#AFL Rd 20 Swans v Collingwood, SCG, Sat 4 Aug 7:25pm @SydneySwans #AFLSwansPies

[Matty10]

Didn't miss Jones.

Is this sarcasm?

His run and carry would have made a huge difference in our ability to get the ball past the centre in the last quarter.

[Nico]

Newman would be a much better player if he didn't hesitate when he gets a mark or loose ball 30 metres on his own. He had 24 possessions last night but so many hesitations allowed his kicks to be smothered or forced him in to rush disposals. He is getting the footy enough and could be really dangerous if he gets it right.

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Is this sarcasm?

His run and carry would have made a huge difference in our ability to get the ball past the centre in the last quarter.

Not sarcastic at all. We didn't miss his brain fades and turnovers. If he uses his run and carry to advantage he would be a star; but he doesn't. I would rather he play midfield because our back line looked much more assured for much of the game.

[Swanny40519]

Like a lot of supporters I went to the game hoping AJ would get through the game but expecting us to not be good enough to win.

The third qtr was like watching us from early in the season - moving the ball quickly, hitting targets and kicking goals . But the rest of the game was frustrating to watch.

The umpiring was terrible (how Buddy didnt get a free kick in the last qtr for his arm being held beats me - while at the other end Cox was getting free kicks for very minor infringement), we kicked backwards a lot (and yes there were some boos from the crowd), missed targets and just looked very slow against a depleted Pies team.

I thought some players who are struggling and need a rest (but we dont have any others to take their place) are Newman (really slow moving and in thinking), Haywood, McCartin, Ronke, Florent. So I guess they will still be in the team for the remaining games. Its great to see Dawson finally get his chance and he looks like he will be a great asset in the future.

Heeney has been quiet the last couple of games but he was in the right place in the final seconds.

Overall it was mixed emotions - great to see AJ and Buddy play really well, but for 3 qtrs it was hard going.

[longmile]

Was I imagining things at the game or were Collingwood getting away with a lot of Bulldogs-like 'handballs' (ie throws)? From up in the stands it looked like they were throwing all of the place.

Unfortunately I wasn't at the game but watching it on TV I've never seen so many throws in a game of football. Me and bodgie were screaming "throw" for half the night

[YvonneH]

AJ has such a distinctive style of running (head down) that even if you didn't know his number (and could remember his last game) you could pick him out.
Same can be said for a lot of other players as well.

[Flying South]

Hi Longmile, up in the stands everybody was pretty much agreeing with you...but really, so many of our players just look really tired...they were out - muscled and out run and kicked short a lot..I think it's just that we have so many young players, who are exhausted, and many of our more experienced players are carrying injuries...either that or we have serious fitness problems...

At the end of the game as they were walking off the cameras were on Dawson and thought to myself he is quite tall. But then I noticed his arms. There was relatively little muscle tone. I then looked at the others in the team and most appeared similar. It's like they haven't seen the weight room for months. When I watched Richmond play on Friday night I remember remaking they are big men. All of them. And we know how fit they are. Who is our strength and conditioning coach. Our apparent lack of strength and fitness is a concern for me. We can't achieve the game plan we are looking for without it.

[Matty10]

Newman would be a much better player if he didn't hesitate when he gets a mark or loose ball 30 metres on his own. He had 24 possessions last night but so many hesitations allowed his kicks to be smothered or forced him in to rush disposals. He is getting the footy enough and could be really dangerous if he gets it right.

I am hoping that this is something that will improve with more time in the team.

Players taking the game on will cause frustration from time to time, but the upside to their energy and ability to break the lines is invaluable. We had none of that last night. Ollie, who did some of this earlier in the year, looks completely out of sorts and probably needs a rest.

Even during the last meeting month when some people on here have criticised the performance of Jones his positives have far outweighed his negatives.

Aliir has been a very good inclusion, but his loopy kicks (like that of Newman), close up the space that we would otherwise have when moving forward. Dawson seems to have a penetrating and accurate kick, but we don’t see it often enough (yet). More of this is needed also.

I am not sure of the value in Robinson to the team. It is hard to tell when watching on TV. Did he have a run-with role? I would have preferred the potential of Fox - whose upside is much higher, while the downside is negligible compared to Robinson (from what I could see of his performance).

[Flying South]

Is this sarcasm?

His run and carry would have made a huge difference in our ability to get the ball past the centre in the last quarter.

Completely agree. Whilst he may turn it over more than some at least he gets us going forward.

[Hotpotato]

The whole team should just train for 5 minutes per week .
It works wonders.

[stellation]

Really enjoyed getting the win- tapered off in the last quarter but they defended well and showed desperation to hold on. Buddy really is an exceptional footballer, he always has been but having the opportunity to watch him play for our side every week is an absolute delight.

We really seem to be missing having someone leading up to the wings (my modest kingdom for a pre-move to the midfield ROK type) to help get the ball out of defence. Hayward looks to be filling that role at times, but it only seems to be in bursts (and I don't think he's able to do it for a full game). We seemed to have more back half of the ground rushed kicks than I'd like- the quick handballs to find someone who has a moment to look for a target seem to have gone away, I wonder if there's a conscious coaching direction involved; "get it moving quickly" or "no point in getting to a teammate who can look for a target if we know structurally there isn't one".

So many guys just look physically fatigued early in the game- young guys in need of a rest, older guys carrying niggles (from carrying the young guys). We played 15 guys with less than 100 games last week- that feels like an abnormally large number for us compared to the past decade.

[Blood Fever]

Crikey. The last 20 mins from us has been amazing. How can we turn it around like this when we've been so poor and stagnant over the last several weeks.

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Ch7 are continually going on about Collingwoods injuries. I don't recall a single occasion that they've mentioned our injuries.

Commentary narrative all night was the heroism of Collingwood despite their injuries. They were hoping for a Collingwood win so they could run with it. When Buddy took that crucial juggled mark late in the last quarter, Darcy was genuinely disappointed it was paid. Showed his bias. Same with some of the umpiring decisions. Commentators all from Melbourne and Darcy radio buddy with Eddie. Incestuous environment.

[barry]

(mccartin)Yes he kicked the winner but he contributed nothing for the rest of the night

He looks like he needs a rest

He's safe in the side until Reid is fit, or Rohan turns his career around.

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Commentary narrative all night was the heroism of Collingwood despite their injuries. They were hoping for a Collingwood win so they could run with it. When Buddy took that crucial juggled mark late in the last quarter, Darcy was genuinely disappointed it was paid. Showed his bias. Same with some of the umpiring decisions. Commentators all from Melbourne and Darcy radio buddy with Eddie. Incestuous environment.

Pies are a good chance to completely miss the finals. How will they shape the Buckley narrative then?. Darcy said last night he was coach of the year. Lol.

[Faunac8]

The unfettered commentary bias against the Swans was ridiculous . Commentate is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “to report on an event as it occurs” not to provide a personal one sided and unbalanced viewpoint.
Maybe the AFL could make it a condition when they award media rights that so-called commentators understand what the job description actually entails.
Interesting that the free kicks discrepancy mysteriously dwindled by the end of the game as at one stage it was something like 3 to 1 against Sydney.
One statistic that amazed me was that during the whole game only one bounce was recorded by either side ( I seem to think it wasn’t a very well executed one either ) ! Maybe we could have used some run and carry from Jones who I think has recorded the most bounces for us this season for all his perceived flaws this is one of his strengths.

[waswan]

Dawson looks good just need to play him more in his natural mid forward role
I hate Dermie but starting to believe his opinionif we got the ball to Buddy more or even forward more last night he would have kicked 10

Hope Heeney and a few of the younger ones start getting more of it soon

[treespirit]

I don't see the point in complaining about the commentary. I hit "mute" as soon as I turn on the TV for the game. The only thing I miss is the clock because the "mute" symbol on the TV sits right over it! I often listen to one of the streaming commentaries - they're a bit out of sync but at least you get some useful information. As they are usually ahead it gives a heads up to look at the TV if something exciting happens during a boring patch. I listened to the Indigenous network last night, which was pretty good.

I don't really rate Longmire as a match day coach but he has a record most coaches would envy so I agree with the "we've been spoilt", "young teams will be up and down" and "really enjoyed beating Collingwood" sentiments more than anything.

Whenever I feel critical of the coaches I always come back to the truth that the club and coaches are doing a better job than I would!