Game Thread Swans Vs Hawks

[DST]

Lack of system shows up in the stats:

Hawks 195 kicks, 88 handballs, 283 disposals (69% kicks), 117 contested disposals

Swans 180 kicks, 147 handballs, 327 disposals (55% kicks), 110 contested disposals

Swans ran around in circles handballing to each other.

I agree to a certain extent on the above, but evidence suggests that handball from the back through the midfield is the best way to break down Hawthorn's zonal defence.

We tried it today and were not clean enough to take advantage, like the Kanga's did a couple of weeks ago or the Dogs before in Tassie.

DST

[DST]

Just been watching Tigers v weagles. Nathan Brown doesnt chase but still very handy. I am not convinced that is why ND isnt playing. MUst be some other reason. Good half forwards are not paid to chase much. Kick goals is their job. Most threads seem to know what needs to be done but I am not sure the coaching panel do.

You know what the difference is?

Yes Nathan Brown doesn't chase, but when the ball is in his area he will move to the contest and once there get involved to win the ball.

Davis on the otherhand is too happy to trot over stand to the side of the contest and call for the ball.

Go back to the 2005 SF, what made Davis a great player in that quarter is that got to the contest and then wanted the ball.

Until he rediscovers this type of attribue he won't play senior football.

I hope he does, becuase we are a far better side with him in it doing what he should be doing.

DST

[NMWBloods]

Those stats are possibly misleading as I would suggest that most of our handball had little purpose or direction and our kicking lacked penetration.

[NMWBloods]

You know what the difference is?

Yes Nathan Brown doesn't chase, but when the ball is in his area he will move to the contest and once there get involved to win the ball.

Davis on the otherhand is too happy to trot over stand to the side of the contest and call for the ball.

Go back to the 2005 SF, what made Davis a great player in that quarter is that got to the contest and then wanted the ball.

Until he rediscovers this type of attribue he won't play senior football.

I hope he does, becuase we are a far better side with him in it doing what he should be doing.

DST

This is based on three games this year. Last year he made contests. In 2006 he made contests and tackled, but was still dropped. He was the only one not to get premiership credits.

[hot potato]

Hawks were awesome for most of the game, outran them all over the ground, fierce tackling, really came to unsettle Sydney and succeeded. Buddy kicked 4 goals and 7 behinds woth three OOBOTF, if he could kick straight....
From the two finalists of 05 and 06, Swans are fourth and Eagles are 16th, so Roosey hasn't done a bad job with this list up to now.
as to how many remaining games can be won..., is anyone's guess.

[DST]

This is based on three games this year. Last year he made contests. In 2006 he made contests and tackled, but was still dropped. He was the only one not to get premiership credits.

I agree Davis is marked harder, but only because he can do what no one else (except maybe Goodes) can do in our squad.

Classic case of how Davis should be playing is Paul Medhurst. Watch him at present, constantly moving, hitting contests to win the football and therefore playing great football.

It's not rocket sceince for Davis, get on your bike and fight for the football when it comes your way.

DST

[DST]

Those stats are possibly misleading as I would suggest that most of our handball had little purpose or direction and our kicking lacked penetration.

That's the point, if those handballs had been clean, purposeful and lead to penetration then I would suggest that ratio of kicks to handballs would have won us the game.

DST

[Nico]

That was nothing short of disappointing.

Positives:

Clearly Bevan's best game. He showed a lot of run and ticker and but for that errant kick after 3 bounces in the last Q, I thought he showed leadership qualities in the way he worked so hard and ran into the forward line when nothing else was working. I think it is time they used him at centre bounces to at least give someone who is prepared to go for the footy.
Jolly: played well as usual.
Bird: One of a few who were prepared to make any space. Disposal was pretty good. Was played on the wing and I reckon had a high % of game time. Next year must be groomed as our premier midfielder.
Kirk, Mattner, Playfair, MOL, C Bolton were good.
Goodes: played a pretty good game. Worked hard.
Kennelly: contrary to other opinion I thought he tried his guts out to get some run going. Trouble is he had a couple of terrible fumbles and for whatever reason held onto the footy too long and got himself into trouble, a when a first option would have been better.
Moore: bit harsh on him some people. He has been pidgeon holed in a forward pocket. When he went onto the ball in the last Q he finally got his hands on the footy. My goodness he must be a better bet than Ablett, given his better leg speed and disposal.

Negatives: and there were plenty.
Richards was brave a couple of times but was on a sabatical for mine.
Leo, the brain doesn't work as fast as it did. Found way off his man too often
McVeigh: terrible. My take on his dropped form is that he has grown a beard over the past few weeks. Shave it off son and look like a footballer.
Jack: tried hard but disposal selections were ordinary. Must say though he took on some big guys in tackles.
J Bolton: scrappy and non penetrating. Was good today at being 2nd Swans player on a pack to keep up the "hard nut" appearance.
Ablett: very, very untidy footballer.
LRT: A genuine worry.
Everitt: It was embarassing, although he got some centre square taps but the Hawks took them away.
Buchanan: kicked a couple of goals but he has lost all his hardness. He has gone from eating a contest to avoiding them. Something very wrong there. Appears to not be able to run and doesn't chase.
ROK: Why is he wasted on the HHF when we needed some grunt in the midfield? One of his worst games.
Far too much over possession which resulted in terrible fumbles.

Now the big one; my hobby horse the centre bounce.
Ablett and Bolton played 2 metres behind their man. When there was a spill clear of the pack they were left flat footed. We gave away at least 3 frees for in the back because we were second to it. You can't blame the backline when we loose at least 80% on centre clearances. We were woeful. Conversely we give our forwards no chance of getting the drop on their man with a quick clearance. When we did we had them guessing. The first bounce of the last Q should have been a goal to Kirk, shocking miss.

We must get clearance people in there no stoppers. It seems to be a plan that is failing miserably. We should immediately put Bevan, yes Bevan,Bird and Moore into these contests. They have much quicker reflexes and hands and have a brain. This is the area Bevo has really improved in and right now is wasted down back as a stopper.

[Nico]

An example of where we have dropped off in our intensity or desire was when on the Southern Stand wing it was 3 onto 1 in our favour. Our 3 blokes looked at each other, one went for it and fumbled but the other 2, one of which was Ablett just spectated and refused to shepherd. The result, the Hawthorn player won the contest, the ball spilled free, a gather by Hawthorn, pass and goal on the run.

It was just really weak stuff.

[NMWBloods]

That's the point, if those handballs had been clean, purposeful and lead to penetration then I would suggest that ratio of kicks to handballs would have won us the game.

DST

Yes - my impression from watching the 'Dogs v. Hawks (I didn't see NM v. Hawks) was that the 'Dogs beat them through clever and effective foot passing. The handballing seemed to be so fluid that I didn't even notice how often they did it. Our handballing was clueless and far too often the players didn't want to kick it.

[NMWBloods]

I agree Davis is marked harder, but only because he can do what no one else (except maybe Goodes) can do in our squad.

You shouldn't mark players on their potential but on what they deliver.

[hot potato]

Pretty thorough analysis Nico, it amazes me how long many Swans players believe they have to dispose of the footy before being tackled, if their name is not Gary Ablett J. they don't even rotate their head to see what's comin. P oor coaching there somewhere.

[Nico]

Pretty thorough analysis Nico, it amazes me how long many Swans players believe they have to dispose of the footy before being tackled, if their name is not Gary Ablett J. they don't even rotate their head to see what's comin. P oor coaching there somewhere.

Buchanan and Jack had no awareness.

[Legs Akimbo]

Buchanan and Jack had no awareness.

That's something I was sort of getting at earlier. We lacked awareness. It is such an intangible, but for the first half, it seemed that there was no linking, no sheparding, no effective running in support with one-two combination type plays. Wasn't just these two. Was happeneing all over the ground.

Maybe they are not talking enough out on the field or have gone into 'me' mode - not setting up plays or protecting ball carriers, blocking.

[Nico]

That's something I was sort of getting at earlier. We lacked awareness. It is such an intangible, but for the first half, it seemed that there was no linking, no sheparding, no effective running in support with one-two combination type plays. Wasn't just these two. Was happeneing all over the ground.

Maybe they are not talking enough out on the field or have gone into 'me' mode - not setting up plays or protecting ball carriers, blocking.

In the 3rd Q we started to do the hard running, but our problem is the hard running lately is done by too few and frankly we were really shown up for pace today.

There was times when a few players made space but they for whatever eason ignored them.

Try this one: Last Q, Goodes has it at half back, 3 players break to the Southern Stand wing/HBF for a 3 on 1 contest, and there were 3 alone up the centre. What does Goodes do, goes to the opposite side to a 2 on one contest for a turnover and I think a goal.

On today we are short a quality ruckman, have a deficient midfield, lack kicking penetration and forward line pressure and we missed the combo off half back with Malceski out. With Barry Hall developing "bats in the belfry" we also now lack a genuine key forward to take the pressure off MOL.