Swans v. Magpies Match Thread

[swan_song]

I think Roosie should get them all in the office on Monday so they can personaly phone every member to apologise for leaving their balls in Sydney...gutless, dumb, crap players....looks like the Bloods era is well and truly dead and the crap swans have returned.
Truly a disgraceful performance....

[hammo]

That was Craig Bolton's worst game for the club.

[Legs Akimbo]

Sad but inevitable conclusion to a season lost.

Where to now for the lads? To the pub? Tattoo parlour? Time to take a reality check and rebuild methinks.

I always had misgivings about our ability to win tonight. I think last week was an aberation against a side that did not turn up to play.

Some observations...

1. Spida was terrible. Directly cost us two goals. For a guy who was supposed to be the panacea for our ruck this year and who had every motivation in the world, comes across as a dumb arse lazy footballer. Not a great recruit and I wish we could get our pick back. I wonder what he is thinking looking at Hawthorn today. Then again, maybe the Hawks wouldn't have won today if he played.

2. Bevan is excremental. He tries, but makes way too many mistakes to be allowed anywhere near the ball. I want to like him, but when 42 year old Buckley burns him off, you realise that his potential is rather limited. Kicking sideways to the oposition 20 metres out. Guess he learnt that from Ablett.

3. Barlow is a key position defender. Should be played CHB not as a roving mini-me adam goodes

4. Adam Goodes is a wonderful player and Kirk never stops trying even if his best is now behind him. Kudos to Dempster. I am stuggling to think of any plaudits beyond that. Davis was crap. ROK had an embarrasing game. Just ran around a lot without doing anything.

5. Paul Roos is a one trick pony. As a match day coach, he is often out witted by his opposite number. Malthouse had him for breakfast tonight with his positional moves and use of the bench and plodder paul just had no idea how to respond except play the plan better, a plan which wasn't working.

6. Leo Barry is stuffed. Both he and Crouch repeatedly looked like old men trying to act half their age getting run down from behind by fitter, keener, younger more motivated men.

7. Barry Hall has not adapted to the hands in the back rule. I don't think he ever will. Will he ever kick more than 50 goals in a season again?

8. LRT is actually a very good player. I think we missed him a lot this year.

9. Malceski is also a very good player but lacks the defensive side that his mentor Kennelly has.

Anyway, enough venting. Time to have a break, enjoy watching some other teams have a go without biting my nails to the quick. Go cats.

Postcript - A suggested addendum for Paul Roos' little book of 20 things about AFL he wrote down when he retired. Don't let your loyalty to certain players cloud your loyalty to the club. I don't want to go through the early ninetees again. It was great while it lasted but time to start planning a new campaign with new troops and if necessary, a new strategy.

[AnnieH]

Gimme an F
Gimme an O
Gimme a D
Gimme a D
Gimme an E
Gimme an R

Seriously. All those people who got really nasty a few weeks ago and jumped down my throat when I mentioned the "fodder" word (you know exactly who you are) ...

[AnnieH]

If only we had another 18 or so Goodseys.

[RED RAG]

It's becasue they've had the last 3 quarters to get used to losing.

I think we will all have to get used to that for at least the next 2 or three seasons, thanks to the clubs policy of not blooding young players and trying to continue to play in grand finals with the same ageing players. We'll still have much the same mob next season while most other clubs improve.

[shaun..]

Gimme an F
Gimme an O
Gimme a D
Gimme a D
Gimme an E
Gimme an R

Seriously. All those people who got really nasty a few weeks ago and jumped down my throat when I mentioned the "fodder" word (you know exactly who you are) ...

Yep, that Hawks game fooled even the players themselves!

[timthefish]

we were up against a team that kicks long to a set of three leading forwards and our backs were playing aside or behind in the year of the harshest interpretation of the in-the-back rule in history.

stupid, stupid football that makes the fact the umpires were totally governed by prejudice irrelevant.

[swan_song]

As much as I hate to say it, lets also give credit to the Pies, they played very well tonight, worked for each other, led to the ball consistently, were accurate in their kicking, and they tackled well, all things we should learn from. I'm not one of those people who hate the Pies, I just dislike them and their bogan supporters, but Mick Malthouse has sussed us out pretty well.

I'm in a dilemma now for next week...who to suport, the Pies or the druggies? It's a tough one!

[NMWBloods]

It really was 2004 all over again - crap H&A football, too much uncertain sideways play, and destroyed in finals.

[AnnieH]

Yep, that Hawks game fooled even the players themselves!

Like a said last week, I seriously reckon the dawks threw the game. Did you see them play today? A completely different team.

[timthefish]

As much as I hate to say it, lets also give credit to the Pies... Mick Malthouse has sussed us out pretty well.

actually, i think the pies just deserve credit for being a team without an exploitable flaw that played their best game. i don't think we were much of a factor at all tonight.

[Guzzitza]

Like a said last week, I seriously reckon the dawks threw the game. Did you see them play today? A completely different team.

explain to me the advantage of missing out on the second chance?

[NMWBloods]

1. Spida was terrible. Directly cost us two goals. For a guy who was supposed to be the panacea for our ruck this year and who had every motivation in the world, comes across as a dumb arse lazy footballer.

For a guy with great talent, he is pretty stupid too many times.

2. Bevan is excremental. He tries, but makes way too many mistakes to be allowed anywhere near the ball. I want to like him, but when 42 year old Buckley burns him off, you realise that his potential is rather limited.

How crap (and slow) was he on Buckley!!?

Kicking sideways to the oposition 20 metres out. Guess he learnt that from Ablett.

That kick summed up so much about our game and his game.

3. Barlow is a key position defender. Should be played CHB not as a roving mini-me adam goodes

Yeah - why not. Could make a good running CHB (a la Roos).

4. Adam Goodes is a wonderful player and Kirk never stops trying even if his best is now behind him.

Goodes was magnificent. Nearly all his possessions were contested.

Kirk tried hard but his disposal is absolutely terrible.

Davis was crap.

He was average, but it still continues to stagger me how often they ignore him on leads. At one stage he was leading up the ground, about 40m directly in front, in front of his man and Hall passed it to MOL on the boundary line.

ROK had an embarrasing game. Just ran around a lot without doing anything.

Has suddenly discovered that now the opposing coaches pay a lot more attention to him it's much harder to have an impact.

5. Paul Roos is a one trick pony. As a match day coach, he is often out witted by his opposite number. Malthouse had him for breakfast tonight with his positional moves and use of the bench and plodder paul just had no idea how to respond except play the plan better, a plan which wasn't working.

Yep.

6. Leo Barry is stuffed. Both he and Crouch repeatedly looked like old men trying to act half their age getting run down from behind by fitter, keener, younger more motivated men.

Yep - both gone.

7. Barry Hall has not adapted to the hands in the back rule. I don't think he ever will. Will he ever kick more than 50 goals in a season again?

Nope. He's close to finished as a good player.

8. LRT is actually a very good player. I think we missed him a lot this year.

Had a dead-set shocker tonight.

9. Malceski is also a very good player but lacks the defensive side that his mentor Kennelly has.

Did some nice things, but struggled under the pressure - made some bad decisions.

Postcript - A suggested addendum for Paul Roos' little book of 20 things about AFL he wrote down when he retired. Don't let your loyalty to certain players cloud your loyalty to the club.

This is a big problem - as I noted in the match report on Collingwood a few weeks ago we are beginning the normal slide. If Roos keep his favourites on 2008-2010 will be horrible.

[AnnieH]

explain to me the advantage of missing out on the second chance?

Sometimes, just sometimes - there is an advantage of missing out on the second chance.