Longmire's Coaching

[Hartijon]

I have never been more confused with what is going on at the Swans.Is someone pushing the self destruct button? Despite having recruited the best forward player in the AFL at a huge price,we don't have a forward line.We have a proven and well set backline so we play a key forward there just to confuse us all? Is Horse trying "not to lose"
rather than trying to win?Collingwood were so pathetic in the first 3 quarters a good Swans side could have destroyed them by 3/4 time.Can someone pass on the message that you win by kicking more goals than your opponents and other sides are awake to "slingshot" and "shutdown" strategies. They seem fitter too! What's going on?

[bodgie]

What are you two up to over there?

[ScottH]

We started off the season very slow last year.
We finished last season one week earlier than we did the previous year.
We were lucky to have some soft opponents in the beginning of the season and got over the line by playing ordinary footy.
Our fitness seems to improves during the year. No one wants to be in peak condition or form in March.

The Giants have improved dramatically, recruited well, and were very fresh and raring to go.
The pies were very ordinary, and only through our own ineptitude failed to put them away. Take away Pendlebury and it would have been a different story.

I don't see our form too different from same time last year.

Franklin is still fitting in. All the practice matches in the world will not make the team gel around him.
They need real games to find there feet.
You could see him around the stoppages, running hard to get the tap.
Unfortunately none of them came off (He's no ND).
But he was in there trying.

[magic.merkin]

Regardless the fade outs are a major concern, and you don't get fitter once the season has already started.
.

Thats the exact opposite of what players say, they say a good preseason sets you up, but there's nothing like match fitness gained from being out there and getting conditioned (thus improving).

I think our loads have been such to start us slow, to build. As suggested above its worked previous years. However this year we have had some items that have come together for the perfect storm of failure:
major personnel changes, form slumps, tagging difficulties, poorer skill execution and an improved GWS.

If we are 4 straight losses then panic stations! I can see us losing this weekend if Jack can't beat a tag, we don't improve our "gelling" as a team and skill execution stays down. The fitness will take care if itself.

[ernie koala]

I agree with the view that our match fitness will be fine in a few weeks from now.

My 2 major concerns are :

1) Not having a second ruck who can bash and crash the opponents mids, and win some ball on the ground. This helps tire and bruise the opposition mids, and gives Pyke a break.

2) Leaving out forward line undermanned With opposition defenders left unmarked...We did this late last year also, and had the same results (remember how Hodge, unmarked, tore us up in last years final)

[Ratna]

I agree with others that the coaching was horrible against pies, and can't understand why the coaching staff didn't address the loose man (but there may be factors I and all others with exception of the inner circle are unaware of). I also think that even given todays win, our start to the year is very substandard and the coaches have as many questions to answer as the players.
On a positive note, todays game was better and we were able to answer challenges.
The thing I like about Horse is that his press conference after both games (and almost always) had the same underlying message: basically paraphrased "we have to keep working hard as a group and continually improve". From the outside Horse doesn't seem to panic, he just calls it as he sees it and moves on doing the job to the best of his abilities.
I believe Horse has a good football brain (despite evidence against this from last weeks game) and also is a very level headed individual who has belief in his and the teams abilities. As with any coach there will be ups and downs.....and days like against Collingwood where all the supporters can't believe the decisions from the coaches box, but I think we are lucky to have Horse in charge at the Swans.

[bloodsbigot]

I have faith in Longmire despite last week.

I think there's more to it than a simple loose man in defense not being manned up.