Ben Mathews - It's over

[BSA5]

He was just woeful - even though he deserves to be dropped back to reserves FOR GOOD - Roos will keep him in seniors. I've had enough!

Geez, give Roos some credit, he dropped him in the first place, didn't he?! Matthews was only brought in because Ablett was injured. A stopper for a stopper. Personally, I thought it was the right call at the time. Matthews had had several very good performances in the 2s in a row; out of all our reserves, he was in the best form. Since he is a similar type of player to Ablett, the selection made sense. Now, Matthews had a shocker of a game, so in the end it didn't come off, but it was the logical thing to do. Now, Ablett has two weeks to get himself right, which should be plenty of time, and Matthews will then go back to the 2s where he has spent most of the year.

[Triple B]

Geez, give Roos some credit, he dropped him in the first place, didn't he?! Matthews was only brought in because Ablett was injured. A stopper for a stopper. Personally, I thought it was the right call at the time. Matthews had had several very good performances in the 2s in a row; out of all our reserves, he was in the best form. Since he is a similar type of player to Ablett, the selection made sense. Now, Matthews had a shocker of a game, so in the end it didn't come off, but it was the logical thing to do. Now, Ablett has two weeks to get himself right, which should be plenty of time, and Matthews will then go back to the 2s where he has spent most of the year.

Agree with all of that.

He was the best in the 2's for 2 weeks running. It's all good and well to keep bringing in young blokes, but it's folly to think you can just play them all at once.

Matthews WAS the correct call before the game (IMO), but unfortunately has just had the shocker of all shockers and I seriously doubt he will reach 200 games now.

[floppinab]

He was the best in the 2's for 2 weeks running.

I haven't watched a lot of the two's but from a number of reports on here, being listes as best in the 2's and actually being in the best in the two's are two very different things.

[swantastic]

As a famous Australian said...its time to go......Benny.

[cressakel]

Benny was hopeless yesterday - I shuddered when I realised he was playing - clanger after clanger.

Ball up Benny Matthews has been hopeless his whole career, not just yesterday. And let us all pray to the Swans god's that Roosy doesn't bring back his clone - Nic Fosdi**head. He can sell his house for a $30k profit and POQ back to the city of churches (probably Salisbury North).

FFS, bring in a player who might be of some CLASS in future like a Vezpremi.

[BSA5]

Ball up Benny Matthews has been hopeless his whole career, not just yesterday. And let us all pray to the Swans god's that Roosy doesn't bring back his clone - Nic Fosdi**head. He can sell his house for a $30k profit and POQ back to the city of churches (probably Salisbury North).

FFS, bring in a player who might be of some CLASS in future like a Vezpremi.

Fosdike is a clone of Matthews? So a quick, attacking, hard running midfielder is a clone of a slow, defensive, dour midfielder? Yeah, if you say so....

The only thing they have in common are footskills that aren't the best, but Fossie's skills>>>Matthews.

[TheMase]

I didn't think I would see people drawing comparisons between Fosdike and Mathews.

[TheGrimReaper]

Ball up Benny Matthews has been hopeless his whole career, not just yesterday. And let us all pray to the Swans god's that Roosy doesn't bring back his clone - Nic Fosdi**head. He can sell his house for a $30k profit and POQ back to the city of churches (probably Salisbury North).

FFS, bring in a player who might be of some CLASS in future like a Vezpremi.

Agree, bring in VESZPREMI IN NOW! Who cares if his lacking in game time in Canberra, bring him in ROOS!

[goswannie14]

Ball up Benny Matthews has been hopeless his whole career, not just yesterday. And let us all pray to the Swans god's that Roosy doesn't bring back his clone - Nic Fosdi**head. He can sell his house for a $30k profit and POQ back to the city of churches (probably Salisbury North).

FFS, bring in a player who might be of some CLASS in future like a Vezpremi.

What have you been drinking? They are nothing alike. The only thing they have in common is that they are both on the Swans list.

[TheGrimReaper]

What have you been drinking? They are nothing alike. The only thing they have in common is that they are both on the Swans list.

That's one thing I disagree with him also. Fosdike is a goer.

[2005]

Ball up Benny Matthews has been hopeless his whole career, not just yesterday. And let us all pray to the Swans god's that Roosy doesn't bring back his clone - Nic Fosdi**head. He can sell his house for a $30k profit and POQ back to the city of churches (probably Salisbury North).

FFS, bring in a player who might be of some CLASS in future like a Vezpremi.

Your kidding arent you ???

[DST]

Based on yesterdays game, it may well be over for Matthews.

But to claim that he was not the right pick for yesterdays game is just plain stupid. Both likely replacements in Schmidt & Fosdike are only just off the injury list and will need a few more weeks before being ready.

Other most likely's in Laidlaw, Vespa, Thornton (for the year), Meridth, DOK are injured and struggling to put two games together.

That left Smith who was clearly not ready for senior football after the Geelong game.

Once Ablett was ruled out Roos had no one to turn to.

So far we have been relatively lucky re injuries to our senior core but we are really struggling to get our second tier next generation guys onto the park at present which is a real worry if we do get injuries to the senior core.

DST

[liz]

That left Smith who was clearly not ready for senior football after the Geelong game.

Agree with all of your post, other than the comment above.

I'm not sure how, on the basis of one outing, we can say Smith is clearly not ready for senior football. He was thrown into the deep end for possible the toughest game of the year (outside finals) and showed he knows how to win the ball. Sure, he made some errors, but so has Bird in his games this year. Indeed, I don't think Smith's debut was any better or worse than Bird's. So did Barlow last year (especially in his second game, against Collingwood) and so did Jack. Of course all these players are still making mistakes - as are all the players in the senior team, from Hall through to Bevan (numerically). But in a short span of games, Barlow and Jack, in particular, are making some very telling contributions and certainly worthy of their ongoing inclusion.

I completely agree that Mathews was the logical choice to come in. With hindsight, it is hard to see that the team would have been worse off had Smith played instead. Of course, hindsight doesn't mean the Mathews decision was incorrect. But don't make your mind up on Smith based on what little you've seen. If we want the coaches to move forward, they might need to throw him in again in the not too distant future and I doubt he'll disgrace himself if they do.

The worst than can happen is that he gets a another game or two or three, gets a better idea of where he needs to get to to truly earn a spot, and comes back in 2009 better equipped for the challenge. Just as Jack has done.

[TheGrimReaper]

I'm on the bandwagon of bringing Nick Smith back into the team.

[DST]

Agree with all of your post, other than the comment above.

I'm not sure how, on the basis of one outing, we can say Smith is clearly not ready for senior football. He was thrown into the deep end for possible the toughest game of the year (outside finals) and showed he knows how to win the ball. Sure, he made some errors, but so has Bird in his games this year. Indeed, I don't think Smith's debut was any better or worse than Bird's. So did Barlow last year (especially in his second game, against Collingwood) and so did Jack. Of course all these players are still making mistakes - as are all the players in the senior team, from Hall through to Bevan (numerically). But in a short span of games, Barlow and Jack, in particular, are making some very telling contributions and certainly worthy of their ongoing inclusion.

I completely agree that Mathews was the logical choice to come in. With hindsight, it is hard to see that the team would have been worse off had Smith played instead. Of course, hindsight doesn't mean the Mathews decision was incorrect. But don't make your mind up on Smith based on what little you've seen. If we want the coaches to move forward, they might need to throw him in again in the not too distant future and I doubt he'll disgrace himself if they do.

The worst than can happen is that he gets a another game or two or three, gets a better idea of where he needs to get to to truly earn a spot, and comes back in 2009 better equipped for the challenge. Just as Jack has done.

Don't get me wrong, I thought Smith showed he had potential but he panicked a couple of times with the ball and gave it up against Geelong, just wasn't ready for the intensity of the contest.

Matthews on the other at least has expeirence but unfortunately he showed a distinct lack of any skills when disposing of the football on the weekend. Maybe he was just not able to make the step-up in the pace of the game at his late stage of his career.

I think we all agree that in order to progress further this year we really need to see the likes of Laidlaw, Schmidt, Daniel O'Keefe, Vesparmi and Merideth getting games ahead of Matthews and Smith at his stage of development.

But that is unlikely at present due to injury.

DST


DST