Match Day Rnd.4 West Coast V Sydney. Domain Stadium 20.10 pm.

[56-14]

I think this is the season i probably expected last year but we really over performed. If this year means short term pain by playing kids for longer term gain then i am ok with that. We may just have to suck it up this year and take joy in the improvement of our kids while sympathising with our older players who have given us all so much pride in the past but are now in their football decline.
The good news is that we follow a club for which this scenario is a foreign feeling. It might take us one year or it might take us a couple, but we will be back.
Oh, and can everyone please stop blaming the umpires for us not being good enough to win games? It is getting tiresome.

Dosser - like your post.

Also, blaming umpires = tiresome, fully agree.

[annew]

I think this is the season i probably expected last year but we really over performed. If this year means short term pain by playing kids for longer term gain then i am ok with that. We may just have to suck it up this year and take joy in the improvement of our kids while sympathising with our older players who have given us all so much pride in the past but are now in their football decline.
The good news is that we follow a club for which this scenario is a foreign feeling. It might take us one year or it might take us a couple, but we will be back.
Oh, and can everyone please stop blaming the umpires for us not being good enough to win games? It is getting tiresome.

I agree that we over performed last year. Should we have finished 1st and played in a GF and nearly won that GF (let's not mention the umpiring) having played so many newbies - probably not. That we did just proves the swans have a lot of grit and determination that other teams lack as do Hawks and Geelong as realistically none of those teams should still have been top 8 contenders. I think that had swans not had the injuries they would have been able to get there again this year as the other teams are not really that outstanding (Adelaide possibly is the exception). Swans have played a bunch of newbies this year and still only lost by 4 goals, playing WC in Perth is the hardest road trip for all teams even for the really good ones. I am still positive that if we continue to try we can edge into 8th and with the bye what is the difference between 3rd & 4th and the bottom 4 - only the double chance and home final. To win finals you have to win at every ground and swans have shown in the past they are capable of doing that in finals - can GWS not so sure. Some of the first year players are doing really well and you can see the joy in their faces. Florent, Hayward, Mills & Heeney - good future.

[swans_premiers]

4 games down, 18 to go.

When looking at the likely development of our kids, returning senior players and a softer draw.. you'd be silly to be anything other than positive right now.

Sometimes you have to break something and then reassemble it to make it better.

We may be looking at these first four weeks as a blessing. As even if we were winning, you couldn't help but think or senior players would just be going through the motions, waiting for September. Having a few losses may completely break down their expectations, and lead to an enjoyment of the journey for the rest of the year. We've always played better with low expectations.

I can't help but think once we break through for a win, we'll get on a roll. Time will tell

[aardvark]

If we see AJ play a senior game, get some games into the young ones and secure a nice high draft pick i'll be happy with this year.

[Auntie.Gerald]

I'd prefer to see us get smarter as well !!!

I agree with Longmire that our execution was off but we have struggled to adapt in the midfield predominantly

Our midfield have turned the ball back thru the middle a lot and not executed and in fact been shut down to often and or dispossessed!

Yes execution was poor when it was on the line ie 3rd and 4th qtr

Unfortunately Reid, Newman, smooch, Grundy, AA, Mills, Hannes, jones made some seriously basic errors in the last qtr when we were within a goal or two

That is a lot of poor decisions by fairly composed players which just seemed amazing to be honest

But desperation of not setting up the game the first 3 qtrs causes fatigue and errors in the last qtr

So what is going wrong strategically in the first few qtrs and why are we struggling to execute in the first few qtrs ???

[Markwebbos]

To put last night into some sort of perspective: 2 years ago a full strength Swans team went to Perth and got beaten by 52 points. I knew then we were cooked. This year we took a team of kids and were 6 points down in the last Q.

[Ludwig]

To put last night into some sort of perspective: 2 years ago a full strength Swans team went to Perth and got beaten by 52 points. I knew then we were cooked. This year we took a team of kids and were 6 points down in the last Q.

It was far from a full strength team. Buddy, Tippett and Ted Richards were all out. Nanka and Pyke shared the ruckwork, got killed by NicNat and I think Pyke may have been injured. We also just got thrashed by Hawthorn the previous week.

I feels sorry for Melbourne fans who have not had success in such a long time, finally looking good to make the 8 and then having some big injuries, suspensions and the like. If we miss the 8 this year, it's not such a disaster as long as we can see a likely rebound next season.

In just a few weeks we can see some real progress in players like Fox, Hayward and Florent. Fox will be dropped back to the rookie list next week and maybe Florent, Hayward or both will be dropped for players coming off the injury list and they will get some much needed NEAFL time to round out their games.

The time spent in the midfield by Hewett seems to be paying off. He had a very good first half. Once he can handle the extra workload for an entire game the Swans with have another quality inside midfielder.

[Markwebbos]

I wonder whether there's a hope Hewlett might be JPKs successor or they'll draft / trade someone specifically?

[Nico]

I agree in part Ludwig, but I do think its reasonable to question his ability to adapt our gameplan to the way footy is changing. No two ways about it, our highly contested, tough in and under footy is not as effective as it once was, with the way the game is moving. I'm yet to see any real evidence that we are going to easily adopt to the way the game more broadly is changing.

He deserves plenty of leeway, and injuries and missing personnel are killing us so far this season - but I don't think its unfair to be a bit reserved on the gameplan side of things.

But as the season rolls on and players start carrying injuries, the speed goes out of the legs and the tough close in footy will take over.

[Markwebbos]

It was far from a full strength team. Buddy, Tippett and Ted Richards were all out. Nanka and Pyke shared the ruckwork, got killed by NicNat and I think Pyke may have been injured. We also just got thrashed by Hawthorn the previous week.

Wow! We were quite depleted then too. All the same it was a "stronger" team than the one that lost last night, and back then it felt like proof we weren't a contender.

[S.S. Bleeder]

Why wasn't last nights game broadcast on free to air in Melbourne?

[56-14]

Why wasn't last nights game broadcast on free to air in Melbourne?

Tim Worner?

[Nico]

The addition of Rohan, Tippett and Heeney next week will make a big difference, replacing bottom three players with three of our best 10.

Whatever the changes are I want to see Mills let off the leash in the midfield along with Heeney. And if his form doesn't improve there he needs a spell in the NEAFL

I don't get the criticism of Mills.

- - - Updated - - -

It was far from a full strength team. Buddy, Tippett and Ted Richards were all out. Nanka and Pyke shared the ruckwork, got killed by NicNat and I think Pyke may have been injured. We also just got thrashed by Hawthorn the previous week.

I feels sorry for Melbourne fans who have not had success in such a long time, finally looking good to make the 8 and then having some big injuries, suspensions and the like. If we miss the 8 this year, it's not such a disaster as long as we can see a likely rebound next season.

In just a few weeks we can see some real progress in players like Fox, Hayward and Florent. Fox will be dropped back to the rookie list next week and maybe Florent, Hayward or both will be dropped for players coming off the injury list and they will get some much needed NEAFL time to round out their games.

The time spent in the midfield by Hewett seems to be paying off. He had a very good first half. Once he can handle the extra workload for an entire game the Swans with have another quality inside midfielder.

Hewett gets a lot of stats when he is lying on the ground.

[Meg]

Oh well, all is not lost. We are still 0.1 percentage points ahead of North Melbourne. (Who could have won today if Thomas's last kick had gone through for a goal instead of a point.)

[Nico]

I'd prefer to see us get smarter as well !!!

I agree with Longmire that our execution was off but we have struggled to adapt in the midfield predominantly

Our midfield have turned the ball back thru the middle a lot and not executed and in fact been shut down to often and or dispossessed!

Yes execution was poor when it was on the line ie 3rd and 4th qtr

Unfortunately Reid, Newman, smooch, Grundy, AA, Mills, Hannes, jones made some seriously basic errors in the last qtr when we were within a goal or two

That is a lot of poor decisions by fairly composed players which just seemed amazing to be honest

But desperation of not setting up the game the first 3 qtrs causes fatigue and errors in the last qtr

So what is going wrong strategically in the first few qtrs and why are we struggling to execute in the first few qtrs ???

I think fatigue was a big factor in the last 10 minute turnovers. Both sides were looking for petrol tickets, we made the turnover errors, not them. AA was out on his feet and that run of Jones with 2 bounces spent the last bit of his fuel. I was wondering at the end; are we fully fit. Experience is a factor with our inability to finish games off but boy we have looked tired at the end of all 4 games.