Gameday!

[Southern Swan15]

Can anybody tell me has goodes ever had a left foot? I find it hard to belive that a bloke of his skill and experience has no confidence on his left, 2 times tonight it was so clear he has no left. After watching that game, I would be surprised if either side win next week, that was a brutal game and I am sure there will be some sore and sorry boys tomoz.

with the pies looking like going down tonight, it looks likely we will have to play ADL either in Syd or AAMI in week one.

Cant believe that I will be supporting WC next week, well there is a first for everything.

[Wardy]

I know that WC are doing moved the pies but what about gold coast doing over Carlton at the mo - they will really be calling for Rattens head now. Well we really must beat the cats now. Over it now - moving on.

[SCGonasunnyday]

happy enough as you can be with a loss. Collingwood losing makes things better. Next week seems to be just about whether we play Crows at home or in SA - eitherway think we can beat them and prefer that to a visit to the MCG.

Just watched highlights - what was with that puopolo free kick?? Should have been ball but even not, couldn't see the high contact.

[erica]

Great experience in pressure football for the less experienced members of our team, which should benefit us in the finals. I don't think there's anything players can do in training that will prepare them for this sort of pressure.

Looking forward to next week.

[satchmopugdog]

I hate Hawthorn. That is all i can say. Vomit vomit vomit

[SwansFan1972]

Sucks to lose tonight. Did well in pretty much everything except on the final scoreboard. Definitely another one that got away - twice in three weeks really stinks, but oh well, moving on. Hopefully the sting of knowing two wins have been burned will stand the boys in good stead.

And maybe it is just the planets trying to align and the footy gods wanting to see a rerun of some rippers finals from a few short years ago . . .

A Swans win at Kardinia Park and a Weagles win over the Hawks could see a first up Sydney/Weagles final (1v4, assuming crows beat dees and suns, which should happen). Since we've banana skinned against the other top 4 hopefuls, would be a nice way to open a finals campaign, and save the hoodoo beating for the prelim and grannie! Presumes also that the Crows win both their remaining matches (which should happen).

Only flaw to this plan is that the Weagles appear to be back in business now, and if they do the Hawks over they will be brimming with confidence!

How good is this time of year?!?!?

[SwansFan1972]

Neutrals will point to a 25-12 free kick count in our favour and wonder what we're on about. But, as we all know, it is where you get them that counts. And if you get ones that aren't even there, in front of goal, then I'd take two of them against the other 25 free kicks in any game decided by less than two kicks . . .

I guess the bright side about tonight (and also the Pies game) is that both matches were more about 'us' than 'them'. Some of the Hawk's kicking tonight was ridiculous, and the guy (don't know who it was) who sat on his bum was hysterial! The ball seemed to be with them though, wobbling and bouncing like it was under their spell at some crucial times. Surely these harsh results will stand the boys in good stead for the tougher matches ahead. And the footy gods may choose to smile on us at a more fortuitous time and deliver more appropriate rewards for the boys efforts!

[SwansFan1972]

I'm just sad!!!

Me too.

But there are things to brighten your day:
- Pies lost.
- Suns eclipsed Carlton (must be a Pakistani bookmaker featuring here somewhere me thinks)! In the process knocking them completely out of the finals race
- it's possible there could be a first final at home for the Swans v West Coast (who wouldn't like to see that)?!?! If we won tonight, that scenario would have been practically impossible (since Hawks would have fallen behind them on wins in the event the Weagles win next Friday). I think (hope) perhaps the footy gods are at work . . .
- Pies lost
- we matched the Hawks in most respects (apart from the obvious issue with the scoreboard). Better things to come (fingers crossed)!
- Pies lost.

So, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again! Win against the Cats next week and the train is back on track.

Did I mention the pies lost? Schadenfreude is a dish best served with black and white feathers in it!

[Xie Shan]

Just a note from the match report on AFL.com.au:

Swan Ryan O'Keefe said that the ferocious, finals-like contest against the Hawks was ideal as both teams prepared for September.

"A lot of guys that probably haven't played a lot of finals, it just gives them that experience, that taste, so that when it comes to the crunch it is not a huge jump in intensity," O'Keefe said.

It's been said we probably have had the toughest run home of the main contenders, facing the three most recent premiers in the last four rounds. Tonight was like a final, I wonder if our draw may prove a blessing in disguise. To play in two games like the recent clashes with the Hawks and Pies, and Geelong to come next week who are always tough to beat, it's virtually an extended dress rehearsal for the real thing.

[hot potato]

Buddy had amazing touch after 6 weeks out, he's got arrogant skills.

[SwansFan1972]

UMPIRES bloody deplorable. Free kick and goal to duo and non 50 metres to sam. What a farce. Buddy in 3rd tried to push his way thru was held up but play on. Disgusting what will gesh say probable both were right.

Classic Victorian umpiring to achieve a desired result. Pay 25 free kicks to the home side (barely any of which were outside our defence) to hopefully hoodwink the widely acknowledged 'know nothing' Sydney crowd that they were getting a good run from the three blind mice, then pay rubbish frees (and an imaginary one) a hankies throw from goal to the AFL's best Victorian hope to host a prelim.

It probably sounds ridiculous and far fetched (and up there with the best X files nut job conspiracy theory), but it did seem that the Hawks got a cart back into the match and found their mojo on the back of a few critically timed free kicks. Then two gift goals (and a further non call on a blatant 50m penalty against them) sealed the deal. Even with all that, our boys nearly spoiled the party! Pity - the AFL executives would have been turning purple at the prospect of both prelims being outside Victoria if the Swans and Crows filled positions 1 and 2 on the ladder!

With the pies imploding the AFL has a rather strong motive to see the Hawks seeded to have the best chance of a home prelim. As a sideline, the pies implosion has been happening for the past month, but lucky escapes against the Saints and Swans allowed them to paper over their clokes (oops, sorry, typo - I meant to say cracks) for a few weeks. They are barely going and with West Coast in better shape now than they've been in weeks, it is no gimme that the Pies will routinely take back fourth by beating the Bombers next week.

[SwansFan1972]

Just a note from the match report on AFL.com.au:



It's been said we probably have had the toughest run home of the main contenders, facing the three most recent premiers in the last four rounds. Tonight was like a final, I wonder if our draw may prove a blessing in disguise. To play in two games like the recent clashes with the Hawks and Pies, and Geelong to come next week who are always tough to beat, it's virtually an extended dress rehearsal for the real thing.

+1

On any objective measure, we are in the flag race up to our necks. We've let winning positions slip in two tough matches (of course, would have been really nice to win one or both of them), but with a little bit more good fortune in the finals, and the sting of these two results burning the boys, who knows what could happen!!

[mcs]

I have only read the last page of this thread, so apologies if I am just repeating what others have said.

Firstly, it was a terrific game of footy.

Secondly, we more than matched Hawthorn for most of the game. We just didn't get enough score on the board in the first quarter and a half when we were dominating possession. The late second quarter lapse was costly - stating the bleedin' obvious there, but we came out and matched the Hawks goal for goal in the second half.

Maybe we're just a smidgeon off the top couple of sides this year. I think we can beat them all - after all, we've only lost by small margins - but maybe just 3 or 4 times out of 10.

I do agree with the poster above that Jetta is not stepping up at the moment. He needs to actually try and win the ball on the ground occasionally - not dive into packs at will, but when there is a loose ball to be won and he is the closest Swan, he needs to actually attack the thing, rather than hope a team mate might get there first. Too many times, the ball was there to be at least contested and he stood back while a Hawk swooped onto it and ran away. He's had an excellent season and certainly has improved heaps but there is still plenty of scope for improvement.

+1 to everything said here. Great game of footy, but we really didn't put enough scoreboard pressure on when we absolutely dominated them for the first term and a half. Any other day and we would of taken a good part of a 10 goal lead into half time, but we blew it today.

Then it was 2 quarters of intense, finals like footy and we almost snatched it at the end. A couple of 50/50 calls go our way (i.e. if that Porpulo or whatever his name is call was called as HTB not a 'high' tackle) or the ridiculous non 50 metre call (what an absurd piece of umpiring that was - its 50 every day of the year!) and we might of got home. But we really should have locked it down when we got in front with a couple of minutes to go. Two factors didn't help us there. One we have a lot of good but inexperienced players, and two, i think that is the sort of situation where Jude Bolton makes a massive difference. Apart from his obvious actual influence on the play, there is also his leadership and influence on the younger heads in midfield. He will be a welcome return next week.

I thought at the start of the year that 2012 might be a year too early for us, and perhaps that is the way it is going. But, even though we've lost 3 close ones against three other top teams, they have all been flip of the coin jobs that could easily have fallen our way. We have to play a lot more consistently across the 4 quarters come finals time to get anywhere near the main game at the end, but I firmly believe we are good enough. Our first quarter and a half showed that. With the exception of not getting enough scoring shots out of it, we were absolutely belting who will now be 'the unbdoubted Premiership favourites.' If we can reproduce footy like that, especially the immense pressure we had them under for 3 + quarters come finals time, it will take an almighty good team to beat us. Hawthorn are a fine team (very dislikable, but a good footy team none the less) and we had them on the ropes well and truly in the first quarter and a half. We didn't land enough blows to mortally wound them, and as a good boxer does they came back hard, but that early onslaught showed me that our best is good enough to match it with any team in the comp.

We might not quite make it in 2012, but we are going to give it a damn good shake, that I am sure of, and the Swannies will never lie down and just roll over, that is a given. We are too proud a club, and too good a team to do that.

[GongSwan]

Close but no cigar, again, we can match anyone, just that fraction of composure, that possibly Jude can add

[Margie]

Substitute Jetta for Jude and there may have been improvement. Jetta just did not put his body on the line when needed. He could have used his speed a lot more efficiently to chase players down and actually lay a decent tackle.

I'm not blaming Jetta for the loss, Hawthorn are a very good team and it was a great game. Buddy is just a notch above most forwards and once again, our forward line didn't really fire.

I thought going into tonight's game it was a 50/50 proposition, but was more confident of winning this one than beating Geelong next week.

I don't subscribe to the theory that it was good preparation for the finals. It may have the opposite effect - we could lose momentum or confidence by getting pipped at the post by 3 of the top 4 contenders.

On a positive note, the crowd atmosphere was the best all year.