Our game against Hawthorn now that they walloped the Blues

[ScottH]

Yeah - of course - between all the experts of the Swans supporters it seems that every other player and team are crap or cheats or both...

You mean they aren't?

[liz]

You could argue our skill level and pace are inferior to most opposition. It's been commented on here (and elsewhere) that we can't open up the game or we will be beaten. Therefore we need to play a tight, high pressure, lock-down game full of scrimmages, punctuated with bursts of attack.

Not necessarily. Roos clearly has a belief about the type of football required to win premierships - and that this is based on controlling the game and top defence more than shoot-outs. And history indicates why he's formed this view.

The problem with a shoot-out is that it is essentially rolling a dice, even if you have the players and style to compete this way. If the other team gets on a roll and gets their backs up, you're at the mercy of whether you're able to score more than them unless you do something to actually prevent their scoring.

One aspect of Swans games is that they are almost always played on the Swans' terms, except when the team plays very very badly. That means they retain some element of control and is one of the reasons they are rarely really out of a game.

Could this current squad play differently? Who knows and we probably won't find out in the near future. But it is likely that team selection would be somewhat different if Roos wanted to play a different kind of game - with someone like Mathews or Bevan unlikely to garner a spot. And chances are that players like Ablett, McVeigh, Crouch and Dempster would all have been drilled to be more attacking than the roles they are generally asked to play. And maybe with a less stoppage-dominated game, Roos would have been more willing to throw lightly built youngsters into the fray.

[hammo]

Not necessarily. Roos clearly has a belief about the type of football required to win premierships - and that this is based on controlling the game and top defence more than shoot-outs. And history indicates why he's formed this view.

I see a lot of Roos' tactics in Hawthorn at the moment. Although the Melbourne media don't seem to be smart enough to see this (they criticised the Hawks for employing defensive tactics in a couple of ugly floodfests against Brisbane and St Kilda and even against the Swans - clearly the media prefer shoot outs even though they proclaimed the best 2 grand finals as the best ever ). Generally Hawthorn flood back and generate a lot of their attack from stoppages... I am sure this is part of developing a game plan which will be useful in September - if not this year then definitely the next couple (similar to Swans approach to 2004).

[reigning premier]

Well those people are using the word 'star' very loosely.

Riewoldt
Hamill
Gehrig
Dal Santo
Harvey
Hayes
Goddard
Maguire
Kossie

I think they would all be generally accepted as stars of the game....

[RogueSwan]

Riewoldt - any team would have him
Hamill - a good team player, not an out and out star
Gehrig - an ugly star
Dal Santo - star
Harvey - genuine super star
Hayes - come home son
Goddard - on his way, not yet a star
Maguire - needs to handle love taps before becoming a star
Kossie - needs to stay on the ground to become a star

[NMWBloods]

Not necessarily. Roos clearly has a belief about the type of football required to win premierships - and that this is based on controlling the game and top defence more than shoot-outs. And history indicates why he's formed this view.

I'm not talking about shoot outs. You are comparing two extremes. I'm referring to a more open game. There's no doubt that the Swans play a more lockdown game than anyone and there's also no doubt that you do not have to play that style to win flags. Hence, the Swans play that style - and are successful at it - because a more open style would not work.

[NMWBloods]

clearly the media prefer shoot outs even though they proclaimed the best 2 grand finals as the best ever

The media and most of the public prefer to see open, flowing games, with goals and great marks, as well as hard, tough contests.

The past two grand finals were considered great because they were close, not because of the quality of the football, which was not outstanding for most of the eight quarters, most particularly in the first half of each game.

[RogueSwan]

IMO this how the Swans would love the game to go

• when we are in possession we want an open game
• when we aren't in possession we want a tight, contested game

easy

[Danzar]

Riewoldt
Hamill
Gehrig
Dal Santo
Harvey
Hayes
Goddard
Maguire
Kossie

I think they would all be generally accepted as stars of the game....

A lot of good that does when you can't knit together as a team.

[reigning premier]

A lot of good that does when you can't knit together as a team.

LOL.....

Great players... Never said they were a great team.

[ScottH]

A Champion Team > A Team of Champions. Except when they lose.

[Industrial Fan]

The media and most of the public prefer to see open, flowing games, with goals and great marks, as well as hard, tough contests.

I prefer games with bad marks. I dont care if anyone scores or not, because that means I've seen a good lockdown "swans-style" game.

[reigning premier]

I prefer games with bad marks. I dont care if anyone scores or not, because that means I've seen a good lockdown "swans-style" game.

Here, here....

The only people that piss and moan about our style of play is our opposition, usually after we have beaten them.

I couldn't give a flying how we play, as long as we keep winning!

The exhiliration of a win sure beats the hell out out of the exhilaration you get from one of your players winning a norm smith in a losing grand final....

[NMWBloods]

Yes, I hope we win 1 point to nothing on Saturday, scoring that point through our single Inside 50...

[Layby]

Yes, I hope we win 1 point to nothing on Saturday, scoring that point through our single Inside 50...

Me too, but only if Bevan scores the point

Wont be best on ground tho, coz it should have been out on the full,clearly a mistake by the goal ump. Plus his opponent (whoever it is) was rubbish anyway.