Changes for Round 5: Swans vs GWS

[Auntie.Gerald]

Taranto
Hopper
Green
Ward
Kelly

All smashed us in the disposal game / handball game.

47-77 one percenters to GWS just showed how the clean they were all but thru the big sticks.

GWS have got an exceptionally high draft pick and now more evenly experienced midfield group that on their day is hard to keep up with.

GWS continually amaze me they are not higher in win loss ratio.

Thank goodness Buddy and Hayward killed it in the kicking department. GwS also had 6 of their best 22 players vs our 2.

[Bangalore Swans]

Gould would start planning his return to SA if that happened. How was Brand's form in the two's I wonder?

Melicans best season will end up being his first....he just hasn't come on.

A friend of mine was watching the Swans reserves on Kayo and he said that Gould was not good at all. By the sounds of it he is not close to a senior call up.

Apparently Paddy McCartin is playing key defence. He’ll be available after the mid year draft as a KPD option.

[crackedactor 01]

Hideous final quarter.

What happened to the swans of the first 3 weeks?

Adam Cooney call us the great pretenders and maybe he is right. Tonight Essendon have been very ordinary against Brisbane and we were Lucky to beat them. All our young guns who starred in the first 3 weeks, Warner,Gulden, Mcdonald, Wicks and Campbell all looked lost out there today.

[Doctor J.]

Melican was ok - wasn't the worst and shouldn't be the scapegoat for a midfield and some of the young guys who ran out of gas. Backline under the pump for a lot of the last quarter when Giants often ran the ball from the back half to the forward line with ease. Don't know who was on Kelly for the ball up but it wasn't Melican.

Have a look at it in the last two minute replay on AFL.com

Jake Lloyd being his usual unaccountable self, whilst Kelly just waltzed around the back of him.

[Ralph Dawg]

Just finished watching the game on delay. Positives:

Wilbur played his best game for us in a while. He does bring something to our forward line when in form.

Hickey looks to be the buy of the season. He is excellent on the tap but his general play is fantastic. He is hitting targets by foot at an elite level. Let's hope his injury is only minor.

Buddy looked great, really strong on his body work and taking contested marks, traditionally not his usual way. Now that he's lost a bit of pace, I wonder whether this will be the new normal?

Warner continues to impress on ball.

Negatives

Besides Warner and maybe Gulden, the rest of our young crew struggled to get involved. Might be time to give some a rest.

Melican was pretty average. A couple of good intercept marks mixed in with some poor reads and ordinary disposals. Struggled to hit a target. Not sure if he really fits what we are trying to achieve in terms of game style.

Speaking of game style, we really struggled to move the ball fluently today. Hard to tell on tv but I can only assume GWS filled the corridor like the Bombers did last week, making us unwilling to use it, reverting back to old ways.

Disappointed by the loss, especially to GWS but not surprised. We're a young side and susceptible to inconsistency. Working towards a flag is inevitably requires playing the long game with all the ups and downs that come with it.

[Ludwig]

The Swans this year remind me of the Oliver Sacks book Awakenings which was made into a movie starring Robin Williams. The Swans awoke from their locked-in syndrome only to once again return to their former selves.

The only thing that works is bringing pressure and sticking tackles.

[The Runner]

Have a look at it in the last two minute replay on AFL.com

Jake Lloyd being his usual unaccountable self, whilst Kelly just waltzed around the back of him.

Incredible mistake for a seasoned player.

[Doctor J.]

Adam Cooney call us the great pretenders and maybe he is right. Tonight Essendon have been very ordinary against Brisbane and we were Lucky to beat them. All our young guns who starred in the first 3 weeks, Warner,Gulden, Mcdonald, Wicks and Campbell all looked lost out there today.

Who the @@@@@@@ is Adam Cooney, and who cares what his opinion is.
Just another ex footballer with a microphone who thinks his opinion matters.

[Blood Fever]

Who the @@@@@@@ is Adam Cooney, and who cares what his opinion is.
Just another ex footballer with a microphone who thinks his opinion matters.

Agree. Just another clown.among many.

[Nico]

Umm ... thought Hayward was fantastic tonight. You need to have a little optimism my friend.

He was ok. Is it a coincidence that when he plays our forward pressure is appalling? They waltzed out of our forward line. They could have walked it out holding hands and we would have let them.

Melican; fell over, spilled the footy, twice went to players clear on the wing and couldn't hit them on the chest form 20 metres. Both times we were on and he blew it.Also he couldn't stick a tackle because when he got near a player he lost his footing. Bigger turning circle than the Queen Mary.

Dawson; He wasn't prepared to take responsibility for the situation of the game. I suspect everyone at the ground and watching on TV were yelling "have a shot". You could see on the close up that he knew the urgency. He swings on to his left, gains a few metres and pulls the kick to a pack of 35 players. He is such a good kick that I just don't get it. But he also pulled a few kicks during the game that went to no one. He is such a good kick yet makes these same mistakes weekly.

Florent; he was running into an open goal and he too pulled his kick, apparently looking for a non existent team mate. I said to my mate that is why he will always be just a good average footballer.

And one more thing; why wasn't Papley put on the ball in the last 10 minutes. Fair chance he would have laid a few tackles.

[Blood Fever]

He was ok. Is it a coincidence that when he plays our forward pressure is appalling? They waltzed out of our forward line. They could have walked it out holding hands and we would have let them.

Melican; fell over, spilled the footy, twice went to players clear on the wing and couldn't hit them on the chest form 20 metres. Both times we were on and he blew it.Also he couldn't stick a tackle because when he got near a player he lost his footing. Bigger turning circle than the Queen Mary.

Dawson; He wasn't prepared to take responsibility for the situation of the game. I suspect everyone at the ground and watching on TV were yelling "have a shot". You could see on the close up that he knew the urgency. He swings on to his left, gains a few metres and pulls the kick to a pack of 35 players. He is such a good kick that I just don't get it. But he also pulled a few kicks during the game that went to no one. He is such a good kick yet makes these same mistakes weekly.

Florent; he was running into an open goal and he too pulled his kick, apparently looking for a non existent team mate. I said to my mate that is why he will always be just a good average footballer.

And one more thing; why wasn't Papley put on the ball in the last 10 minutes. Fair chance he would have laid a few tackles.

We've had one loss with a young team..We ran out of gas and should have been beaten by more. It happens. No need to turn on anyone just yet.

[Nico]

We've had one loss with a young team..We ran out of gas and should have been beaten by more. It happens. No need to turn on anyone just yet.

You don't understand the spirit of my post. I pointed out what consistently happens with these players. Consistency is not just playing well every week, but consistently improving your skills and decision making.

As a team we were second to the ball, weak at the contest and careless with the footy in hand.

We ran out gas yet we had a 9 day break! Don't buy that one.

[Steve]

It is embarrassing when it’s a 27 y/o who has played 150 games who either isn’t aware enough or just can’t be bothered to either a) pick up Kelly himself, or b) instruct his other (younger) free teammate beside him to do it.

Aside from maybe needing a rest, I don’t think McDonald can play at the SCG in the same forward line as Franklin, Reid and Heeney/Hayward - there’s just not the space for it to work.

[Maltopia]

I was saying the younger players needed resting two weeks ago, and now it is too late as they weren't able to see out the game today. Now we have to rest them, plus cover for Hickey, Rampe and Heeney for next few rounds. 4-0 was a wonderful start, but things looking suddenly not so rosy now.

[Bexl]

He was ok. Is it a coincidence that when he plays our forward pressure is appalling? They waltzed out of our forward line. They could have walked it out holding hands and we would have let them.

Melican; fell over, spilled the footy, twice went to players clear on the wing and couldn't hit them on the chest form 20 metres. Both times we were on and he blew it.Also he couldn't stick a tackle because when he got near a player he lost his footing. Bigger turning circle than the Queen Mary.

Dawson; He wasn't prepared to take responsibility for the situation of the game. I suspect everyone at the ground and watching on TV were yelling "have a shot". You could see on the close up that he knew the urgency. He swings on to his left, gains a few metres and pulls the kick to a pack of 35 players. He is such a good kick that I just don't get it. But he also pulled a few kicks during the game that went to no one. He is such a good kick yet makes these same mistakes weekly.

Florent; he was running into an open goal and he too pulled his kick, apparently looking for a non existent team mate. I said to my mate that is why he will always be just a good average footballer.

And one more thing; why wasn't Papley put on the ball in the last 10 minutes. Fair chance he would have laid a few tackles.

In regards to Florent do you remember a game a number of years ago against the Western Bulldogs what was then Etihad Stadium and he marks the ball runs to 50 kicks the goal celebrates and Paul Roos in commentary saying that was the wrong thing to do he should have just taken his Mark kicked to a teammate and waste the time. Longmire agreed. I think having a shot at goal instead of looking for a team mate might have been coached out of him.