Swans are just making up the finals numbers for '07

[NMWBloods]

Unfortunate choice of words.

LOL!

[AnnieH]

5. We have some decent young players, but they're either being wasted, or not being played. We found out in the second half of the season that Jarrad McVeigh can actually play football. Perhaps Roos should think about giving him more freedom to do his thing.

Seriously???
Do his thing? Consistently pass the ball back to the opposition?
McVeigh had two outstanding games this whole season - is this round 21? Too little, too late.

[NMWBloods]

We can beat any team, anywhere.

I thought we'd win tonight and last week and be in the top 4. I also thought we'd beat Essendon a few weeks ago and we'd be second. In past years we could beat anyone. That isn't an axiom. Eventually things change.

[Margie]

6. We need a new key forward. Hall is probably past his best, hopefully he can get himself right for next year. O'Laughlin will not play much longer. IMO O'Keefe should be our next FF or CHF. We saw how damaging he can be against West Coast when played up forward.

Our forward set-up hasn't worked so well this year. Opposition teams "put numbers behind the ball" and force us out wide. Too many times we're Hall-centric and minus a crumber at the drop of the ball.

[NMWBloods]

Collingwood is a conundrum to me. I thought they went in hard tonight but that was it- a lot of their kicking was poor in my opinion and a lot of their options werent good either. They do have some good decent young players but some like Thomas are massively overhyped and will never be much more then solid footballers imo.

I thought Collingwood was just average tonight (which shows how bad we were). However, I do think they have some decent young players, who I think will get better over time.

[Vivien]

Seriously???
Do his thing? Consistently pass the ball back to the opposition?
McVeigh had two outstanding games this whole season - is this round 21? Too little, too late.

Granted, he hasn't had a great season. My point is, I think he would be a lot more valuable if he was given freedom to run. In the games where he has been allowed to do that, he has at least shown some promise. But Roos only seems interested in using him as a tagger.

[ugg]

I thought Collingwood was just average tonight (which shows how bad we were). However, I do think they have some decent young players, who I think will get better over time.

The best aspect of their game was their defensive pressure. They knew our game would fall apart if we didn't have time to pinpoint our passes. Never gave us and inch all night and it was the same earlier this year at Telstra Stadium.

[NMWBloods]

Our forward set-up hasn't worked so well this year. Opposition teams "put numbers behind the ball" and force us out wide. Too many times we're Hall-centric and minus a crumber at the drop of the ball.

I often wonder why Davis doesn't get much of the ball - I got to see tonight. Many many times they ignore him and kick it over his head to Hall. A classic one was Kirk or O'Keefe trying to kick the ball over Wakelin's head to Hall running back, while Davis had beaten his man and was on a good lead 40m out on a 45 deg angle. We look to Hall far too much and now he is struggling it is a big problem - we kick far too few goals.

[NMWBloods]

Granted, he hasn't had a great season. My point is, I think he would be a lot more valuable if he was given freedom to run. In the games where he has been allowed to do that, he has at least shown some promise. But Roos only seems interested in using him as a tagger.

Yep - I want McVeigh to have a proper run of being a ball player to see what he can do.

[Margie]

Just digressing, how many times did Quartermaine say "he's out-pointed" or "so-and-so out-points so-and-so"? Is that term used much normally?

[SimonH]

If Hawthorn wins tomorrow (and therefore we're unable to have a home final), I would hope that Jared Crouch has some long hard thinking to do this week. If he is to jump or be pushed in the off-season, it would be good for him to bite the bullet this week, and be given a send-off worthy of his 10 years of performances for the Swans.

Similarly, if MOL is to give it away in the off-season (which is possible, and would be a decision I feel agnostic about), it would be tragic if he wasn't farewelled by a SCG crowd. Trusting that his injury comes up okay.

With the exception of Brennan (who might be the answer in defence for some mediocre Melboure-based side, but not Sydney) and Bevan (like, whatever), I don't think the flaw of this side is in our younger blokes. You are can argue back and forth about who should go, but to get the necessary improvement out of this group, the pressure has to be on the guys at or towards the upper end of the age range. But not Everitt, who's been great.

PS Collingwood played well tonight and match up well on Sydney, but they're about as much of a threat for the flag as we are.

[NMWBloods]

The best aspect of their game was their defensive pressure. They knew our game would fall apart if we didn't have time to pinpoint our passes. Never gave us and inch all night and it was the same earlier this year at Telstra Stadium.

So true. Their disposal was average, and was a lot of their decision making, but their running and tackling was first rate.

Amazing how many times when we tackled they would push us off, we'd fall to the ground and they'd get away.

When they tackled, even if we pushed them off, they'd keep their feet and go back in again, thus giving us no space or time.

[NMWBloods]

Just digressing, how many times did Quartermaine say "he's out-pointed" or "so-and-so out-points so-and-so"? Is that term used much normally?

Yes.

[swan_song]

The truth is we don't have the Indians... we have three or four A+ players, a few A players, a couple of Bs, but the rest of the team unfortunately fall into the C and D categories -- still "reasonable" players, but nothing out of the box! Oh yes, and a couple of F-minuses...(not mentioning any names here).

[Vivien]

I thought Collingwood was just average tonight (which shows how bad we were).

I disagree. I thought Collingwood were excellent tonight, particulary with their tackling and precision passing. On the flipside, the Swan's disposal by foot was generally poor - too many kicks going over the heads of players, too many kicks to the advantage of the opposition. Collingwood were much cleaner around the stoppages as well.