Match day thread with subs v GC (Jetta Sub) Bird Out / Moore In

[Bleed Red Blood]

Has everyone been hanging out with Sauce too much. People need to calm down and relax. Yes it was scrappy and we might have won by more but it's a win.
We have been playing the same way for years with much success. The third qtr is a perfect example we almost didn't score a goal which is customary for a swans performance but we still won by 70.

People are saying if we played any other team we would have lost. Ridiculous we played at the level we needed and won. Against most other teams we would have risen to the level needed. The players aren't machines if they feel they can coast and get away with it they will. It's human nature.

Let's look at the positives like Parker and Reid. Smooth mover Smith and Sphanger. Now for TDL to get fit and we might be getting somewhere

How is that any excuse? Clearly other teams don't 'caost' when they could. The pies just won by over 100 points again. Why are our players allowed to slack off? % is going to be important.

And TDL has been fit and still not selected in the 1's so, yeah, screw it. A wins a win, but the positives are still being outweighed by the neg's.

[Gary]

Gold Coast game

A win is not always satsfying..this certainly wasn't. Our skill level, ball handling, kicking is just woeful. On the oher hand it was a delight to see Reid developing & Parker exciting to ponder. Tagdh was better than recently, but his loss of a yard, and decision making was still apparent under less pressure.
I wish Goodes could apply his skills more evenly over the distance...2 Brownlows..great...but not in the same street as Judd and co when it comes to execution on a consistent basis.

[giant]

Btw how bad was Hunt? I've generally been a supporter (or at least not a cynic) of the league experiment but he was truly dreadful on Saturday. Even the crowd started hopping in to him by the end which can't be a good sign. Can't see this ending happily (which is a shame coz I think the kid has handled himself very well throughout the exercise).

[Sauce]

Btw how bad was Hunt? I've generally been a supporter (or at least not a cynic) of the league experiment but he was truly dreadful on Saturday. Even the crowd started hopping in to him by the end which can't be a good sign. Can't see this ending happily (which is a shame coz I think the kid has handled himself very well throughout the exercise).

There are a lot of Hunt apologists in melbourne, hoping he can be a star - just to stick it up the NRL. Don't let their good will fool you.

He has been at best a good avg VFL player this year.

[The Big Cat]

Why read all the posts if you think no one here is worthy of an opinion?
I'm sick of reading posts like this one of yours, which belittle those who dare criticise.
Not all the criticisms on here are valid, some are, some aren't.
Conversly not all the praise on here is valid, some is, some isn't.
You seem to think that those who heap praise know what their talking about.
Yet those who criticise aspects of the swans footy have no idea.
You can't have it both ways, so please, in future could you also bag those who give unfounded one eyed praise?

I have no problem people making criticisms of our execution or our attitude or our goal kicking or what ever. What I'm sick of reading are posts where people seem to believe the coaching staff has not recognised the short comings, is doing nothing about them, not putting enough thought into selection etc. I'll back a group of professionals whose employment relies on improving the team over casual observers with little (or probably no) understanding on the inner workings of a club.

[jono2707]

There are a lot of Hunt apologists in melbourne, hoping he can be a star - just to stick it up the NRL. Don't let their good will fool you.

He has been at best a good avg VFL player this year.

There are also a lot of people who want to see him fail, just to stick it up the NRL....

I think he can develop into a half decent player but he's not playing 'naturally' as yet. Down back is not for him - he's not a defensive player. He should be forward or on the ball.

It's a shame Pykey has been injured a lot this year as it would be good to get a gauge on how far he's come - he'll retain his spot ahead of Seaby and Currie next year IMO.

[Melbourne_Blood]

There are a lot of Hunt apologists in melbourne, hoping he can be a star - just to stick it up the NRL. Don't let their good will fool you.

He has been at best a good avg VFL player this year.

Give the guy a chance to figure the game out! It may be another two seasons before he is actually keeping his spot on merit, but he's learning the game while playing it at the Elite level !. It doesnt happen overnight. Pykey only really started showing he could be a player last year, and his job as a ruckman is probably a bit easier to get your head around then as a defender.

[wolftone57]

I have no problem people making criticisms of our execution or our attitude or our goal kicking or what ever. What I'm sick of reading are posts where people seem to believe the coaching staff has not recognised the short comings, is doing nothing about them, not putting enough thought into selection etc. I'll back a group of professionals whose employment relies on improving the team over casual observers with little (or probably no) understanding on the inner workings of a club.

I played footy from the time I was old enough to hold one. I was involved with 5 different clubs as a player & a supporter/member of SANFL club, glenelg, in the days where the members were still allowed in the rooms at half time. In one way this was a good thing because it took the mystique out of the process of coaching, playing & selecting footy. I am not stupid enough to blindly agree with everything coaches or selectors do as they do make mistakes. Footy clubs make the occassional errors in selecting the coach for their footy team. Remember, Peter Knights, Gary Buccanarra, Grant Thomas, Danny Frawley, Peter Schwab, blimey the list is huge. Selectors also make mistakes like playing players who are injured because there is a perception the team will fall down if they are not there. No-one is infallable & if the fans have opposite opinions to the selectors & Coach, so be it, that is part of being part of a footy club.

[wolftone57]

Give the guy a chance to figure the game out! It may be another two seasons before he is actually keeping his spot on merit, but he's learning the game while playing it at the Elite level !. It doesnt happen overnight. Pykey only really started showing he could be a player last year, and his job as a ruckman is probably a bit easier to get your head around then as a defender.

I agree give him a go, he'll be a good average AFL player once he gets used the way it works. The other fella seems to be working it out much quicker and he has never played but also younger I think? Let the experiment continue as it is to get the Islanders & disempowered kids playing our game & that can only be good.

[Dosser]

Give the guy a chance to figure the game out! It may be another two seasons before he is actually keeping his spot on merit, but he's learning the game while playing it at the Elite level !. It doesnt happen overnight. Pykey only really started showing he could be a player last year, and his job as a ruckman is probably a bit easier to get your head around then as a defender.

I think that the real issue here is that Hunt is allowed to learn the game at the top level while nobody else gets that option. Even though Hunt played a season of VFL last year, what other player in the history of footy has been given that Gold Pass? Everyone else has to learn at the grass roots before even qualifying for a tryout. There must be so many young guys who can currently, and will in the future, outperform Hunt, however they will never be given this free ride.

By the way, Pyke played a lot of games in the Magoos before he got a taste of senior footy.

[AnnieH]

Give the guy a chance to figure the game out! It may be another two seasons before he is actually keeping his spot on merit, but he's learning the game while playing it at the Elite level !. It doesnt happen overnight. Pykey only really started showing he could be a player last year, and his job as a ruckman is probably a bit easier to get your head around then as a defender.

I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere are Karmichael Hunt played junior AFL - so I imagine he has got some understanding.

And Dosser ... I agree wholeheartedly. What gives them the right to just "walk in", when there are kids out there slogging it out just trying to get noticed.

[ScottH]

Btw how bad was Hunt? I've generally been a supporter (or at least not a cynic) of the league experiment but he was truly dreadful on Saturday. Even the crowd started hopping in to him by the end which can't be a good sign. Can't see this ending happily (which is a shame coz I think the kid has handled himself very well throughout the exercise).

He was pretty ordinary. At least Izzie seems to be achieving.

[Big Al]

He was pretty ordinary. At least Izzie seems to be achieving.

Watched Izzies game on Saturday and was quite impressed. In the first quarter he got towelled up by Brent Staker but after a rev up by Sheedy started to get into the game and ended up kicking 4 goals for the game. One was a goal any quality AFL forward would have been proud of. Half volley pick up and snap around the corner was a very classy effort. Is he going to be a superstar? No but the way he's improving and working I think he might surprise a few people.

[Kirkari]

I think that the real issue here is that Hunt is allowed to learn the game at the top level while nobody else gets that option. Even though Hunt played a season of VFL last year, what other player in the history of footy has been given that Gold Pass? Everyone else has to learn at the grass roots before even qualifying for a tryout. There must be so many young guys who can currently, and will in the future, outperform Hunt, however they will never be given this free ride.....

"Allowed to learn the game"? Puh-lease. You think he went to the AFL and said, "Hey guys, I'm a big deal in the NRL but it's always been my dream to play AFL. Whaddyasay?"?

He was offered big bucks to bring his name and reputation to a new market to give the Suns a fighting chance of having people turn up to watch the first season's games, and I think it's worked a treat. The fact that he's not a complete spud is a bonus.

I really can't wait for this whole niggly thread to die a natural death.

[jono2707]

I really can't wait for this whole niggly thread to die a natural death.

Group hug please people - let's all be nice to each other...