Swans vs Dogs: In-game hobnob (aka the game day thread)

[Nico]

As a summary I can only say it was as disappointing as it gets. You would hope that they would at least take it up to a better team.

No forward pressure.
Played metres off their man.
Didn't get to contests, when they did didn't make or hold tackles after the first quarter.
Who was getting back into the hole at CHB, no one.
The next generation does not include Playfair, Bevan, Richards and Pyke so we must put some young players up to add speed if nothing else.
Put Smith in the guts to give it someone who wants to get near the footy.
Am I alone in saying Malceski despises the hard ball and is only an outside backman who only gets the easy give offs.
Give Rohan a go on the ball or off half back.
Lewis Jetta has really struggled in the big time the last 2 weeks. Doesn't impose himself at all on a contest and has stopped running to space.
They must bring in MOD next week for some on ball hardness.
TDL for Bevan. Strewth you recruit the guy as a mature small forward, so put him there to do the job.
The last 2 weeks we have been really poor on the pressure all over the ground. Talk about losing you mojo.
Shaw, McVeigh, Goodes, Kennedy, Hannebery and Mattner are the only players I could say had acceptable games.

[Margie]

Am I alone in saying Malceski despises the hard ball and is only an outside backman who only gets the easy give offs.

I'm with you here. I watched Malceski closely last week against Geelong and noted how he hung back or didn't tackle hard. Perhaps this is his instruction but it has been noticeable in the past two weeks.

[neilfws]

That was about what I was expecting, given we lacked a key defender, a key forward and had no ruckmen. Could have been a 10-goal slaughter given a stronger, more ruthless team. Thinking of it as a chance to watch some of the reserves - and realise why they are reserves.

I suppose they could have mixed it up a bit more - White was way better as a forward target last year, but just seems down on confidence in general wherever they put him. Pyke looked really lost and confused today - surely Currie could be no worse. Rohan had a promising start but seemed to die away. Not much else to say.

I just hope the injuries are healing fast.

[erica]

Dogs really didn't take the opportunity to put us away. Thank goodness.

[Nico]

I'm with you here. I watched Malceski closely last week against Geelong and noted how he hung back or didn't tackle hard. Perhaps this is his instruction but it has been noticeable in the past two weeks.

At least twice today he didn't go to the contest and they got goals. Stack got a goal in the 2nd Q when Mal was going to go to the contest, took a look over the shoulder at his opponent, backed off for a couple of strides, and then went the tackle too late after the player got the ball, ran into our player and allowed Stack to stroll in for an easy goal. I think he has a real issue putting his head over the ball and going the hard close in stuff. This was his trait early in his career. He just takes away from the backline accountability. It appears too, sides isolate him for this very reason and he rarely plays in front or anticipates the ball coming towards him. He is reactive on his man.

[Diamond Jim]

The big worry was that for the 2nd week we were awful around the clearances, so incredibly slow and the dogs like Geelong had so much time to easily clear. They outworked, out tackled and out run us, as per the usual.

Like I said - the midfield is DOWN - ranting over Playfair, Pyke, Bevan and Mal is irrelevant..

..the real issue is Kirk is not getting near it, Bolton needed a rest, Jack is on a learning curve the size of Everest, O'Keefe is sore, Moore didn't play, McVeigh is copping the #1 tagger , Goodes is trying to play fwd, Bevan is not getting a game, and Hannebury is still running on adrenalin from three weeks ago.

I'd like to know how many on-ballers kicked goeal this week - while playing on the ball.

[Diamond Jim]

Same argument as a couple of weeks ago really, but I can think of few tougher jobs on a footy field than playing as an undersized, makeshift ruckman. Anytime that bounce doesn't go dead straight you're screwed, and at every stoppage around the ground White would have had to use all muscle whilst Hudson/Minson can rely on girth to hold position.

Agreed - who is Roos going to play there is he doesn't use Pyke? LRT?.......Goodes? Pyke is the least of their problems.

[Melbournehammer]

Agreed - who is Roos going to play there is he doesn't use Pyke? LRT?.......Goodes? Pyke is the least of their problems.

i agree. pike is poor but it isn't our rucks that are killing us. its the midfield...

[Bas]

Roos said in the pre-match interview that Bradshaw had some knee soreness and only having a 6 day turnaround from the last game didn't help the situation.

He said he would be back next week for sure and they were not going to risk him this week.

I also can't understand why Dennis-Lane didn't play today, would have been an ideal situation. At least we would have had a running target who could kick straight.

Looking forward to catching the reserves game next week to see if there is anyone improving.

[Robbo]

Well the silly decision to include Playfair went up in flames as I expected. He is done as an AFL footballer.

Pyke won't make it IMO. We should give Currie a run next week surely.

I agree that it's time to give TDL a game. He is a quality player.

[Hartijon]

We were screwed from Thursday night with Playfair one end Turnover Ted the other,come in Bevan and play a small forward line ......where was the match up for Lake? What an easy day he had! Well we ran the Dogs into form and last week we ran Geelong into form. 2 matches where we were doormats basically .My biggest fear is we ran Teddy into some form and now the night mare will continue.The coaching was atrocious and body language of Roos was that he couldn't give a stuff. Fancy Bevan at FF being totally outmarked. I could go on but will shut up..its all been said already.

[sharp9]

the one thing I have noticed in the last 2 weeks is there are no link up players, everyone seems to be standing still. the first few games there was lots of linking up and moving quickly

Absolutely spot on

[sharp9]

What's all this crap about Pyke not contributing around the ground? In the last quarter (when presumably he was told to play normally instead of trying to not get in the way) he was actually quite good...lovely long kick to Goodes for a goal (for example) as well as few handballs on close that were very effective...and was it this week or last that he won the ball in the ruck and kicked it off his left (thanks very much) onto a chest for a goal.....sheesh....he's one of the last players you could lay into at the moment....have a look at the 100 game players who cost goals!!!! Shaw was a disgrace, Kennelly had a good game but coughed up a goal....LRT..."here have a goal Barry" .....disposal from Kennedy was dreadful on occasion (especially by hand funnily enough - but I really his liked his game overall)....Richards should have been de-listed last year....Playfair was worse than Barlow, it is difficult to believe that a footballer can take that amount time to decide to do nothing with the football...one nice mark on the wing.

We are just really, really average and selection was wrong....plus umpires cost us 3-5 goals in the first half when the game was in the balance....could seriously have made a difference.

[Bas]

Lay off Pyke, there were many alot worse than him and he has only played 10 games or so.

Look for all of you crying in your beverages tonight, be thankful you're not supporting the Crows!

[hot potato]

It was a spectacle......... out on the harbour.
Blissfully unaware.........

hp