The official Swans are a @@@@@@ up bag of rabble thread....

[reigning premier]

Some interesting stats from the games before and after the break.
I know we've played some tough games since the break, but we really have leaked some points since the break.

Makes me wince just looking at that table.....

[ScottH]

Another key stat for this year, is that only 10 players have played all games this year. In previous years this has bee much higher.

We've used 36 players in total. Again more than other years.

[Robbo]

The only good thing that will come out of this year is having the chance to expose Moore, Grundy Jack and Veszpremi to finals footy.

[troyjones2525]

I'm not sure what some others think about this but while I'm intrigued about how we are recruiting all these Irish stars and Canadian rugby players and giant volleyball players from Queensland! I'm not sure if these brilliant "athlete's" are the answer to our biggest problems. What happened to recruiting kids who grew up playing the game and have developed skills and more importantly a football brain! Having a heap of athlete's sounds good in theory but you aren't going to win too many more games when you can dodge 3 players and then miss your target from 20 mtrs away or kick it out on the full! We need to draft more young footballers, not athlete's with upside and potential! Anyone else agree?

[smasher]

without wishing to get between you two...

buchanan tried hard. but continues to be a middle level skill player. hits a player once every two kicks. But that first quarter kick across the field was shocking, hid decision to pass in the first few minutes of the second half and his shot at goal in the last are once again demonstrations of his inability to pass accurately regularly

he probably delivered us three goals and delivered poorly for three.

Buccy delivered one inside 50 and had a couple of goal assists.I think his biggest problem is that he takes too long to make decisions.He gets the ball and has a good look around,giving the opposition ample time to man up.

[hammo]

I'm not sure what some others think about this but while I'm intrigued about how we are recruiting all these Irish stars and Canadian rugby players and giant volleyball players from Queensland! I'm not sure if these brilliant "athlete's" are the answer to our biggest problems. What happened to recruiting kids who grew up playing the game and have developed skills and more importantly a football brain! Having a heap of athlete's sounds good in theory but you aren't going to win too many more games when you can dodge 3 players and then miss your target from 20 mtrs away or kick it out on the full! We need to draft more young footballers, not athlete's with upside and potential! Anyone else agree?

Yes good point and the reason why LRT continues to struggle and why White will probably not cut it either. Made my views quite clear on the rugby player thread so won't revisit that one.

We need to change our whole recruiting philosophy by taking the draft seriously again to inject some class into the list, particularly for KPPs. The classiest juniors are identified early and taken in the national draft. It's rare to pick them up as rookies.

[smasher]

I don't get the "Moore is selfish" line. His stamina is an issue. His kicking for goal has been an issue this year. (I think he's inherently better around goal than he's shown us.) But selfish? For me, selfish can be dishing off a handball to a player with no chance just to avoid taking some contact. Watch Geelong play. To a man they hold onto the ball long enough to draw contact and then dish it off. True, their decision making skills and timing are perfection at the moment, but it also comes down to intent. Moore is a smart player. He knows his (relative) strengths and taking contact is one of them, whether to dish off at the right time or to break a tackle.

Was he being selfish when he kicked that great tackle busting goal at AAMI? Maybe in your eyes he was. In which case I hope he continues being selfish. I wish Buchanan had been selfish last night rather than trying to find a team mate on a short lead inside 50m.

To me, selfish is Hall's berating of team mates if they don't kick it to him. Or his giving away of cheap frees when we're in possession. I'm a Hall supporter and I don't mind his aggro at the contest, even when it does cost a free against him. But that aggro off the ball pisses me off no end. He's been in pretty good form since he returned but he speaks in the media about just playing his role, not having to be the one who kicks the goals, and then blasts youngsters, like Ves, who are trying to learn to make decisions on taking the right option if that right option isn't always him.

I agree with most of Liz's comments.IMO Moore possibly has the most natural footy smarts in the team.

[Donners]

Another key stat for this year, is that only 10 players have played all games this year. In previous years this has bee much higher.

Actually, I think you'll find it was 9 in 2005 and 10 in 2006. It was more in 2007, and we went out in the first round of the finals... Incidentally, it was just 5 in 1996.

We've used 36 players in total. Again more than other years.

Indeed. Most since 2000.

[Nico]

I'm not sure what some others think about this but while I'm intrigued about how we are recruiting all these Irish stars and Canadian rugby players and giant volleyball players from Queensland! I'm not sure if these brilliant "athlete's" are the answer to our biggest problems. What happened to recruiting kids who grew up playing the game and have developed skills and more importantly a football brain! Having a heap of athlete's sounds good in theory but you aren't going to win too many more games when you can dodge 3 players and then miss your target from 20 mtrs away or kick it out on the full! We need to draft more young footballers, not athlete's with upside and potential! Anyone else agree?

I think up until now, and it might more of a list management and exposure issue, we have managed to recruit and stay in the eight for 11 out of 12 years, so the recruiting department should be seen to have done a pretty fair job. Sure we can analyse draft picks etc adnausium and dispute this.

When Roos took over he introduced the debate on the way clubs in the USA combat the draft from a lofty position. There was a book written on going outside the square on recruiting. We appear to have followed this mantra and go along the path of gradual development with players rather than throwing them to the wolves, particularly with ruckmen.

On the optomistic side we have had a lot of injuries to our higher draft picks and you never know next season might throw up some pleasant surprises. Keep the faith on this issue at least until next season.

[albrotha]

Despite all the doom and gloom we are still in the finals and eight teams are not. With 5 interstate wins only Hawthorn won more, we won 47 quarters for the year which is the 5th highest, only 3 teams had higher average winning margins, only 3 teams had less points against for the year.

If we had won and not drawn against North Melbourne we could well have been 4th on the ladder.

Maintain the faith

[ROK Lobster]

Despite all the doom and gloom we are still in the finals and eight teams are not. With 5 interstate wins only Hawthorn won more, we won 47 quarters for the year which is the 5th highest, only 3 teams had higher average winning margins, only 3 teams had less points against for the year.

If we had won and not drawn against North Melbourne we could well have been 4th on the ladder.

Maintain the faith

As long as we don't maintain the form.

[Lohengrin]

If only we'd beaten all the teams that beat us we could well be 1st on the ladder.