Post Game Analysis against Cats / reality check

[wolftone57]

Yes I'm in agreement with everyone on here that we a going to kill Mummy by seasons end if he has to keep playing the number of minutes he has so far, and all those minutes in a crash and bash style.

Reports on Pyke seem to indicate that he has improved his game awareness to the stage where he should now be considered in place of either White or maybe Reid who is only just 19 so he needs to be carefully managed for his long term well being.

Pykes actual ruck work is really of a very high AFL standard so we would actually gain when Mummy comes off the ball compared to losing when White goes on ball. So get Pyke into the team and give Mummy more bench time and try Pyke rotating up forward for a few games, he takes a good grab, has pace and by your reports his kicking is much improved. I know we traded Seaby in but Pyke has moved past him.

On other selection matters,
I despair that Meredith is not going to make the grade, maybe bite the bullet and have a look at Parker next time we need a genuine midfield replacement.
TDL doesn't sound ready
Moore will be rushed into the seniors but for all his positives, I still worry about being exposed for lack of pace at senior level.
Not a good night to judge but is the Johnson experiment over for now?

Pykie kicked 4 in the resies. Meredith was ok in the resies (last half). I think Reid is worth persevering with. Our game plan of taking the ball down the sides & playing on from the kick out & kicking to a pack is not. I said dispatches before that specialist forwards complete a team & if we had a smart experienced forward we would never have been left with no players past their 50 metre arc. Moorey played pretty well in the half of the resies I saw. Lewis J & Chris McKaigue played pretty well. I agree Mummy can't be asked to do this week in week out. Jesse needs to go back to the two's. I think Shaw either needs to pick up on his delivery or have a run in the dew as well (his effective disposal count would have been below 50%). Everitt stuffs up too much for a half back. Our blokes were out bodied & out skilled. We need a new game plan that includes hitting our own players with passes not the opposition. I thought Bevo played well & put his body on the line. I don't know who was on Taylor in the last but he was always on his own at the kick ins & when they attacked from out of defence. We were very sloppy in the wet mainly because we haven't had too many opportunities to train in the rain, the Cats had as it has been raining in Melbourne for the last fortnight. Their bigger bodies told as well but our coaching staff did nothing to combat this as the Bombers coaches did when confronted with the same situation. The umpires in the first half were whistling the play quickly if a pack developed but they changed in the second half to the old system of letting the play go (2 did 1 played the new interpretation) which suited the Cats (bigger bodies they bullocked the ball out). Our guys were too loose & we had no forward set up. You can't win games with no players in your forward 50 to kick goals. We were also smashed around the packs & we let them set up at centre bounces the way they have for the past 6 years with no impedance. Ottens will tap the ball to the defensive side where 2 out of three centre square Cats are set up, the runners come from the sides to take no matter which way they come out. Not rocket science as they have been doing it for so long. Te Pies, Saints & Hawks block them we needed to do the same.

[GoRhino]

We were beaten by a seasoned, hard bodied, experienced side. The Swans made too many clangers, where they really counted. However, we were only beaten because we wasted opportunities. The Match Committee didn't assist with the game structure in the third quarter. You can't kick goals with the ball coming down field and three opposition defenders ahead of the ball and no Swans forwards. Everitt made not only the one miskick, he has a problem. He has to be replaced hopefully by Kennelly and this should add some reliability and run coming out of defence. Jetta looks lost at the moment and I suspect he is not being allowed to play his natural game. A big mistake if that's the case. On the bright side there's good depth in the Ressies and the Match Committee has some options including relief for No 41. Hopefully they will review the game plan.

[Go Swannies]

Just a note apropos nothing. That was a really hard game last night and I bet the Cats wake up this morning knowing they have played. Because it was such a scrap for the whole match there was little finesse but just grunt everywhere. Quite a bit of it was played right in front of us and it was awesome to see how much harder it was at each contest than when there's a dry ball and cleaner possession. I can only remember three other Sydney games played in such miserable conditions in the past decade so it's not like it was familiar territory for the kids out there tonight.

[dimelb]

... Jetta looks lost at the moment and I suspect he is not being allowed to play his natural game. A big mistake if that's the case. ...

I wondered about this, but it wasn't a night for his brand of run and bounce/carry. It looks as if the club wants to give him some experience on the ball, and provided they don't overdo it I think that's a good idea. But as I said above, i would have subbed him off in a straight swap with Rohan.

[Primmy]

Haven't had time to read all the posts, but Am I the only one to think that Mumms was monstered at least 5 times?

He was on the receiving end of being buried in the mud at least 5 times by 3 plus cats with head high contact. Why! How did they get away with it? Poor umping I would say but I didn't think the cats were dirty players, but I was wrong.

We had 4 kids who were born in 1991 on the ground. Experience is the issue. It will get better. No flag this year, but I can see good cohesiveness as a group (I am not counting the 4th). Its there, we need Bulldog back to steer the ship (yep, I do believe in his ability to read play way ahead of the action) and Pyke to work with Mumms; they are both capable of playing up forward very well indeed, it could be a major tag team if the PTB are game enough to try.

[GoRhino]

I wondered about this, but it wasn't a night for his brand of run and bounce/carry. It looks as if the club wants to give him some experience on the ball, and provided they don't overdo it I think that's a good idea. But as I said above, i would have subbed him off in a straight swap with Rohan.

I'm not sure they will persist. although it may have been worth a try. He is too light framed for the clinches and maybe an outside midfielder at best. I think it may have been a toss up between Jetta and Everitt for the sub's seat but Everitt's body language wasn't good prior to the move.

[Go Swannies]

Haven't had time to read all the posts, but Am I the only one to think that Mumms was monstered at least 5 times?

He was on the receiving end of being buried in the mud at least 5 times by 3 plus cats with head high contact. Why! How did they get away with it? Poor umping I would say but I didn't think the cats were dirty players, but I was wrong.

We had 4 kids who were born in 1991 on the ground. Experience is the issue. It will get better. No flag this year, but I can see good cohesiveness as a group (I am not counting the 4th). Its there, we need Bulldog back to steer the ship (yep, I do believe in his ability to read play way ahead of the action) and Pyke to work with Mumms; they are both capable of playing up forward very well indeed, it could be a major tag team if the PTB are game enough to try.

Swans on Facebook:

John Longmire is not making excuses but has just pointed out on Ch 9 Footy show that last night we had 11 players who have played less than 50 games, including Kennedy, Mumford, Jetta, Reid, Johnson, Rohan, etc. Says it was a great learning experience for them. Makes the future look bright too

[wolftone57]

I'm not sure they will persist. although it may have been worth a try. He is too light framed for the clinches and maybe an outside midfielder at best. I think it may have been a toss up between Jetta and Everitt for the sub's seat but Everitt's body language wasn't good prior to the move.

I agree Everitt was looking decidedly lost out there. I think Jetta is a natural winger & that is where he played all his junior footy. If you have a bloke who is faster than a puma why not use him as an outrider to run the ball. The conditions didn't suit most of our lot as we have changed our style due to a lot of younger players but I think a few of our blokes were misused last night. At one stage someone here said bang it up the guts & I agree don't go the flanks in the wet you'll get murdered as it is such a long way home with a slippery ball. Leave a few forward options in the forward line so many times we had no-one there or Ryano or Benny trying to battle 3 cats, WHY? We are a team in redevelopment & I know we all have our favourites but sometimes we have to be sensible & just let go of our prejudices for the good of the team. Change is hard & we all feel it if our fav player is looking like getting the chop or we don't admit it when he needs to. I love Ryano but sometimes I wonder where he goes in the big ones although he does get a lot of treatment against the cats.

[top40]

Swans on Facebook:

John Longmire is not making excuses but has just pointed out on Ch 9 Footy show that last night we had 11 players who have played less than 50 games, including Kennedy, Mumford, Jetta, Reid, Johnson, Rohan, etc. Says it was a great learning experience for them. Makes the future look bright too

And the Swans lost in very difficult climatic conditions to a team with 12 All Australian players by four goals. Stay positive Sydney supporters, it will not be long until they are near the top.

[BRISWAN]

Me thinks you have Rose Coloured Glasses...........but good on you anyway

[Nondo]

You need to hit your straps in August / September, not April. 10 premiership points and a loss to the Cats is a great return, especially with so many young players getting exposure.

[Peace]

skill errors. we can only get better.

[Go Swannies]

The reality is that if we don't improve our skills then we haven't much hope as a team. But we've known that since R1 and we have seen each of our players display better skills in the past so all is not lost.
Reality 2 is that we have two wins, a draw and just a loss against the dominant team of the past few years. That's not a bad return.
Reality 3 is that we invariably make slow starts - I think it's because we are so far from the main AFL states. This year we haven't.
Reality 4 is that we have a good mix of young and experienced players on the ground at present, with a lot more talent and experience about to return from injury. And a lot of talent being shown in the reserves.
Reality 5 is that we are a sixth of the way through the 2011 season. The future is wide open and we are in the mix. All the signs are a lot better than they were in, say 2005.

I don't think this is a rose-coloured view of the world at all.
Can we win the Premiership this year? Maybe.
Will we? Probably not.
Will we win a Premiership with this group of players (less a few retirees) and coaches? Probably.

[Primmy]

And the Swans lost in very difficult climatic conditions to a team with 12 All Australian players by four goals. Stay positive Sydney supporters, it will not be long until they are near the top.

Oh. Well then. You are messing up our indignation with common sense and a greater grasp of the magnitude of the task than even I, Aunty Primmy, has.

Now what can I whinge about.

[rojo]

My biggest disappointment with this game was the last quarter, for the reasons that have been stated in other posts, but I will add my bit anyway! To be sure the Cats had played better football in most areas in the 2nd and 3rd quarters but there was a time in the last quarter when we were only 7 points behind. Maybe it was the fatigue factor, not only of the players, but the directing from the coaches box was equally bewildering. It seems that there was no confidence that the game was still there to be won - they were only 7 points down!! Possibly the continual skill stuff ups and kicking to the opposition or packs, no forwards in the forward line etc. had already eroded that important belief in each other. For the most part they were still fighting valiantly but with no footy smarts and were just outplayed. Still, I am am not too despondent. It was a tough night.

Yes, please bring Mike Pyke in, also play Jets and Rohan in one position until they 'star' there before they are moved around. Surely that is in the long term interests of the team, if not the short term. What about Hanners, who must be one frustrated young footballer at the moment upset that he not 'starring'. Looks like this year is going to be one of consolidation for him.

Does anyone else think that we are on the edge of playing too many small players? As good and as vital as they are (the ones we have) is our team at a disadvantage size wise - Jack, McGlynn, Moore, Bird as well as several others who are under 182cm? We have some good young talls now (above 190cm) for balance but the middle tier is a bit sparse. Looking ahead, we need another Kennedy-size midfielder or two for when Goodes and ROK hang up their boots.