Where will the improvement come from?

[ROK Lobster]

If we keep going the way we are we are simply finals fodder. So where does, IYO, does the lift need to come from if we are to be contenders?

For me it is Malceski and Kennelly. Injuries have taken their toll on these two. If they can get their bodies right (or right enough and some needles) and find some form, that will go a long way towards some September success. However, without their drive I don't think we can drag teams down far enough to be a real threat. Who is crucial for you?

[Lohengrin]

Definitely need the return of Kennelly and Malceski to top form. We can't really threaten effectively without drive off the half back.

Need Hall to return his 05-06 form.
Or if not need Goodes and Hall to operate effectively in tandem in forward line (along with MOL).

Midfield needs to lift as it will be without Goodes. That means J Bolton needs to maintain his recent good form but against the good sides. ROK (who really plays as a midfielder) needs to overcome his tags and get more of the ball and also use it better.

C Bolton hasn't played his best in recent matches and needs to get back to that.

Everitt definitely needs to lift.

So it's mainly older guys for me really. Not sure if the younger guys can do much better at this stage.

[liz]

I can't see Malceski or Kennelly getting much fitter this year. They both look pretty sore and playing within themselves - Mal for most of the senior games since his return and again for the ressies last weekend, and Kennelly for much of the season. That doesn't mean they're not capable of being handy, and even playing the odd blinder (as Malceski did against West Coast) but it's hard to see them consistently being matchwinners for the next two months.

Likewise, and as Loherigin has said, it is unreasonable to expect the younger players to do much more, though again they're all capable of having one or two matches where they make a real difference. I think Vez, for example, is quite likely to have a game where he pops up with 4 or 5 goals, if Roos sticks with him.

If Buchanan really has spent the last month working on his fitness he could add some extra hard-nosed zip around the packs, as he did in 2005-6, but it would be foolish to assume that will happen.

The team is probably just not quite good enough this year - a combination of injuries to some important players and the young ones not having enough experience or fitness to perform yet at a sustained high level. If the miracle is going to happen it is probably going to come from lots of small improvements rather than one or two significant ones - eg

Goodes getting mobile enough to at least spend some time on the ball
Micky O coming back to fill the hole if and when Goodes is able to move further up field
Jude sustaining his form of the past month
Kirk regaining his supreme form of the season up to a month ago (he's still been good but seems to have dropped down just a notch or two in influence)
Mattner, Ted, LRT playing close to their best for the rest of the year

None of those things will be enough on their own but if they all happen we could be at least in for a fun September.

[ShockOfHair]

Hall. He's fit, running into form and rested. I can't see him reproducing 05-06 form but he can lift a notch or two and keep defenders occupied.

Mattner's been a bit down the last few weeks, and Kirk has slightly gone off the boil -- but they're both fully fit and could make the difference in the run home.

Plus Leo, if he's fit and in form. No certainty of either, but he makes a difference at the back.

[Doctor]

What exactly is LRT's best? The first half of the 05 GF springs to mind but I haven't seen it since then. Not a bad time to produce it mind you.

[Industrial Fan]

The best outcome for us this year is to play in at least two finals. Hopefully win one of them to get some experience into the youngsters.

[ScottH]

I'd like to see Jolly lift a little bit more. Seems to have dropped off in the last 2 weeks.
Jack is another, if he could recapture his first 5 rounds, or so, form, he could be just the extra bit of speed and skill we need in the middle. When he does fire up, we look so much better.

[Legs Akimbo]

I think most recognise that our 'business as usual' footy is not going to bring about a premiership this year, irrespective of how well our players play.

IMHO, the only way we are going to pull off a miracle (would be a great miracle), is through some key positional changes combined with a 'devil may care' run at all costs shift in our game.

I think Goodes to full forward is potentially one of those season defining shifts similar to his move into the ruck in 2003. Pity it came so late. So, I'd keep Goodes at FF and move Barry Hall out to become a Reiwoldt style linking half forward. This could be the best thing that happens to BBB - will free him up from three players hanging off him, allow him to use his aerobic capacity, and most importantly, free up space in our forward line for Goodes to run amok. Even better if MOL can reappear and work in tandem. I also think Vez is a significant addition and could do some serious damage. All of a sudden our forward line is looking potent again.

I would have ROK spend more time in the midfield and linking to cover for Goodes absence, and instruct him to just @@@@ing run and run and burn off his tag. He would be doing a lot of work alongside Hall. Both should be focusing on more time spend running through the corridor and less on the wing. Bird, Kirk, and B2 to continue their good work extracting.

Realistically, it is too late in the piece for Curry to make an appearance so Spida and Jolly is what we have. Nothing wrong with JOlly, but Spida is decaying fast. LRT may have to pinch hit down back.

In the back half, is where it all starts and where the problems have been of late. Hopefully additional movement from ROK and Hall across the forward line will regenerate our run by giving moving targets not the static hands on hips crap we've seen of late. Anyway, if Kennelly, Mattner and Beven can be given more of a free reign to work off their man, we may just begin to unlimber. Crouch has been setting a good example here of late. A lot depends on Teddy, Leo and LRT (as much as it pains me to say it). Against Geelong and Hawthorn with their tall marking forwards, these guys just have to stand up. Maybe we need to look at running other teams wide as they have to us by bottling up CHB line.

That's it, I am out of time and ideas!

[Captain]

Will be interesting to see how Goodes goes at Full Forward this week. He is just as likely to kick none and we will all be calling for him to play midfield.

[Plugger46]

With Goodes at FF, I reckon we're about to see the best of Barry Hall. I think if we're to improve significantly over the next few weeks, the improvement is going to have to come from these two.

Malceski, O'Loughlin and L.Barry (although I don't think he's as important as he once was) back into the side.

I don't think we can win the flag, but I haven't written off a GF appearence - provided we finish 4th. I'd love to play Hawthorn or the Bulldogs in a preliminary final.

[giant]

Good question.

I suspect the answer will be a combination of:
- a much stiffer defence - it's been noticeable that in this latest losing streak we've been bleeding goals after being so miserly at the beginning of the year. Obviously Leo back helps but we need to return to the discipline of the early rounds
- more experience in the midfield - Fossie to join Crouch and give us more experience and toughness in the clinches
- more goals! - better efficiency (we've had a terrible goal kicking record lately), more goal kickers, and perhaps a special final series from BBBH a la 2005/6 (bar that Particular Game)

Some innovation from Roos and the coaching squad and a lift from Spida to provide what we got him to do would both help as well - but in essence, I think it's likely to be a return to the old Swans lock down style perhaps with a bit of a twist on fast direct rebound corridor offensive footy.

[giant]

Will be interesting to see how Goodes goes at Full Forward this week. He is just as likely to kick none and we will all be calling for him to play midfield.

Agreed - I'm guessing the Geelong defence performs a little differently to the Dockers'.

[hammo]

Will be interesting to see how Goodes goes at Full Forward this week. He is just as likely to kick none and we will all be calling for him to play midfield.

My fear as well. He'll most likely be up against the best in the business if he goes to the goal square this week so it will be a good test for the new plan.

I generally agree with everything written here. As others such as Liz have pointed out, I get the impression a lot of our side are playing with injuries - Kennelly, Malceski, Goodes are the obvious ones. I wouldn't be surprised if Craig Bolton also has an injury.

I think confidence and belief is a huge factor with the Swans. It can't be a coincidence that when things go wrong in games (Collingwood, Adelaide) we appear to have no belief and fall in a heap. Simarly against Carlton and Fremantle, our best came when we our backs were to the wall and we tried something different, it works, and we started playing with belief again. In 2005 the side approached the finals with a sense of destiny, with enormous belief. That has been missing most of this year with the current team.

[Captain]

I think confidence and belief is a huge factor with the Swans.

It sure is.

Look at the 2006 PF for example - Dockers were in great form, but we were near certainties to beat them and we delievered.

What's changed since then considering the Dockers are much, much worse. Confidence.

[Frog]

If we keep going the way we are we are simply finals fodder. So where does, IYO, the lift need to come from if we are to be contenders?

Roos. Different gameplan, although I doubt it is going to work this late in the season. Then again, it may just surprise the other side who by now have blueprints of Roos' gameplan in their vaults.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Why do we persist in trying to get to the other side of the field via Paris? Roos has got to be confident that his players can handle the positions they are selected in. Straight down the line, goal-to-goal has got to be better than pissfarting around the wings just to get some more stats?

Oh, and Roos, I've said it before, I'll remind you again, get off the bench and back into the coaches box. You finished football playing a long time ago - No need to wear out the pine, those days are over. You cannot coach AFL from the sidelines and expect to have a full view of the chess-game that is taking place on the field.