List changes and trade bait

[Auntie.Gerald]

it has been noticed by supporters all year that we were behind in effective clearances and or clearances in general

the ruck stats in the GF were 'from memory' not a lot different for either team which appeared amazing

but we appeared that we have been able to counter by letting the game come to us in our half a little more so we can break fast and counter to one on ones up front like buddy in pagans paddock !

very North johnny ............very North

[Auntie.Gerald]

BTW

i found some notes from a game during the year when a mate and i swapped emails ......

------------------

"i must say after the run of the Tigers midfield hurting the Swannies last week we had to make some changes in the mids.........I did like KJack back in the middle instead of the forwards which he has played more of this season................. Pykey minimising Mummys effectiveness was noticeable compared to TomDx

Keiran was in great form in the first half and really helped our centre clearance work - out of the middle we were 15 to 9 after the week before so frustrating !!

But Buddy is worth his weight in gold.........he was on fire and almost impossible to shut him down as one minute he is deep in the 50m and next moment he is up in the middle of the field and loving him up in Pagans Paddock !!!!!


Some interesting Stats :

Contested Possession - Swans 155 vs Giants 132

Hit Outs - Swans 26 vs Giants 40 (Giants still won by a massive 14 hitouts)

Clearances - Swans 38 vs Giants 34 (Giants were 8 below their average clearances and they beat the Swans by 14 hitouts but obviously to not much advantage given the Swans clearance being 4 greater)

1%s - Swans 53 vs Giants 32 (very telling stat and a massive change in the momentum of a game to be close to double on the 1%s)

TACKLES - Swans 62 vs Giants 75 ( Swans were 11 under their average and Giants were 2 above their average - funny enough both teams average the same amount of tackles per game which are equal highest in the comp along with Geelong)

[ScottH]

Sitting directly behind the goals on GF day made the picture very clear in regards to our centre clearance work. It was just terrible.

I think I had the same view.
And when we did get the ball we kicked to who?
The Bondi Billionaires??
No, We just handballed it back to the Hawks. Adam.

[Scottee]

Sitting directly behind the goals on GF day made the picture very clear in regards to our centre clearance work. It was just terrible.

Hey MCS, just wondering whether you could be specific if you were at the ground. I only get to see the Swans on TV and you don't get to see the dynamics with the poor editing and camera work. I was able to pick up how often the opposition mids were able to get the ball standing behind the centre, have also noted on occasions the mis-timing of taps , that is, clearly winning the tap but the mids being poorly positioned to take advantage such as starting their run too early and overshooting the ball or the reverse.I also wonder how much of the problem is due to having an overworked tiring ruckman who doesn't get a lot of rest.Also noted that the tackling, at least in the GF, was woeful and the aerial tapping of the Hawks players to each other was not something we seemed to have an answer to. I would make the comment that we were found out against Freo last year by this tactic with our shorter mids and we should be using bigger mids where we can. Goodes in the middle seemed to counter this. Maybe try Rampe there, Heeney and Hewett are a fraction taller as well? Would be interested in your views.

[wolftone57]

Shame for Campbell Heath - that boy could play, but injuries seem to have stopped him developing as everyone would have hoped.LJ never really looked likely @ Sydney, and could barely get a game at the crows even when walker was out, so no suprise.

LJ was always injured at the wrong time. He was injured just after TW got injured. He played a couple of great games and then did a knee. He has one problem and that is he can't seem to bulk up. Heath just didn't perform when he was on the park. He is that in between size like Laids, neither tall or small and not fast. That sort of player seems to have gone out of fashion.

[wolftone57]

Haven't you heard? It's a brilliant, bold move by the Dogs. Exactly what the doctor ordered to get them out of their crisis.

What are they going to surround him with now that Jones, Griffin, Cooney & Higgins? So they are going to build a team around him? This is another Footscray @@@@ up. You can't rely on too few and that is exactly what they will do they always do.

[wolftone57]

it has been noticed by supporters all year that we were behind in effective clearances and or clearances in general

the ruck stats in the GF were 'from memory' not a lot different for either team which appeared amazing

but we appeared that we have been able to counter by letting the game come to us in our half a little more so we can break fast and counter to one on ones up front like buddy in pagans paddock !

very North johnny ............very North

Also very predictable and they picked it off time and again by double teaming.

[wolftone57]

Haha yes all good and fine, I just get my back up very quickly about two things, my swans , and my state. Eddie can eat a bowl of dicks for all I care

The comments are still bordering on homophobic though.

[wolftone57]

Just wondering whether we should go for a KD or Ruckman in the draft, and whether we should try for a mature aged player who can hit the ground running?

The premiership window closes with an injury to Pyke IMO and he may not have long to go. Both he and Tippett have dodgy knees.

Almost as scary, but probably not quite so critical if you are winning the clearances is the prospect of Ted getting injured or retiring, but do we have heir apparents in XR and Aliir, as compared to the heir apparents of Naismith and Nanka in the ruck?

Would it come down to the best available regardless of which of the 2 is more critical?

I am now favouring the ruck option, other things being equal.

We have Pyke, Derrickx, Nankervis, Naismith & Tippet who ruck. how many more do you want? Aliir also did some rucking as a junior for Queensland. We don't need a ruckman but we do need a KPD.

[wolftone57]

I don't think we will take another surely.

Surely it'll be another KPD we target, or perhaps a Small Forward? We have Derickx, Naismith and possible Nankervis in the wings to support Pyke. Its clearly a huge risk in that area 0 but as you've identified I think we are, at this stage, even weaker in KPD.

I'm not that certain we need a small forward. BJ, Towers & young Hiscox will do very well thank you. Hiscox can play wing or small/med forward roles and he is lightening fast, faster that Jetts.

[wolftone57]

We suck at centre clearances. The defence gets bombarded every week with quick forward entries and stands up admirably. Teddy to Reg; "strewth not again. Action stations".

Unfortunately a lot of people can't see the real picture. Our midfield doesn't get beaten in the strict sense, but boy we are woeful at centre clearances.

That is down to the centre clearance strategies and stewie Dew was Clearance & Stoppages coach. We got flogged all year in each. His strategies seem to have reverted to 2011. I was astounded that we had no player on our offensive side at throw ins. We allowed their players to create a block because our clearances & stoppages too often rely on them getting the ball first and us tackling it off them. That is because our players always play a step back from their opponents or on the opposite side. So many times I saw Hawks players in a group on one side of a stoppage, astounding.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes I knew the midfield was going to be the theme of the responses to this, and this is correct to an extent. Best I can say is that it was so woeful across the board that it's hard to tell. But getting the ball out of the defensive 50 was totally without strategy, pressure withstanding.

By the way, why did everyone get angry with Jescinta when she simply said the same thing that everyone is saying here about the midfield? I consider it a factual statement. So what's wrong with factual statements? One thing I know about society is that society HATES hearing the truth, on a very long list of topics. Society has been conditioned to respond with fact-barren, emotionally-charged and often aggressive responses when the desired false paradigm is threatened.

....I know, I know. Heavy. Offseason.

Who's Jesinta & what did she say?

[wolftone57]

Hey MCS, just wondering whether you could be specific if you were at the ground. I only get to see the Swans on TV and you don't get to see the dynamics with the poor editing and camera work. I was able to pick up how often the opposition mids were able to get the ball standing behind the centre, have also noted on occasions the mis-timing of taps , that is, clearly winning the tap but the mids being poorly positioned to take advantage such as starting their run too early and overshooting the ball or the reverse.I also wonder how much of the problem is due to having an overworked tiring ruckman who doesn't get a lot of rest.Also noted that the tackling, at least in the GF, was woeful and the aerial tapping of the Hawks players to each other was not something we seemed to have an answer to. I would make the comment that we were found out against Freo last year by this tactic with our shorter mids and we should be using bigger mids where we can. Goodes in the middle seemed to counter this. Maybe try Rampe there, Heeney and Hewett are a fraction taller as well? Would be interested in your views.

agree with all of this. We need to look at the midfield. Some are suggesting KJ go back in there permanently, I don't know about that he was there on GF day and we still got slaughtered. Benny had been good all year but didn't have the strength to hold back the tide. all out lighter mids were in trouble as Lewis, Burgoine & Hodge etc bullied them out of it an Mitchell picked up the rewards. Parker, Mitchell (plays very bully like game), Hewett & Heeney are all stronger tall mids. I think for a slightly built kid Hewett is quite strong and holds position. Heeney is just an animal at the ball. If you are between him and the ball you are going to need health insurance. I like Zac Jones for the same reason. He plays like a dog who is seperated from his bone and the opposition just happen to be the people in between him and the bone. Be glad to have him at HB next season. Macca, Kizza, Hannas & Benny were totally bullied and bashed in the GF. We need to look at those players and make some hard decisions as to whether they are appropriate for this era as inside mids. I don't think they are and for a start none of them is a natural inside mid, they all started as outside players. We need the natural inside mids playing that possie.

[Nico]

We used to be the kings of clearances and contested footy. Would this be Dew to anyone in particular? Just asking.

Not Kings of centre clearances. Around the ground yes, but not centre clearances. We have got it horribly wrong for years and it was no more obvious than the GF.

[Nico]

Hey MCS, just wondering whether you could be specific if you were at the ground. I only get to see the Swans on TV and you don't get to see the dynamics with the poor editing and camera work. I was able to pick up how often the opposition mids were able to get the ball standing behind the centre, have also noted on occasions the mis-timing of taps , that is, clearly winning the tap but the mids being poorly positioned to take advantage such as starting their run too early and overshooting the ball or the reverse.I also wonder how much of the problem is due to having an overworked tiring ruckman who doesn't get a lot of rest.Also noted that the tackling, at least in the GF, was woeful and the aerial tapping of the Hawks players to each other was not something we seemed to have an answer to. I would make the comment that we were found out against Freo last year by this tactic with our shorter mids and we should be using bigger mids where we can. Goodes in the middle seemed to counter this. Maybe try Rampe there, Heeney and Hewett are a fraction taller as well? Would be interested in your views.

The tiring over worked ruckman was hardly tired at the start of the second quarter. Our blokes couldn't read a book let alone a tap out.

[Scottee]

The tiring over worked ruckman was hardly tired at the start of the second quarter. Our blokes couldn't read a book let alone a tap out.

Yeah but it got worse!