Swans are just making up the finals numbers for '07

[Vivien]

What would be better for us? Finishing 8th and playing the Pies in week 1 or the hawks? Both will be away games of course (unless the hawks lose t'row and we beat them next week, which will mean we play them at home)

I'd prefer to play the Hawks I think. We've been awful against Collingwood this year, although you'd like to think that things would be different in a final.

[swan_song]

It's all academic...the team that played tonight has NO chance of winning a final, most were slow, hesitant, clumsy and muddle-headed in their thinking. The writing was on the wall last week when they let the Brisbane win slip away. Tonight apart from Goodsie, B2, maybe Bazza and a couple of others, they were woeful. One thing I hope is that Roosie gives it to them good and proper for that effort. Maybe take them down to St Kilda beach in the morning for a 5am dip among the icebergs...It worked for the drunkards...

[Mike_B]

If we do go out pretty quickly - we have no excuses for a slow start to 08. Pre-season can start earlier so we should (being the ley word) be further along by the time rd 1 comes along. It's been the price of success the last few years, but we definitely won't be going as far as we have the last couple of years.

[swans_premiers]

Pal ... I more than anybody want the swans to make me eat my words. I picked it quite a few weeks ago and was thrown down from all fronts.
I know my footy ... the swans are not going to make the granny this year. I'm not pathetic ... just keepin' it real.

What good is Kennelly if we can't get the ball past centre forward???? Kennelly CAN'T put the team into the granny on his own.

Can we beat Hawthorn at the MCG? Yes
Can we beat port/Kanga's at AAMI or MCG? Yes

We can make a prelim...and from there who knows..

We can beat any team, anywhere. I guarantee at some stage in 2005 and 2006 you thought we wouldn't make the granny either. I'm sure in 2003 at AAMI against port you thought we wouldn't win that. I'm sure in 2005 against geelong with 5 mins left in the game you thought we wouldn't win that.

in 2003..when we kicked 10 goals in the final quarter against melbourne im sure you said we couldn't do that.

In 2007 after 5 rounds when Geelong were sitting 10th on the ladder did you think that Geelong would go on to win 15+ games in a row?

If you know football so well then I'm sure you haven't got a tip wrong all year.

Fact is football is an unpredictable game...heck in 100+ years of VFL/AFL NEVER Has a team gone through a season undefeated.

Did you honestly think Annie that Western Bulldogs would end Essendon's run of 18-19 games in a row? Did you honestly think that the Crows would go back to back in 1997 from 5th..having to travel every week of the finals.


Look..things can turn around very fast. I'd expect us to beat Hawthorn and if we get Kennelly back then anything is possible.

Correct me if I'm wrong but out of the 9 games we have lost this year..Kennelly has missed 7 or 8 of them.

Kennelly is an extremely influential player.

There's no point saying our season is over...as the old saying goes. Let's take it one week at a time.

As long as we have 22 players step out on to the field with the belief they can win and hold onto that belief every minute of every game then we are a chance.

[Margie]

Wish we had a few promising young players like Collingwood have blooded this season. Maybe Barlow will be a good find and perhaps Laidlaw and White.

There should be no excuses for not having an intense pre-season like the Kangaroos did this year.

[573v30]

Swans don't deserve to win the flag this year and won't win it, the highest we'll finish is 6th. I'd like to be proven wrong but I don't think it's going to happen.

[mcs]

lol Margie 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.

We however have to get serious in the off season.... we need to start the season well and I think we have to be aggressive in the trade window. We have to get some new faces in and get some quality if we can get some.... eg a tall back especially seeing as LRT does seem to have fallen to the outer. We need some new blood I feel at the club and maybe its time for a couple of older heads to go.

And Swans_Premiers I love what you write and in the back of our minds I think we all wish it to be true and maybe it could be.... but on what we have seen this year do you honestly see us pulling out 3 quality performances in a row to make the Prelim..... its going to be tough enough next week at home to the Hawks let alone a trip to Melbourne in the 1st week to end up playing the Hawks on a ground that far better suits their style or Collingwood so we can get bashed by the yellow maggots again. Just cant see it myself but I still hold some hope of course!

[AnnieH]

SwansPrem what you write would be a dream come true. In 2005 we were all walking into unchartered territory. Two years down the track - when every other coach knows our one and only game plan back to front - it's not the same scenario. We have to fight a lot harder, and other than a few players, in alternating games, the fight is just not there.

[NMWBloods]

Here we go again..."The sky is falling.... "

You have some positive messages...???

I went to see WC v. StK last night, and we are so far behind WC it's not funny.

[Vivien]

I know the season isn't over yet, but I think there are a few lessons that can be learnt from our journey thus far:

1. We can't just expect the late-season surge to happen every year.

2. There's no substitute for consistent, four-quarter efforts. For a few years we have relied much too heavily on our ability to finish games well. Last year we got away with it, this year we weren't quite as good or as lucky.

3. Our game plan only works when the playing intensity is high and most (if not all) players on the ground pull their weight. This year there have been far too many passengers.

4. Opposition coaches have worked out how to beat us. Ironically, to beat the Swans it seems that you need to use a similar game plan - put pressure on the ball carrier and push numbers back into the Swans F50. It might be time for Roos to be more flexible with his game-day tactics.

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.

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.

[swan_song]

You have some positive messages...???

I went to see WC v. StK last night, and we are so far behind WC it's not funny.

Hmmm...Drunks versus druggies....who won?

[NMWBloods]

Question:

If we smack Hawthorn by 10 goals next week and get barry/kennelly/LRT back for the first game of the finals is our season still over?

And if we beat Hawthorn by 200 points and every other side loses their top 5 players and all our injured players suddenly get better, then our season's also back on track...

[Margie]

mcs - I disagree about Thomas, he's a future star. Add Pendlebury, H. Shaw, Goldsack, Rusling and Collingwood are looking good. I'm not saying they're favourites for the Premiership but there's a lot to like.

[sprite]

And if we beat Hawthorn by 200 points and every other side loses their top 5 players and all our injured players suddenly get better, then our season's also back on track...

Sarcastic..but true

[NMWBloods]

Hmmm...Drunks versus druggies....who won?

Blow > Booze

Great effort by WC given their injuries and that StKilda was on fire in the first quarter.