R12 Swans V Saints @SCG - Live

[111431]

[QUOTE=giant;820124]Disagree with that. NWS the umpiring, the Saints worked harder, tackled more, ran further etc. We were damn lucky to get away with a win.[/QUOTE

I agree with this. Sure the umpires made mistakes but they do every week. I thought we were undisciplined starting with our co captain Ramps. Need to play much smarter or the good sides will have us for breakfast in the big games that count

[NeonBible]

Another round down and here is how our Swans are going in player ratings! I know these are a contentious source but any evidence to support a good discussion of the game is worth reading i say!!

https://twitter.com/AFLPlayerRating/status/1401513856489299975?s=20

-Young Errol 1st for his age group! Played just enough games for his 8 matches to count! (ahead of Tom Powell, Nik Cox, Sam Berry and Archie Perkins)
-Chad is 3rd for his age group (behind Tom Green and Caleb Serong, ahead of Kysaiah Pickett and Noah Anderson)
-Rowbottom is 2nd for his age group (behind Sam Walsh)
-McInerney is 4th in the same age group ^^ (ahead of Jack Lukosius)
-Mills has cracked the top 5 of his age group! (behind Clayton Oliver, Darcy Parish, Ben Keays and Jacob Hopper - as a side note, what a pick up Keays has been for the crows!)
-The ever-underrated Parker is 4th for his age group (behind Tom Liberatore, Hugh Greenwood and Jarryd Lyons)
-HICKEY is 4th in his age group (behind some wonderful players - Nic Naitanui, Dustin Martin and Rory Sloane! Ahead of Max Gawn!)

Some of these players could be better than they havebeen so far but add in the always reliable Jake Lloyd, the rise of Cunningham, further development of McCartin and Florent, a reborn Hayward!, Buddy back on the mend, Dawson growing into a star .. you can really see the difference it makes to have quality consistent performers in the team!! Bright youth mixed with experienced heads we KNOW can take us to glory because they've done it before! Its a recipe for success!!

Final note - our 4 players represented in the under 22 age groups in these player ratings is more than any other team - take that Essendon-loving journalists

[Doctor J.]

Just a thought.

For a while I have considered what combination of umpires would be the worst the Swans could have in charge of a game. I came up with.
Stevic
Razor Ray
Mollison

But after yesterday I think we can add 11 Curtis Deboy to the list.

Nothing beats these 3 criminals

Matt Stevic, Simon Meredith, Scott Jeffery

[Markwebbos]

Hayward does seem to have his mojo back

[Ralph Dawg]

Hayward does seem to have his mojo back

I agree. In a fit of rage a few weeks back, I called for him never to be picked again. Good thing Horse never listens to me ????

- - - Updated - - -

Had a look at Higgins's highlights on AFL.com and it looks like he was mainly against Fox, Hewett and Lloyd. Obviously he was having a day out.

[RogueSwan]

... Can people provide some other ideas.

I'm not sure how, but if the AFL could remove the grey areas in some of the rules it would go a long way towards better umpiring.
It's one of the reasons I'm not against a last touched rule for out of bounds.

[crackedactor 01]

and to think we all paid $400 per ticket (plus travel expenses, accomodation and our contributions to the Victorian economy)to witness the tripe he delivered.

I feel your pain. I paid over $500 per ticket for myself and wife for first ever Grand Final and had to witness that umpiring crap. I though never again.

[Kafka's Ghost]

Disagree with that. NWS the umpiring, the Saints worked harder, tackled more, ran further etc. We were damn lucky to get away with a win.

Can’t agree with this at all. While we weren’t at our best, we had 7 more inside 50s and 4 more shots at goal that registered a score. Heeney could have sewn up the game early in the last quarter, but no one is mentioning his misses of relatively easy shots. The Saints were presented with 4 questionable gifts, keeping them in it.

[Nico]

Can’t agree with this at all. While we weren’t at our best, we had 7 more inside 50s and 4 more shots at goal that registered a score. Heeney could have sewn up the game early in the last quarter, but no one is mentioning his misses of relatively easy shots. The Saints were presented with 4 questionable gifts, keeping them in it.

Good call.

[neilfws]

Pleasant afternoon at the SCG but quite a horrible game to watch, even with the win. Seen a few ugly Swans/Saints encounters over the years.

Pluses: Hayward had a great game, and good to see Amartey who I thought went pretty well.

Several periods in the game when I thought they were doing their best to lose it (regardless of umpiring). It's a "take the win and move on" game for me.

Much is being made of the next game, with the Hawks off a bye and the Swans coming from two short breaks. I hope it's not another danger game and the Swans lift.

[Faunac8]

Good summation from The Roar although he obviously didn’t see the Suns game I think I would class it as the worst win of the year

Sydney Swans – Their worst performance of the year, but four points is what they needed. They got them, and we mercifully never have to speak of this game again.

[dejavoodoo44]

Pleasant afternoon at the SCG but quite a horrible game to watch, even with the win. Seen a few ugly Swans/Saints encounters over the years.

Pluses: Hayward had a great game, and good to see Amartey who I thought went pretty well.

Several periods in the game when I thought they were doing their best to lose it (regardless of umpiring). It's a "take the win and move on" game for me.

Much is being made of the next game, with the Hawks off a bye and the Swans coming from two short breaks. I hope it's not another danger game and the Swans lift.

I didn't really enjoy the game, when I listened to the live radio coverage, but I enjoyed it more when I watched the replay. That's probably to do with my expectations of the Saints. I was viewing them more as a team that's had some insipid capitulations this season, rather than a team just outside the eight, who beat us easily last season. Therefore, I was a bit disappointed that we weren't boosting our percentage. However, watching the replay, it was obvious they were applying plenty of pressure, so it was reasonably entertaining watching us overcome that.

I was also pleasantly surprised by Amartey. He was quicker and more nimble than I was expecting. And he's certainly less barge-arsed, than he was in previous seasons.

And on Amartey's fitness. Tadhg was doing commentary on ABC radio, and he claimed that Amartey was so unfit when he arrived at the club, that he couldn't do a lap of the oval. Even if that's only half true, it's surprising that he managed to make it on to a list. I can't work out if that's an insightful bit of drafting by our recruiting staff, or shoddy negligence?

[AnnieH]

One thing I noticed was that when we had the ball, the ainters manned up so far up our butts, it was hard to move anywhere.
When they had the ball... the space the swans allowed them kept them in the game up to the last five minutes.
An ugly win, but I'll take it.

[Sandridge]

We weren't at our sparkling best and the game may well have been a forgettable spectacle but if the result had been reversed, they would've been only one game behind us on the ladder.

Our win means that the Saints, and a few other teams with realistic final 8 aspirations, are 3 or more games behind us.

An important win! Go Bloods!

[giant]

One thing I noticed was that when we had the ball, the ainters manned up so far up our butts, it was hard to move anywhere.
When they had the ball... the space the swans allowed them kept them in the game up to the last five minutes.
An ugly win, but I'll take it.

Let alone the times we let it get out over the back, let Brad Hill (for the first time this year) stroll past for handball receives, were comfortable being second to the ball etc. Errgh, it was a terribly ugly win.

What I will say, as you noted, so many of these teams that seem to be struggling this year - Pies, Saints, Crows, (to a lesser extent) Blues - seemed to have taken their pressure game up a gear when they come to the SCG. Whether it's because they sniff they're a chance against us or whether we're subconsciously off the boil, it's not clear, but I guess it's good that we've had to work hard to beat these otherwise "easybeats". Though geez I wouldn't mind a big win at home for a nice change...