First Qualifying Final: Fremantle v Sydney

[barry]

I dont expect him to star. But i do expect him not to fumble, go missing, miss tackles, go to ground.

I know its harsh, but weve let players go for less. Very suprised if hes named next week.

[annew]

Tigers and Roos fans are excited about their game today and one team will be out, we should be excited as swans play at home next Saturday and could be in another pre-lim. It will be Shaws last home game and possibly Goodes's last game lets be loud and proudly Sydney. Go swans

[dimelb]

I agree with Meg and aardvark about BJ. Yesterday he made two mistakes that caught my attention. One was passing to the opposition (I assume that was the single critical error he scored in the stats), the other was dropping the ball immediately after Tippo had dropped a "gimme" mark (and we're not bagging him). In both cases there was a deficiency of awareness, easily attributable to the sheer pace of the game. This is exactly the kind of exposure he needs to become a better player. I feel confident he is a part of our future, a feeling I no longer have about Ben McGlynn.

Brandon has very good pace - close to Jetta I think - and has become a determined tackler. Usually he is a decent kick. He seems most of the time to be playing a defensive forward role plus crumbing for the bigger forwards. If he had dropped the ball to his foot, instead of having to kick it off the ground, he may well have claimed a goal, and if that simple difference had happened we would be singing his praises. I feel confident he will make it and become a regular in the firsts.

[Nico]

On McGlynn. He had a full game so he should be much fitter this week. My problem with him was appalling kicking for goal. That miss close in was a horrible effort. He kicks that and may very well have taken the game away. BJ worries me because he llooks very timid at times, a bit like Cunningham although the later was prepared to put his body on the line. Rohan's only excuse is injury. He had 1 stat, a tackle, to half time. I watched the game at a bar in Phuket with many Aussies and the opinion was Rohan is over rated and doesn't do enough.

[0918330512]

Sydney kicked themselves to a loss. Doggies inaccuracy kicked them out of the finals. North are doing their score card no favours so far. If Tim Schmidt's kicking business is any good, or if Michael Byrne wants to come back from his current kicking coach role in NZ, there's plenty of work for them. We need to get Plugger & Davo on as kicking consultants!

[mcs]

Sydney kicked themselves to a loss. Doggies inaccuracy kicked them out of the finals. North are doing their score card no favours so far. If Tim Schmidt's kicking business is any good, or if Michael Byrne wants to come back from his current kicking coach role in NZ, there's plenty of work for them. We need to get Plugger & Davo on as kicking consultants!

For all the debate about yesterday's game, footy is a very straightforward game in terms of needing to kick straight. It has threatened to cost us all season (our inaccuracy in front of goal) and yesterday it arguably killed off our Premiership chances....

[troyjones2525]

I don't know what we've done to the footy gods but they definitely aren't with us! Predictions for the weekend in Sydney is more wind and rain which has seemed to be our kryptonite!

Unfortunately i feel that perhaps this is not our year and hope that perhaps next year we get a better run with players like Heeney, Rohan, Reid and of course Buddy to interrupted campaigns along with additions like the classy Mills and hopefully big Naismith and even Newman. Hopefully we can add to our list re trades with the restrictions loosened or at best removed. And finally, could we be lucky enough to get a fit A.J. back???

I know we aren't out yet, but its going to be near impossible to go all the way, and that's what you play for, premierships! So bring on a fit and health 2016 i say!

[wolftone57]

Massive opportunity lost. Better than the anchors.

Hopefully we get Smiffy in the side along with either Bird (if fit) or a KPP.

Can't imagine Rohan doing that 2 weeks in a row. McGlynn, sorry mate. BJ gets another go because there are no other midfielders.

Agree about Goodsey.Hope he plays on!

There are other mids. Birdie, Hewett or Abaina Davis 192cm being used as a mid in the reserves. davis has been very good too. We need a KF we don't have one in reserve but again this is where Davis could come in. He can play forward, back & mid and as I say is 192cm. I don't know if I would categorise BJ as a mid, more a small forward. Benny is a mid and was very disappointing. I was not convinced last week in the reserves. The stats say he did well but the video tells a different story. He was wasteful and fumbled a lot. His game yesterday was forgettable. He fumbled and coughed the ball up at crucial moments in the game and otherwise got very little of it. If he had to touch the ball to sustain his life he would have been dead by three quarter time. Same goes for Pyke, BJ & Gazza.

We were good at getting it yesterday but crap at using it. Got to give Towers a big wrap. This bloke has been much maligned, by nearly everyone on this and every other Swans fan site, but yesterday he showed exactly what we have been waiting to see. He was wonderful. He showed so much composure as most of the young blokes fell to pieces around him. I think the coaches need to get round the other young blokes and get their confidence up. It is easy to hang your head and not lift the chin so the young blokes have to lift their collective chin and just get the job done this week. As for the senior players who didn't perform like Jetts and Benny there is nowhere to hide and they need to be on notice. As for most of the team they were wonderful but I want Hannas to get some lessons from Paul Kelly on how a mids delivers the ball. Hannas gets so much ball it is just a pity he wastes about 50% of it. If he used it well he would be our best player.

[WauchopeAnalyst]

It's more about depth. Too late now. A lot of poor foooty by senior players masked by wins, individual efforts. Cant use them now.

[annew]

It's more about depth. Too late now. A lot of poor foooty by senior players masked by wins, individual efforts. Cant use them now.

Agree depth not great but playing in the NEAFL is not exactly great preparation or development for the reserve players.

[stevoswan]

North just won........it's all falling into place.

[annew]

North just won........it's all falling into place.

You sound confident that swans can/will win. The talk has already started that North will beat the swans cos they are so injured.

[Ludwig]

We'll miss Buddy, because he always plays well against NM. But given our injury situation, I think we are better suited to beat North with speed and pressure rather than height.

[Hotpotato]

Yep, Boomer just said in his presser:

I hope Buddy isn't playing next week .

He was naturally excited post win but it was a rather insensitive comment.

[aguy]

We'll miss Buddy, because he always plays well against NM. But given our injury situation, I think we are better suited to beat North with speed and pressure rather than height.

We don't really have any choice do we

- - - Updated - - -

Yep, Boomer just said in his presser:

I hope Buddy isn't playing next week .

He was naturally excited post win but it was a rather insensitive comment.

I guess you could say it was insensitive but I think everyone will take it pretty innocently.