of our best - seemed to be doing a lot of the hard work this week. I haven't seen stats tho.

My immediate thought was that was a classic "a-win-is-a-win" win - if you know what I mean. Nice to break the duck for 2007.

[NMWBloods]

And the commentators were having orgasms about Richo again - god only knows why.

They like him. He's a character in a fairly character-less game.

[NMWBloods]

I still can?t understand why we are not taking advantage of Spida?s ruck dominance. To have 20 guys milling around ruck contests is counter productive when an artist like Spida is at work.

Absolutely spot on. Keep it open and get the ball out quickly so we can run it into our forward line.

I even saw one newspaper report this morning that said he ?towelled up? his opponent.

Well he did to a large degree. Krakouer did pretty much nothing.

[Nico]

Glad you noticed that McVeigh kick to Hall Nico...what happened to Barry happened...but it was an awful disposal...so typical the 2 games so far. Ted is doing well most of the time but still capable of brain explosions like that back pass which became a goal right on half time(?).
I think Benny, Jude, Fosdike & McVeigh better have a hard look at themselves in terms of getting / using the ball well. Kirk is Kirk & we have to live with that for a while, but we can't have 3 or 4 others who lack pace, ability to break the line & to dispose efficiently. This mix can't win the flag this year (or next, or ever again) IMO because the game is changing all the time.

The breaking the lines comment is very important. It is only a matter of time before both Kennelly and Malceski are tagged to stop their run. To break the lines effectively you need plenty of pace, that which our midfield does not have.

I have said for ages that pace in the midfield is a real problem. In some ways we are a contradiction that works. We are able to get numbers to the ball and smother and hassle our opponents into submission, yet dont have a lot of speed through the middle to get it to our forwards quickly, but we kick enough goals to win the game.

[NMWBloods]

We kick enough goals often because we clog up the game and stop the opposition from getting possessions and getting it into their forward line. We rely enormously on run from half back. When we don't get that we struggle. Our midfield is painfully slow. We really need to work on bringing in young players to address this or we will slip down the ladder. Too much loyalty can bring premiership sides undone.

[Nico]

I reckon most of us have sort of converted from pessimists to optimists over the past few years so here is my optimistic spin on this week's game.

Spida only had 52% game time yet was BOG.
Kennelly continues to star.
Malceski is very good.
Goodes is in 2nd gear
O'Keefe had an unusually average game.
Schneider will be infinitely better for the run after an interuppted pre season.
Ablett had a very limited pre season so there is big upside to him.
Buchanan seems to be running into form (not his goal kicking though)
Grundy had very little pre season, certainly no games, so you expect a gradual improvement. I am sure they will stick with him.
MOL takes a few games to come good, showed flashes on Saturday. Expect a blinder soon.
Dempster, Fosdike, Barry, Richards, Kirk, C Bolton were all solid.
Schmidt looks a genuine chance.
You would hope McVeigh and J Bolton will pull the finger out soon.
Barry Hall, fingers and toes crossed, stands up.

When you look at our history under Roos we will click any minute. Someone said we were a couple of weeks more advanced this year, then the Brisbane game is it.

[Triple B]

O'Keefe had an unusually average game.

ROK is getting tagged hard after his stellar year last year and his effort v. Ireland in case any opposition people missed it.

He is good enough to deal with it, but the days of him just roaming up and down the ground and finding space alone are over, certainly in the short term.

The upside is they can't tag us all and the likes of Malceski and Kennelly will reap the benefits.

[liz]

ROK is getting tagged hard after his stellar year last year and his effort v. Ireland in case any opposition people missed it.

He is good enough to deal with it, but the days of him just roaming up and down the ground and finding space alone are over, certainly in the short term.

There was no chance that O'Keefe wasn't going to get a hard tag yesterday. He carved Richmond up twice last year, and Terry Wallace had in him his Team of the Week pretty much every other week, so clearly holds him in high regard.

[DST]

We kick enough goals often because we clog up the game and stop the opposition from getting possessions and getting it into their forward line. We rely enormously on run from half back. When we don't get that we struggle. Our midfield is painfully slow. We really need to work on bringing in young players to address this or we will slip down the ladder. Too much loyalty can bring premiership sides undone.

Agree, we are going to need either a Laidlaw or DOK (probably both) to be in our best 22 come finals time to compete with some of the top 8 teams that have leg speed.

I also think we miss LRT closing speed and running capability at present and it will be good to see him back come round 10 or so.

DST

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Agree, we are going to need either a Laidlaw or DOK (probably both) to be in our best 22 come finals time to compete with some of the top 8 teams that have leg speed.

I also think we miss LRT closing speed and running capability at present and it will be good to see him back come round 10 or so.

DST

That's a titanic ask, but it would be good to see DOK get a few games, and Moore of course, but i think Daniel is the one more likely to really add pace to the side. Sydney doesn't seem to get a plethora of young talent coming through at any one time, like Collingwood with Rusling, Pandlebury, Heath Shaw etc, and even WC who have Rosa, LeCras, Graham, Selwood, Nicoski and the like. The Malceski's of our side are few and far between, and i know it's hard to find alot of fresh talent unless we bottom out, but it'd be nice to have a few more coming through. I'm excited about MySpace and DOK at the moment, and hope to see them play this year.

[liz]

Sydney doesn't seem to get a plethora of young talent coming through at any one time, like Collingwood with Rusling, Pandlebury, Heath Shaw etc, and even WC who have Rosa, LeCras, Graham, Selwood, Nicoski and the like.

That is the price paid for addressing weaknesses in the squad by recruiting Jolly, Everitt and Richards. All have been sensible acquisitions given where the squad is, but there is a cost in access to highish picks.

The Pies' talent looks like it might be reasonable, but they have a long way to go yet. And they've had access to priorities picks and other really low choices, plus did the opposite of the Swans last year in sacrificing one of their more valuable commodities (Tarrant).

The Eagles certainly have an enviable recruitment record. Once a squad has got into the position of having no obvious weaknesses, it is easier not to trade away lower picks, and just go for the best available talent, regardless of position. Brisbane got themselves into a similar position when they were at their best, which is one of the reasons why they seem to be rebounding quite quickly.

The Eagles have also done very well out of their rookie list, aided by the depth in quality of the local competition. But if the Swans can make decent players out of two or three of Phillips, Jack, Grundy, Simpkin and Rowe (all of whom show immense promise) then we may well be celebrating a bumper rookie crop within a few years.

[DST]

That's a titanic ask, but it would be good to see DOK get a few games, and Moore of course, but i think Daniel is the one more likely to really add pace to the side. Sydney doesn't seem to get a plethora of young talent coming through at any one time, like Collingwood with Rusling, Pandlebury, Heath Shaw etc, and even WC who have Rosa, LeCras, Graham, Selwood, Nicoski and the like. The Malceski's of our side are few and far between, and i know it's hard to find alot of fresh talent unless we bottom out, but it'd be nice to have a few more coming through. I'm excited about MySpace and DOK at the moment, and hope to see them play this year.

If you have a look at the current squad, we have been able to add a couple of players per year to the team every year. Usually this is through a trade (Davis, C Bolton, Jolly, Richards) and also adding a couple of younger players (Scheinder, Dempster, Ablett, McVeigh, Malceski), which added to our core has meant we have been blessed with a well balanced team.

We have added Everitt this year to address an area in need of improvement and I would be guessing that the coaching panel would like to see Laidlaw, Schmidt, Moore, DOK, Simpkin, Thornton all be pushing for senior selection by mid year.

If we could add some pace with Laidlaw or DOK in our best 22 by years end we will be a much better team for it. Still does not mean we can't win it without them, but I get the feeling watching most of the games so far this year that we are going to need some further pace in the midfield.

DST

[Triple B]

I believe there is next to no chance that you'll see DOK in the seniors this year.

Laidlaw, Schmidt, Moore, Simpkins and Jack are all way more advanced and better equipped to handle the seniors at this stage of their careers.

Give him a chance to build strength and develop, there is no rush.

White is also little chance of making his debut this year, although I'd be less surprised then if DOK gets a gig as he has a well developed body.

I cannot understand everybodys rush to get these first year players into the seniors. . It didn't do Goodes' career any harm spending his entire first year in the seconds.