The 06 Grand Final and our 07 first half disasters

[hammo]

I didn't say all - I said a few - either way no one will ever really know - so speculation will always be there!!!!



um isn't that what I said that they came back bigger and better from that loss - that they moved on?

Yes, I agree with you I'm explaining why I believe the Swans aren't motivated by their GF loss the same way WC were

[Wardy]

Yes, I agree with you I'm explaining why I believe the Swans aren't motivated by their GF loss the same way WC were

ok fair enough - my apologies.

[NMWBloods]

They were doped up to the eyeballs though.

Moronic comment!

[floppinab]

I don't think BMR was serious their NMW, settle down

This is a very interesting one. Funnily enough I asked Hall a question the week prior to the season start this year whether the club, as a club (i.e. Football management, coaching staff, players) had or would sit down and analyse what went wrong in the first half of the '06 GF, looking across the whole preceding week, preparation etc. as well as what happened on field with tactics, players, etc.

His response was very much, not interested in looking backward, no value in it, looking forward now, etc. etc. which I found a bit strange in that during the season proper a reasonable review of the previous game is path for the course.

It's easy to say in hindsight of course with regard as to our poor first halves this year but you would it might be a good idea to have a look at it. Even at this stage of the season, I'm no pyscho but it might be a way to fire them up.

[NMWBloods]

You never know!!

As for the first half issues, slow starts - whether in games or seasons - has been an issue for a while now. You'd think they would have worked it out by now.

[Industrial Fan]

Scathing.

With that sort of vitriol, you'll be hosting backchat in no time.

[hammo]

Scathing.

With that sort of vitriol, you'll be hosting backchat in no time.

Just go back to your one man BLT show you dill

[boroboy]

I don't think even they realise how potent - as a team - they are when they all want to be.

Spot on Liz. I watched a replay of the Eagles Final at Subi last night - with basically the same team we have now. And we were magnificent - I watched the build up to Micky's goal about a dozen times and its breathtaking footy. We're still more than capable of playing like that for the rest of this season - lets just hope all the players and coaching staff realize they can...

[Nico]

I have been stewing over this for a while now.

How much of our disasterous first half of the 06 grand final and the numerous 1st half shockers in season 07 relate?

The games where we have had ordinary first halves are:

V West Coast
V Brisbane (not to the same extent)
V Kangaroos
V Essendon
V Collingwood
V Geelong

Also interesting to note that in this season both Jude Bolton and Barry Hall who had shockers in the GF particularly in front of the big sticks have both struggled for form in the first half of the season.

Is there a connection or is it coincidence?
Your thoughts?

Barry's injured and Jude's no good.

[Molly dooker]

It astonishes me that a critique like "Jude's no good" can come from a person who watches the game. He might not be up to his past sublime standard at the moment but he still "puts in" with all he's got. Really, you could pick absolutely anyone to pieces when does anyone play the perfect game every moment. Even our best player, which is a week by week opinion, get a few clangers and cringe worthy moments. If anyone has an injury and can't play at their usual level, do you think the club is going to let anyone know until there's no denying it? It only allows the opposition information and information regarding the players condition is and always will be a closely guarded secret.

[Nico]

The fact is we have now played 56 quarters for the year and Bolton has played 1 very good quarter. Last week you could say his 4 quarter effort related to 1 good quarter.

He is a midfielder who has kicked a couple of goals this season and missed a poultice of set shots inside 30 metres. His glorious kick way out on the full against Collingwood while trying to pinpoint a 20 metre pass to a contest typifies his garbage season. Last week he had a quarter more time on the ground than Schmidt yet had only 4 more possessions. Schmidt found space and has penetration in his kicks, had key possessions that got us moving in the 3rd Q, gets clean possession, does not nausiatingly kick around corners and kicks the ball more than a metre off the ground.

Until Bolton turns it around and adds serious value to the team I will continue to label him.

[general mac]

I don't think BMR was serious their NMW, settle down

This is a very interesting one. Funnily enough I asked Hall a question the week prior to the season start this year whether the club, as a club (i.e. Football management, coaching staff, players) had or would sit down and analyse what went wrong in the first half of the '06 GF, looking across the whole preceding week, preparation etc. as well as what happened on field with tactics, players, etc.

His response was very much, not interested in looking backward, no value in it, looking forward now, etc. etc. which I found a bit strange in that during the season proper a reasonable review of the previous game is path for the course.

It's easy to say in hindsight of course with regard as to our poor first halves this year but you would it might be a good idea to have a look at it. Even at this stage of the season, I'm no pyscho but it might be a way to fire them up.

Very high risk player managment strategy there, it may work and fire them up or they could just drop their bundle.

Either way it would bring the horror story of the first half of the GF out into the open and that would be a good thing.

I say lets do it .... !!!

Anyone got one of those screening rooms that they have in "A Clockwork Orange" where criminals are forced to watch videos of the old Ultraviolence ??

[NMWBloods]

It astonishes me that a critique like "Jude's no good" can come from a person who watches the game. He might not be up to his past sublime standard at the moment but he still "puts in" with all he's got.

Really LOL!! !!

[Hazcam]

Firstly, West Coast weren't doped up to the eyeballs so we should get over that once and for all.

Secondly, when West Coast lost a close grand final it motivated them to go one better the following year. In Sydney's case, they had won in 2005 so despite the disappointment when they went away on their end of season break they still had their 05 medal to look at.

The psychology of the club was laid bare with Roos' now infamous (for some of us here on RWO anyway) ying and yang post-match comments to the media when he said the team had a lot to be proud of, that he'd be more disappointed if they hadn't won in 2005, and that 1-1 was a fair result for both teams.

No wonder Sydney has responded differently - the hurt of losing in '06 is nulified by the euphoria of having won a year earlier.

WCE in '06 were far and away the best team in the comp. 17-5 home and away record and we just scraped in the top 4. The big wake up call for them was the 1 point loss in the qualifying final to us, in the next week they belted the bulldogs by 74 and beat the crows by 10 in the prelim.

That form was carried over in the 1st half of the granny, which I felt @ half time was going to be a total blowout, little was I going to know that the closeness would contine into '07).

I reckon if the west coke eagles lost the grand final after being in front all day long they would have been absolutely shattered to bits and it would have killed them for 2-3 seasons.

Imagine losing in '05 by 4 points after leading by 10 point one stage in the 3rd qtr and then losing in '06 after leading by 5 goals in the 2nd qtr. I'd have found that hard to take if I was a player.

So let's just hope we belt em this weekend, they're supposedly getting 7 players back and if they lose then I hope they slide out of the 8 and have an early end of season trip to Ibiza or whereever they go....

most probably they go to Iceland!
lol