R18 Sydney Derby XXI - GWS V Swans @ Gold Coast 6:10pm

[Kafka's Ghost]

And a ps to all the above, didn’t the heritage jumpers look magnificent? On a day when Bloods spirit came so proudly to the for?

So pleased they stuck to the plan to wear them even after they had to leave Victoria.

The red V is a truly magnificent guernsey. I wish it was our jumper all the time, but it should always be our away guernsey. I am a Sydney resident, but this jumper is a true symbol of the Bloods’ spirit and our rich heritage.

[snajik]

They do look magnificent, it's true, and a great idea. IIRC, 1933 was the first year that the old South Melbourne wore the Red V jumpers, and we all know what happened that year!

[Bangalore Swans]

Did people pick up how much hard running that J-Mac gets done. There were literally for or five occasions when the Giants had an overlap and J-Mac’s speed closed it down. That rundown tackle in the last quarter was outstanding.

His running forward was equally as important as it delivered two goals and a key pass to Parker.

Does anyone think he will develop into the next Peter Materia? Athletically he looks as strong as Materia, however I think Materia was better overhead and a slightly more penetrating kick.

What are peoples views? I’m looking forward to TheBloods giving an assessment on J-Mac v Materia.

[dejavoodoo44]

The best thing - or maybe not the best thing, but a good thing - about the second was the look on his face after he kicked it.

Yes, he did seem to surprise himself. And I quite liked the look on the face of the young guy behind the goals; who also seemed a bit surprised.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Yes, he did seem to surprise himself. And I quite liked the look on the face of the young guy behind the goals; who also seemed a bit surprised.

And watch for Florent’s reaction out on the fat side of the ground . . . Golden

[TheBloods]

Did people pick up how much hard running that J-Mac gets done. There were literally for or five occasions when the Giants had an overlap and J-Mac’s speed closed it down. That rundown tackle in the last quarter was outstanding.

His running forward was equally as important as it delivered two goals and a key pass to Parker.

Does anyone think he will develop into the next Peter Materia? Athletically he looks as strong as Materia, however I think Materia was better overhead and a slightly more penetrating kick.

What are peoples views? I’m looking forward to TheBloods giving an assessment on J-Mac v Materia.

At best he could be Matera . Dont count out his hardness. When he puts some size on he could win plenty of his own ball and has already shown more of an aptitude for the contest than some of our inside mids ! If he can then Andrew Mcleod might be a more appropriate benchmark for Jmac - strong in the contest and a competitor , then a running machine off half back .

I will offer another name who reminds me most of Jmac : Nigel Lappin . A player not as great as Matera but who was a sensational player in a number of positions - half back flanker, wingman, inside mid, half forward flanker . I see this all-rounder potential in Jmac and with him it is like watching Lappin all those years ago

I said months back that in Chad and Jmac i see the potential to be the next Voss and Lappin . They are the two players who they have the potential to be like and they worked well together as an inside outside combo . I get the mickey taken out of me for believing in these two , but i really reckon with these 2 and Errol gulden , we are looking at 3 young swans who really could be THAT good ! Every superstar of the game was once a young player who supporters didn't wanna get ahead of themselves with ! I watched a young Plugger at st kilda and remember thinking gee this young fella reminds me of Quinlan and Wade , but he'll never be at their level . Then he went on to greater heights than either of those two champions !

If they work hard and want it bad enough then there is no limit to what those 3 could become and i dont know why its such a crime to believe so !

[Agent 86]

What a magnificent win, another astonishing chapter in this delightfully surprising season!

…

So enjoyable - I don't know how much longer the journey can go on for but I'm going to love being with this magnificent crew every step of the way!

Amazing turnaround when most of us were probably already looking to the next game at qtr time (guilty).

Was this one of our better comebacks - or just a really poor start?

[Mel_C]

Thanks Markw.

I was quite moved by Longmire’s tribute to the players AND to the staff for the way they have responded to the Covid challenges they’ve faced over the last four weeks.

We (or at least I) tend to focus on the players. Nobody more than John knows how important the staff are to our performances.

I hope Longmire himself stays well!

I loved seeing all the players and staff after the game in the circle singing the song. It showed that the win was a TEAM effort.

[Agent 86]

They do look magnificent, it's true, and a great idea. IIRC, 1933 was the first year that the old South Melbourne wore the Red V jumpers, and we all know what happened that year!

1933? Wasn’t that the year the preceeded a 72 year drought?

[MattW]

After a very slow start I thought RBs ball use was excellent. And that tackle on Ward a thing of beauty. Not someone easy to tackle.

Dude only had 46% BOG, divided between 33% in Q1, 48% in Q2, 38% Q3 and 65% Q4.

No had recorded stats in the first half and his final quarter was his best.

[Markwebbos]

Dude only had 46% BOG, divided between 33% in Q1, 48% in Q2, 38% Q3 and 65% Q4.

No had recorded stats in the first half and his final quarter was his best.

Wasn't his game time managed the week before? I'm a RBeliever. Good to have him back

[MattW]

So an observation about Stephens.

And I say this having already lauded what he and Rowbottom did yesterday, so it's not just about that game. And I've said before that I think once it clocks for him, he could be as good as any of our young guns.

He seems to do a lot right of what you'd want him to do to get into the game - use his run and pace to find space or get to a contest, be in the right spot to win the ball, then use his speed to tear away from the contest or downfield once in possession. And he can seriously move. All that terrific.

But once he's done all the hard work, he seems to pause or second guess himself about what next. You watch someone like Andrew Gaff - which is what I think Stephens can become. He does all of the above and then uses the time he has from being free to pick off the next target. Whereas Dylan seems to bolt free, but then think, think, think.

Whether it's a confidence thing, or an over-complicating things thing, dunno. But I reckon if he can get that solved, there's not much left to fix to make him a seriously good player.

Yes. It's not instinctive for him at the moment and his disposals are not incisive. But I'm confident it will come; just needs more games. Of course, it was a truncated first year, development wise.

[Agent 86]

Yes, he did seem to surprise himself. And I quite liked the look on the face of the young guy behind the goals; who also seemed a bit surprised.

Haha… that look was “did I really just do that?” Brilliant.

[MattW]

Wasn't his game time managed the week before? I'm a RBeliever. Good to have him back

He played three quarters for the VFL team last week. The commentators mentioned he'd played a scratch game on the Saturday (hopefully Jeremy affords us his insights at some point).

[MattW]

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You mean aerobic fitness or regular injuries? He should just play wing.

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From what I understand, the two go together with Heeney. With his knocks and first knee troubles and now ankle injury, the understanding is he does mixed amounts of training from week to week. Hard to build the tank to play full time midfield with that.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a knock on him from me. More of a lament that as terrific as he is, I think he'd be a top 10 player in the comp if he was a permanent mid - and yes, I think the old inside-out wing is his best position.

Yes, now you mention it John has mentioned he isn't training much during the week. He has had a terrible injury run, which is in some part a product of his fearlessness. I'm pleased he's starting to find his position; it seemed they intended to play him forward ths year, but are happily open to change.