G.F. Day Thread. Sydney V Western Bulldogs. MCG 2.30pm.

[neilfws]

The Swans were well and truly in the match with 5-6 minutes left and were only down by a point or so

And yet could not string together 2 goals in a row, which is the key thing in that type of close, goal-for-goal situation.

Very disappointing day but in the end, you need to score when it matters. They did, we didn't.

[aardvark]

Capture1.JPG

This was the one that stood out for me. It wasn't a Captains performance by any means. Very disappointing.

[neilfws]

I was surprised Mitch was so high up. I thought he was very quiet in the second half.

Numbers and perceptions don't always match up, but that's the top 5 I would have listed as making a solid contribution for a majority of the game. After those names, I would have struggled.

I'd suggest that was the real difference yesterday: they had more contributors, for longer and scored when it mattered most.

[Untamed Snark]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1670[/ATTACH]

This was the one that stood out for me. It wasn't a Captains performance by any means. Very disappointing.

My brother and I were saying last week we are a better team without Macca.
If he stays on next year he *must* relinquish captaincy.

We really missed Aliir yesterday, his calm footy brain would have helped a lot ????

[barry]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1670[/ATTACH]

This was the one that stood out for me. It wasn't a Captains performance by any means. Very disappointing.

What were his pointing stats?. I didnt even see any of that style of "leadership" on the ground at all.

[Steve]

There's no doubt there is a halo effect where certain teams consistently get favourable treatment from the umpires.

The Bulldogs are benefitting from that on the back of all the rhetoric about them playing a positive brand of footy.

Hawthorn had the same thing - despite all their snipers, they had such a high skill level, and small forwards who put on such great tackling pressure.

So whatever happens, the umps are more likely to punish their opponents more readily, but also be more lenient on them in similar circumstances.

[RogueSwan]

.... to see stringer run away from smith like he was standing still and joey kennedy run past smith to put the pressure on reminded me just how slow our back six are ....

Bit tough on Smooch. He had just gone on a gut busting run where Stringer was just waiting , moments before, if it is the same incident I am thinking of.

[RogueSwan]

A bit of a pointless question now but at the wing end of the season injuries to key Swans have blunted out chances.
Last year Parker, Reid and Macca.
This year AA, Mills, Macca and Tippett.
The Dogs didn't hobble into yesterday unlike we did.
Does that point to our depth, physios or has no real bearing?
Our two premierships came on the back of a settled, fit, team. Hopefully next year we can have a bit of luck on the injury front. A fit Reid, Rohan and Tippett will go along way to getting back to the big dance.

[Levii3]

A bit of a pointless question now but at the wing end of the season injuries to key Swans have blunted out chances.
Last year Parker, Reid and Macca.
This year AA, Mills, Macca and Tippett.
The Dogs didn't hobble into yesterday unlike we did.
Does that point to our depth, physios or has no real bearing?
Our two premierships came on the back of a settled, fit, team. Hopefully next year we can have a bit of luck on the injury front. A fit Reid, Rohan and Tippett will go along way to getting back to the big dance.

Parker and Kennedy also with knee injuries this year.

[stevoswan]

I understand what you're saying, but you don't fully understand the effect of such a lopsided free kick count. When the umpires award 2.5x the free kicks to the opposition over the course of a match, it really does have a massive influence. How many Sydney scoring shots would have been generated had the umpires been fair? And on the flip side, how many less scoring shots would the Bulldogs have had? Not only that, free kicks swing the momentum, our boys were no doubt disheartened by the unfairness of it all. They gave everything they had, just like the opposition, but they were penalised for it and the Bulldogs rewarded.

The Swans were well and truly in the match with 5-6 minutes left and were only down by a point or so, had the umpiring been even, we would all be celebrating right now and rapt with how amazing our team played (we may ourselves been up by 3 or 4 kicks).

Oh, and some food for thought: for every 2 free kicks the Swans received, the Bulldogs received a 50m penalty. Hows that for a damning stat? In a Grand Final, no less.

Could you imagine the Melbourne media had the Doggies been cheated like we were yesterday? They'd be out for blood.

Agree. I wrote on a Sportsfan thread last week that if the umpires don't get caught up in the 'Romance of the Dogs', we will win by 29 pts. I still stand by that assertion today. The umpires did get caught up in it and it cost us a premiership. They are supposed to be 'professionals'. They suck, the AFL sucks.......and it's sucking the life out of Swans fans.

[Belly]

Norm Smith medal

Agree. I wrote on a Sportsfan thread last week that if the umpires don't get caught up in the 'Romance of the Dogs', we will win by 29 pts. I still stand by that assertion today. The umpires did get caught up in it and it cost us a premiership. They are supposed to be 'professionals'. They suck, the AFL sucks.......and it's sucking the life out of Swans fans.

Norm Smith
Awarded to umpires

[stevoswan]

And yet could not string together 2 goals in a row, which is the key thing in that type of close, goal-for-goal situation.

Very disappointing day but in the end, you need to score when it matters. They did, we didn't.

We scored four in a row in the second quarter, before the umpires stepped in again to give them momentum heading into the second half. GF's are all about momentum and the slime green were determined to thwart ours at every turn and it worked. This is what makes it a VERY disappointing day........in the end.

[Blue Sun]

Make sure you sign this petition if you want an inquiry into yesterdays umpiring.

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[0918330512]

A bit of a pointless question now but at the wing end of the season injuries to key Swans have blunted out chances.
Last year Parker, Reid and Macca.
This year AA, Mills, Macca and Tippett.
The Dogs didn't hobble into yesterday unlike we did.
Does that point to our depth, physios or has no real bearing?
Our two premierships came on the back of a settled, fit, team. Hopefully next year we can have a bit of luck on the injury front. A fit Reid, Rohan and Tippett will go along way to getting back to the big dance.

Oh, I dunno ...
Marcus Adams Foot Season
Kieran Collins Shoulder Season
Nathan Hrovat Shoulder Test
Robert Murphy Knee Season
Josh Prudden Knee Season
Jack Redpath Knee Season
Jordan Roughead Eye Test
Matthew Suckling Achilles Test
Mitch Wallis Leg Season

If you're gunna include Mills, Macca & Tip, you have to give them Roughy, Suckling & Jong

[giant]

I'm feeling sad, sick and flat today. But to finish the weekend on a positive note, the team has vastly exceeded my expectations this year, and have shown some fantastic spirit. They've promised they'll be back and I'll choose to believe them.