Changes Round 23 V Hawks

[annew]

How good is Biggs - is he good enough to play finals?

- - - Updated - - -

Not liking Longmire saying hopefully Hanabery and Smith will only miss a week. Bone bruising can keep players out for weeks.

[ugg]

We can put a line through LRT too. Not in the reserves this week. Jetta is and seems to be the only possible addition during the finals but even in his case it will be hard to integrate him back due to lack of match practice

[Bloodthirsty]

Freo are on a different form line than us. We didn't lose last week - we got smashed. Our problem is to find finals form before the finals find us out.

Plus, with a third of our entire list in the clinic, we're not really in a position to be resting players.

One of the most frequent observations of the last few weeks is how tired and slow we look - especially our midfield. If we don't rest those players, then they will continue to be slow and tired. Also, if there's even a 1% chance of a player carrying a niggling injury - eg. Tippett - we should not play them. I know a third of our list is in the clinic (damn the footy gods!), but this match means absolutely nothing - it doesn't matter who takes the spot of rested players. If Longmire did have a fool-proof, guaranteed-to-work gameplan for beating the Hawks, then he'd be a @@@@ing idiot to show them anything remotely resembling it tomorrow night. Looks like it's gonna be more kick-to-kick for Tippo.

On that topic - does anyone know if the Swans have had increasingly closed-off training sessions lately? I would have to strongly assume that they have been working on the world's best gameplan with associated drills in private, and deliberately not using it in the dying games of the H&A season, hence the 'kick it to Tippett' 'plan'. So pretty much, yeah, a Swans' version of the crane kick from Karate Kid. Unleash it when it matters against the Cobra Kai/Hawks/Cats/Freo.

[jono2707]

Not much else we could have done given all the injuries. We need to play ourselves back into some sort of form, so hopefully our guys have had an easier week on the training track. Hawks don't exactly have a heap to play for either so there's no reason why we shouldn't be setting out to win this game.

Either way it'll be a good indicator of how much of a shake we'll be able to give this finals series. I wouldn't write us off just yet....

[Matt79]

I reckon there is a very good chance there will be a couple of late changes to both teams tomorrow night!

[DK_]

On that topic - does anyone know if the Swans have had increasingly closed-off training sessions lately? I would have to strongly assume that they have been working on the world's best gameplan with associated drills in private, and deliberately not using it in the dying games of the H&A season, hence the 'kick it to Tippett' 'plan'. So pretty much, yeah, a Swans' version of the crane kick from Karate Kid. Unleash it when it matters against the Cobra Kai/Hawks/Cats/Freo.

I'm hoping. Hoping and praying.

[ernie koala]

I hope the plan is for a late change.....And Morton gets a call up.

IMO, it would be worth it for the romance alone, but also..

...This could of been a handy game for him to find some confidence... for a final, finals fling!

[ugg]

Going by Triple B's observation about Tippett doing handball drills with Smith, how about Morton for Tippett?

[Captain]

Harry and Jack will give us that pace we have been missing!

Anyone know if Smith is meant to be right for next week?

[DK_]

Harry and Jack will give us that pace we have been missing!

Anyone know if Smith is meant to be right for next week?

I get the feeling that Horse is auditioning for some speed with the loss of Rhyce.

[Matt79]

Harry and Jack will give us that pace we have been missing!

Anyone know if Smith is meant to be right for next week?

From reading Horse's comments this evening, I suspect both Smith and Hanners will be fine for finals!

[crackedactor]

closed training session

One of the most frequent observations of the last few weeks is how tired and slow we look - especially our midfield. If we don't rest those players, then they will continue to be slow and tired. Also, if there's even a 1% chance of a player carrying a niggling injury - eg. Tippett - we should not play them. I know a third of our list is in the clinic (damn the footy gods!), but this match means absolutely nothing - it doesn't matter who takes the spot of rested players. If Longmire did have a fool-proof, guaranteed-to-work gameplan for beating the Hawks, then he'd be a @@@@ing idiot to show them anything remotely resembling it tomorrow night. Looks like it's gonna be more kick-to-kick for Tippo.

On that topic - does anyone know if the Swans have had increasingly closed-off training sessions lately? I would have to strongly assume that they have been working on the world's best gameplan with associated drills in private, and deliberately not using it in the dying games of the H&A season, hence the 'kick it to Tippett' 'plan'. So pretty much, yeah, a Swans' version of the crane kick from Karate Kid. Unleash it when it matters against the Cobra Kai/Hawks/Cats/Freo.

Evidently they had a closed training session on Wednesday this week. Not sure about length of time.

[Go Swannies]

One of the most frequent observations of the last few weeks is how tired and slow we look - especially our midfield. If we don't rest those players, then they will continue to be slow and tired. Also, if there's even a 1% chance of a player carrying a niggling injury - eg. Tippett - we should not play them. I know a third of our list is in the clinic (damn the footy gods!), but this match means absolutely nothing - it doesn't matter who takes the spot of rested players. If Longmire did have a fool-proof, guaranteed-to-work gameplan for beating the Hawks, then he'd be a @@@@ing idiot to show them anything remotely resembling it tomorrow night. Looks like it's gonna be more kick-to-kick for Tippo.

On that topic - does anyone know if the Swans have had increasingly closed-off training sessions lately? I would have to strongly assume that they have been working on the world's best gameplan with associated drills in private, and deliberately not using it in the dying games of the H&A season, hence the 'kick it to Tippett' 'plan'. So pretty much, yeah, a Swans' version of the crane kick from Karate Kid. Unleash it when it matters against the Cobra Kai/Hawks/Cats/Freo.

It's so frustrating seeing comments here from a position of ignorance that we all share. I presume that we can't promote enough kids to give them a first chance to play in the seniors while the seniors take a week off. I'm hoping that we have backed off the past few weeks (and that continues tomorrow) so we can come into the first week of finals ready to fire. But, as Kieren said we haven't been playing well enough to take it easy. Yes, it's a dead rubber but I think if we get beaten by 100 points that our chances in the finals are minimal.

We are playing close to half the team that were in the finals last year. It's going to take some heroics to go B2B. And, like most teams, half those taking the field are the walking wounded. I hope Horse has a cunning plan. And I hope we play well tomorrow but not exhaust ourselves trying to win. But I have faith that the coaches have put a lot more informed thought into what to do and who to select than we have.

All we can do is wait and see (and sound off here when it all goes wrong).

[bodgie]

Gotta feel a bit weird about Morton. Disappeared. Team decimated (10 gone), and can't get a run. Thanks and no thanks for 2012 so all the best for whatever you're doing.

[ugg]

Morton's been injured and hasn't played seniors or reserves for a few weeks now.