Swans vs Carlton Game thread.

[mcs]

Just got back to Canberra after a very disappointing finish to a good weekend in Melbourne. Really ordinary performance today, but I guess not unexpected as we are a long way before the current top 4 teams.

The first 10 minutes looked really good but once Carlton started running they simply worked harder than us, moved the ball cleaner and quicker and tore us apart at will.
Our midfield continues to be pedestrian and we lack some genuine speed in there to really help us against teams with leg speed. Add in a half fit Mummy and we were always going to struggle.

And that's without considering our useless forward line setup. We have no strategy about how to get the ball into the forward line, who is trying to play where or anything. Half the time its pokey little kicks into the F50 like we did so well in 05/06 but now we can't hit a target for the life of us and the other half its either bombing it long to noone in particular or to poor old Benny Mcglynn who seems to have 2 defenders on him an awful lot of the time for a little guy.

We have no discernable forward setup, no strategy about how we are trying to play, and then our skills kicking and handballing in general play, and kicking for goal continue to be absolutely woeful (though overall the stats today look ok, that first quarter killed us as we genuinely were on top enough to lead by 5 or 6 goals). The stats tell the story- we had more forward 50 entries than Carlton but lost by 6 goals, and it could of easily been 10+ goals if Carlton didn't put the cue in the rack in the final quarter.

We never lack for effort, and you could never accuse our team of not really giving it a red hot go, but until we learn the simple things well- i.e. handball the ball cleanly to teamates in space, not under copious amounts of pressure, kick to the leading player so he can take it either on his chest or just above his heads. It is the basics that are killing us and that seperate us from the best teams.

I'm not convinced our gameplan works anymore, but after watching Nth Melbourne vs Essendon and St Kilda vs Geelong as well, it is clear what makes Geelong (and Collingwood and Hawthorn/Carlton to some degree) an infinitely better then then any of the other three and us as well. They are so calm under pressure and clean in possession. I've never laughed so much as I did at the North vs Essendon game, the skills on display were absolutely woeful (but it did make for a good game!). If you can't execute the basics you can't win football games.

One other thing that is really bugging me at the moment is that it seems almost our whole team is playing their man from behind. I know Carlton have a lot of leg speed etc which may have made it worse, but so often today our players were metres behind their opponents and it cost us badly several times. Get in front sometimes boys- even if footy has moved back a bit towards the bomb it long and hope approach, more often than not, being in front gives you the best chance of marking the ball or spoiling it if defending.

The one standout bad performance for me today was the poor old Irishman! He still tries hard and does some good things, but he is making a habit of turning the ball over several times a game in dangerous places and it really is beginning to hurt us badly. I wish I wasn't about to type this, but I'm not sure that we should offer him another contract. Without the couple of yards of pace he has lost over the last few years, he looks an average footballer at best, not the dynamic player he once was.


There are very few positives for me out of today. I thought Bird did a good job on ThrowballJudd (he is brilliant at making a throw look like a handball!), AJ is a fine player in the making and did really well today. Nick Smith had another fine day at the office, even under immense pressure. Kennedy/O'Keefe/Hanners tried really hard in a badly beaten midfield and Goodes I thought worked really hard in the 2nd quarter especially to try and drag us back into the game.

I think we can safely say that without some miracle overnight cure bought at 2am by Longmire on some random shopping channel, we ain't got a hope of seriously challenging any of the top 4 sides this year.

Good crowd today, but the Carlton bandwagoners are beginning to come out of the woodwork after a reasonably long hibernation. They are feral fans however- not quite on the Collingwood level but only a notch or so above! Did anyone else not particulary like what was on their banner today?

Rant Over!

[Young Blood]

There were plenty of positives today - Johnson, Smith, Shaw, Mattner, Reid, Bird. As usual the backline held up pretty well. Our first half was solid but we wasted our opportunities up forward, and gave up goals through some awful errors. Then came the 3rd quarter when we couldn't win the ball in the midfield at all. Weight of opportunity and more errors led to a bluebath. We showed good spirit to fight back and dominate the last quarter, but it seemed Carlton had switched off.

From my seat Seaby struggled to compete in the ruck today. We were belted out of the middle when he was there. Mumford, while very rusty around the ground, did much better in the centre square.

The decision to play the extra tall backfired on two counts. We were exposed for run and pace, and we went in without a genuine full forward. Jesse White should be in the side. So should TDL or Bevan as a small forward.

McGlynn is having his first quiet period for the club. I thought he lacked intensity today - most unusual for him. Is he carrying an injury?

Horse's dilemma remains that Goodes is our most potent forward, but Goodes the midfielder is twice the player that Goodes the forward is. I think he would kick almost as many goals as a midfielder drifting forward as he does as a key forward who dabbles in the midfield.

Without Goodes and Jack for most of the game, our midfield was too slow. Kennedy, Bolton, ROK and Bird are terrific winners of the contested ball and tackling machines, but they're not quick and their skills aren't great.

All in all, we're a full forward and a polished midfielder short of being a genuine contender. Not much really...

[Dosser]

I think half of our inside 50s was Carlton kicking backwards!
I HATE sitting among so many Carlton supporters at the ground and hearing them laugh at our inept skills time and time again.

[mcs]

All in all, we're a full forward and a polished midfielder short of being a genuine contender. Not much really...

We might be personnel wise only a few players short, but we are a long way off being a genuine contender in terms of effective ball usage and basic footy skills. I'm in a pessimistic mood tonight, but I don't think we are any closer to being a contender than last year.

[Cheer_Cheer]

todays game reminded me about an old late show sketch that no one will know what im talking about but it was mick molloy and tony martin with the phrase, "whats all that about"

After today, I think we should be "@@@@scared" about next week :-)

[SydAFLFan]

We did not lose because Mumford & Seaby played together, nor did we lose because Jetta only played a quarter & a half of footy. It was not because we had too many talls or that we were not fast enough. We matched Carlton for much of the game except in one key area. Goal scoring. We let them score easy goals, whether it was Mumford dropping a sitter or Kennelly kicking poorly and/or getting tackled with possession, we gave away possession within our defensive 50 far too easily instead of clearing the ball. Plus, and I am not blaming the umps for the loss, our mistakes combined with the free kick count of 24 to 11 really helped the Blues release the pressure in their defence. Apart from the 50 metre free that placed them right in front of goal, they did not get frees in front of goals but in defence (our forwards) which gave them possession and removed the Swans scoring threat, giving them time to regain composure.

Goodes, Mumford and Malceski should have scored some easy goals but two kicked out of bounds and one was a behind. Combined with the goals we should have kicked, such as when we played on in the forwards instead of having a shot or when Reid kicked a behind rather than kick to Bolton, and Sydney hands the Blues a win in an otherwise tight game, far FAR too easily.

It's one of those really frustrating games where everything seems to go wrong and the ball just bounces perfectly into Carlton's lap. I don't think Carlton were that much better or at least not as much as the score led most to believe they were. Judd was not "outstanding" despite what the commentary team think. Seaby was good floating in defence but I agree that our forward line needs sorting out. TDL, White & Johnston should be brought into the side and stuck with but instead we bring in more defenders and hope they do the job up forward. It works for a week or two but then we are caught short.

Smith, Johnson, Bird, Hannebery, Richards & Goodes had great games and I will be frustrated if Seaby is dropped, blamed for this weeks loss.

[Panttz]

McGlynn is having his first quiet period for the club. I thought he lacked intensity today - most unusual for him. Is he carrying an injury?

Just lacking quality supply really. He had that one good opportunity from Goodes out of the centre clearance and thats about it.

At about 20 minutes into the 2nd Quarter the channel 7 commentary team was already saying it was game over. Very sick of Channel 7 and thier old mam commentary. I had the 2nd half muted just to conserve my sanity.
Basic skills need to be better.
We were too tall and too slow.
Need those intelligent forwards to make things happen. TDL and White need to get settled into the team.
I was never confident when the ball was in LRT's hands back in 05 and its the same in 2011. He would struggle creating a cup of tea the way he is going.

[dimelb]

... Good crowd today, but the Carlton bandwagoners are beginning to come out of the woodwork after a reasonably long hibernation. They are feral fans however- not quite on the Collingwood level but only a notch or so above! Did anyone else not particulary like what was on their banner today?
Rant Over!

We didn't like it either. I had a look at the Carlton fan site and several of them said they didn't like it. There is some class to balance the ferals.

[Playsmart]

Yes the forward line is dysfunctional atm. Ball was in there enough, we actually won the inside 50, 46-42 - just can't use it when it is in there. TDL does kick goals and I think he is needed to provide a spark.

Quite a few have said enough of times TDL is a high desirable to give that dashing sparks in the forward which can lift a team.

[Playsmart]

its time for kennelly to retire..i am faster than him!

Agree. He played a shocker.

[Nich]

I think half of our inside 50s was Carlton kicking backwards!
I HATE sitting among so many Carlton supporters at the ground and hearing them laugh at our inept skills time and time again.

Ouch - that would be a tough afternoons work.

[mcs]

We didn't like it either. I had a look at the Carlton fan site and several of them said they didn't like it. There is some class to balance the ferals.

Glad it wasn't only me then! According to the AFL website it was a wonderful piece of wit however!

[Playsmart]

Out: Mummy, Jetta, McVeigh, Tadgh
In: TDL,

Agree with these outs and the one in + more ins

[Doctor]

Glad it wasn't only me then! According to the AFL website it was a wonderful piece of wit however!

...and for the benefit of those who missed it?

[Doctor]

We did not lose because Mumford & Seaby played together, nor did we lose because Jetta only played a quarter & a half of footy. It was not because we had too many talls or that we were not fast enough. We matched Carlton for much of the game except in one key area. Goal scoring. We let them score easy goals, whether it was Mumford dropping a sitter or Kennelly kicking poorly and/or getting tackled with possession, we gave away possession within our defensive 50 far too easily instead of clearing the ball. Plus, and I am not blaming the umps for the loss, our mistakes combined with the free kick count of 24 to 11 really helped the Blues release the pressure in their defence. Apart from the 50 metre free that placed them right in front of goal, they did not get frees in front of goals but in defence (our forwards) which gave them possession and removed the Swans scoring threat, giving them time to regain composure.

Goodes, Mumford and Malceski should have scored some easy goals but two kicked out of bounds and one was a behind. Combined with the goals we should have kicked, such as when we played on in the forwards instead of having a shot or when Reid kicked a behind rather than kick to Bolton, and Sydney hands the Blues a win in an otherwise tight game, far FAR too easily.

It's one of those really frustrating games where everything seems to go wrong and the ball just bounces perfectly into Carlton's lap. I don't think Carlton were that much better or at least not as much as the score led most to believe they were. Judd was not "outstanding" despite what the commentary team think. Seaby was good floating in defence but I agree that our forward line needs sorting out. TDL, White & Johnston should be brought into the side and stuck with but instead we bring in more defenders and hope they do the job up forward. It works for a week or two but then we are caught short.

Smith, Johnson, Bird, Hannebery, Richards & Goodes had great games and I will be frustrated if Seaby is dropped, blamed for this weeks loss.

Completely agree. Great analysis (it's funny how the best analyses are the ones you agree with!).