Anyone optimistic?

[Thunder Shaker]

We will probably not make the finals this year, but we are not really that bad despite being winless and being in the unfamiliar position of looking up at every other side.

Four of our games have been to top sides and we have lost only one game by more than five goals, to GWS by seven. Average losing margin is 23 points, and that's better than 12 sides. We are competitive; we're not getting belted. We have a better percentage than four sides. We simply haven't won yet.

Our problem is a lack of a settled side. We have used 34 players so far this year and that will be 35 if McVeigh makes it into the side for his first game this year. We still have had some big outs. Franklin seems to be carrying an injury. Injuries plague all sides from time to time and this year it is apparently our turn.

We will win games. We have Brisbane, North, St Kilda and Hawthorn in the next four weeks and we should win at least two of those. Win all four and finals are not out of the question. I do not expect to make the finals this year, but you never know. Missing the finals is no big deal. We have only missed the finals three times in the past 20 years and that is a better record than every other side. If we miss this year, that's not the end of the world. We will get a good draft pick and we will recruit well. We've done very well with very few top 10 draft picks in the past 20 years. Having a single-digit pick will be gold.

I will close this with one small fact. Adelaide have not lost a game this year. We are the last side to beat them (apart from practice matches), in a semi-final last year by six goals.

[Billericay]

I'll feel a lot more comfortable talking about how well the Swans are going to go once they've won a game and started to show that they have the potential to recapture their 2016 form.

[Markwebbos]

No Cookies | Herald Sun

Some really interesting comments from Paul Roos:

Lack of depth
Too many players (10) had interrupted pre-seasons
Unexpected injuries

Have forced us to play players who should have been finding form and fitness in the NEAFL.

But he still thinks we've got the capability to turn it around.

?They will have to get down and dirty. They?ll turn the ball over because of the weaknesses they have in their team but if Hannebery is cracking in and Parker is cracking in and Joey is cracking in and Isaac is cracking in they?ll be fine.?

[Nico]

I am mystioptic.

[bloodbrother]

miracle

Good on ya. However I respectfully disagree. Hope you are right and I am wrong.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I'm with you top40 . you have to give your lad faith ,if the swans get up from here to win a flag it will be the stuff of legends..it will make a great movie one day. We only need to make the eight to have a shot at the title ..with the afl devaluing the top 4 with the rest week post regular season then anything is possible ..long live the dream

[Steve]

No Cookies | Herald Sun

Some really interesting comments from Paul Roos:

Lack of depth
Too many players (10) had interrupted pre-seasons
Unexpected injuries
Have forced us to play players who should have been finding form and fitness in the NEAFL.

The depth issue is interesting - we have purposely been playing guys like Laidler, Towers, Allir, B.Jack, Talia, Cunningham (for a couple of games) etc in the reserves whilst blooding younger options.

I think what they've realised is that those guys (Allir aside) are probably OK at AFL level as a replacement, but we need better options as depth players if we are going to continue to take steps forward. Hence blooding so many young players, even early this season - in the past we might have got away with making 1, maybe 2 from every draft into decent players, but we now need 5-10 from our last few drafts to become very good for us to be OK.

[RogueSwan]

...

Our problem is a lack of a settled side.....

This ^
A bit of consistency will hopefully breed confidence and a bit of life into the team.

[barracuda]

No Cookies | Herald Sun

Some really interesting comments from Paul Roos:

Lack of depth
Too many players (10) had interrupted pre-seasons
Unexpected injuries

Have forced us to play players who should have been finding form and fitness in the NEAFL.

But he still thinks we've got the capability to turn it around.

?They will have to get down and dirty. They?ll turn the ball over because of the weaknesses they have in their team but if Hannebery is cracking in and Parker is cracking in and Joey is cracking in and Isaac is cracking in they?ll be fine.?

I agree with Roos. I have a feeling that the game this weekend will be full of pressure acts; tackles, blocks, shepherds, shirtfronts. The statements made about the lack of support for Mills last week have been a wake up call. The Hannerburys, Parkers, Jones, Kennedies must realize that they are the leaders and muscle of the team. I think the old leaders such as Mc Veigh stepped down but the transition to the new group has not worked smoothly. I think the new group get it now and I actually think there will be an upward trend.

I think the same thing is happening at Hawthorn, but not yet at Geelong. Adelaide has a strong leadership pair in Walker and Sloan.

So for the swans, I think the core 3-4 new leaders of the club have to assert their dominance on the pack (thanks Caeser Milan!)

[Billericay]

I agree with Roos. I have a feeling that the game this weekend will be full of pressure acts; tackles, blocks, shepherds, shirtfronts. The statements made about the lack of support for Mills last week have been a wake up call. The Hannerburys, Parkers, Jones, Kennedies must realize that they are the leaders and muscle of the team. I think the old leaders such as Mc Veigh stepped down but the transition to the new group has not worked smoothly. I think the new group get it now and I actually think there will be an upward trend...

So for the swans, I think the core 3-4 new leaders of the club have to assert their dominance on the pack (thanks Caeser Milan!)

I think so too. Reckon a lot of soul-searching this week at the Swans and hopefully an emphatic response to last weeks game.

[Scottee]

I agree with Roos. I have a feeling that the game this weekend will be full of pressure acts; tackles, blocks, shepherds, shirtfronts. The statements made about the lack of support for Mills last week have been a wake up call. The Hannerburys, Parkers, Jones, Kennedies must realize that they are the leaders and muscle of the team. I think the old leaders such as Mc Veigh stepped down but the transition to the new group has not worked smoothly. I think the new group get it now and I actually think there will be an upward trend.

I think the same thing is happening at Hawthorn, but not yet at Geelong. Adelaide has a strong leadership pair in Walker and Sloan.

So for the swans, I think the core 3-4 new leaders of the club have to assert their dominance on the pack (thanks Caeser Milan!)

This discussion made me wonder , when was the last time you saw a robust gang tackle from the Swans? Can't think of any myself.

[Doctor]

I'm optimistic for sure. If you look at our list, and particularly the fully fit players, we've done an amazing job being where we have for so long. We're getting games into plenty of young players so that the period down the ladder shouldn't last too long. I would much rather be in our situation than Hawthorn's. Roos made some very good points.

I also agree that with this many changes, it's hard to build combinations. It'd be helpful to start to play a more settled side to allow that to happen, but this is where injuries in particular can hurt that process. Squad depth is being hurt by the trade ban and the rather brutal way that the COLA was removed in the short term, and I think that we're feeling the effects of that now, but I do think it'll be a reasonably quick recovery period.

[waswan]

Irony that we have a skinny list yet on paper you could only say GWS have a better list and maybe WB......name another list that is better than ours ?

All Australians over the last few years - Buddy, Rampe, Hannas, Smith, Kennedy, Smith

Kids/upcoming - Jones, , Mills, Heeney, Floreant, Hayward, Naismith, Alir, Lloyd, Papley

Vets - Mcviegh, Jack, Reg,

Could be anything not yet something - Tippet, Reid, Rohan,

Serviceable - Robinson, Marsh, Hewett, Newman,
18-25 on the team sheet - Laidler, Harry , Sinclair, Foote, Cameron, Towers, Talia, Dawson

- - - Updated - - -

Obviously Adelaide are up there too

Irony that we have a skinny list yet on paper you could only say GWS have a better list and maybe WB......name another list that is better than ours ?

All Australians over the last few years - Buddy, Rampe, Hannas, Smith, Kennedy, Smith

Kids/upcoming - Jones, , Mills, Heeney, Floreant, Hayward, Naismith, Alir, Lloyd, Papley

Vets - Mcviegh, Jack, Reg,

Could be anything not yet something - Tippet, Reid, Rohan,

Serviceable - Robinson, Marsh, Hewett, Newman,
18-25 on the team sheet - Laidler, Harry , Sinclair, Foote, Cameron, Towers, Talia, Dawson

[barracuda]

I agree with Roos. I have a feeling that the game this weekend will be full of pressure acts; tackles, blocks, shepherds, shirtfronts. The statements made about the lack of support for Mills last week have been a wake up call. The Hannerburys, Parkers, Jones, Kennedies must realize that they are the leaders and muscle of the team. I think the old leaders such as Mc Veigh stepped down but the transition to the new group has not worked smoothly. I think the new group get it now and I actually think there will be an upward trend.

I think the same thing is happening at Hawthorn, but not yet at Geelong. Adelaide has a strong leadership pair in Walker and Sloan.

So for the swans, I think the core 3-4 new leaders of the club have to assert their dominance on the pack (thanks Caeser Milan!)

I was right!!!!