R22, AFL 2010 Lions V Swans: Gameday & Autopsy

[Primmy]

Oh ORB,BBB, I have gone all sooky lala about our boy! I feel I should get all of our quotes from the RessieWatcher Reports about Sam and yell TOLD YOU! And any of you out there who wondered why I kept saying 'no not this year" you will understand why I said so from the kid's face. He still looks like a 15 yo.....with wide shoulders. (little dance, little dance). I am going to have a happy day today.

[Primmy]

I would like to point out to all the Bulldog knockers that Doggy is coming back from concussion which was bad enough for him to be sidelined for a week. Hark back to round something or other and Jude as well as O'keefe get knocked out, and they played crap for the next 3 weeks......give the bloke a break. He is a smart player, a very good decision maker usually, and he can create opportunities, that's what he does best. That is his job.

[Primmy]

And now I would like to give MikyPyke a huge wrap. Talk about a never say die attitude! Some of his rucking was beautiful to watch; now all we have to do is teach him to kick with conviction long and short. I love the fact that Macca is his minder and constantly is at his shoulder to take his handballs, but his beautiful tackle was on show "pick em up and lie them down".

Jesse did not have his best game tonight, he is not a "natural", but he is much better at the end of this season than he was at the end of last season. They will probably keep him.

[Big Al]

Vs Brisbane - matchday thread

...

[Hartijon]

A great finish to the Home and away from a team that has a nice blend of youth and experience,is switched on and well coached.Compared to what the pundits predicted for us this year,we have already over achieved and I hope we go deep into the Finals. Pyke is amazing now but Kieren Jack has all the makings of a Swans Garry Ablett.He has risen to a new level.What a fantastic prospect Reid is !

[dimelb]

Nick Smith the human glove - Todd Banfield just 5 touches and one goal. If my memory serves me correctly, Smith laid a great tackle on Proud and was unlucky not to be rewarded with a HTB free kick, the ball spilt out and Banfield kicked the goal unopposed.

Perhaps the worst non-decision of an ordinary umpiring night. You can see it again on the first half highlights on the club site. I thought the players slowed in expectation of the free and Banfield strolled away with it.
Smithy had a very good game.

[stellation]

I think you can describe that as a 'workmanlike win' (though first half was very wobbly). Tony Shaw wants to drop Jesse if Mumford comes back in. Reid has been impressive, but drop Jesse? Um, no. White just needs to play the way he did against the Hawks and Dockers, crashing packs and bringing the ball to ground for TDL! It's a tough call, though, but it least gives us a bit more flexibility if Mumford doesn't come up next week...

Shaw also said that Mattner wasn't exactly known for his courageous attack on the ball!

I thought Reid was excellent, exciting stuff for the future to have some big guys that look good. I thought he looked to be played off a flank, not as a key forward, and I'm certain that White being needed in the ruck resulted in Goodes spending the majority of the time in the forward line. Great first up effort for a youngster, but I don't see him as an exact replacement for White- I imagine the coaching staff were fairly happy with both White and Reid after that game.

[Yuri H]

I was v. worried the first half - we looked like we were slouching back into that mid-season sleepwalk. But the second half was much better for my mood. I echo others in the "how good is Jack? how much better can he keep getting??" awe. And that Reid is a nice li'l revelation - though yeah, I am feeling my age when all these new baby Swannies flick out onto the field like newborn wobbly ponies, and my first reaction is "whaaat, what are they, like 12 years old??" - then f course they justify themselves & announce their presence quite quickly (like my new favourite hyphen, Trent Dennis-Lane).

And having watched the Hawthorn/Pies game earlier, and how really drably both sides played, my faith in our finals chances improved immensely. If we play like last night's 2nd half, and like last week's game, and the others play like the Hawks & Pies did yesterday, we're going to surprise a lot of people.

Aaaaaand - as I keep repeating - how good are we gonna be next year? As morbid as I was feeling mid-season, even a grouchy surly absurdo-cynic Slav like me can't help but now have high hopes.

[Mike_B]

Wins against Demons and Tigers and we're top 4. However, maybe they were losses we had to have.

We were never in it against the Dees. If we're going to rue two losses, it will be the Tigers game and the loss to the Hawks at the G. The Tigers game we just threw away, and while we were definitely not the better team against the Hawks, we snuck ahead and had a chance to seal it but couldn't.

[Nico]

Nick Smith the human glove - Todd Banfield just 5 touches and one goal. If my memory serves me correctly, Smith laid a great tackle on Proud and was unlucky not to be rewarded with a HTB free kick, the ball spilt out and Banfield kicked the goal unopposed.

Greg Davis(Brisbane reporter) in the Melbourne small paper, put Banfield in his best!!!! He also said Rich beat O'Keefe, but didn't put him in his best, but put ROk in our best. Also gave Staker 4th BOG and Rockliffe 5th BOG. Both played okay but.....

[Nico]

I would like to point out to all the Bulldog knockers that Doggy is coming back from concussion which was bad enough for him to be sidelined for a week. Hark back to round something or other and Jude as well as O'keefe get knocked out, and they played crap for the next 3 weeks......give the bloke a break. He is a smart player, a very good decision maker usually, and he can create opportunities, that's what he does best. That is his job.

Primmy, decision making is not just where he kicks and handpasses. He hangs on to the footy too long given his lack of pace and is a late decision maker in the mould of Luke Ablett. When he gets a free or mark he is very slow moving it on. He may be tough and serviceable but he doesn't do enough for mine. On the concussion bit; if he is not right he should not be out there. IIRC Jude and ROK came back the next week.

[ShockOfHair]

A great finish to the Home and away from a team that has a nice blend of youth and experience,is switched on and well coached.Compared to what the pundits predicted for us this year,we have already over achieved and I hope we go deep into the Finals. Pyke is amazing now but Kieren Jack has all the makings of a Swans Garry Ablett.He has risen to a new level.What a fantastic prospect Reid is !

I certainly agree we have a nice combination of youngsters and oldies. I'm just not certain you agree with yourself!

I reckon Sam Reid is a bit of a Steve Johnson-style "medium forward" . HE seems to be able to play big or small.

[liz]

I reckon Sam Reid is a bit of a Steve Johnson-style "medium forward" . HE seems to be able to play big or small.

I am not sure I can see much Steve Johnson in Reid. I can't see him being that good at ground level, nor having the arsenal of kicking tricks.

He's a pretty tall young man (around the 195cm mark). He's much closer to a Nick Riewoldt-style - excellent endurance, effortless leap into a mark, and with a smooth extension of the arms to take the ball at its highest point. I'm not predicting he will become as good as Riewoldt (I'll wait until game 2 to do that) but style wise there are many similarities.

[Primmy]

That's a good word liz, Style. Agree.

How do they get that self assured at that age....I was a ball of insecurity at 19, and beyond.

[Hartijon]

I certainly agree we have a nice combination of youngsters and oldies. I'm just not certain you agree with yourself!

I reckon Sam Reid is a bit of a Steve Johnson-style "medium forward" . HE seems to be able to play big or small.

Hehehe I agree with myself! Its the voices in my head that I disagree with!!

No realistically i could not be happier with the team. 4or 5 youngsters in the team is always going to be about it .You can't expect any more than that and someone will always be a hard luck case and miss out. Our start and finish to the season were great.The middle bit I had a lot of issues with. I reckon if Mathews was still playing reserves then he would have got a game then. We just lost our way for a while as a Club and lost matches but it was all put right at the end! Yeah I agree with myself and could not be happier with the team!Cheers!