Changes for Round 9 vs. Collingwood

[AnnieH]

Do we HAVE to play the ferals?
I seriously don't want to watch.
We can't have ANY ineffective disposals (I'm talking to you Adam Goodes) if we want to win this one.

[wolftone57]

Our kicking efficiency is the worst in the league but you have to take into the fact that we have the highest contested possession rate in the league (by a significant margin) which will diminish the quality of our kicks. We also have the least amount of uncontested marks meaning we don't mess about chipping it sideways and back, but often kick it long where there's space to work into. It doesn't result in an efficient disposal as classified by the statisticians but it often works out in our advantage.

A lot of our kicks to the so called open have come back to haunt us this year Ugg. Our bombs into the forward line have not i general been to our advantage and we got punished by the Hawks & Cats and to a lesser extent Freo in the last. Our general field kicking has been woeful as well even if there is little or no pressure. Another thing that has been noticeable is that we panic to perceived pressure this year unlike last.

[liz]

You mention players dribbling the ball along the ground Liz. This is one of my pet hates. We play with an oddly shaped ball and it can dribble out of bounds just as easily as through the sticks. If the ball is kicked in the air correctly it has less chance of being cut off, going off course and making the kicker look like a pratt. I know they practice these little dribbles and some are very good at them but I am not the only one who think them crap. Listen to Jason Dunstall, Barry Hall, Paul Roos, Leigh matthews, Matthew Richardson and Craig Bolton on the subject.

Fair enough if you're running into an open goal and choose to dribble the ball along the ground when you can just do a normal drop punt. But there are many other circumstances in which a drop punt is not possible - eg tight in a pocket, ball on ground - and the way some players can make the ball spin and bounce through the goals is remarkable. The best small forwards - like Betts and Milne - do this quite regularly.

[DamY]

Footy clubs sell hope and as fans that's all that we can really do. I only had a faint glimmer of hope at the GF but that's what makes it all the more delicious and satisfying

[mcs]

Thanks Jewels. This site, as wonderful as it is, is drawn to the glass-half-empty on occations. Even with a team that has just won a premiership, recruited a gun fullforward, and is sitting in 4th early in the season, there are those who greet pesimissim like a long lost friend.

Its as though they think a multi-premiership dynasty like Brisbane or Geelong is the only measure of success.

To my eyes we are looking good. Sure a win against Freo would have been nice, but footy is unpredicatible and upsets happen both for and against. We are blooding a few young players as the teams game plan evolves and adaptes to aging players (Goodes, Bolton will unlikely tear a game open again), and suddenly being the hunted team. We've also had to find new depth players with the loss of TDL, Spranger, etc.

I will not be judging the swans finals aspirations until Tippet is a good 4-5 games into his swans career, and how the side gells around him.

I must say,with my analysis I wasn't trying to be pessimistic about the rest of our season - I just can see how important the next three weeks are, that's all. Get it right and we will be nicely placed to challenge again, but get it wrong and we will be right on the borderline for the rest of the season.

You make some very good points there however, but if we want to have a successful 2013 (and to me that would only be the case if we go deep into the finals), we don't want to get to far behind early. For whilst tippett will undoubtedly help, there is no guarantee that he is the messiah - he might just be a very naughty little boy

[Melbournehammer]

Are wolftone and melbournehammer the same person?

I'm not sure we've ever been seen at the same place at the same time...

[ugg]

I hear Lamb is in.

[undy]

Thanks Jewels. This site, as wonderful as it is, is drawn to the glass-half-empty on occations. Even with a team that has just won a premiership, recruited a gun fullforward, and is sitting in 4th early in the season, there are those who greet pesimissim like a long lost friend.

Its as though they think a multi-premiership dynasty like Brisbane or Geelong is the only measure of success.

To my eyes we are looking good. Sure a win against Freo would have been nice, but footy is unpredicatible and upsets happen both for and against. We are blooding a few young players as the teams game plan evolves and adaptes to aging players (Goodes, Bolton will unlikely tear a game open again), and suddenly being the hunted team. We've also had to find new depth players with the loss of TDL, Spranger, etc.

I will not be judging the swans finals aspirations until Tippet is a good 4-5 games into his swans career, and how the side gells around him.

Crazy glass half-full man.
Just look at the ladder now, compared to the same time last year.

We're all doomed.

[ugg]

Mattner ruled out, Mitchell flew to Melbourne but 'likely' to be emergency.

Longmire ignoring recent history - AFL.com.au

[swans_premiers]

Crazy glass half-full man.
Just look at the ladder now, compared to the same time last year.

We're all doomed.

Sydney vs Freo Grand Final coming up..

[Triple B]

This waiting around for the teams until the end of the Melbourne Channel 7 news every week is total @@@@ing BS.

Do the AFL realise it's a national game? You've got more chance of getting tetanus than to get the Swans or GWS lineups mentioned in the Sydney news, I suspect Qld is the same for Brisbane and the Suns, so the news is irrelevant, we still need to log on to the interwebs. It's not even time for the news in SA and they've just finished lunch in Perth.

So the whole AFL supporter base sits around waiting so Channel 7 can announce the ins and outs to the Melb based fans.

@@@@ you AD and @@@@ you C7....

[ernie koala]

I hear Lamb is in.

I hope so, and for a full game please.

Give Rampe a turn in the vest...he's been getting targeted lately, being sub would throw that tactic out the window....

given he would come on with fresh legs....well that's my theory anyway.

[Nico]

This waiting around for the teams until the end of the Melbourne Channel 7 news every week is total @@@@ing BS.

Do the AFL realise it's a national game? You've got more chance of getting tetanus than to get the Swans or GWS lineups mentioned in the Sydney news, I suspect Qld is the same for Brisbane and the Suns, so the news is irrelevant, we still need to log on to the interwebs. It's not even time for the news in SA and they've just finished lunch in Perth.

So the whole AFL supporter base sits around waiting so Channel 7 can announce the ins and outs to the Melb based fans.

@@@@ you AD and @@@@ you C7....

It is a farce. As if people are glued to the 7 news at 6.25pm. Most people logon to the AFL site or footy apps not long after 6.30pm. Then you get all the full teams and can work on your Supercoach and Dream Teams. I reckon Fox plays a part in this because their league teams now start at 6.30.

[aardvark]

Walsh out Lamb in

[ugg]

emergencies are Walsh, Armstrong and Mitchell.
their emergencies are Sinclair, Didak and Josh Thomas.