Swans v Dockers Game Day Thread

[erica]

Crowley and Ballantyne play a real low life brand of football. It's not in the spirit of the game but given it's effectiveness in taking one of the oppositions best players out of the game, then I'm sure other teams will start doing the same. If the game is dragged down to this level, then it will be a game not worth watching.

Maybe they are watching old games of Tony Liberatore. He was a filthy player, too.

[Primmy]

On a nice note, Lynette Bolton tweeted that Jude officially handed over "his" seat on the bus to ....drum roll ..... Gary Rohan. Next to a window I understand.

That really does mark the generational change.

As for the game? I am feeling crabby because for the first time ever I was actually organised with tickets and transport to Melbourne. I didn't Expect to win, I just wanted to...... Flat as a tack. Glad I read Lynette's tweet. Made my day.

[Allymay]

Oh and I forgot to mention. Had my photo taken with legendary godlike being in Adam Goodes!! Woo hoo!!!!

[Bloodthirsty]

Crowley must be following the moral compass of his historical namesake (or perhaps his actual ancestor).

[Swansinger]

Crowley must be following the moral compass of his historical namesake (or perhaps his actual ancestor).

Now THAT is funny ! And it just may be right.....anybody a member at ancestry.com who can check it out ??

[Mel_C]

Apart from those idiots, I didn't experience any bagging after the game. Having experienced verbal abuse and one finger salutes from Eagles supporters after the 05 and 06 finals at Subi, I thought they were pretty good at leaving us alone! Quite a few of them did to say to me that the Swans will be back.

My brother is a Geelong supporter and after the Hawks game on Friday night he copped abuse and was flipped the bird. An absolute disgrace. I went off at them! I do not want Hawthorn to win so that their arrogant supporters can be deflated 2 years in a row when they thought they already had it won.

With regards to Crowley and Ballantyne I am so glad the swans don't have any players like that and that we can win by just playing footy.

[MightyBloods]

Some positives:

Rampe - I thought his game against Freo was brave and daring. A great 2013 find!
Parker - His finals performances were outstanding for a young player. I knew that he had talent but I admit his performances in the finals pleasantly surprised me.
White - Played with confidence and I loved when he supported his team mates with his physical presence. If we can't keep him his draft currency lifted.
Rohan - Seeing his quick leads from the square show a good pre-season and we'll have a great recruit for 2014. Maybe a dangerous forward who can compliment Tippett.
Jetta - Clearly underdone. Only the insiders know what a loss he was to our game plan. A good pre-season and hopefully staying clear of injury will give us back another x-factor for 2014.
Shaw/Mattner - Their run off half-back and breaking the lines was crucial and we never really did cover it. Shaw will be back but I feel we need to recruit a young quick skillful type with strength to provide more depth. I haven't see much of our Ressies but is Towers good enough? Rohan could do it but I prefer him forward.

[Bloodthirsty]

Now THAT is funny ! And it just may be right.....anybody a member at ancestry.com who can check it out ??

Maybe Ozzy's song is actually about Ryan Crowley?

"Mr. Crowley, what went wrong in your head?...."

[Ludwig]

Some positives:

Rampe - I thought his game against Freo was brave and daring. A great 2013 find!
Parker - His finals performances were outstanding for a young player. I knew that he had talent but I admit his performances in the finals pleasantly surprised me.
White - Played with confidence and I loved when he supported his team mates with his physical presence. If we can't keep him his draft currency lifted.
Rohan - Seeing his quick leads from the square show a good pre-season and we'll have a great recruit for 2014. Maybe a dangerous forward who can compliment Tippett.
Jetta - Clearly underdone. Only the insiders know what a loss he was to our game plan. A good pre-season and hopefully staying clear of injury will give us back another x-factor for 2014.
Shaw/Mattner - Their run off half-back and breaking the lines was crucial and we never really did cover it. Shaw will be back but I feel we need to recruit a young quick skillful type with strength to provide more depth. I haven't see much of our Ressies but is Towers good enough? Rohan could do it but I prefer him forward.

Agree with all of this.

Once AJ gets back it will free up Rampe more for a run and carry role, and is a better kick than Shaw as well. We already saw some of this as the season progressed. Jake Lloyd looks a real talent, but will find it hard breaking into our midfield. He is very elusive and an excellent disposer of the ball, and shows Macca-like decision making qualities, and is a good defender as well. I can see him taking up a small defender role in our side. Mathew Dick is another possibility: He's very much like Rampe in size and speed, but without the polish. He's our youngest player, so there's still a lot of upside there. Still has a way to go. Towers has been playing mostly as a half forward. If both Towers and Membrey continue to come on strong in forward roles, then Rohan may be one for a HBF role; I am really looking forward to having him back in the side next year in whatever role he plays.

[wolftone57]

and perhaps have no injuries so you can get them to play as you propose

That would also be good. But we also have to take stock of the sort of player we have at the footy club and what they bring individually to the table. The coaching department do this each year and that is fine. But this year the whole talk from the coaching staff was what they bring to the game plan. The game plan has to be thrown out with the bathwater. Sides today are ot playing to any set strategy and we have been left behind. This year sides have been developing the ability to change their strategies to match and then overcome the opposition. If the opposition does A then we do B. This is how the good sides overcame us as we were not changing our game strategies to counter their strategies. We were too set into the 'Game Plan'. I was talking to my nephew who is a Hawks member and he agrees that Clarko had to change the Hawks way of thinking about the game completely. They had to use game strategies rather than game plan 1,2 & 3. Strategies can change many times in a match, up to 8 times. You have to be very flexible to pull this off and this is what we should be aiming for.

In other words we should not be asking what do players bring to the game plan but what to they bring to the table that we can use? How can we use that skill? How can that be used in conjunction with the skills and advantages other players bring to the table? How can we meld it all together in a variety of different ways to counter opposition sides? For instance blocking would help against the Freo hunting in packs strategy.

[liz]

Shaw/Mattner - Their run off half-back and breaking the lines was crucial and we never really did cover it. Shaw will be back but I feel we need to recruit a young quick skillful type with strength to provide more depth. I haven't see much of our Ressies but is Towers good enough? Rohan could do it but I prefer him forward.

Towers was almost certainly recruited with a view to taking Mattner's spot. But he looked lost playing in defence in the reserves - so much so that he was moved forward for the second half of the year, where he played with much more energy (though needed to make more of his goal scoring opportunities to really press for a senior spot). It will be interesting to see what they can do with him after another pre-season. There is a spot with his name on in the back line but he's going to find it hard to secure a forward line spot, with both Rohan and Membrey showing ability and class as "third tall" types, not to mention a certain Mr Goodes hopefully to return.

I wonder whether BJ can be turned into a small defender, come rebounder?

[Xie Shan]

I went into last night's game hopeful, but not really expecting of, a win. My main question mark before the game was how Freo would handle the occasion. Some nervous moments with their dreadful conversion early on, but like a good team they did not drop their heads after their early case of the yips, they actually kicked a much more respectable 12.6 after quarter time. I was in awe of the pressure which they kept up for the entire game, I could only watch on speechless. I feel like a new benchmark has been set. That would have been an invaluable learning experience for our younger players.

[On-Baller]

I love how some people think because they feel or think a certain way others should too. Basically no-one is allowed to comment on the game last night or any players efforts without being called a fairweather supporter, yet any other wreek its all good. If your not dissapointed in losing a chance at a flag then im not sure what the games about. There was some embarrasing efforts at times last night ,not one poster has said the team was embarassing or that they loved the club less but others just run with it and say your not a real supporter.

So next year if we make the prelim with a full side and lose no-one has any right to bag the players at all. Not one of the posters who had the gaul to point out mistakes etc is anyless a supporter than any of the holier than though ones who think what they think is what everyone should think. And hell may as well close the trade talk threads as that is just so fair weather supporter. People have inferred things that werent even said just so they can act all uppity. I respect everyones opinion on here whether i agree with it or not, who are others to tell people how to feel and decide hey im a better supporter than you. Guess they must of all been back at the lake oval in the 60's and 70's.

[Doctor J.]

I love how some people think because they feel or think a certain way others should too. Basically no-one is allowed to comment on the game last night or any players efforts without being called a fairweather supporter, yet any other wreek its all good. If your not dissapointed in losing a chance at a flag then im not sure what the games about. There was some embarrasing efforts at times last night ,not one poster has said the team was embarassing or that they loved the club less but others just run with it and say your not a real supporter.

So next year if we make the prelim with a full side and lose no-one has any right to bag the players at all. Not one of the posters who had the gaul to point out mistakes etc is anyless a supporter than any of the holier than though ones who think what they think is what everyone should think. And hell may as well close the trade talk threads as that is just so fair weather supporter. People have inferred things that werent even said just so they can act all uppity. I respect everyones opinion on here whether i agree with it or not, who are others to tell people how to feel and decide hey im a better supporter than you. Guess they must of all been back at the lake oval in the 60's and 70's.

If this was posted at 4:30am. You may have some excuse. But 4:30 pm. WTF are you on about man!!

[On-Baller]

Im on about the fact people personally attack others for having different opinions or thoughts than them.And yes i get the fact ive probably done the same. Even the commenter above has made it personal because its not what he thinks. If you dont agree point out where i went wrong why play the man?