#AFL Round 11 Cats v Swans Sat 1-Jun at Kardinia Park #AFLCatsSwans @sydneyswans

[Ralph Dawg]

I think what is becoming increasingly apparent is that Heeney, Mills and Florent are not influencing games like we would hope. Thank god Hewett and Dawson have really stepped up, otherwise it would've been Parker v the whole Cattery midfield by himself.

[Foreign Legion]

Giving away free kicks is a symptom of being just slightly off the pace. We're close to the top teams at present, but just not quite there.

Like in the 2016 GF?

[Ralph Dawg]

Though I seem to recall, that when we won premierships, the commentators used to claim that the reason why we usually lost the free kick count, was that we went in harder than other teams.

Ahhhh those were the days. Can almost see Leo Barry soaring high above the pack........

[707]

A lot to like about that against the top team on their litter box. More scoring shots and well in deficit with frees. Rohan unsighted, Menzel had more touches!

Hewitt is a gun now he's been released from tagging duties, Parker has stepped up too.

Young players showing real improvement, Aliir, COR, Dawson, Florent, future looks bright.

Also kept our great draft position, don't want us snagging too many wins and finishing mid table. I watched a bit of Vic Metro vs Vic Country, a very good player for us a pick 4 :-)

[Ralph Dawg]

Like in the 2016 GF?

Now we did get the extremely rough end of the stick that day!

[dejavoodoo44]

Got an annoying whiney voice as well

Yes, and there was a stage where we were one or two goals down, but listening to him and Dunstall, you'd think that we were a hopeless rabble, that was ten goals behind.

[waswan]

Heeney and mills wasted
We kill our forwards with shallow entries

[crackedactor]

I think some Swans supporters need to think about our continual deficit in free kicks. If you have played footy you realise how demoralising this is over time. We cop it most weeks - not saying it cost us the game this week but it is constant and I am sick of it.

The free kick before half time for a goal was a joke, so was the free kick goal against Aliir in the last quarter. I don't mind losing some and gaining some free kicks, but nearly every week has been the same this year, apart from the North Melbourne game. I am so sick of watching this every week.


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[Bexl]

If we'd kicked straighter than 8.15 then we might have sneaked it.

yep

[rojo]

Where was McCartin today? So much for the value of Buddy drawing the best back(s) when Reid spent most of the last quarter and probably the 3rd behind the ball. It was the same old story of the back line under seige for long periods of time and when the ball did get into our forward line it zoomed quickly out again. I really found it frustrating to watch. So much effort expended for little return on the scoreboard.

[Agent 86]

Giving away free kicks is a symptom of being just slightly off the pace. We're close to the top teams at present, but just not quite there.

Not sure about that Dawg, I’d like to see the stats for “goals conceded via soft free kicks inside 50”. We copped a few of those tonight. Maybe this is a symptom of the better teams just moving the ball so much more fluently. I dunno… it’s just frustrating to see those frees paid so regularly. Maybe Aliir needs to work on technique, but you see that sort of contact at both ends & we rarely seem to get ‘em.

[barry]

If this is a rebuilding year, I think we should rest buddy for a large part of the remaining season. He's on the list for a few more years, so we need to preserve his body a bit.

[Ralph Dawg]

Not sure about that Dawg, I’d like to see the stats for “goals conceded via soft free kicks inside 50”. We copped a few of those tonight. Maybe this is a symptom of the better teams just moving the ball so much more fluently. I dunno… it’s just frustrating to see those frees paid so regularly. Maybe Aliir needs to work on technique, but you see that sort of contact at both ends & we rarely seem to get ‘em.

I agree that we tend to be over penalized by the umpires. It's always been like that for whatever reason. But just watch how our defence is constantly under the pump, having to repeatedly defend inside 50s and it's no wonder that we eventually infringe.

- - - Updated - - -

And we also don't get the frees that we should

[Mel_C]

It was a disappointing loss in the end. We just couldn't convert and we allowed them the 2 bursts at the end of the first quarter and the start of the third.

10 goals from stoppages is what hurt us. At least we've stopped the goals from turnovers.

The goals from frees was frustrating but we have to be more disciplined. I don't know what Florent was doing during the ruck contest when he bumped into Hawkins.
Geelong are good at drawing the high frees. It happened time and time again.

Speaking of Florent I thought his passing into the forward line was pretty bad.

I was glad that Menzel was able to kick a goal. It felt like he has lost some pace. The groin injury hasn't helped.

We can take some confidence that we have matched the top 2 sides. The future looks good.

[dejavoodoo44]

Well, I suppose I should be sort of pleased with a honourable loss, against a team that are two games clear at the top of the table. But I really don't want to make a habit of it. And I don't really think that I'll have to. I tend to think that the team isn't that far away from beating anyone. It just needs a good run with injuries and either a win or two against top sides, or a thrashing of a lower side. Then there should be an improvement in confidence and competence; as opposed to the present, where the handball that goes just behind the team mate, the kick that arrives on the bounce and the just missed goal attempt, all seem to stop us gaining a winning momentum.

However, there were still plenty of quality performances tonight. Hewett is becoming a first rate midfielder. Parker is in form. Rampe was brilliant in defence. Dawson has become easy to select. Blakey and McCartin give glimpses of future stardom. And overall, the team does put in.