Grand Final: Sydney Swans Reserves v Ainslie Tricolours

[dimelb]

Thanks Al for the updates despite the dismal day; still appreciated.

[Big Al]

Thanks Al for the updates despite the dismal day; still appreciated.

Thanks mate!! Despite this game I really enjoyed the Ressies year. Just a shame they couldn't finish off the way they deserved to.

[Cardinal]

Ainslie did play well and kicked very straight. Much bigger bodies and most of the Swan players will be very sore tonight. Has anyone said the umps were terrible? In any case they didn't cost us the game.

[grose40]

Interesting Best Players on the Swans website, care to comment anyone who was there?

Yep no sweat. My best were in order Nipper, Murphy, Seaby. And thats it! (Moody had a dip)
Potter had a crack but disposal was all over the shop and looked outa sorts playing down back. Dyl was his usual industrious self, working hard in the centre but his disposal was off, foot delivery below par and just seemed flat. Brainy I thought was slow and soft. I reckon he was on the same medication that Changa Langlands had in that infamous white boots rugby league grand final. Everitt (torpey aside) was a spud. Mitch May Im sorry - your kicking at goal is the worst I have ever seen. Jetta should not have played! He has had only a couple of games in 2s and upset the balance. Ottens didnt get a gig, and looked injury free to me - he would have been a positive in a defensive line up that was too young, inexperienced and reflected a lack of respect to the Ainslie attack. I said in the beginning of the year that what would make this year a success was the consistent appearance of our academy players as opposed to unknown toppies every week. That prediction was seriously valid to date, but today we got found out big time by our academy players (bar Murph), and senior players that looked like they just didn't want to be there.
Very, very disappointing end to an enjoyable year watching the 2's @ BOP, bus loop in the rain and racking up the kms to ACT/Qbyn back and forth. But on the day that counted we were dreadful. Ainslie hungry, hard @ it, structured, and skilful. Their kicking at goal was awesome! (Sorry for being so negative) We missed Moore and Heath = I just hope Bulldogs injury isn't too bad and that we see him at the club for 2012. Oh a positive to finish on is the Fedra Olive Farm @ Collector, next time you head south, leave early and stop in for great food with a brilliant view. I would just like to finish on saying many thx to UGGster and BIG AL (ass cch), your updates and pre match reports have been a highlight for me and my mates and are a treat we look forward to every week!! Well done.

[aardvark]

Thx Al + Ugg. Enjoyed your work all season.

[mcs]

Thanks to Al and Ugg for the wonderful updates all season about the Reserves - as someone that lives in Canberra I don't get to anywhere near enough reserves games, but it is good to have such dedicated followers keeping us up to date with the progress of our young'uns.

[unconfuseme]

Interesting Best Players on the Swans website, care to comment anyone who was there?

Interesting that 3 of the best were toppies

... clear indictment of the performances of the remaining listed players (apart from Bulldog who played 5 mins and Cambo who was carried off just after half time).

So for the second half, down to 10 listed players, some of whom were seriously disinterested, it was deja vu ... just like so many games the back end of last season, out muscled, and completely done over by the umpires.

I'm certain that the Ainslie Reserves Team must have seen umpire #28 arrive at the ground, and commented to him on how nice his car looked and where it was parked!!! He was fair dinkum afraid to give us a free!

Agree with much of what grose40 says ... maybe a tad harsh on the toppies who were all giving away size and experience and expecting more leadership, but certainly Nipper was again fierce at the contest, and Seaby held nothing back ... sadly, many of the other listed players were unrecognisable as professional AFL footballers ... then again, can't blame them I suppose, who wants to carry a silly unnecessary injury into Mad Monday??!!

Very dissapointing day, a bit like watching a train wreck happening as it unfolded.

In saying that, Ainslie were terrific, they came to play and executed brilliantly ... they deserved the spoils!

and of course, huge thanks to ugg, Al and all the contributors!

[aardvark]

Just as well Port Melbourne won. Weekend would have been a complete write off otherwise.

[ScottH]

Just as well Port Melbourne won. Weekend would have been a complete write off otherwise.

Yep, that's where I was yesterday.

[ShockOfHair]

Not a good time of the year for senior players to go missing. I see Seaby was named-checked in a story on Swans trading prospects and was one of our best players.

Thanks for the updates Big Al and Grose. Thanks for the great efforts over the year Big Al, Ugg, Primmy and others. Friday won't be the same without Ugg's previews.

[chalbilto]

As one who hasn't the opportunity to attend the games I just want to say thanks to Ugg, Big Al, Primmy, Liz, BSA5 and all the other contributors for their information, match summaries, player evaluations and general "ressie" news. Greatly appreciated.

[ScottH]

As one who hasn't the opportunity to attend the games I just want to say thanks to Ugg, Big Al, Primmy, Liz, BSA5 and all the other contributors for their information, match summaries, player evaluations and general "ressie" news. Greatly appreciated.

+1

[dimelb]

As one who hasn't the opportunity to attend the games I just want to say thanks to Ugg, Big Al, Primmy, Liz, BSA5 and all the other contributors for their information, match summaries, player evaluations and general "ressie" news. Greatly appreciated.

+2

[Gezball]

+3

[Old Royboy]

Just home after a pretty forgettable weekend. With Mrs ORB the tennis groupie holed up at Rose Bay for the weekend I decided to kill my sorrows from Friday and take the trip to Canberra so I would have something good to remember during the off season. Then down the Kings highway to do some yard maintenance on the South Coat hideaway.
What a disaster.
Bulldog down the race and gone after 10 minutes. Most of the team with collective cases of butter fingers and ball butchery. The kids were in the game until half way through the second quarter, but after that it was a cakewalk. Ainslie were good, hard at the ball, kept their structure, generally disposed of the ball well and converted most of the chances they created and those the umpires gave them.
The umpiring was the worst exhibition of one sided favourtism I have seen in 50 years of watching the game. I gave up on game notes during the third quarter after some half a dozen dittos to the notation ?Ainslie go forward and goal after ump gifts them a free?. While our teams performance was dreadful, it must be pretty difficult going in for the ball in the knowledge that any contact, legal or otherwise will result in a free to the opposition. One of the few good things I came away with was that I didn?t see any of them lose their cool ? if I?d been out there umpire 28 would have received a knuckle sandwich.
Anybody in our team who was playing for a contract would have a few sleepless nights ahead. Pike had a severe case of the dropsies. Jetta?s clanger count approached the number of bad umpiring decisions. Nipper tried hard but on a couple of occasions was beaten pointless in one on ones. Everitt, took a couple of good marks but nothing to write home about. Dill tried hard, but made little impact. Dan Currie would be pleased he was injured and out of the limelight.
To top the weekend off, I got down to Tabourie in time to see the Dragons lose by an agonizing extra time field goal, then switched over and could not get the Blues home either. Today I just about broke my back cutting knee length grass.
One last comment. I understand the cool and rational approach to coaching, but when a team is six goals down at three quarter time in a grand final, I expect to see a bit of passion from the coach. Henry, if you couldn?t get fired up, how can you expect the players to?