Match Day SEMI FINAL Geelong v Sydney MCG 7.50pm Friday 15 September

[O'Reilly Boy]

The fact that 2014 GF and this game are so similar is the worry. Back in the 2005 to 2012 era we would never end a final series like that.

Let's just fact-check the 2005 to 2012 record (and beyond).

2005 win GF narrowly. Lost first week of finals, then two victories
2006 Won first week, prelim; lost GF narrowly.
2007 finish 7th Lose 125-87 to Pies in week 1 elim.
2008 finish 6th. Win elim; Lose 106-69 to Bulldogs in semi
2009 12th
2010 finish 5th Win elim; Lose 77-72 to Bulldogs in semi
2011 finish 7th Win elim; Lose 122-86 to Hawks in semi
2012 finish 3rd, Win qualifying, prelim, Premiership
2013 finish 4th, lose qualifying, win semi, well beaten in prelim by Freo

No doubt last night was a terrible performance, but we've lost in final series before, including some comprehensive defeats in the purported golden era.
I think that we need to not just smash the panic button. We were tired after a Lazarus-like effort to get back from 0-6.
Blaming Rohan is absurd given the failure of our vaunted mids to get their hands on the ball.

[Blood Fever]

The fact that 2014 GF and this game are so similar is the worry. Back in the 2005 to 2012 era we would never end a final series like that.

In 2011, won elimination final v St Kilda. Absolutely hammered by Hawthorn in semi.

[S.S. Bleeder]

What a pathetic performance. It was so terrible that I spent 3/4 of the match in the bar talking to Melbourne and Richmond supporters. It all started with the @@@@eful umpiring. That 50m penalty against Buddy, that free for chopping the arms and the free against Rampe for pushing Danger in the back are classic examples. They were wearing our players like a glove yet the umps just ignored this whilst penalising our guys for doing the same.

Our players were just slamming the ball onto their boot even when there was no pressure (yes McVeigh, Jack, et al, I'm looking at you). What is our problem? This was 2014GF 2.0. You would never have seen Hawthorn capitulate like that.

Dangerfield played an awesome game. Playing him at full forward was a master stroke.

[rojo]

It is a bit of a worry when you look at the Reserves team and the GF's they have played in recently and lost them all. Some years player availability has been an issue for them but not this year. Like the Seniors they had been playing good footy, only lost a couple of games all season and yet failed at the final hurdle - they played poorly. Last night our Seniors lost, which is ok, but they didn't just lose, as a team they played poorly. Is that just footy or is there an issue either cultural, leadership, coaching, personnel or whatever?

[Merdo5555]

There is a clear significant psychological issue, big changes are needed to overcome it.

[monopoly19]

There is a clear significant psychological issue, big changes are needed to overcome it.

I agree, though I really hope I'm wrong. As talented as this team is, I wonder if they have the mental strength to win a grand final. I think it's a tough ask to have faith in yourself and your teammates after the disappointment of 2013 onwards (the Buddy era, I guess). Yes, we've been a very successful side in the period but I don't think it counts for much until you win a premiership.

[Ludwig]

Geelong surely came into the game conceding the midfield contest. Guthrie out; Selwood playing injured; and then they take Dangerfield out of the midfield and put him in the forward line. No one would have been more shocked at what transpired than Chris Scott.

[Nico]

Geelong surely came into the game conceding the midfield contest. Guthrie out; Selwood playing injured; and then they take Dangerfield out of the midfield and put him in the forward line. No one would have been more shocked at what transpired than Chris Scott.

In the 2nd half of the season we were smashing sides out of the centre and giving our forwards first opportunity. You could see very early that Geelong were determined to thwart our centre clearances. We became spectators at centre bounces and paid dearly. Mills must immediately go to the midfield and have some intensive education on playing midfield in the off season.

[Ludwig]

In the 2nd half of the season we were smashing sides out of the centre and giving our forwards first opportunity. You could see very early that Geelong were determined to thwart our centre clearances. We became spectators at centre bounces and paid dearly. Mills must immediately go to the midfield and have some intensive education on playing midfield in the off season.

I've been pleading for Mills to move to the midfield all year. We desperately need another player who can quickly pick out a forward on the lead instead of just bombing in to the opposition. I don't think he will need much education. He's a natural and has been playing midfield with us from his Academy days.

[Hotpotato]

Need to do something to stop the mental disintegration in important games because I hate losing.

[Billericay]

Having had a chance to sober up, sleep on it, and calm down, I think the defeat was a combination of factors:

1. Longmire was outcoached

There's a great piece in the Age Chris Scott 'Geelong's best player' in semi-final win over Sydney: Joel Selwood

"Geelong's best player at the MCG on Friday night was a man who hadn't played an AFL game in more than 10 years. That man, at least according to Cats skipper Joel Selwood, was the club's coach, Chris Scott. Scott's decision to play Patrick Dangerfield as a deep forward proved a masterstroke, as the Brownlow medallist kicked four first half goals, setting up a 36-point half-time lead over Sydney.

Scott says his decision to play Danger forward [against the Crows] depends on being confident he'll win the centre bounce "Do we win the first centre bounce? Well if we do, we start him forward... The hard part is winning the first centre bounce."

So Scott didn't concede the midfield battle, far from it, his decision to play Danger forward depended on being able to win around the ball without Danger.

If you think about the previous games between us and Geelong they've generally broken even in clearances / contested possessions and had more inside 50s, but we've beaten them by being more efficient in attack / defending better. It would make complete sense that Scott would look at ways to get more value from a mountain of inside 50s. Playing Danger forward, based on the game v Hawthorn, was the way to go. As Longmire said, he tried lots of things to counter it, and nothing worked. Coach John Longmire says his Swans looked 'buggered' in defeat to Cats

"We were trying. Nothing we did tonight worked. It was just one of those nights. It doesn't happen to often, to be fair on them."

It's a very difficult match up that we'll need to find an answer to by next season. Would someone like Parker be capable of playing as a defender on Dangerfield?

2. Swans were exhausted

I genuinely think the mental and physical toll of hauling themselves back from 0-6 left the Swans with nothing to give, or as Longmire put it "Our blokes looked a bit buggered tonight, to be honest... We didn't have much energy... We've been going flat out for 18 weeks, playing elimination finals every week."

In previous years (2013 v Freo, 2015 v North) we've played finals exhausted (admittedly with injury issues in 2015) and looked off the pace when we lost. I'm actually amazed the Swans kept up a high level of football for so long (18 games) without a major drop off.

3. Teams do have bad games

Just being factual and unemotional about this, Geelong got smashed by Richmond last week by 51 points and although people spent the entire week questioning them, they bounced back emphatically. Swans got killed by GWS last year and came back to make the Grand Final. It's arguable that we should have won the premiership last year despite that shellacking.

Last year we beat both Geelong and Adelaide comprehensively in finals. No one's calling for Chris Scott / Don Pyke's head or a wholesale clean out of players. They are playing off for a spot in the Grand Final next week.

4. Geelong's reputation was on the line

This was a statement game for the Cats, and credit to them, they put in a brilliant performance. They were Swans-like last week when nothing worked for them against a red-hot Richmond. I'll be very interested to see how they go against the Crows next week?

The Swans have put themselves in the position year after year to be exposed to the test of finals football, and they've failed to be the absolute best side since 2012.

They've got six months without a game to stew on this humiliating defeat and to work on how to counter Hawthorn-like ball movement etc. To those who are calling for Longmire's head perhaps they need to refresh the line coach lineup. Look at the difference Blake Caracella has made to Richmond?

[Blue Sun]

Looks like the bad start caught up to us. The boys looked tired and mentally unfit last night. It was still a remarkable effort to make the finals from 0-6, history-making. I'm happy with the boys because of that alone. Took a lot of guts.

[lwjoyner]

Very disappointing, maybe we were tired but didn't look that way last week, if we were perhaps the fitness guys have to take some of the blame and not freshening them up. Interested in the comments re plan a b etc our plan B seems to be weaken the forward line when we are in trouble and move Reid back and leave Buddy one out against a lot. WE cant do this to our fwd line we have no one taking marks which is what Reid can do. If we need another backman Alir or Melican should have replaced Cunningham. Last week it worked with the Dons having many small runners, the Cats don't have them, either late or find are fwd who can help Buddy. The whole coaching panel was outsmarted maybe we need a change here very stagnant group, too many mids.

[stevoswan]

This is my comment generally and not just about the game last night. My comment also applies to the twos.

I think there is a cultural problem at the club.

Whilst the goals are laudable; high bloods standards, toughness, ensuring accountability there is a recurring theme that is creeping in the seniors and the firsts. What ever we are doing seems to fail us in finals.

When I look at seconds and seniors I see young players unable to maintain the standards, especially being able to keep a cool head and dispose of the ball well. Last night our terrible disposal under pressure cost us.

What's missing? I believe that the senior players do not create an environment that nurtures and inspires confidence to the young players. Over the last couple of years I think guys like mills and Heeney have been pushed around by the senior guys not supported.

Guys like McVeigh just admonish the young players all in the name of high standards. Kennedy is a bit of a lone wolf. Hanners and Parker have not emerged as true leaders. Buddy is self focussed.

We have no hodge, MITCHELL or Selwood to give the kids confidence and to bring out their best.

The club needs senior players who are genuine leaders that the young guys feel have their back. And most importantly want the kids to succeed. So many swans senior players don't live that value. That was the bloods culture . Remember Kelly and kirky? You can't expect kids like Newman, Haywood etc just to know how to do it. Great sides have senior players who teach not direct. Until we can find them we will not win a flag.

Complete 'stab in the dark' theorizing.....unless your in the inner sanctum of the club, this is complete speculation and probably so far from the truth, it would be staggering.

[Ludwig]

If we need another backman Aliir or Melican should have replaced Cunningham.

Both should be feeling pretty good today not having been part of that debacle last night. Their stocks have risen by their non-inclusion.

It really wasn't good forward thinking my the match committee. If we won the game we would have had to face Adelaide with Melican not having played in 4 weeks and still undersized for their 4 mobile tall forwards. I've always looked to Adelaide as a guide to how we should structure our back line to counter their forward setup. We didn't plan well for that this season.