Who Agrees Swans Year is Finished

[BloodsInMyVeins]

Who agrees with me the Swannies 08 year is Finished.

If the Swannies where on track to challenge in this years Finals, i would've thought they might have lost to Geelong by a couple of Points, if they where to lose at all.

They simply can't cut it with the Big Boys that's for sure.

And i have supported the Swans since 1967.& Ive never thought this before.

Whats your thoughts?

[hammo]

We will be playing off for 8th spot with the Lions in two weeks' time.

[swantastic]

Take it easy its not over till the fat lady sings.
We will beat Collingwood and Brisbane and make it back into 4th spot.

[BloodsInMyVeins]

Take it easy its not over till the fat lady sings.
We will beat Collingwood and Brisbane and make it back into 4th spot.

Honestly, whats the Point of finishing fourth if you cant beat the three teams above us.

[NMWBloods]

I had been pretty confident of defeating Collingwood, but over the past few weeks the teams have been going in opposite directions and we look less likely now and Brisbane will be tough (although they struggle away from the Gabba). Unfortunately there is a chance we will meet Collingwood again first-up in finals (or Adelaide)!

[swantastic]

Honestly, whats the Point of finishing fourth if you cant beat the three teams above us.

Finals are a different story all together thats why.

[Bas]

Just got back from the game and well it was very sad.

Everybody around me and including my lot were saying that the Swans were done this year.

Doesn't matter the finish in finals. If we scrapped thru to 4th by a miracle, we would be out week 2.

I like Bucky's effort tonight.

LRT and Ablett need to go. So too Grundy and Spider.

When did Goodes play at FF? Hopeless Roos strategy again.

We should trade for better plays this next draft. With the likes of Orreal, Murphy and Pyke on the way, we should take advantage of this years draft.

[cruiser]

Honestly, whats the Point of finishing fourth if you cant beat the three teams above us.

For most of this season my hope for Sydney come finals time is to play and win a home final. Whether we do that from 4th, 5th or 6th doesnt matter. If we win anything else I will consider it a bonus. Geelong will win the premiership. I almost pity the team who plays them in the GF - look at the psychologocal effect last years GF has had on Port.

[Leeroy]

I've just writ a lengthy comment about these matters - see 'The Messiah Complex' post. We're not gonna win a flag this year, and that is the sole point of playing. It's time to re-evaluate everything.

I was at the game tonight with Dad and Ben; Ben was hoping for a thrashing, just to wake the coaching group up to themselves. I got to agree with him.

[BSA5]

Just got back from the game and well it was very sad.

Everybody around me and including my lot were saying that the Swans were done this year.

Doesn't matter the finish in finals. If we scrapped thru to 4th by a miracle, we would be out week 2.

I like Bucky's effort tonight.

LRT and Ablett need to go. So too Grundy and Spider.

When did Goodes play at FF? Hopeless Roos strategy again.

We should trade for better plays this next draft. With the likes of Orreal, Murphy and Pyke on the way, we should take advantage of this years draft.

LRT and Grundy were fine. And what was that about Goodes? Goodes spent the entire game at FF/CHF, if that's what you were asking, and I can't see why it was hopeless strategy.

[cruiser]

We're not gonna win a flag this year, and that is the sole point of playing.

I think that's so wrong although understandable when your team has recently won a premiership. Think back pre 1996 and how important it was just to play in the finals and win at least one.

[SimonH]

I've just writ a lengthy comment about these matters - see 'The Messiah Complex' post. We're not gonna win a flag this year, and that is the sole point of playing. It's time to re-evaluate everything.

I was at the game tonight with Dad and Ben; Ben was hoping for a thrashing, just to wake the coaching group up to themselves. I got to agree with him.

Sorry, but in my opinion you're approaching the issue from completely the wrong end.

The Swans of 2004-mid 2008 would have, in the most part, tried to shut the game down, minimise the damage, and at worst not lose by more than 5 goals. This side took on the best in the league, went toe to toe with them, and copped on the chin a 39 point loss because the best in the league is 39 points better than us. The difference between this loss and, say, the Adelaide game, clearly indicates to me that he coaching staff have already 'woken up to themselves' as you put it; and if you can't see that difference, then I don't know what game you were watching.

As regards the bolded part of your post: is it time for the Hawks and Bulldogs, if they fail to win the flag, to "re-evaluate everything"? Answer: no, because (it is widely presumed) they're on the way up rather than the way down. My point is that if Sydney win up finishing top 4 this year after finals (which essentially boils down to us beating Collingwood) then there is good reason to think that we're on the way up, and not the way down, as well. We're a side that introduced Bird, White, Smith, O'Dwyer, Brabazon and Veszpremi to league footy, put substantial additional game-time into Grundy and Jack, and had McVeigh, Bevan and Moore enjoy breakthrough years. Plus watchers of the 2nds tell us that there is real reason to expect that Currie and Columbo will be keepers.

I can't guarantee that we won't crash horribly and finish last next year; any more than you can guarantee we won't make the GF. But I can say the medium-term signs are now starting to look good, in that we're no longer playing like an ageing side hanging on to past glories.

[Goal Sneak]

Honestly, whats the Point of finishing fourth if you cant beat the three teams above us.

So we (and any other team besides Geelong) should forfeit all matches for the rest of the season? Our aim this year has to be to play as many finals as we can. Finals experience for our younger players will help them realise the level that they have to get to for the future.

We can beat Geelong and any other team in this comp, even if it would be unlikely. We have to at least try. We have to make sure that if the opposition is going to knock us off, they have to earn it. That's all you can ask of your team.

[cruiser]

We could actually miss out on the finals this year, finishing 9th. This would happen if we lose our remaining two games and North (win 2/3), St Kilda, Collingwood (who we play) and Brisbane (who we play) win all of theirs.

[mcs]

we wont win the flag this year, but neither will in 99.9999% of all possibilities 14 other teams have a chance of winning it either.

Its been obvious for most of the year (Even through the good patch of form in the middle of the year) that we were going to struggle against the best teams in the comp. But I think 2008 cant be written off as a failure unless we dont make the finals. If we can sneak a home final and hopefully a win in the finals then fantastic, we have gotten further then last year. If we make the finals and crash out first week, I still think its been a good year.

I'd love to win a flag this year, like everyone else but I think you have to look at the overall picture. We were never likely with a very similar list to last year to challenge this year, and injuries/other incidents really made the nigh impossible impossible. But we have managed to find some very good young talent that should serve us well (Jack, Moore, Ves, Bird) and we hopefully have more to come next year. We traded well imo to get Mattner who has been good for us. The challenges will continue as no doubt some of our older players are on their way out, but imo we could be in a position that we may bottom out not by finishing in the last few but by falling to the edge of the eight only. And if that's the case Ill be absolutely stoked.

We have serious issues to deal with- ie a key position player at either end of the ground especially up forward, getting one of our young ruckman to come in and be good enough, replacing as I said our old stagers that will exit sooner rather then latter and to change our gameplan so to make it a competitive one again (Which funnily enough the games against the Dogs and tonight I think have shown we have started to do), but overall I think there has been more then enough good signs from this year so far (And lets hope the last few weeks show a few more) to say that while there is short term struggle on the radar, there is beginning to develop a very good medium-long term picture on the horizon.