Game Day GWS vs Swans Rd 1

[bloodbrother]

not into bagging our players,but was always against selling all our cutlery to buy one player who it seems is always hit and miss..either a blinder or a shocker ..totally agree we will get found out in the ruck this year ..rate mummy in the top couple in the comp..swans will bounce back but they need to also ..feel as though the future is mortgaged if we don't get a flag in the next few years we will be back with the also rans...

[Velour&Ruffles]

Re the sky is falling....

When do we start getting concerned ? You do realise that since the Adelaide game last year we are eight wins and seven losses, looked beatable against Melbourne and the dogs last year, and we're smashed by those teams in the four. Pre season were smashed by west coast beat Brisbane, many peoples wooden spoon favourites by a few goals, and have now lost badly to the giants.

What would it take for you to be concerned ?

For me the predictability of this result once the rain came was high. But even before that they looked quick and capable of kicking 15 goals against us. That made me worried.

Yep, this. The concern for me is that we just don't seem to have learned or changed. We keep playing the same ineffective brand of footy in the wet, no matter how many times it is exposed. We also keep playing stagnant footy and kicking to players who are stationary and outnumbered 3 to 1, rather than kicking it to the two free guys that must be floating around. Have a look at the swift, purposeful way the Hawks (or GWS yesterday) move the ball forward to players on the run and compare it to our torturous advances.

We were good enough to beat mediocre and even a few good teams last year, but it is why we couldnt beat any of the real contenders. And it is why we will be even less successful this year unless we do something to change. It is this that concerns me. Frankly, the fact that it is round 1 is irrelevant. You are kidding yourself if you take comfort from that. This has been going on for a year. It is just particularly disappointing to see it in round 1 because I would have hoped we had been working on a new and better way over summer. Clearly we haven't been.

[tez]

not into bagging our players,but was always against selling all our cutlery to buy one player who it seems is always hit and miss..either a blinder or a shocker ..totally agree we will get found out in the ruck this year ..rate mummy in the top couple in the comp..swans will bounce back but they need to also ..feel as though the future is mortgaged if we don't get a flag in the next few years we will be back with the also rans...

Did GWS improve or we fade away. Agree with the line "selling all our cutlery to buy one player. I feel our speed
accross the ground was slow and perhaps an"attitude of ?ll we had to do was show up"and take the four points""

[PerthSwannie]

Did GWS improve or we fade away. Agree with the line "selling all our cutlery to buy one player. I feel our speed
accross the ground was slow and perhaps an"attitude of ?ll we had to do was show up"and take the four points""

GWS were awesome. Simple as that. They would of given Hawthorn and Freo a damn good go as well. Simply outstanding......................

[Matt79]

Lighten up...I woke up this morning from a nightmare that we actually lost to GWS somehow last night?!!? Thank goodness, woke up with bad sweats. Anyhoo, the countdown is on until the season starts against Collingwood on March 29th...bring it on!

[dimelb]

It was only a matter of time before a team full of top 10 picks gained superiority.

Absolutely right.
And they will win a few more; if they play like that for the season (a big if, I know) they will be in the eight.

[Auntie.Gerald]

maybe it was also a reality check for us Swan supporters

This GWS team over the next couple of years will be a serious threat to the top8 and maybe further depending on injuries

I dont mean in 2014 but 2015 onwards they will be contending the 8

I feel a one game performance is not enough to determine the 2014 season

I must admit i thought they were 4 years away, but with the GWS midfield is already as big as ours and most are only turning 21 years of age this season.

Their forward line is as good as most teams placed say 5th to 8th in the comp

PLUS Mummy, Giles, Scully, Whitfield, Treloar, Greene, Shiels, Ward, Coniglio, Bugg etc are already a serious midfield rotation that will test any team not on their game

[Wazza]

[QUOTE=Captain;634749]I was most disappointed in our so called young guns.

Reid, Rohan, Jetta, Hanners all massively failed to fire. If these guys don't step up this year then it will be a very long year. All of them need to find the reliability of Smith, Richards, JPK etc.[/QUOTE
]
Great call captain agree 100% Reid and Rohan where really disappointing if we are going to do anything this year both of these must step it up, they cant keep turning up with the "potential" to to tear a game open they need to start doing it.
Bottom line GWS wanted it more and played better but IMHO in an ordinary team performance, Rohan and Reid stood out for total lack of impact on any contest.

Cheers

waz

Cheers

Waz

[dimelb]

We missed Kieren. We also missed Hanners, well down on possessions and only one touch in the 3rd quarter! Who was tagging him? (I assume that's what was happening.)

[PerthSwannie]

Lighten up...I woke up this morning from a nightmare that we actually lost to GWS somehow last night?!!? Thank goodness, woke up with bad sweats. Anyhoo, the countdown is on until the season starts against Collingwood on March 29th...bring it on!

HaHa..... Funny thing. My son half-way through the 3rd qtr said that IF we lose this game I`m giving up on the game and going back to the NRL. Let`s see how that turns out.

[Matt80]

Absolutely right.
And they will win a few more; if they play like that for the season (a big if, I know) they will be in the eight.

The Suns also beat Richmond last night who are predicted to make finals. These expansion teams are coming and it's time for all of us to stop penciling in wins against them! The only teams in the comp that the Swans fans can pencil in wins for are Melbourne, St Kilda and the Lions. Every other team could beat us on their day!

This is the closest the competition has been in years and should be cherished by all AFL fans, as there will be finals intense games across the whole competition in the last 6 rounds.

[undy]

Never mind the game, what about the storm - I reckon the stadium got hit twice by lightning. Kudos to the stadium staff for being flexible and letting people get under cover.

El Nino probability is up, which is good for us, we rarely change style effectively when it rains.

[Ludwig]

I watched the GC v. Richmond game and the GC midfield is really impressive. They are so slick the way they move the ball. It's like the oft mentioned Adelaide game last year where our midfield was so dominant. I think we have to get back to that level to compete effectively this year.

The Giants' midfield are probably less skillful than GC, but more tenacious, which should hold them in good stead. Jeremy Cameron is like a young Buddy Franklin and Patton is also very agile for his size, with Boyd yet to come. I think the Giants are for real.

I am sure the team expects to lift their game, because it is pretty obvious that if they don't, the Swans are just going to be an also ran this year.

[Blue Sun]

Ever since Sydney stopped playing slingshot footy they have struggled. In 2012 the Swans dominated by free-flowing quick transition football with the mids kicking the majority of goals. Bombing to key-forwards over and over again has absolutely trashed Sydney's win/loss ratio because it is so easy to predict and defend against.

Now that we have Shaw, Jetta and Rohan all fit and healthy in the seniors, Longmire should be looking to bring back the "trademark" slingshot footy, with perhaps Buddy and/or Tippett/Reid leading up the ground emptying the forward 50 for the remaining forward to have a one-on-one contest or even watch the ball sail overhead for a goal kicked by one of the quality mid-fielders.

The Swans certainly have the run out of defense, depth of talent in the mid-field and the pace to do this. Having powerful forwards is always an asset, but they shouldn't be hit up every time.
Thoughts?

[stellation]

Absolutely right.
And they will win a few more; if they play like that for the season (a big if, I know) they will be in the eight.

Yep, they've really got a phenomenal bunch of kids. I've raved about him before- but Lachie Whitfield is a hell of a talent, and may very well go on to be the pick of their bunch of kids. Still only 19, has all of two pre-seasons into him, has got some toothpick thick legs and was 30 minutes into the final quarter running around on a wet, heavy ground- but when he got that free around the 50m arc late I instantly knew he was going to kick it.