Jude Bolton - I must have watched a different game.

[reigning premier]

Jude crumbing??????????????

Hey... I didn't say he would be any good...

But he might get a few effective posessions if he was...

[Gary]

We would still have the problem that he can't kick straight to save his life!

[SimonH]

... IMO we cannot win another premiership with the combined disposal efforts of Kirk, Bolton, Fosdike, Matthews, Buchanan, McVeigh & perhaps Schneider., plus the goal kicking inconsistency of MOL, Barry (at least recently), Everitt & Davis.

You're always running downhill with a 'we cannot win a premiership on our current course' argument. At this stage of the year, any given club is always more unlikely than likely to win the flag. The reigning premiers, in 'doing it easy' form, are listed at Centrebet at 3.75. Allowing for a little padding for bookies' profit, that means from this point, the Weagles will not win the flag 5 times for each 2 times they'll win it. Other clubs (inc Sydney) are on substantially worse odds.

The general point that our midfield's disposal is not as clinical as either the Weagles' or Adelaide's is valid. Each of them, however, have relative weaknesses in areas where we (or some other club) is superior. Winning a flag doesn't require that your club is perfect; it requires that you negate the advantages of the opposition while taking full toll of your advantages. Our midfield, playing to the best of its ability, has adequate disposal without being great. It certainly goes up a notch in class when Nick Davis rotates through it and all 3 of Goodes, McVeigh and Schneider are in form.

As ROKL noted in his 'defensive midfield, attacking defence' thread to which I keep returning, where we really beat opposition sides is when they can't stop the run, line-breaking and clean delivery of Kennelly, Malceski, the multi-talented ROK, Dempster and Leo Barry (yes, really) from the half-back line.

No arguments at all that we can't win the flag unless we substantially improve our kicking for goal. Get the team of the century peppering the goals at 41% and they wouldn't win a flag!

[hammo]

Our midfield, playing to the best of its ability, has adequate disposal without being great.

Which makes you wonder why the likes of Dermott Brereton keep (or used to) banging on about the Swans having the best skills in the AFL

[Go Swannies]

Which makes you wonder why the likes of Dermott Brereton keep (or used to) banging on about the Swans having the best skills in the AFL

They used to have an almost uncanny ability to find each other in the crowd. Either they have lost that telepathy or I'm used to it now or the other teams have caught up on it.

[NMWBloods]

Which makes you wonder why the likes of Dermott Brereton keep (or used to) banging on about the Swans having the best skills in the AFL

I think many observers were mistaken. We are very good at finding space and delivering the ball by a short kick. However, this also depends on the opposition 'allowing' us to find that space. When they don't, and they have the discipline and fitness to maintain a tight one-on-one game against us, we struggle to find space and that short kick option. Our mediocre skills come unstuck when we have to find longer targets or more difficult targets. This is what Adelaide do to us.

[swansrule100]

I think many observers were mistaken. We are very good at finding space and delivering the ball by a short kick. However, this also depends on the opposition 'allowing' us to find that space. When they don't, and they have the discipline and fitness to maintain a tight one-on-one game against us, we struggle to find space and that short kick option. Our mediocre skills come unstuck when we have to find longer targets or more difficult targets. This is what Adelaide do to us.

very very true

even when we have peaked at finals time in recent years it is more a determination to get the ball and dive in rather than slick skills that help us. we have a lot of good 2nd and 3rd efforts, a lot because we tend to miss it the 1st time