GFC gameday thread

[annew]

We are missing X factor - run and excitement + a hell of a lot of experience.

[Auntie.Gerald]

i was happy Gary got thru the game though - very positive outcome for moving into the finals

[i'm-uninformed2]

Be philosophical. Injuries have caught up with us. Hard to ask the likes of Mitchell and Lamb be dominant in big games this early. It's just what it is.

Look how quick Geelong got back to challenging. With luck we are there next year too.

We've actually done well to finish top 4 given we've lost our top goal kicker and runner in Jetta, champ in Goodes, third tall in Johnson, young key in Reid .... You get the idea.

[Cheer_Cheer]

I think we miss players like Jetta (outside mids).. When we won the ball in the cliches we couldn't get it moving forward fast enough. We did last year and that was a big part of the slingshot... I hate making excuses but with our list of injuries it is going to be tough to challenge this year.. I haven't totally given up though..

[Auntie.Gerald]

great to see Jesse remain in solid form and take on the game today

[mcs]

New rule was introduced today. I see you can take a player to the ground regardless if he has the ball or not. I think I seen this at least 20 times today that a swans player was taken out before he could even enter the contest and not one free kick was paid, amazing what they can get away with. Must be a new rule I did not hear about or is this just a Kardinia Park rule?

I hope this new rule does not apply in the finals!!

So do I - that happened so many times. There was one period in a couple of minutes where three or four players got dragged off the ball, before they got anywhere near actually getting the ball - really poor umpiring. But that is playing Geelong at Geelong - all the calls will always go their way.

But we were rubbish today - seriously ordinary! We really are lacking that experience and class of our quality players that are out, and our bottom handful of players were really exposed today. But, the one promising thing I thought was that we did really just manage to hang in, and at least we didn't get absolutely mauled on the scoreboard at the end.

I hope we give some of the guys a rest next week, as we will have nothing to play for and may as well try and recharge a few batteries in the process. Our midfield especially is looking seriously tired now, and we are if anything limping into finals. At least last year we might of got beat by Collingwood (but should have won) and lost to Hawthorn in a high quality match. This year we got flogged by the Pies, got flogged by the Cats, and next week will be tough.

To win a flag, so much has to fall your way, and it just doesn't seem to be falling our way as such this year.

[dimelb]

The umps were wildly inconsistent, but we lost because Geelong played better football. Their skills, hand and foot, are a level or two above ours.
Why can we not kick more directly to players in space? We put in more high kicks than the Folies Bergere today, while Geelong nailed nearly every kick and mark.They also positioned themselves much better, in the clear and ready to receive while we were trying to work out how to unwrap the octopus' tentacles.
Our midfield is still good but not the best. We are really missing our injured, especially Goodes and Jetta. Let's hope we can get some run into Jetta and Reid next week. And I agree about Dre, his decision-making under pressure is not good.

- - - Updated - - -

Just on the TV: Shaw has done an ACL and is going in for LARS on Monday.

[msb]

Aaahh why did I bother going to that @@@@ of a place, I am never going there again, you just have no hope of winning, getting food, going to the toilet! Horrible venue, even though they have fixed it up....anyway onto the game and we were disappointing but it also comes down to personnel and players like Lamb and Mitchell aren't ready for hard, pressure games like that IMO and will be exposed in finals. I'm not giving up hope yet but yes we are a long way off back to back.

[Bloodthirsty]

Ahhh @@@@. Seriously, how many players will retire at the end of this year? Shaw may well. LRT, Bolton, maybe Goodes. Maybe the club will come to rue not giving Morton a game.

[hot potato]

Got bashed up. Hope they have hurried out of there, scary place. Must be haunted.

[annew]

Just on the TV: Shaw has done an ACL and is going in for LARS on Monday.[/QUOTE]
Also said tha Hannabery did his knee and oilman run the game out - I thought he did

[erica]

Shaw ACL and Hanners corky.

Source: ACL rules Shaw out of finals - SYDNEYSWANS.com.au

[crackedactor]

you mena?

Just on the TV: Shaw has done an ACL and is going in for LARS on Monday.

Also said tha Hannabery did his knee and oilman run the game out - I thought he did[/QUOTE]What do you mean did his knee??? It that a knock on the knee, bruising, jarring or something more serious?

[DK_]

New rule was introduced today. I see you can take a player to the ground regardless if he has the ball or not. I think I seen this at least 20 times today that a swans player was taken out before he could even enter the contest and not one free kick was paid, amazing what they can get away with. Must be a new rule I did not hear about or is this just a Kardinia Park rule?

I hope this new rule does not apply in the finals!!

I agree. Bulldogs did this to us and have raised the flag for everyone who plays us. Don't understand why the umpires allow it to happen. I'm not one for whinging about umpires, but today was ridiculous.

I don't feel as bad about this one as Collingwood, but maybe that's just because I don't have to watch O'Brien carrying on like a c@ck and setting the standard for the supporters. I've actually got a soft spot for Geelong. They're very professional and miter twining to etch.

I thought the midfield improved on their performances of the last few weeks, but aren't quite there yet. At least they're moving in the right direction! JPK was good again. McVeigh went well. Pyke was brilliant! Rohan looked better than last week and should keep building.

The worst part of it was Shaw. Absolute disaster. We just don't have the same run off defence without him.

Maybe we might hit our straps at just the right time? Or maybe we'll take the even years and Geelong will take the odd years for the next decade or so?

[swansrob]

Shaw is 31 and set for another decent layoff. Could he have played his last game?