#AFL Round 2, Sydney Swans v Port Adelaide, 01/04/18, SCG @sydneyswans

[stevoswan]

This is a really disappointing loss but I think I also underestimated Port. They have recruited well, it's paying dividends and has been mentioned, they will be there at the pointy end. We just have to be more consistent, we have the talent (I think). I'm shaken but not stirred....the season is still young. Now, I'm off to play some records......

[0918330512]

Or inexiplicably inconsistent? Smith I mean......

How about we give Smooch more than one week then before we slag him off (not directed at you)

& while the umpiring wasn?t great, it is pretty tiresome reading about it incessantly pretty much every time we lose.

[0918330512]

So Port get a run on in the 3rd and what do we do? Throw Reid back, oops he's not here. Throw Gary back he'll fix it! Cos that's going to work John.

As the commentators pointed out. It?s not necessarily when they get a run on, it?s standard practice for Horse to put someone back late in a quarter to try to prevent late run on scoring. Usually it has some effect, tonight it didn?t. Move on.

[dejavoodoo44]

I?m sure as supporters we are now under no illusion how fast the game has become and the class of ports running game combined with contested footy was just awesome

We need running players more then ever to take on port because they have the run and the hardness and the smarts today

Port looked a step above us

Classy and they have gone hard for players with some strong recruitment. I think they have crept up on my understanding of just how deep and strong they are as a squad

Yes, Port played a very good second half. What took me by surprise with the strength of their list, was not so much their younger, unsung players. Howard, Bonner and especially, Marshall, look to have big futures.

[0918330512]

This is a really disappointing loss but I think I also underestimated Port. They have recruited well, it's paying dividends and has been mentioned, they will be there at the pointy end. We just have to be more consistent, we have the talent (I think). I'm shaken but not stirred....the season is still young. Now, I'm off to play some records......

One of the few sensible posts. Hats off Stevo

[MattW]

Can't remember a game where we fumbled so much. Even players like McVeigh were fumbling and he normally has clean hands.

The 50 was paid because Florent ran up to the Port player thinking that the mark wasn't paid because the kick wasn't 15 metres. It didn't look 15 to me but you have to play to the umpires whistle.

I agree that the umpiring was poor but we just didn't play well enough. Port were cleaner and we didn't make the most of our opportunities in the first half.

Hanners looked to have injured his knee at the end of the game so I hope it isn't too bad.

Good post.

[Blood Fever]

Yes we received the rough end of the stick from the umpires but it?s a factor that is beyond our control. We need to concentrate on the factors that are controllable that let them have easy goals. The ones that come to mine are Marshall outbodying Grundy on the behind line then somehow miskicking it with no Swan touching it and the Rampe fumble on the goal line letting Wingard goal

Having said all that, Port were impressive and will be one of the favourites for the flag.

We dominated them in the first half but couldn't put enough space between them and us. They had their turn in the second half and capitalised. They are a contender but we fumbled a lot uncharacteristically. We also overused the ball when it became greasy. Game was umpired differently in that they let a lot go. They received more soft frees than us which was frustrating. Competition is a lot more even this year so not the end of the world.

[lwjoyner]

Poor incipit loss atrocious after half time. I have been saying for along time our backline is weak against pressure. Why fox and not newman ? We cant let Buddy do it all himself why no biog man in when reid not available,
Very disappointing tonight and we disappear when it becomes wet and slippery.

[stevoswan]

How about we give Smooch more than one week then before we slag him off (not directed at you)

& while the umpiring wasn?t great, it is pretty tiresome reading about it incessantly pretty much every time we lose.

I agree with you on Smooch but you'd have to agree, since 2014, we have not been the umpires favourites. I believe in that time, there have been many close games we have lost which could be directly attributed to umpiring, think Hawthorn twice last year and their crowning glory, the 2016 GF. Swans fans have a right to be peeved in the way we are adjudicated, today sounds like it was more of the same......IMO, we are still being punished for recruiting Buddy and Tippett in successive years.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Head of Coaching and Development John Blakey said Fox had proven what he could bring to the side.

"Foxy gives us some good bounce off half back, he is very athletic and that is what he has bought all pre-season," Blakey said.

"We will be looking for him to do that again today."

Didn?t happen for Fox today but it didn?t even happen for Rampe today.........but more importantly Blakeys comments indicate even more so the direction we are heading re run from the backs

[MattW]

We were complacent. We thought we'd win until it was too late.

Seemed like after releasing the anxiety of last week, we didn't get up. Thought McVeigh was clearly our best. Kennedy, Buddy were ok, but not great. Most others beaten. Florent got a fair bit of it and chased well, but rushed his possessions.

The defence was uniformly poor. Rampe was lackadaisical and gifted them 2-3. Melican kicked terribly, as did Smith. Mills won fewer contested possessions than usual, Grundy looked off-pace.

That was disappointing; a feeling amplified by the effort to get here and the effort spent by others to look after my kids while I did.

[Bexl]

unfortunately we buckled under ports pressure today but will hopefully get better from the experience going forward.also we did not take our chances in the first half especially the first quarter.
I think that Rohan gets a game to easily when not in form. he did not much in the pre season and not much today.
he obviously has other, much more important, things on his mind but that aside I think he should play 2s for a while as does not consistently offer us enough. paply and hayward give us good pressure on the forward line so he is not needed for that and he does not get enough of the footy to damage the opposition .
if its pace we want then play stodart or ling when fit. for marking reid to come back or give mccartin a game as he looks like he would give it a full on go.

[Daisi]

Port were great today. They out muscled us and shadowed us, and it really seemed to upset our players. Credit to them, that was a well coached and well played win.

Sydney?...Well, What the ever loving whatever was Rampe doing so close to the line and not killing the ball? That was the worst defensive play I think I've seen...terrible!

And the umpires? Well as I said earlier, they were putting the reasons for free kicks on the big screen today...which I think is a good idea, until nobody knows why there is a free kick and the screen is blank....This is something that will really annoy the crowd. It really really annoyed me...

If you can't give a reason for the free, maybe there shouldn't be one? I'm looking at you umpire who gave that 50 to Port for no discernible reason. As the game went into the 3rd and 4th quarter, the explanations for free kicks stopped appearing on the board...Interesting what?

[0918330512]

I agree with you on Smooch but you'd have to agree, since 2014, we have not been the umpires favourites. I believe in that time, there have been many close games we have lost which could be directly attributed to umpiring, think Hawthorn twice last year and their crowning glory, the 2016 GF. Swans fans have a right to be peeved in the way we are adjudicated, today sounds like it was more of the same......IMO, we are still being punished for recruiting Buddy and Tippett in successive years.

I agree that we seem to be harshly dealt with by the umps. I agree that we have a right to be peeved.

You don?t have to agree, but whining about it almost every time we loose since 2014 gets tiresome to at least me. It makes absolutely no difference to a result. It doesn?t change subsequent games umpiring. And I really doubt it makes anyone feel better.

I could be wrong

[ASSASSIN]

Swans had wobbly legs after being run off their feet. Not a good sign of match fitness. Didn't notice any lack of talent though. Fitness is another story. Probably all the choccy Easter eggs they consumed. Be better in upcoming matches.