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The comments already posted ram home why I've been reluctant to post anything re the game. It's incredibly hard to get much of a gauge at a ground with no viewing angle (especially height), and where the players are coming on and off the ground so often you wonder if they're not expending more energy being interchanged than they are actually hunting the ball. I suspect anyone watching could have found evidence to support their own biases and hunches. I know I did. But for what it's worth, some random comments:
- I thought both our backlines and forward lines spent the early part of the match resembling groups of players who'd never met before, let alone spent the summer training. This was illustrated by the ease with which the Giants scored three goals before the Swans seemed to have realised the game had started. And once, when the ball did get into our forward line, it was extracted with ease by the Giants as Sinclair remained rooted to the ground in the goal square, Blakely desperately (and in vain) tried to cover three Giants opponents on his own, and the array of smalls were nowhere to be seen.
- Aliir looked very hesitant and shaky in that first quarter, and somewhat into the second. His hands were fumbly and he was slow to move to contests. To his credit, he got much better as the game wore on, and towards the end of the ground was doing a decent job of marshalling the defence in the absence of Rampe and Mills (who played early but I think came off at half-time).
- The players who showed most purpose (to me) right from the start were Papley, Mills and Florent. Papley wasn't perfect with his disposals but couldn't fault his work rate or intent. Mills was the calmest head in a dishevelled backline.
- With both JPK and Hewett starting on the bench (and Parker completely absent), it was evident early that the coaches were putting a lot of trust in a young midfield (or just wanting to see how they could cope). I couldn't fault the work rate of Florent and Rowbottom, but they found it tough going against pretty much the Giants' A team. Florent was the more effective of the two - as one would expect - but I don't think he got many easy possessions. Stephens, too, was thrown into the thick of things right from the start. He didn't look timid, but I reckon he got a lesson in how much less time you get at AFL level - even in a scratch match - to dispose of the ball. He was set upon time after time as soon as he took possession.
- It's hard to fashion a forward line where the main tall target would fall over in a stiff breeze. That said, early signs are that Blakey won't be suffering any second year blues. If I have a criticism of his game, it's that he tried to body defenders too often, and almost always came off second best (though he did score the first Swans goal from a free-kick where he was forced forward in a pack - I'd have needed to see a replay to determine if he was legitimately taken out well before the ball arrived, or if it was a "Ben Brown" free, without the over-exaggeration of Brown).
- Blakey's best moments came when he found a bit of space and used his speed. He scored one goal beating all his opponents running into an almost vacant forward line after Papley took a good mark in the pocket from a great kick upfield - it might have been Stephens who delivered it.) And later in the game, he soccered the ball to away from opponents and used his pace to gather it and set up a scoring opportunity for Hayward - who missed.
- Hayward made a bit of a habit of missing, and from shots that weren't gimmes but not especially difficult either. I reckon he kicked at least three behinds but it could have been more. The good sign is that, conversion aside, he was lively and dangerous.
- Someone above commented that they liked Taylor's game. I can't say I was enthusiastic, though he had some good moments in the final quarter. He looks even plumper than he did in the photos from early pre-season.
- I thought Naismith looked decent enough for a player who's missed two seasons. But then I've been a fan of his since his early NEAFL days and I remain cautiously optimistic of what he can deliver. True, he did given away a goal after knocking the ball straight through the posts for a rushed behind. In his defence, the stoppage was a long way away from the goal, and he could have argued he was just knocking it away from the contest (forcefully) rather than deliberately trying to rush it. Regardless, it was a good match to learn the lesson.
- The Giants are a team of physical beasts - Taranto, Coniglio, Greene etc. Even their small players, like Langford and Daniels, are balls of muscle compared to our similar players. Papley, for example, is a good size now for his height, and looks to be at a very comfortable playing weight - ie you wouldn't want him to get any bigger - but looked positively lightweight compared to the Giants' similarly heighted players.
- Given that, the young Swans did a good job in making the game a good scrap after the opening ten minutes. Given the Giants scored the first three goals (and, I think, the last three) the Swans did well to match them for the middle part of the game. I'm not sure how long the stars of the Giants team stayed on - I suspect few of them were there after half-time, and I didn't see Greene do much other than wave his arms around, so maybe they weren't taking it too seriously, but the effort from the young guys can't be faulted. Rowbottom and Florent may have been swamped every time they took possession, but they gave back as good as they received. And Bell, Warner and Wicks joined in the tackle fest with intent. Whether these three have much more to offer (at this stage) than tackling-rams, I am not sure, but the intent was there.
- Conditions certainly assisted in bringing the Giants down to the Swans' scrapping level. Intermittent drizzly rain made it hard to handle the ball cleanly.
- As something of an antidote to the skinniness of the NEAFL/injured players who sat on the sidelines watching (Ling, Stoddart, Foot, ET) and many of those who played (Blakey, McInerney, Ronke, and somewhat Hayward, Rowbottom and Florent - at least compared to their opponents), BOC looks to be a big lad. Also a constantly smiling lad.
- I was amused (kinda) when I noticed that the two runners for the sides were both ex-Collingwood players. Both ex-Collingwood FS selections, no less. Their respective associations with the Swans and Giants aren't recent, so I guess it wasn't "news", just some mild amusement. If you'd told a stranger that one of the two retired a decade or so ago, and the other was still an active player on his club's list, I don't think many would have guessed correctly which was which. Davis looks in far better physical shape than he did for much of his playing career (and yes, I know he's still been playing some elite sport), while Shaw looks even more awkward as a runner dressed in lilac than he does in his Giants gear.
- I did a double take at one stage, looking at number two running back into position. His height, build, hair colour and facial hair made him look very similar to he 2018 version of the last player to wear number 2 for the club. Somewhat bittersweet. But I reckon he could be a good addition to the side, especially with Melican continuing to struggle with injury.
- The midfleid/defence debate around Mills will, no doubt, continue until either he moves into the midfield or he retires, but I think an equally valid debate exists around Dawson. I get that his marking skills and long kicking are assets in defence, but I am not convinced that's where we get most value from him. He spent most of Saturday in defence, and I thought he looked a bit sluggish and only moderately effective. In the final quarter, he was either moved up the ground, or just wandered up there of his own accord, and immediately had an impact keeping the ball in our forward line and creating a couple of scoring opportunities. The beauty of him is that he can play pretty much anywhere on the ground, but I hope he doesn't get pigeon-holed as a half-back flanker. He could be so much more.
- I thought both our backlines and forward lines spent the early part of the match resembling groups of players who'd never met before, let alone spent the summer training. This was illustrated by the ease with which the Giants scored three goals before the Swans seemed to have realised the game had started. And once, when the ball did get into our forward line, it was extracted with ease by the Giants as Sinclair remained rooted to the ground in the goal square, Blakely desperately (and in vain) tried to cover three Giants opponents on his own, and the array of smalls were nowhere to be seen.
- Aliir looked very hesitant and shaky in that first quarter, and somewhat into the second. His hands were fumbly and he was slow to move to contests. To his credit, he got much better as the game wore on, and towards the end of the ground was doing a decent job of marshalling the defence in the absence of Rampe and Mills (who played early but I think came off at half-time).
- The players who showed most purpose (to me) right from the start were Papley, Mills and Florent. Papley wasn't perfect with his disposals but couldn't fault his work rate or intent. Mills was the calmest head in a dishevelled backline.
- With both JPK and Hewett starting on the bench (and Parker completely absent), it was evident early that the coaches were putting a lot of trust in a young midfield (or just wanting to see how they could cope). I couldn't fault the work rate of Florent and Rowbottom, but they found it tough going against pretty much the Giants' A team. Florent was the more effective of the two - as one would expect - but I don't think he got many easy possessions. Stephens, too, was thrown into the thick of things right from the start. He didn't look timid, but I reckon he got a lesson in how much less time you get at AFL level - even in a scratch match - to dispose of the ball. He was set upon time after time as soon as he took possession.
- It's hard to fashion a forward line where the main tall target would fall over in a stiff breeze. That said, early signs are that Blakey won't be suffering any second year blues. If I have a criticism of his game, it's that he tried to body defenders too often, and almost always came off second best (though he did score the first Swans goal from a free-kick where he was forced forward in a pack - I'd have needed to see a replay to determine if he was legitimately taken out well before the ball arrived, or if it was a "Ben Brown" free, without the over-exaggeration of Brown).
- Blakey's best moments came when he found a bit of space and used his speed. He scored one goal beating all his opponents running into an almost vacant forward line after Papley took a good mark in the pocket from a great kick upfield - it might have been Stephens who delivered it.) And later in the game, he soccered the ball to away from opponents and used his pace to gather it and set up a scoring opportunity for Hayward - who missed.
- Hayward made a bit of a habit of missing, and from shots that weren't gimmes but not especially difficult either. I reckon he kicked at least three behinds but it could have been more. The good sign is that, conversion aside, he was lively and dangerous.
- Someone above commented that they liked Taylor's game. I can't say I was enthusiastic, though he had some good moments in the final quarter. He looks even plumper than he did in the photos from early pre-season.
- I thought Naismith looked decent enough for a player who's missed two seasons. But then I've been a fan of his since his early NEAFL days and I remain cautiously optimistic of what he can deliver. True, he did given away a goal after knocking the ball straight through the posts for a rushed behind. In his defence, the stoppage was a long way away from the goal, and he could have argued he was just knocking it away from the contest (forcefully) rather than deliberately trying to rush it. Regardless, it was a good match to learn the lesson.
- The Giants are a team of physical beasts - Taranto, Coniglio, Greene etc. Even their small players, like Langford and Daniels, are balls of muscle compared to our similar players. Papley, for example, is a good size now for his height, and looks to be at a very comfortable playing weight - ie you wouldn't want him to get any bigger - but looked positively lightweight compared to the Giants' similarly heighted players.
- Given that, the young Swans did a good job in making the game a good scrap after the opening ten minutes. Given the Giants scored the first three goals (and, I think, the last three) the Swans did well to match them for the middle part of the game. I'm not sure how long the stars of the Giants team stayed on - I suspect few of them were there after half-time, and I didn't see Greene do much other than wave his arms around, so maybe they weren't taking it too seriously, but the effort from the young guys can't be faulted. Rowbottom and Florent may have been swamped every time they took possession, but they gave back as good as they received. And Bell, Warner and Wicks joined in the tackle fest with intent. Whether these three have much more to offer (at this stage) than tackling-rams, I am not sure, but the intent was there.
- Conditions certainly assisted in bringing the Giants down to the Swans' scrapping level. Intermittent drizzly rain made it hard to handle the ball cleanly.
- As something of an antidote to the skinniness of the NEAFL/injured players who sat on the sidelines watching (Ling, Stoddart, Foot, ET) and many of those who played (Blakey, McInerney, Ronke, and somewhat Hayward, Rowbottom and Florent - at least compared to their opponents), BOC looks to be a big lad. Also a constantly smiling lad.
- I was amused (kinda) when I noticed that the two runners for the sides were both ex-Collingwood players. Both ex-Collingwood FS selections, no less. Their respective associations with the Swans and Giants aren't recent, so I guess it wasn't "news", just some mild amusement. If you'd told a stranger that one of the two retired a decade or so ago, and the other was still an active player on his club's list, I don't think many would have guessed correctly which was which. Davis looks in far better physical shape than he did for much of his playing career (and yes, I know he's still been playing some elite sport), while Shaw looks even more awkward as a runner dressed in lilac than he does in his Giants gear.
- I did a double take at one stage, looking at number two running back into position. His height, build, hair colour and facial hair made him look very similar to he 2018 version of the last player to wear number 2 for the club. Somewhat bittersweet. But I reckon he could be a good addition to the side, especially with Melican continuing to struggle with injury.
- The midfleid/defence debate around Mills will, no doubt, continue until either he moves into the midfield or he retires, but I think an equally valid debate exists around Dawson. I get that his marking skills and long kicking are assets in defence, but I am not convinced that's where we get most value from him. He spent most of Saturday in defence, and I thought he looked a bit sluggish and only moderately effective. In the final quarter, he was either moved up the ground, or just wandered up there of his own accord, and immediately had an impact keeping the ball in our forward line and creating a couple of scoring opportunities. The beauty of him is that he can play pretty much anywhere on the ground, but I hope he doesn't get pigeon-holed as a half-back flanker. He could be so much more.
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