Ladder

[royboy42]

Yes, but we beat Fremantle and last years premiers couldn't. Week to week you cannot draw straight parallels, it just doesn't work that way.

When I was a kid the Hun used to publish the circular ladder every now and then.

This occurred usually well into the season.

Once every team had at least one win, it became possible. For example, they would show fitzroy had beaten cwood who had beaten richmond who had beaten etc until the last named had beaten the first named.

It was just a bit of fun, but showed that week by week form is no guide to real consistent form.

Of course, there were occasions when it could not be formulated at all..Sadly 1964 was one such, when the Roys beat no one. I still wake up shivering from that!!!

[aardvark]

Even if we don't beat the Hawks,

It will be interesting to see how the Hawks respond after the Cats loss. Maybe the doubts will be creeping in.......good wins V the Power and Roos will set up a very interesting encounter.

[Doctor]

You know, we're sitting at 2-0 after two rounds, which is a decent start (albeit only a start). I was looking at our draw again and I think this win against Freo was pivotal.

First because they're are a good side but also because it sets us up for a run to round 5 against the Hawks. I'm very confident we'll beat Port, getting us to 3-0 and quite confident we'll beat North, getting us to 4-0.

This makes the Hawks game a clincher. Beat them, we go 5-0 with a run at the Crows, Tigers, Dees and Saints and Bulldogs. The Crows are our bogey side but I tend to think we're the Saints bogey side. All of these games are doable. Even if we don't beat the Hawks, 9-1 is within the realms of possibility by round 10.

The bombers make me nervous, we then have a bye, then the Cats. After that it gets patchy.

It's all about Round 5 against the Hawks I reckon.

Good points. We need as many early wins as we can get because we know how tough our draw is towards the end of the season. Hawthorn are tough enough without us playing them in Tassie where their record is so strong. I'd happily take 9-1 though!!

[WeHaveTheGoodes]

We won't even get near the hawks. They are, in another class to us.

We might get close by halftime but unless they suffer bad injuries in the second half i cannot see it happening. Will be the same against the pies this year, you know we get really close for them to just put on 5 goals in 5 mins and its all over. I think we can beat geelong and we can beat carlton.

[Melbourne_Blood]

We are capable of matching them in the middle and they aren't impossible to score against either. If they smash us in the centre however, they are capable of tearing our defence a new one. I wouldn't say we have no chance, but we will need to be at our best and hope for a little luck and brilliance. A dirty day from Franklin would help too. It's winning these type of games that can change 'also rans' into 'contenders' , but I don't think our season depends on this one. There will be other chances against good sides if this one proves too tough.

[Nich]

We won't even get near the hawks. They are, in another class to us.

I don't agree. While there is potential for Hawthorn to put 50 on us there is just as much chance for it to be a tight game. If our best team turns up they won't smack us. I use to underestimate us but i never do anymore. We can beat anyone on our day - I still believe that. Hawthorn at their best v Sydney at their best? I would say Hawthorn has more runs on the board but not always do the 2 best teams turn up.

[mcs]

I would be disappointed if we don't get to the Hawks game 4-0. I don't expect we will beat the Dawks, as they match up well on us, and generally have had the wood on us over the last few seasons. But I do want to see us test them, and hopefully show that we are making moves in the right direction to start regularly challenging the elite teams in the competition.

It is so important this season that we hit the bye in good shape. A record worse than 9-2 to me would be on paper disappointing after 11 rounds. I don't think we will beat Hawthorn, and there is nothing easy about Essendon @ Etihad (Really can't wait to be there to hopefully get revenge for last season's Match of the Year cliffhanger), and St Kilda @ Etihad is never easy either. Then there are potential banana skins in Port away and Richmond Away as well. If we are serious about challenging for the top 4, I think we need to be 9-2 after 11 games, as the second half of our season is much tougher than the first half.

But on the flip side, a good 1st half to the season could set us up nicely for the tougher second half, and most importantly get another almost dozen games into the youngsters, and help create the belief and confidence in the playing group. We showed glimpses last year (That fine effort against the Pies, and the ever so wonderful win against Geelong) to say that we are moving in the right direction, and that our best is good enough to make it a tough day at the office for any team in the league.

I was a little despondent after a dissapointing, rusty performance against GWS. But the 1st half against Freo (not so much the 3rd and early 4th quarters) has given me great heart. There were some passages of play, some signs that immediately made me think back to what made us so good in 2005-06. Just a few glimpses of what this team might become if things go our way. Consistency I think will be our problem this season, but I have a good feeling about how we might go this season, and I have a very good feeling about just how good this team will become given time. We are clearly not as talented as the best teams across the park, but Swans teams very rarely are. What our club is famous for is making the 'team' worth so much more than the sum of its parts,and I think we are beginning to see those signs develop in our current squad.

[Danzar]

If we are serious about challenging for the top 4, I think we need to be 9-2 after 11 games, as the second half of our season is much tougher than the first half.

+1

most importantly get another almost dozen games into the youngsters, and help create the belief and confidence in the playing group.

+1

I think a solid run in the first part of the season will do wonders for the youngsters confidence.

The two watershed games from my perspective will be back-to-back Carlton and Collingwood in August. The Blues, to prove that we're the dark horse for 2012, not them, and the Pies because that is one big monkey we must shake off our backs. Win those games and we may just roll our second games against the Hawks and the Cats in the final two rounds.

But I do get ahead of myself - let's worry about Port on Saturday!

[johnno]

In second place now and still undefeated...looking good!!!

[GongSwan]

In second place now and still undefeated...looking good!!!

Maybe Scott was right and it should have been closer, but if we can continue the 4 qtr effort of today we're a chance of beating anyone. The one thing I noticed about the game I didn't like was that Norf got us on the spread a fair bit, and the HAwks are very good at that caper. Luckily, we have the whole stingy defence thing going on

[johnno]

Ahem!!!!!

Thought I'd bump this thread now.

[top40]

For those whio love Stats, this is only the fourth time since 1936 that the Swans have for any round, found themselves on top of the ladder during the second half of a given season. The other seasons were 1945 (for several rounds), 1987 (just once-Round 18), and 1996 (again for several rounds)

[Jewels]

For those whio love Stats, this is only the fourth time since 1936 that the Swans have for any round, found themselves on top of the ladder during the second half of a given season. The other seasons were 1945 (for several rounds), 1987 (just once-Round 18), and 1996 (again for several rounds)

I hope we finish this season better then those....

[Swanner]

Is that correct in the last 75 years we have been top of the table in the second half of the season only 4 times?

[nicko18]

lol nicely timed bump

However not wishing to rain on our boys parade but there is a MASSIVE assignment next weekend at Subi, whilst the Hawks and Crows will be running training drills to notch up their 4 points... and if Collingwood beat Geelong we could well be back down at 5th, given the congestion at the top end atm. Thankgod for our %.