What a season (so far....)!

[RogueSwan]

Before we head of into the finals and whatever fate holds for us there I think we should sit back and appreciate what an incredible regular season we have had.
We finished first!
We beat every team in the top eight at least once ( I can pretend the Roos loss didn't happen if you can).
You can count the games we lost on one hand. It was going to be a Simpsons hand until Saturday night.
We absolutely pummelled the team considered regularly considered the best over last few years. Sure, the Cats aren't the team they were four-five years ago but they still finished top three.
We won twelve, yes 12, games straight. That is phenomenal.
We also had some big wins, which should have quietened some RWOer's who lament our not going for the jugular at times. Seven times we won by 50 points or more.
And all this whilst watching the next generation get playing seniors. With Cunningham, Lloyd, Mitchell, Jones, Shiggsy, along wih the recovery of the Rooster and continued improvement of Parker (B&F lock?), Rampe, steadiness of Laidlaw and general all around game from Hanners and Reidy could seasons like this be a more likely occurrence? I sure hope so.
Shake Down the Thunder this September, Go Swannies!
[/gushing]

[mcs]

Before we head of into the finals and whatever fate holds for us there I think we should sit back and appreciate what an incredible regular season we have had.
We finished first!
We beat every team in the top eight at least once ( I can pretend the Roos loss didn't happen if you can).
You can count the games we lost on one hand. It was going to be a Simpsons hand until Saturday night.
We absolutely pummelled the team considered regularly considered the best over last few years. Sure, the Cats aren't the team they were four-five years ago but they still finished top three.
We won twelve, yes 12, games straight. That is phenomenal.
We also had some big wins, which should have quietened some RWOer's who lament our not going for the jugular at times. Seven times we won by 50 points or more.
And all this whilst watching the next generation get playing seniors. With Cunningham, Lloyd, Mitchell, Jones, Shiggsy, along wih the recovery of the Rooster and continued improvement of Parker (B&F lock?), Rampe, steadiness of Laidlaw and general all around game from Hanners and Reidy could seasons like this be a more likely occurrence? I sure hope so.
Shake Down the Thunder this September, Go Swannies!
[/gushing]

I know I'll be so disappointed if we don't at least make the GF this year, but just how great has watching the young guns come on been this year. Harry has come on in leaps and bounds, Lloyd is a rookie list Marvel (to add to an ever expanding collector set of them over the years), Mitchell will be a gun (at the Swans, not elsewhere), Jones is one to watch for the future, Rohan is just beginning to show what we all know is there. Add (lets hope very soon) a fit AJ to that list, as well as our Academy plunder, and there is a hell of a lot of talent coming through there that will hold us in stead for a good period of time. We have a list that is very capable of winning multiple flags over the next few years, if luck and fortune fall our way.

A lot of work to do first though - we got to get the boys to be lifting that mighty cup again come the last day in September!It all starts on Saturday boys and girls - BRING IT ON!


PS: I assume you meant Laidler instead of Laidlaw though :P

- - - Updated - - -

We only lost twice in the last 5 months of the season - and one of them was in the last round with nothing to play for, and another in a game we were in till almost the very end. After such a poor start, where many on here (me included) thought our season was blown before it started, its been a great year so far. But it means nothing if we don't go deep into September - I want to feel the roar when the final siren goes at the G and its your team that is going to lift the Cup. It was such an amazing feeling in 2012 (I wasn't there in 05) and I want it again in 2014.

[Hotpotato]

The Lancalot Show has just added to the theatre .
Haven't been to a Granny since 06 and 05 . So wouldn't mind going again .
Hope the usual ferocity at the ball resumes 2.45 Saturday and skill levels back to normal .
Taking as many as I can round up.

[RogueSwan]

...PS: I assume you meant Laidler instead of Laidlaw...

Laidlaw, there's a name from the past.

[Melbourne_Blood]

Yep great H&A season boys. Now onto the real stuff !

[DK_]

Here's my thoughts on the season and where we're at:

The low: The Norths game. An insipid performance coming on the back of a disappointing start which had me on the edge of despair.

The high: The Geelong game was as close to the perfect game of football that you're likely to see a team play. If we can do that again in the finals, we'll probably do ourselves a disservice over the long term because the Melbourne mafia will be so @@@@-scared of us that Eddie will get his entire wish list. Runner up is the Fremantle game, largely because it came off such a low low (see above).

The bolters: No-one saw Harry Cunningham coming, but he did, and he managed to cement himself in a minor premier team bursting with midfield talent. Lloyd sits in the same category. Parker has been sensational and, since moving to half back, Rogan is repaying the faith shown in him in spades. Few expected much from Derrickx, but he stood up well when we needed it, even if it wasn't entirely pretty. Hard to imagine it now, but plenty, myself included, thought McGlynn would struggle to hold his spot against a surge of promising midfield talent. An AA guernsey will show us for the fools we were.

Disappointments: it was hard watching the champion TLAs of the club, ROK and LRT, see out their Swans careers in the Reserves. All credit to them for doing it with dignity. The injuries to Mitchell were also a disappointment, but he looks to be coming good at the right time of year.

Who will be stiffed to miss out on finals action: Barring injury, Laidler will struggle to get back on the team after doing a sterling job for most of the year. With each week he's out, it will be harder for Bird to dislodge Mitchell. Towers has shown promise as a defensive forward which I think might make him a smokey to avoid the expected changes this weekend.

Where are we strong: a midfield that stretches from the forward pocket to the half back flank will be hard to stop, though the Hawks did match us there. There's those four tall blokes up forward who do alright too. The Ted and Grundy show is a battle-hardened combination. But I like our small defenders most. Smith, Rampe, Rohan, Shaw and Malceski are simply awesome as a combination, providing both run out of the back half and sensational lock down defence. People say Smith is under-rated so much that he isn't really. I think that title actually goes to Rampe, an absolute champion that doesn't seem to be noticed.

Where are we vulnerable: No-one's going to marvel at my insight, but the cupboard's pretty bare in the ruck department. Naismith will have benefitted from the weekend's experience, but truth be told, we're relying on the big Canadian in a way we haven't since half time in the 2012 Grand Final. Let's hope he responds in the same way! I'm a little concerned about our ability to capitalise on ascendency too. We seem to spend a lot of time clearly on top of other teams without converting that pressure into points. That could prove fatal in a final.

What about this weekend: I place next to no stock in the weekend's performance against Richmond. Key players rested and more than a few others playing like they were looking to avoid injury more than avoiding a loss. Plus Longmire seemed to be experimenting with roles and field positions outside of the norm. Freo have been vulnerable during the year when the opposition can put pressure on them in the back 50, which is what we do best. Freo don't mess around in finals, so expect a hard game though. Our biggest risk is the sheer number of changes from last week's team and the match fitness / touch of Kennedy and McGlynn. Longmire will play them and so he should, but we should look to smash them early and put on a lead in case our returning players start to flag. The other big question is, with rain predicted, where does that place us. I think the team's demonstrated an ability to win in the wet since the Norths game. However, it's not ideal for a team with four tall forwards in the best 22. The question is, do we rest a big man, and if so, who? Given what I've said about Freo's vulnerability, I'm expecting Towers in for Tippett.

With five real contenders, it's shaping as a cracker of a finals series and one in which some long standing rules about who will make it from where will get given a good shake. All made better by the lack of Carlton and the Pies in the running!

[BRISWAN]

Finish the year off with a win for BENNY !!!!!!!