West Coast Gameday thread

[liz]

Whatever "happy space" they put Bazza into this week - can they please keep him there all year. He was an absolute delight to watch tonight. Not just his immaculate goal kicking but his tackling and general harrassment of Eagles. And he barely rose to the jostling and baiting of the Eagles defenders.

Thought Jack had his best game for the year. Not just The Goal, but generally worked into space and I can only remember one ordinary turnover of the ball. Took a couple of very nice overhead marks too - the one he was unable to take his kick from must surely have been close to a 50m penalty given other things they were dishing 50m penalties out for tonight. He was probably released from the hard tag role he's been doing in past weeks, which explains why he was able to run to space more often. Nice to be reminded he has a lot to offer in this department as well as defensively.

Horrid game from Reg this evening, which is a real shame because his first 7 games have ranged from solid to very good. Looked lost most of the time, whether in defence or up forward, and can't remember him winning a contest all night.

Very impressed by young Kennedy. Looks like he could turn out to be a very handy key forward for the Eagles.

Finally - and this is something that I've been wondering for a few weeks now - did Ablett spend the off-season hanging out with Greg Matthews and Shane Warne?

[Bas]

Back from game tonight.

First observation, Peter Hatley needs to lose some weight or we might have our first biggest loser RWO entrant.

Back to game, the Swans were very lucky to win that. They just stopped in that last qtr as wet toast fired up. That HTB was unbelievable and he nearly didn't call the second one.

What about the interchange penalty, Roosy was on the sideline.

I din't get excited because I thought once wet toast hit the lead they would run away with the game. They nearly did if those 2 shots at goal had gone through.

Although a better effort, sadly we would have been beaten by the better teams. Well, a win is a win is a win.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Agree with the HTB non-decison. Was almost tearing my hair out, thought it would possibly cost us the game. I know the umps like to put the whistle away in the final 5 minutes, but ffs you have to pay the obvious ones like that.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Whatever "happy space" they put Bazza into this week - can they please keep him there all year. He was an absolute delight to watch tonight. Not just his immaculate goal kicking but his tackling and general harrassment of Eagles. And he barely rose to the jostling and baiting of the Eagles defenders.

You read my mind, Liz. The swagger was back and wasn't it awesome to see?!

[BSA5]

I thought Moore was really quite good tonight. Maybe it wasn't picked up on TV, but his shepherding, second and third efforts, etc, were really good, and he found a bit of the ball. He also stood up in quite a few pack situations and was able to squeeze out handballs to teammates to release them, which may have been lost in the camera work. His defensive pressure was also great, laying 5 tackles. I thought it was his best game for the year.

I really thought we were good tonight. Not fantastic, but I reckon the main reason it was close is because WC stepped up, not that we stepped down. Our ball use through the midfield was sublime at times, our defensive pressure up forward was fantastic (from Hall and Moore especially), and our backline was solid in the face of bad luck and good coaching from the opposition. Worsfold bringing in Seaby to allow Lynch to lurk up forward all game was an excellent piece of coaching that really stretched our currently limited backline. LRT going off made things even worse. Get White down there! We really need another big body in defence.

[Damien]

I really don't want to think about the ins and outs of the game. We probably should have won by more etc etc.....

WE BEAT THE SCUM WITH THE LAST GOAL OF THE GAME!!!

[Hilly]

Back from game tonight.

First observation, Peter Hatley needs to lose some weight or we might have our first biggest loser RWO entrant.

.

who cares!? at least he has a go. brilliant work from Hatley tonight. gotta get the boys goin. Our crowd can be so pathetic at times...e.g people telling me to sit down towards the end of the game...pffft bugger off....go the swannies you little beauty!!!!!!

[laughingnome]

A lot already said about Hall and how he stuck it up all the naysayers (including the Record, which suggested dumping him from your DT), but the highlight for me is that he didn't snap. Glass & co. were having a go at him very hard in the first half, trying to distract him and get a response. They got one, just not the kind they envisaged. 5 goals, running, tackling and setting up team mates and Glass was powerless to stop it. BOG.

Also good to see Bevan recover from last weeks horror. Not strong enough to win out a marking competition but some of those last ditch tackles, including the one right on the goal-line, are what got us over tonight. Tackling pressure can't be rated highly enough, and I have no doubt it contributed to a couple of howlers by the Coast's forwards late in the game.

Can we clone MOL? Please?

Jolly is a big unit. Anyone dumb enough to get close to him deserves to be floored. I'm suprised Selwood got up that quickly.

Bruce McAvaney has a new word, and Bird and Jack fit it beautifully - "delicious".

[ep2006]

Wrell,

eagles bettert thren last year

UT

we'll beat colingwood next week at home. their injuries will cost tghe,, p[i;us ui'll be at the ahgme

PETEY

[shaun..]

Wrell,

eagles bettert thren last year

UT

we'll beat colingwood next week at home. their injuries will cost tghe,, p[i;us ui'll be at the ahgme

PETEY

Might need to retype that when your sober

[Bas]

Might need to retype that when your sober

It was written in a hurry. He was being chased by a pink elephant.

By the way, that's only rumours started by people that have never seen him sober.

[connolly]

Top work Bevan - explain that one away Connolly!!

The Bevanator played a very good game as predicted. Was only beaten once. He played McKinley in close. The kid was careful not to infringe and the mark went to the forward in front as it often does. You might have collapsed into the cot after this brilliant post but perhaps a sense of fairness might cause you to acknowledge that the kid took a wonderful game saving mark at the death, going back into the pack (with courage) and took a strong overhead contested mark, when it counted. He goes back into packs in the forward channel every week. He saved the match against Freo last season. People who understand football appreciate the courage and skill of this.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Wrell,

eagles bettert thren last year

UT

we'll beat colingwood next week at home. their injuries will cost tghe,, p[i;us ui'll be at the ahgme

PETEY

Have another cold one for me, figgy!

[BigD]

i can't take too many more finishes like that. Screamed myself hoarse during the last five or so minutes.(croak, croak).

It seems to happen every time we play West Coast. I don't know what it is.

As for the game, too close for comfort. We just couldn't completely put them away. Too many times we were guilty of stuffing around with the ball too much instead of moving it on quickly which led to I don't know how many turnovers. Every time we started to build a lead we relaxed(?) and let them get back in it.

But, a wins a win and every win over the Weagles is a good win.

[floppinab]

For years I've been wondering why we setup our forward line as we do. For the first half,3/4 we were....... perhaps not dominating play but certainly winning comfortably but just couldn't breach that 3 goal break we maxed out to several times. Main reason was time and time again when going forward we are not able to spot up a good leading target, it's most often "kick it to the space on my side/rear and I'll run on to it", which occasionaly comes off but is easier to get shut down by a well organised defence. At the ground they interviewed Brett Allison at half time and pretty much said the same thing. When you watch the Cats they consistently park 3 forwards in the goal square and clear out the space in front of them, plenty to work with for a lead-up forward. I don't understand why we don't setup like that more often. Hall does some of his best work as a leadup forward, he should get the chance to do that more often.

I said to my wife at half time we are going to lose this for that reason alone and let's face it if the Eagles had converted those set shots in the last we would have. I couldn't beleive how we could just stop dead in the last q. no run, we were sitting the end the Swans were kicking and you know how well we are working when there are 10 blokes leading in 10 different directions as opposed to having everyone dead still and the back six going criss cross across half back trying to find and option (and eventually turning it over).

Thought the criticism of Shaw in this thread was a bit harsh, as always his clangers stand out but his work in the first half was fantastic.

Thought Jolly broke even .......... perhaps slightly shaded by Cox. White was terrible, failed miserable to compete/present went he went forward which was most frustrating to watch.

Bevan does his best work from half back to half forward, interested to see Roosy frustratingly motioning him to do that in the third, there's still a real mental/confidence side to his game that needs to be sorted out. You just want to see more of that delivery in the forward line to setup up Boltons goal along with the mainiacle stuff in the back 50.

Defensively we seem less organised than in previous years, giving up a lot of soft goals due to mix-ups in marking contests and the like. Be interesting to see if that improves if/when Leo comes back.