Rift in "The Bloods"?

[Eala ?ireann]

Obviously, I'm not putting this forward as the one and only way to score mate. I'm saying it would be a nice example of direct footy. Ball can lead and take his two or three markers with him, thus creating space for some of our other blokes to kick goals. If he gets it and kicks the goal, beut! Up the middle would be a change from there incessant kicking to the wing where they have often then got tied up with too many handballs and end up going nowhere, or often, backwards. Stoppages are a pain in the arse if they're incessant. Flowing footy is nice once in a while.

Again, not the only route, but it would be nice...

[giant]

Again, not the only route, but it would be nice...

I think you'll find Hammo's on your side Eala - as a lot of us are. When the Swans play with confidence they are eminently capable of playing this way. Indeed, there were some flashes of this type of footy last week, including the first 2 goals. To give the Saints their due, they pretty much locked us down for most of the night.

[Eala ?ireann]

The weakness of blogging, eh? I didn't mean my points to sound, well, pointed. Sometimes it's hard to tell the tone of a post. I did wish to flesh out what I meant though.

[reigning premier]

'Kennelly kicks to himself and peels off to the left. Delivers a good lo0ng ball to O'Keefe just left of centre. O'Keefe turns, has a look. Sees Hall on the lead. Ignores that option. Goes straight to the middle of the fifty where Nick Davis has ran hard to get into space. Mark! Nick doesn't even look fro an option. He knows he can kick this if he backs himself. Goal Swans!"

Am I the only one that found that sexually arousing???



And I'm only half joking.....

[Eala ?ireann]

[hammo]

Obviously, I'm not putting this forward as the one and only way to score mate. I'm saying it would be a nice example of direct footy. Ball can lead and take his two or three markers with him, thus creating space for some of our other blokes to kick goals. If he gets it and kicks the goal, beut! Up the middle would be a change from there incessant kicking to the wing where they have often then got tied up with too many handballs and end up going nowhere, or often, backwards. Stoppages are a pain in the arse if they're incessant. Flowing footy is nice once in a while.

Again, not the only route, but it would be nice...

As Giant said, I agree with you.

You only need to look at last year's grand final and the 2005 SF against Geelong to see how Davo can beat his man one-on-one when it comes in quickly.

The same applies to all forwards, especially with the new hand in the back rules. Our defenders have been struggling this year because the ball has been coming in quickly, exposing Leo in particular horribly against the likes of Gehrig. Unfortunately we rarely give opposition defenders the same headaches.

The Swans' stoppage game is designed to keep our Cortina midfield in the mix with the star midfields of the competition. Of course it's been effective - most of the games we win are because it's played on our terms and we are simply the better team.

The common theme of all Swans comebacks in recent seasons is that it occurs after we switch to attacking mode - running and playing on, kicking long to contests.

The coaching staff have determined we can't win enough games playing direct footy all the time, even though there is enough history to suggest we're pretty good at it. We'll never know how good exactly because Sydney has never been involved in a 'shootout' in the Roos' era.

[NMWBloods]

Crouch is a complete tool!

[Eala ?ireann]

'the new hand in the back rules.'

Don't even mention that! I'm a backman myself (and was in Gaelic footy and hurling too).

It's beyond a joke. We'll be sending defenders to basketball camps to learn how to screen soon.

Of course, everything you said, I agree with. I think our skills have let us down. For the stoppage-rich footy to work, the handballs and kicks have got to be pinpoint. They've been far from that. Work the ball out and then explode forward, that's exciting footy at times, but when it breaks down, it's horrible footy.

A Plan B would be good I reckon, although granted Roos has coached a premiership and to another grand final, he arguably knows footy better than me.

It's frustrating though to know the team's ability and then watch them play bad, bad football.

[Eala ?ireann]

And yeah, Crouch should probably lighten up a tad. Fair play to Spida.

[Captain]

'Kennelly kicks to himself and peels off to the left. Delivers a good lo0ng ball to O'Keefe just left of centre. O'Keefe turns, has a look. Sees Hall on the lead. Ignores that option. Goes straight to the middle of the fifty where Nick Davis has ran hard to get into space. Mark! Nick doesn't even look fro an option. He knows he can kick this if he backs himself. Goal Swans!"

...no chance...

I'm all flushed after reading that. I needed a bib!

[liz]

The Swans' stoppage game is designed to keep our Cortina midfield in the mix with the star midfields of the competition. Of course it's been effective - most of the games we win are because it's played on our terms and we are simply the better team.

The common theme of all Swans comebacks in recent seasons is that it occurs after we switch to attacking mode - running and playing on, kicking long to contests.

.

I don't think it is an accident that the attacking switch is usually thrown at half-time. Obviously part of it is that once you get behind you have to throw caution to the wind, but I reckon part of the strategy is to wear teams out in the first half, accepting they will win their fair share of the ball but making sure they have to work very hard for it, and then rely on the opposition tiring more quickly than the Swans.

I realise that's a bit simplistic because some reasons the Swans fall behind is nothing to do with playing the containment game early (like the net six goals we gifted the Eagles in the first half of last year's Granny). But I do think it at least partly explains why the Swans generally seem to score very little in first halfs of games.

[Eala ?ireann]

bit of a dangerous way too play though isn't it? let teams in and hope they get tired, if that's the case. i shudder to think that that would be an actual tactic.

[swantastic]

Why play on quickly through the centre when you can create at least two stoppages on the wing?

Why long to Nick Davis when you can kick to Barry Hall wide in the pocket?

Dont forget hammo.three players on him as well and Nick by himself.

[swantastic]

Am I the only one that found that sexually arousing???



And I'm only half joking.....

While out side sunrise dribbling down the glass.

[NMWBloods]

bit of a dangerous way too play though isn't it? let teams in and hope they get tired.

I think so, hence my comments a few times that our game plan is high risk and we have been very close to a couple of just okay seasons rather than the success we've had.