Match Day Rnd.10 Sydney V Hawthorn. 19.50 pm. SCG.

[stevoswan]

That idiot Brereton on SEN said that "Hodgey doesn't stage" and reckoned Grundy got away with one after blatantly smashing Hodge in the jaw. He even encouraged people to look at the video. You look at the video and you see Grundy never went anywhere near the jaw - it's clearly the shoulder. It just shows what a poor commentator Brereton is, how partisan and divorced from reality he is when it comes to any matter involving the Dawks. He simply can't be trusted to be rational or objective. It just reinforced why my usual reaction is to turn off/change channels as soon as Brereton comes on.

+1

Yes and I suppose that in Dermyworld, Hodge doesn't push people into goal posts, take cheap shots behind play or instigate brawls when the mustard and turd are behind. In fact, it's just poor accident prone Hodgey, having a series of unfortunate accidents, in which the opposition players get injured.

+1!

[Ludwig]

Auntie,

I agree that we have to be flexible with our game plan and if something doesn't fit on a given day, then try something else.

We have basically structured our defence to protect quick ball movement through the corridor, because the better teams have been effective in scoring this way. And we too have been trying to develop this kind of a game, although not always with great success. So now we have folks suggesting that we allow the opposition to draw our defence out so we leave the corridor open for attack. This may well work against some teams, but others will cut us apart.

The Bulldogs use their defenders to attack the ball and push it forward, hoping that their pressure will slow the opposition enough on the rebound to allow players to get back and defend. They leak a lot of goals out the back, but overall it seems to work. But it's a game plan that takes a lot of energy and commitment from the whole team. We haven't shown the capacity to play that kind of game.

I think our efforts this year have been inconsistent, both in the game and from game to game. Our skills have been poor at times. There was a big drop off from the Saints game to the Hawthorn game, and this, more than anything may have been the reason we lost.

We have a young team which is still evolving. I'm not sure what kind of game will be best suited for us just yet. But I would like to see us moving the ball more quickly out of defence and rely less on our ability to absorb pressure in favour of becoming a more attacking side. I would like to see players who are good decision makers with good vision and skills, like Mills, Lloyd, Aliir and Newman spending more time in the midfield. Buddy already spends a good bit of time in the midfield, and he's fantastic at spotting up players in our forward line.

[Nico]

Im sorry but if Longmire needs scathing criticism of Friday's performance to change our game plan then he has to go. Not only was it completely what was expected from the Hawks but the style has beaten us two other times. I think the talent in the group enabled us to keep all 3 games close despite appalling tactics.

I still think we have one of the best lists, yes some pruning is done but there is more than enough talent for top 8 and further if we get on a roll and are injury free.

I would still see what Roosey is up to, if he isn't interested then let's go new school and get young keen coach in. The Bulldogs show it can work and I think a new coach and tactics would get the team bubbling along nicely.

Horse has been great, but the game has passed him and I suspect the players are numb to much he says anymore I have always though Jack Gibson one of the greatest league coaches had it right when he said no more than 2 or 3 years at a club. Maybe one more if your successful. John is starting to undermine a great legacy.

Didn't beat us in the 2012 GF.

[Nico]

Auntie,

I agree that we have to be flexible with our game plan and if something doesn't fit on a given day, then try something else.

We have basically structured our defence to protect quick ball movement through the corridor, because the better teams have been effective in scoring this way. And we too have been trying to develop this kind of a game, although not always with great success. So now we have folks suggesting that we allow the opposition to draw our defence out so we leave the corridor open for attack. This may well work against some teams, but others will cut us apart.

The Bulldogs use their defenders to attack the ball and push it forward, hoping that their pressure will slow the opposition enough on the rebound to allow players to get back and defend. They leak a lot of goals out the back, but overall it seems to work. But it's a game plan that takes a lot of energy and commitment from the whole team. We haven't shown the capacity to play that kind of game.

I think our efforts this year have been inconsistent, both in the game and from game to game. Our skills have been poor at times. There was a big drop off from the Saints game to the Hawthorn game, and this, more than anything may have been the reason we lost.

We have a young team which is still evolving. I'm not sure what kind of game will be best suited for us just yet. But I would like to see us moving the ball more quickly out of defence and rely less on our ability to absorb pressure in favour of becoming a more attacking side. I would like to see players who are good decision makers with good vision and skills, like Mills, Lloyd, Aliir and Newman spending more time in the midfield. Buddy already spends a good bit of time in the midfield, and he's fantastic at spotting up players in our forward line.

I agree on the skills. One thing the Melbourne media got right this week is that we fumbled and bumbled our way through the game, whereas Hawthorn were clean with their hands. We had the footy enough on many occasions in the forward line to punish them, but we butchered the footy.

[barry]

Didn't beat us in the 2012 GF.

Thats it. Hawthorn were majorly annoyed about 2012. They have set themselves against us in every game since. Even 2014 didnt quench their thirst.
Hawthorn hate us much more than we hate them.

[Ludwig]

There is a logic to allowing the perimeter ball while protecting the corridor when you play at a wide short ground like the SCG, because it's only 2 kicks from your own defence through the middle to the forward line. Collingwood and Hawthorn decided that they wouldn't challenge the corridor if the Swans gave them easy possession on the outside. A week earlier, Hawthorn couldn't hit those easy targets for uncontested marks like they did against us. We all know that things like that can change from week to week, even with the same personnel. We did change our game plan in the 2nd half, but ran out of steam in the 4th quarter and toward the end of the game they were able to get the ball at will and we just couldn't chase them down.

It's been disappointing that Hewett was only able to manage 70% game time in a game when it would have gone a long way if could have moved into the 80%+ category. He's been going in the 70s all year, obviously not having the tank to do more, especially with additional stints in the midfield. He will have to improve on this if he wants to take his game to the next level.

[Ludwig]

Hawthorn hate us much more than we hate them.

Barry, you'll love the poster boy for this article from SEN: Players who've gone on too long

I don't think the Swan's hate Hawthorn or the Hawthorn hate the Swans. I think the clubs have a mutual respect for each other. I'm sure we hate losing to them most of the time.

As a Swans' fan, I hate losing to any club, especially Hawthorn, but I don't hate Hawthorn. I think they have the best coach in the business and am more jealous that their coach is smarter than our coach, although I do like Longmire as a coach. I also think they have a nice playing group and if players like Roughead, Gibson, Burgoyne, Cyril, Breust, Smith and even Hodge were wearing the red and white, we would all love them, just like we love Buddy. Hodge and Sam Mitchell do a lot of media now and sound like very decent people off the playing field. I wouldn't mind Sam Mitchell as a coach for the Swans.

[MattW]

Barry, you'll love the poster boy for this article from SEN: Players who've gone on too long

I don't think the Swan's hate Hawthorn or the Hawthorn hate the Swans. I think the clubs have a mutual respect for each other. I'm sure we hate losing to them most of the time.

As a Swans' fan, I hate losing to any club, especially Hawthorn, but I don't hate Hawthorn. I think they have the best coach in the business and am more jealous that their coach is smarter than our coach, although I do like Longmire as a coach. I also think they have a nice playing group and if players like Roughead, Gibson, Burgoyne, Cyril, Breust, Smith and even Hodge were wearing the red and white, we would all love them, just like we love Buddy. Hodge and Sam Mitchell do a lot of media now and sound like very decent people off the playing field. I wouldn't mind Sam Mitchell as a coach for the Swans.

I agree with this.

I hate losing to Hawthorn above any other club, but it's not because of who their players and coach are. I wouldn't have said that before the 2012 GF and probably not until after the 2014 GF. That was such an awful day and a number of their supporters behaved poorly.

I suspect losing to Hawthorn galls me so much because they have the wood over us. They get themselves up for our encounters better than we do, they get under our skin and they often outsmart us.

I had a feeling from dread leading into Friday's game which lasted throughout the game, including when we led in the last quarter, when I was certain we'd still somehow lose. The way we did - spurning chances and hobbled by unlucky injuries - was especially torturous, and the gutting feeling was amplified by the loss ending our season (in bloody May). I've not felt this bad after a loss since the 2014 GF. That it fed into a bye week has increased the eerie feeling.

Anyway, I imagine most of us would be stoked if Sam Mitchell joined our coaching staff, I certainly would be. WC have him locked in, don't they? Bloody smart trade by them.

[Mug Punter]

I agree with this.

I hate losing to Hawthorn above any other club, but it's not because of who their players and coach are. I wouldn't have said that before the 2012 GF and probably not until after the 2014 GF. That was such an awful day and a number of their supporters behaved poorly.

I suspect losing to Hawthorn galls me so much because they have the wood over us. They get themselves up for our encounters better than we do, they get under our skin and they often outsmart us.

I had a feeling from dread leading into Friday's game which lasted throughout the game, including when we led in the last quarter, when I was certain we'd still somehow lose. The way we did - spurning chances and hobbled by unlucky injuries - was especially torturous, and the gutting feeling was amplified by the loss ending our season (in bloody May). I've not felt this bad after a loss since the 2014 GF. That it fed into a bye week has increased the eerie feeling.

Anyway, I imagine most of us would be stoked if Sam Mitchell joined our coaching staff, I certainly would be. WC have him locked in, don't they? Bloody smart trade by them.

Pretty much how I feel. I had a similar uneasy feeling going into the game and I think the way many are bemoaning how we lost to Hawthorn, as if they were some bunch of no-hopers, is a bit rich. They are on the decline for sure due to old legs but that side turned back the clock the way they just found a way to win.

I must say though that I find their fans appalling, very smug and with no graciousness at all. Maybe I've just been unlucky with the ones I have met personally but I don't think so

[Swanny40519]

After sitting through that terrible 2014 GF next to bogan Hawk supporters, I doubt that I will ever say good things about their supporters.

But I agree with the talk about their footy club and players. I hate losing to them, and we have lost many many close games to them over the years. But I do respect the way they play - their great coaching (something I cannot say about Horse at the moment) and the quality of the majority of their players. Hodge is a boofhead but gee I wish we had someone as good as him in our side.

[Ludwig]

Just for the hell of it, I watched the 1st qtr again to see what went wrong. Hawthorn kicked 5 goals on us in that quarter and you could say that the game was lost by then, at least in hindsight.

The first 2 goals were given away with cheap penalties.

The first was an incorrect disposal by Rampe. He attempted to handball while being tackled by 2 players. The umps have been paying those most of the time. If you attempt to dispose of the ball while being tackled, but fail to do so, they usually call a penalty. But if you simply drop the ball or hold on to it, then it's play on or ball up, and the umps have been pretty lenient with those, so it really doesn't pay to try to dispose of the ball in those situations. The second was the questionable free kick to Gunston for a supposed hand to the face by Reg. We had the ball in a good position, ready to send it into our forward 50, so it really hurt.

The 3rd came from a kick across the goal by Hayward that was intercepted by McEvoy. Not a smart play.

The last goal was to Breust on the lead when defended by Sinclair. A poor matchup for us.

Although they had a lot of uncontested ball, most of it came by after being held up in the midfield then kicking backward and switching play to the other side. This allowed them to get a lot of loose players, but we didn't do all that bad a job manning up and we were usually in a good defensive position with Hawks in control of the ball roughly in a similar position on the other side of the ground. I didn't feel that it was the uncontested ball that hurt us that much in the 1st quarter, but rather the way they scored goals and some poor skill errors when we had the ball.

[liz]

And with that first goal, Lloyd should have been paid a free before Rampe had the chance to be pinged because he was clearly not in possession of the ball when he was tackled. I can see why the umpire could have missed it, given the number of players around the ground. But if he did see it, the transgression was far more blatant than the one paid in favour of Burgoyne late in the game.

I agree with Ludwig (and Nico before him) that our skills errors were the most telling factor.

[Hotpotato]

Port are not allowing Hawks loose players coming out ,
Hawks already look beaten .

[Steve]

Port are not allowing Hawks loose players coming out ,
Hawks already look beaten .

Yep - tonight puts in context how badly we were out-coached last week.

We should have been way ahead by the time we were down to 20, and then lock it down to cruise to a win.

Longmire is clearly a very good coach, but last week is proving even more embarrassing with each Port goal.

[giant]

Yep - tonight puts in context how badly we were out-coached last week.

We should have been way ahead by the time we were down to 20, and then lock it down to cruise to a win.

Longmire is clearly a very good coach, but last week is proving even more embarrassing with each Port goal.

Well, that's one way of looking at it - it clearly shows what a limp half-assed effort the players put in for the first qr. All those apologists for the team's effort (yep, looking at you Mug Punter) look on Port's work and weep.