The Leo Barry Retirement Thread

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Once again ahead of my time ... so now the duck and weave is beginning to wear a bit thin is it???

His game plan involves running around in circles to get away from opposition forwards. It is often excruciating, but in years gone by it worked. These days he just does not have the place to get away from opposition tacklers. Plus shrewd coaches like Malthouse & Thompson know he is a one trick pony-he runs around out of defence, rarely kicks it & more often than not with try and break a tackle or handball. They play to this. Thus just like in the semi final where he got pinged several times he appears to have had his game worked out.

Let's face it. Hall J Bolton O'Laughlin Barry are all approaching the twilight of their careers. At least we are seeing the kids. Because tonight players like Barry Hall & Leo Barry were the ones letting the side down the most.

JF

[Alison]

Maybe we should start a retirement thread for the majority of the players last night. Apart from Leo's two blunders (which were costly) I thought he played well especially on Medhurst in the first half. Medhurst got all his possessions in the second half. Would not like to see him retire at all this season. Was a @@@@ game for the Swans and most of the players, but Leo would have been in the top five players for sure.

He was not the only one who made mistakes tonight and i thought he tried really hard. Our defence was under extreme pressure and our midfield and forwards needed to lift.

What about all the Swans who kicked points tonight when we needed goals? Should they retire too????

[SCGonasunnyday]

My memories of the game last night, which I'm busy trying to repress (are we sure it wasn't a recreation of the 07 game?) was that most of it took place in the Collingwood half. I don't think it is fair to criticise any of the back six, regardless of any mistakes. Leo did some good things, made a couple of mistakes. Barry Hall did less good things and made moore mistakes. Mickey O kicked 4 behinds. Our midfield was smaaaashed.

[Alison]

Just to add to my post - you usually say a bloke should retire because he can't get near the ball. This is not the case with Leo Barry, he is still getting a kick and defending well - is just that he takes risks and makes mistakes (which sometimes pay off and sometimes don't but he is trying).

Also having a look in the record, he has the best kicking (80.7%) and handballing (93.2%) efficiency out of all our defenders and the most rebound 50s (average 3.6). Not bad for someone who supporters believe should retire.

Open your eyes - the team played shocking (would not have even called it a team last night). Kirky tried hard but just wish sometimes he would have a look before he slams the ball onto his boot.

One last thing, with the alleged throw from Leo - if you watch reply you will see the Magpies player actually hit (throw) the ball out from Leo. Regardless, not much he could do there. As with the other handball straight to the Magpies, that was wreckless and stupid - just like Kirk's one in the third quarter that resulted in a Magpies goal.

[2005]

Maybe we should start a retirement thread for the majority of the players last night. Apart from Leo's two blunders (which were costly) I thought he played well especially on Medhurst in the first half. Medhurst got all his possessions in the second half. Would not like to see him retire at all this season. Was a @@@@ game for the Swans and most of the players, but Leo would have been in the top five players for sure.

He was not the only one who made mistakes tonight and i thought he tried really hard. Our defence was under extreme pressure and our midfield and forwards needed to lift.

What about all the Swans who kicked points tonight when we needed goals? Should they retire too????

So true, we would have nobody playing next week .
The same old lines come out : Drop Leo,Monty,LRT,Bevan,J Bolton so on
Then the habitual bring back Davo line trots out.

FFS you cant retire everyone in 1 week and drop half a dozen blokes.
Sure if someone can be replaced do it.

Leo wasnt our worst last night ,sure made some mistakes and runs around in circles likes he always has , though we simply got smashed in the middle when we were trying to get out of defence.
We had no movement in and around the middle as we attacked, our defence always looks awesome when we come out running.
How mant time did Marty,Tadgh,Leo,Teddy all stop and kick sideways ?
We played poorly last night, as bad as Round 1 against the Saints.
We had to many players down last night, especially our good ones.
Adam Goodes behaviour of late really hurt us last night and I hope he knows that and repays us this weekend against Hawthorn.
Dont rekon the break helped us at all last night as well.
After a poor loss its so easy to be critical and point the finger at blokes.

[hot potato]

His disposal timespan is now way too slow for the modern game, what he could could get away with two seasons is no longer possible, the opposition must now lick their lips when he gets the pill. Yippee here's a turnover!!
Just rifle the ball out ASAP Leo, they can catch you now.
The propping and weaving looks really silly.

[hot potato]

that one incident summed up our night- absolute @@@@. Mattner should of rushed it and so should of Leo it was a big mistake in the context of the game, as we could score let alone kick goals for the life of us and it really hurt us at the time. I think leo may be past it, but hes had a reasonable year so far imo and he wasnt the worst on the ground tonight. I do hope that he does hang up the boots at the end of the year though, he is not the great liability some would like to think, but he is a shadow of his former self- always has been since the rule changes in 06. Still been a fantastic and very good servant to the club however.

You have hit the problem on the head Liz about tonight. We had no run at all in the Midfield. For they may as well been sitting on the sideline puffing cuban cigars all night rather then playing, as they just stood there. Our midfield was completely stationary right up till the 4th quarter when we got desperate and started to play on at all costs.

Perhaps next time we play the pies it would be a good way to start the game against them. Instead of trying to play the measured game, which just does not work against them as they basically manage to create a midfield flood (Not so much in numbers but in feel as there just does not seem to be any space at all.), we should just try to play on at all costs and rip their game plan apart. For imo we showed a glimpse of it in the last quarter and it worked pretty well. That well that with straight kicking anything could of happened.
So much of the pressure I think is in our players minds when playing Collingwood rather then actual pressure. For it only takes one bloke to start running hard and another to see he is and copy and soon enough you will start creating the space you need. But we seem just terrified to do it and all it did tonight was force the defence into risky plays that did not come off.

I agree, playing on at all costs often doesn't cost much at all and results in many pluses, not only that it gets the adrenalin going in the whole team, the running backwards, negative game reduses the adrenalin and will NEVER work against the likes of the pies, they are too good in the air.

[TheMase]

One last thing, with the alleged throw from Leo - if you watch reply you will see the Magpies player actually hit (throw) the ball out from Leo. Regardless, not much he could do there. As with the other handball straight to the Magpies, that was wreckless and stupid - just like Kirk's one in the third quarter that resulted in a Magpies goal.

I saw that from level 6. Was a disgraceful decision.

[Mike_B]

I saw that from level 6. Was a disgraceful decision.

Was a correct decision IMHO. He had prior opportunity and didn't dispose of the ball correctly. Hence the holding the ball decision.

[Chow-Chicker]

From watching the game, half the team need to be shot.

[NMWBloods]

The clanger that led to the gift goal was at least as much Mattner's fault as Leo's. Mattner's only option was to rush it through for a behind. When he gave it to Leo, Leo had absolutely nowhere to go.

I watched that back a few times - he had the space and time (not much but enough) to get the ball out of there and instead tried to go on a run and burst through. Mattner should have rushed a behind but Barry should have disposed of the ball quickly instead of taking an age like usual.

[swan_song]

From watching the game, half the team need to be shot.

only half? I reckon probably 18 or 19 need to face the firing squad...

[connolly]

His disposal timespan is now way too slow for the modern game, what he could could get away with two seasons is no longer possible, the opposition must now lick their lips when he gets the pill. Yippee here's a turnover!!
Just rifle the ball out ASAP Leo, they can catch you now.
The propping and weaving looks really silly.

He has always been a one sided player. A lot of the weaving is to get onto his kicking side. Some of the fault is players downfield who must make position on his left side. Collingwood blocked his kicking side. Goodsey was really missed as a link man for the defenders clearring it out. Our midfield simply failed to provide enough movement upfield.

[Bear]

Watching the game live from an elevated vantage point, we were disgraceful at providing options upfield. Whether Leo was clear is a moot point - or Tadgh etc when they were caught - if your team mates are not running and providing options upfield, you're stuffed. The defensive pressure and running from collingwood was outstanding. You don't just slam it on the boot due to team rules - evn though that makes more sense to the average suporter.

All of our defenders were under pressure and therefore (as always) the mistakes on the last line are magnified. The stoppage on the defensive 50m line before Leo got caught in front of goals is where we actually failed and put our last line under pressure.

I'd be looking at Bevan, Moore, Buchanan, Everrit, etc first... and Hall is a disgace to the jumper.

[T-bag]

So true, we would have nobody playing next week .
The same old lines come out : Drop Leo,Monty,LRT,Bevan,J Bolton so on
Then the habitual bring back Davo line trots out.

FFS you cant retire everyone in 1 week and drop half a dozen blokes.
Sure if someone can be replaced do it.

I agree

Buchanon must be dropped. Offered nothing last night and hasn't been much better previous weeks. Culminating in last nights performance, must go!

I'm serious when I say this. I didn't even realise he was playing until about late in the third quarter when I noticed him miss an easy tackle.

Add to that, I didn't even know Melcho was playing either until very late in the game last night. But his pre form has been quite good so he should not be dropped.