Round 8, Sydney v Hawthorn

[Matimbo]

Wow. Our defensive pressure was the best I've seen in ages. Lots of smothers, big tackle count, very hard at the ball in the rucks, plenty of forced turnovers. We also hit a lot more targets thru the half back and midfield than in previous games. We would have troubled any team, including a full strength Hawks IMO.

Room for improvement: we overdid the handballs leading to some costly turnovers; the only stat we lost was hit outs which was to be expected with Pyke out; goal-kicking was just one of those nights, I'm sure it will be an aberration

Bring on the Bombers!

[Matt80]

Worst I've seen all year. No rhyme or reason - so many missed and inconsistent calls. Probably didn't advantage either side in the end, but painful to watch.

I was more nervous watching this game than I have been in years. Way worse than 2012 grand final. Great game.

I think the umpiring group missed the experience and interpersonal skills of Ray Chamberlin!

[Matimbo]

I think the umpiring group missed the experience and interpersonal skills of Ray Chamberlin!

Or perhaps they missed his intertextual skills? Sorry for being interthreadual.

[Beerman]

The game had a nice narrative arc.

I think that's due to Buddy. He has a natural arc, apparently.

[hot potato]

Forget Wagner, last night at the footy on a balmy night in Sydney was magnificent theatre, a young inexperienced ruckman performing beyond expectations, the incredibly upright Mr Tippett coming onto the stage again after a sustained absence and contesting marks like we remembered.
Of course Buddy was going to have all those dramatic misses to delight the Hawks faithful until much closer to the final curtain ..
"If he nails this one from 48 , it lifts the whole joint and we win the game", one of the kids states . He slots it.
Hanners covering ground like a blue healer chasing the rabbit down every hole , Sam Reid taking grabs but apparently just a couple of milliseconds too short to be called.
The brilliant Hawks threatening all the time with their smokin slice it up dances through the corridor when you think that's it, they will get The Fat Lady off the canvas now.
But The Swans had their mindset in alignment, The Australian of The Year was barracking from his grassy bench like one of us, good on him, while Clarko was going Berko in his box.
After the siren there were hugs and conversations all over the ground, notably Buddy and Kennedy and McGlynn with old teammates from the Hawks.

Our red and white half time macaroons tasted sweet as last night.
Well done team Swans.

[DamY]

If I annoyed anyone in the bar, I apologise! But the victory was sweet!

[ernie koala]

Buddies relief, to have that game over with, was palpable.

I get the feeling, knee permitting, he'll have a really big game or 2 over the coming weeks.

[O'Reilly Boy]

When Goodes was subbed off, by my reckoning it was the first time we had a 21 with no 2005 premiership player on the field.
And I'm still exhausted from the excitement of last night's game. Bo Derycks was gutsy as hell, and I was just amazed at Buddy's effort on what was obviously a difficult night for him. Roll on Bloods.

[aardvark]

I think Sam Reids game last night may have spelled the end of LRTs swingman days. If Sammy stays fit and we don't lose any key backs it may be curtains for the big viking.

[dimelb]

I don't think a team with Goodes, Tippet, Franklin, McVeigh et al. Can be called Volkswagens. More like old Jaguars - prestige and quality, but prone to breakdowns and often doesn't work quite as well as it should.

You're right - I was thinking of our sponsors.

[aardvark]

Or perhaps they missed his intertextual skills? Sorry for being interthreadual.

See Liz that's what happens when you use big words on RWO!

[Jimitron5000]

Great effort last night for a very good win. If we keep that sort of intensity for the rest of the season (big ask that one!) then we should be thereabouts come the end of September.
One thing we do need to improve is a skills - missed too many targets that gave Hawthorn a chance to rebound.

[rojo]

What a truly amazing first quarter, aside from kicking for goal. Kicking and handballing with pinpoint accuracy by everyone. It was as if the teams had switched jumpers! They should replay a tape of it to the team before each game for the rest of the year. Certainly the highlight of the year for me so far.

In a James Bond thrillerish sort of way I think it was a perfect game. If Buddy had kicked 9 goals and we had thrashed the Hawks, the paranoia of the Melbourne clubs/media and the angst of the general footballing public at us snaring Buddy as well as KT may well have raised its ugly head again in one form or another. The fact that the Hawks were under manned and that we had to scrap our way to victory again in the end was ok. Buddy's missed goals took a bit of the spotlight off KT's haul of 4, and his 2 goals in the last quarter was face-saving for both Buddy and the Swans having paid over the top to recruit him. I like the softly, softly approach - a few more games of tinkering (while still winning) before we start to blow teams away!! So long as we can elude the enemy - injury - from here on in.

[Primmy]

I always know when its a helluvagame when I crave chicken chow mein on the drive home. Had to settle for a macca instead. Its the amount of adrenalin used up.
That game even shut the shiela's sitting behind me up. They stopped gossiping for at least 10 minutes.

Salute young Tommy D. Up against two high end ruckmen and he stood tall, along with tackling, blocking and being a nuisance. Also Salute Big Sam for the job you did in the ruck.

So impressed with Tippett and his sexy diaphram.

So very impressed with Buddy. Yeah we could have been ahead by five goals, but he didn't drop out of the game at any stage. He worked both ends of the ground, and kept at it until he broke through for a goal, and then a killer goal.

Fascinating to watch the change in Jetta's game. He is tackling anything these days. His defensive work is taking off like mad.

Hanners is going to be sore today. He hasn't got mad (at himself) he has proven he can do Anything, if he puts his mind to it. I just worry about that tongue. I keep expecting him to bite it.

All of them involved 100%. Not a passenger amongst them.

[Jewels]

malceski has lost it!
This year has not been his best by a long shot.
Time for a time in the seconds

Wow, just wow......

Or perhaps they missed his intertextual skills? Sorry for being interthreadual.