Swans Vs Bulldogs Game Day Thread

[MightyBloods]

A bit tough on Rhyce Shaw....too close to finals to send him back to the reserves. The club rates his leadership/voice/pace/experience. I thought he did ok for someone who hasnt played in months and a good game to fast track his match fitness leading up to the finals. I was surprised that Mal wasnt given a rest after the knock last week to his shoulder....he played as if he was still sore. If we can get over the Pies maybe give him a week off against the Saints.
I haven't been a big fan of Jessie but he gives us something that worries the opposition. He seems to have a great rapport with Tips as well. Rampe continues to be this year's revelation. Another impressive game. I was rapt to see Tom Mitchell tagged for the first time in his career by Picken. Picken kept him quiet but Mitchell's gut run eventually got him off the leash in the last quarter which is a really great sign....take note Deledio. Mumford fit and firing.....Keiran Jack in form and must be picking up brownlow votes........Everitt, well done again.....Tippett, what a pick-up!

As for players to come back into the side, I heard Longmire's interview before the game....I had to get a double scotch after I heard it!! A month away for Reid,Jetta,Goodes....LRT more than a month! He was happy with Rohan again in the Ressies. It tells me if White and Everitt continue to play well that Reid wont be back for the finals. Rohan will come into the side in the next few weeks to give us a Jetta factor......Jetta wont be back for finals. LRT wont be back. Goodes will be when he's ready because he is Goodes.

[0918330512]

secondly, I thought that the Dogs, Tigers and North all brought incredible pressure and attitude to the games this weekend against the top 3 teams - and we were the only victorious team of the top 3 and at an away venue !

With all due respect to you & each of the named teams: Richmond are 7th, genuine finals contender & have a duel Coleman medalist at full forward; North are 10th & an outside chance at still making the finals; Dogs are 15th with 5 wins from 19 games & a % of 79%. Hawks & Cats have sat 1 & 2 nearly all year ... Sydney have just climbed to 2nd (but played Cats & Hawks only once, lost to both of them & still have to play them once more).

Don't get me wrong. Good fighting Swans win & we are looking good despite an abundance of injuries, but comparing the Dogs side with either the Tigers or Roos is pumping up the Dogs to bursting point.

[magic.merkin]

With all due respect to you & each of the named teams: Richmond are 7th, genuine finals contender & have a duel Coleman medalist at full forward; North are 10th & an outside chance at still making the finals; Dogs are 15th with 5 wins from 19 games & a % of 79%. Hawks & Cats have sat 1 & 2 nearly all year ... Sydney have just climbed to 2nd (but played Cats & Hawks only once, lost to both of them & still have to play them once more).

Don't get me wrong. Good fighting Swans win & we are looking good despite an abundance of injuries, but comparing the Dogs side with either the Tigers or Roos is pumping up the Dogs to bursting point.

Yesterday the dogs regardless of ladder position would have pushed any of the top 4 sides. They were really good live. And their work off the ball was fantastic as well.

I think it will have given us some good lessons, and the proof will be in the pudding when we play 2 of our 3 biggest rivals in coming weeks. Then we will know where we truly stand, as Shaw who is a must in will have some more legs.

[Industrial Fan]

They've been really good over the last month, pushing the bombers and the hawks all the way. In those games as well as ours the scoreline didnt tell the full story.

Glad to come away with the win, as they were maniacal the whole game and let us have no space to move. Kennedy was well held by Wallis and Minson stood tall in the ruck.

I think it says alot about the swans that their efficiency and ruthlessness was enough to take the points despite being beaten in almost every statistical area. Bodes well for the finals that despite having effectively brought through a new group of players we can withstand the heat when its on.

Of our losses so far this year, we played Port in a swimming pool and Hawks / Cats were a bit early to get a handle on our form. Even if Leroy Jetta() et all dont return we're a good chance to get to the last dance and could even go back to back.

My prediction is that if its no us, it will be Freo.

[mcs]

On 2MMM they kept nominating this is the best The Dogs have played all year , played like a top four team, but Sydney still saw them off OK. Going well.
The Pies got lots of praise for their renaissance, but Bombers have hit the wall now. Looking forward to playing them.
HP

I really thought they played super well yesterday the Dogs and really pushed us. Their work rate was very good, and it was just a bit of class and eventually endurance that did them in.

But we did what we had to do, and got the four points. Collingwood will be well and truly fired up for Saturday - we need to start well like we did earlier in the year, get them down and then keep it going for all four quarters. They were in decent form if I remember rightly when we pumped them earlier in the year, so hopefully we can do the same on Saturday.

I thought yesterday was a really good test in the end, and could prove to be useful practice for September (we could end up playing our first game @ docklands if the top 8 falls a particular way and we are away in wk 1 of the finals).

We still need a few of the classy lads that are on the sidelines back, especially Mr Goodes. I'd say we won't see Jetta again (I still think it might be trouble with his knee rather than this 'shin soreness' talk), but hopefully Rohan can continue to build up his fitness. I'm taking a completely wild guess, but I'd say if we beat Collingwood on Saturday and Rohan gets through more game time in the reserves successfully, we might just see him in the 22 for the St Kilda game.

His pace is the real factor we are missing at the moment,and despite Brandon Jack looking a good prospect, a fit and firing Rohan at this stage has the potential to give us a lot more on the big stage (not that I don't rate Brandon - I think he has shown us all this year that he has every bit the ability to be as good as his big brother!).

Had anyone said at the start of the season we'd be sitting second after Rd 19 with a third of our Premiership 22 not in the team and playing as well as we have done, I would have said you were having a laugh.

A huge four weeks coming up. 3 wins guarantees us top 4 now, and possibly top 2. If we do finish top 2, then its going to take an almighty good team to stop us.

CARN YOU BLOODS!!!

[Swansongster]

I had a Dogs fan in front of me who I was chatting to through the game and he thought it was their best performance of the year. He also commented that he was surprised at how big the Swans are and that those big guys are so mobile.

I enjoyed the game although the I thought the umpires were not paying frees to Tippett that were there (scragging - taking out his arms, holding). He should have scored at least another couple from frees.

Another highlight was Jed Lamb's Q1 goal - very Nick Davis-ish. Dre was good and Rampe looks like he's been doing this AFL caper for years. Also like Smiffy's effort.

On another point, can anyone enlighten me to the exact rules about deliberate out of bounds. There was an incident in the 1st quarter where Hanners (I think) was herding a Doggie inside the defensive 50. The pressure was unrelenting and eventually the player just handballed OOB. I would have thought that was a definite free to Hanners but it wasn't paid (although later in the game the opposite happened and Dogs did get a free).

Was this a bad decision or do I just not understand the rules

[Triple B]

On another point, can anyone enlighten me to the exact rules about deliberate out of bounds. There was an incident in the 1st quarter where Hanners (I think) was herding a Doggie inside the defensive 50. The pressure was unrelenting and eventually the player just handballed OOB. I would have thought that was a definite free to Hanners but it wasn't paid (although later in the game the opposite happened and Dogs did get a free).

Was this a bad decision or do I just not understand the rules

Rates with the Malceski 'rushed' as the worst decision of the year. It was Griffen and there is just no way that was not deliberate. Of course, as you say, fast forward a quarter and they manage to ping Mitchell for a deliberate which was only half as obvious..

- - - Updated - - -

By the way Reg was responsible for the Dogs first 3 goals. ...

I note you had a few mates who agreed with your assessment in earlier posts, but I saw the first goal as 100% Teddy's fault and from the look on Reg's face, he would agree. Reg was acutely aware that Teddy was coming across in support and rightly made no attempt to spoil himself, all he had to do was engage Campbell(?) and keep him from attacking the ball and marking out in front, buying time to allow Teddy to make the easy spoil.

Unfortunately, Ted had an air swing...

[Plugger1300]

Took my nephew to his very 1st Swans game and it was a brilliant atmosphere. He would've have thought we were the home team!
We were sitting behind the cheer squad. Special mention to Richard Colless who came and sat with us. Provided a highlight (not to a 7yo)

On the game i thought Rampe was brilliant to watch live. His reading of the play and field kicking was exceptional.
People get to strung up on ladder positions too often. Bulldogs played brilliantly and deserved to be in the game to 3qtr time.
Swans just need to keep getting the away wins.

[Industrial Fan]

Rates with the Malceski 'rushed' as the worst decision of the year. It was Griffen and there is just no way that was not deliberate. Of course, as you say, fast forward a quarter and they manage to ping Mitchell for a deliberate which was only half as obvious..

The commentary on the Smith OOB was laughable too. He clearly tried to hit up a leading target along the boundary and shanked the kick off his right boot. The commentary was "I know he didnt mean to kick that out, but for me..thats deliberate"

WTF?

[Triple B]

The commentary on the Smith OOB was laughable too. He clearly tried to hit up a leading target along the boundary and shanked the kick off his right boot. The commentary was "I know he didnt mean to kick that out, but for me..thats deliberate"

WTF?

Agree totally. He 'didn't mean to do it', but that's 'deliberate'. Do they actually get paid to make such non-sensical comments???

Plenty of people, fans, umpires and commentators included, seem to overlook the very word 'deliberate' when assessing these things. How could Smooch's kick be construed as anything other than a poor kick? You can argue that being on your wrong side should make no difference, but whether he's a lefty, righty, both or neither, that was just a poorly executed kick and not a deliberate attempt to find the boundary.

I'm still dirty on Ted's deliberate in the GF last year. McVeigh was a few metres clear of his opponent and clearly in the best position to gather any ball kept in bounds, so it made no sense that Ted would 'deliberately' try and kick it out. I know others don't share my view tho...

[ShockOfHair]

Agree totally. He 'didn't mean to do it', but that's 'deliberate'. Do they actually get paid to make such non-sensical comments???

Plenty of people, fans, umpires and commentators included, seem to overlook the very word 'deliberate' when assessing these things. How could Smooch's kick be construed as anything other than a poor kick? You can argue that being on your wrong side should make no difference, but whether he's a lefty, righty, both or neither, that was just a poorly executed kick and not a deliberate attempt to find the boundary.

I'm still dirty on Ted's deliberate in the GF last year. McVeigh was a few metres clear of his opponent and clearly in the best position to gather any ball kept in bounds, so it made no sense that Ted would 'deliberately' try and kick it out. I know others don't share my view tho...

Totally agree. Ted's 'deliberate' came to mind for me too yesterday. The Griffen handball was comically blatant - I can't imagine how any umpire could've missed it.

[stellation]

What I enjoyed most about the Smith miskick and the absurdity of the commentary team's response was that on the reverse angle you clearly see White is leading towards him and has made a few metres on his man. Ignoring it was just a dodgy kick on the run on his wrong side whilst under pressure, so reasonable to miskick, they were clearly suggesting that he had made the calculated decision to go for a boundary throw in (against a team with a dominant ruckman, no less) as opposed to an uncontested mark 15 metres further up the ground.

[Triple B]

Maybe somebody pulled Dwayne's red, white and blue beanie over his eyes at the crucial moment. Have you ever heard such obvious barracking?? I realise the commentators like to talk up the underdog when they are having a dip, but it was getting to absurd levels yesterday.

Haven't heard such blatant barracking since the last time Roos did a Swans game...

[Bloodthirsty]

Totally agree. Ted's 'deliberate' came to mind for me too yesterday. The Griffen handball was comically blatant - I can't imagine how any umpire could've missed it.

Make no mistake people - the umpires did all they could possibly do to help the Bulldogs. That's just what they do vs the Swans - ensure the opposition gets every chance to win the game. When the momentum is with Sydney, there's almost always a BS umpire free kick turnover just to help the opposition on it's way, along with turning a blind eye to many other infringements. Tippett gets infringed upon ALL THE TIME, and gets nothing. Also, throws are illegal for the Swans, but not so much for the opposition. I could go on forever.

I am not being biased - I honestly see it all the time. The AFL knows what makes good football stories, and right now that involves the Swans losing to whoever they're playing. There's an awareness of this, for sure.

[Nico]

Totally agree. Ted's 'deliberate' came to mind for me too yesterday. The Griffen handball was comically blatant - I can't imagine how any umpire could've missed it.

I guess that means Griffen gets the 3 votes.