Rnd 6 Match Day Thread. Brisbane Lions V Sydney Swans. 1.10pm at The Gabba

[mcs]

Also I don't know if any here go to BigFooty's The Squiggle (Squiggle 2016) but it's a remarkable tool - and it shows us as consistently the strongest in defence. That's a good thing because the unpredictability we showed at the start of the season going forward seems to have disappeared and we're really relying on our defence. Rampe is a revelation. The way the Brions played yesterday - with Nick and Ted out - should have given them a win. Enter Super Dane and they are quelled.

It's also time we rated Luke and Hanners as the great players they are - both are our Energiser bunnies coming out supercharged each week.

AA struggled a little bit and dropped marks and the like. But his head never dropped and he provided constant defence throughout the day. He'll be better for the run so I hope he plays this weekend, too.

I know I've seen that squiggle before, but it really is fascinating - especially seeing where our 2012 and 2005 premierships sit compared to the rest of the premiership teams in recent years. The regression of Freo this season is also clearly visible from their squiggle as well.

[Meg]

Rnd 6 Match Day Thread. Brisbane Lions V Sydney Swans. 1.10pm at The Gabba

"Stretchergate" as it is provocatively called is covered in Access all Areas on the AFL website. The shepherd/bump on Sinclair is at 3.39 on the video. Arguably it was in the back rather than a side-on bump (and it certainly caught Sinclair unawares which caused his awkward fall and knee injury). I wouldn't say a free kick should have been awarded though.

The official website of the Australian Football League - AFL.com.au

[AnnieH]

A win is a win... this should have been a percentage booster.
Oh well.
Can't have everything.

[crackedactor]

Back bump

"Stretchergate" as it is provocatively called is covered in Access all Areas on the AFL website. The shepherd/bump on Sinclair is at 3.39 on the video. Arguably it was in the back rather than a side-on bump (and it certainly caught Sinclair unawares which caused his awkward fall and knee injury). I wouldn't say a free kick should have been awarded though.

The official website of the Australian Football League - AFL.com.au

OMG!! how did the umpire missed that?? It was a blatant bump right in the middle of Sinclair's back!! No wonder Sinclair fell to the ground! Maybe leppitsch should have mentioned that in his after match whinge. Did not realise until I seen the video replay.

[Plugger46]

Who are these top teams you speak of. Surely not Norf!!! The top team of the past 3 years just got belted by GWS.

Exactly. Every week is different. A 10 goal beating of Brisbane wouldn't make us any better placed to beat the 'top teams'.

[ScottH]

That is quite amusing if that is the reason ScottH about the banner. We did wonder why the Lions banner was all cut up like it was when they run out.

Allir looked a bit lost out there for large chunks - but there were a moment or two where he did a couple of decent things. I hope he gets a couple of more games to get some more experience and to highlight just how much more he needs to achieve before he reaches AFL level.

I disagree on Rampe - he had his brain fart moments, but I thought (as I posted a bit earlier) that he really stood up when needed towards the end of the game.

From Julian on facebook

Swans banner not allowed to be raised for Hanners' 150th as Gabba security said dye from crepe would run onto the ground. ?#?AFLLionsSwans?

Re Rampe, I did read some of the posts about how good he was after I posted. So was a bit confused. Maybe I was at a different game.
He was playing the loose man for much of the game and I know this can make a player look better than others cause they get the ball far more often.
I've always found he decision making and disposal far from perfect.

BTW: I was quite impressed with our seats. Given it was wet we were high and dry, even if the sun had of come out early we still would have been protected.
High up in level 3, we had a great group of mainly swans fans, and it wasn't too far from the action.
Getting to and from the ground was pretty easy and quick too.

[ScottH]

Who are these top teams you speak of. Surely not Norf!!! The top team of the past 3 years just got belted by GWS.

I reckon North and the dogs would beat us with that performance yesterday.
The crows beat us with hard running, Lions played similar, but were just not as skillful.

[swannymum]

Interesting photo beneath the video. Stefan Martin has an almighty grip on Sinclair. Holding the man who doesn't have the ball.

[Ludwig]

The stretcher incident footage is on the Dane Rampe interview, now on the Swans' website. After looking at the incident, Darcy Gardiner, who was a bit agro the whole game, snipes Sinclair with a hard elbow in the back. Not only should that have been a free kick, but a reportable offense, maybe not worth a suspension, but perhaps a fine. The umpire has a clear view of the incident and I don't know how he didn't call it. So we should have had a free kick and easy shot for goal. It was probably the same umpire that called for the stretcher, so perhaps he had some subliminal guilt and was trying to rectify his error. Two wrongs don't make a right, but taken as a whole, we probably lost a goal in the incident. It's easy to focus on the ump's error on the stretcher call in isolation, but you get a different perspective when you see how the whole thing started.

[dejavoodoo44]

Yes, having now looked at the Sinclair incident on replay, instead of the distant ground replay screen, it definitely should have been a free to Sinclair. I originally thought that it was half side/half back, but he turned before contact and was definitely struck squarely in the back by Gardner. Interestingly, the replay angle was the same as the angle that umpire Schmitt would have seen, but Schmitt should have had the advantage of being much closer.
So if he had paid the obvious free kick, one of our players would have kicked the goal, while Sinclair got the appropriate medical attention and the ridiculous and already tedious 'stretchergate' would have been avoided. That decision just adds to the impression that he was giving an umpiring performance that was worthy of a MacLaren or a Stevic. And of course, my suspicion of Schmitt was further increased while watching the replay, by the fact that Dermott Brereton was affectionately referring to him as Schmitty.
Though I suppose that it would be far too childish to suggest a nickname that rhymes with Schmitt?

[Meg]

Wow, the vision in the Rampe interview video is the clearest I've seen and yes, I now agree, it should have been a free kick. I was ambivalent about it before. Pretty stupid of Gardiner to risk it actually, although he did get away with it. Certainly puts the beat-up re the stretcher into even more perspective!

Some similarities with the timing of Betts' blatant two-handed push in the back of Smith in the last 90 seconds of the Crows match that was not penalised and led to the (in effect) winning goal. It seems to me the umpires are reluctant to call a free either way near the goals in the last few minutes of a game. The "put-away-the-whistle" syndrome.

[Swansongster]

I wonder if we should set up a complete forward line without Buddy - and play him permanently just outside the 50 and let him kick all our goals from there?

It must be so discouraging to the opposition when he just keeps doing it.

One of his kicks yesterday with a wet ball from outside 50 had us just looking at each other in awe and amazement - we couldn't think of anything to say.

Buddy should have kicked 13. Poor hands on Sunday. Sure it was wet but he should have clunked more than four based of the number of times his hands were first to the ball. Sheesh! He was even dropping chesties that my late Nonna would have plucked and popped into the oven in her day.

Great to get away with the win and pretty gutsy in the end against a team that spent most of the day on top. I know it's a clich? but good teams find a way to win when playing below their best. I'm not reading too much into a below par performance. Every team is going to have a shocker every now and again. Best to pick up four points and do no great harm to percentage when you do.

[mcs]

Yes, having now looked at the Sinclair incident on replay, instead of the distant ground replay screen, it definitely should have been a free to Sinclair. I originally thought that it was half side/half back, but he turned before contact and was definitely struck squarely in the back by Gardner. Interestingly, the replay angle was the same as the angle that umpire Schmitt would have seen, but Schmitt should have had the advantage of being much closer.
So if he had paid the obvious free kick, one of our players would have kicked the goal, while Sinclair got the appropriate medical attention and the ridiculous and already tedious 'stretchergate' would have been avoided. That decision just adds to the impression that he was giving an umpiring performance that was worthy of a MacLaren or a Stevic. And of course, my suspicion of Schmitt was further increased while watching the replay, by the fact that Dermott Brereton was affectionately referring to him as Schmitty.
Though I suppose that it would be far too childish to suggest a nickname that rhymes with Schmitt?

If it was Schmitt that was the umpire nearest, then I'm not surprised that there wasn't a free kick given. He came up with several 'interesting' calls in that last quarter to say the least.

[chalbilto]

Wow, the vision in the Rampe interview video is the clearest I've seen and yes, I now agree, it should have been a free kick. I was ambivalent about it before. Pretty stupid of Gardiner to risk it actually, although he did get away with it. Certainly puts the beat-up re the stretcher into even more perspective!

Some similarities with the timing of Betts' blatant two-handed push in the back of Smith in the last 90 seconds of the Crows match that was not penalised and led to the (in effect) winning goal. It seems to me the umpires are reluctant to call a free either way near the goals in the last few minutes of a game. The "put-away-the-whistle" syndrome.

Except when hawthorn are playing.

[mcs]

Some similarities with the timing of Betts' blatant two-handed push in the back of Smith in the last 90 seconds of the Crows match that was not penalised and led to the (in effect) winning goal. It seems to me the umpires are reluctant to call a free either way near the goals in the last few minutes of a game. The "put-away-the-whistle" syndrome.

Many people always say such a theorem is nonsense - but I tend to agree Meg. Too often calls aren't made in the last 5 minutes of a game, especially when its tight by the umpires. I really do think its not on purpose from most umpires, but rather they want to stay out of the game and not be seen as making the call that wins the game for one side or the other. Really frustrates me - if the free is there, it should be paid, regardless of where on the field it is and what time in the match it is, or how close a match is.