Predictions for Season 2022

[Bangalore Swans]

While a drinking culture was prevalent in many Clubs in the 70s and 80s, it would be crazy to go down that path in these highly professional days. Maybe the occasional catchup socially would work, but that is as far as it should go. Coaches also need to be careful to not get too close to the players as they have to make ruthless decisions at times.

Melbourne won the flag because they had a great team with several champion players that clicked at the right time, not because of drinking sessions.

The concept of the drinking session can be beneficial to sporting teams. When I played amateur football the coaches and players used to drink and party together. I received some of the most honest and brutal feedback at the pub on my playing performance. Men will simply tell you the brutal truth after 5 beers and leave their inner HR director at home. I then improved my output after this feedback.

Maybe the Swans give their brutal feedback over a leading teams session. I still think it’s better to get one on one feedback and always better after a couple of beers.

How many cricketers relay stories of having a beer with a more experienced and esteemed cricketer and turning their cricket around?

I can’t say for certain how beneficial the Sorrento sessions were for the Melbourne team, however many Melbourne players had career best years and many turned their play around from the previous years. Could some honest conversations at the Hotel Sorrento have turned around the performance of some players? I can’t say for certain, however Big Max is happy to keep talking football with his boss over some beers.

Maybe the Swans could benefit from the odd session. Melbourne certainly won a flag with a pre season where coach and players enjoyed the odd drinking session much to Gill’s disgust.

[0918330512]

The concept of the drinking session can be beneficial to sporting teams. When I played amateur football the coaches and players used to drink and party together. I received some of the most honest and brutal feedback at the pub on my playing performance. Men will simply tell you the brutal truth after 5 beers and leave their inner HR director at home. I then improved my output after this feedback.

Maybe the Swans give their brutal feedback over a leading teams session. I still think it’s better to get one on one feedback and always better after a couple of beers.

How many cricketers relay stories of having a beer with a more experienced and esteemed cricketer and turning their cricket around?

I can’t say for certain how beneficial the Sorrento sessions were for the Melbourne team, however many Melbourne players had career best years and many turned their play around from the previous years. Could some honest conversations at the Hotel Sorrento have turned around the performance of some players? I can’t say for certain, however Big Max is happy to keep talking football with his boss over some beers.

Maybe the Swans could benefit from the odd session. Melbourne certainly won a flag with a pre season where coach and players enjoyed the odd drinking session much to Gill’s disgust.

To compare drinks at a pub of an amateur footy club with elite AFL footballers is simply laughable.

To suggest that “Sorrrento Sessions” led to premiership, while ignoring everything far more football related that transpired at the club in between those events is naive.

And perhaps consider that Max Gawn’s supportive comments might just have had some element of damage control.

Men will simply tell you the brutal truth after 5 beers and leave their inner HR director at home. I then improved my output after this feedback .

RWO members will tell people the brutal truth after NO beers most of the time … doesn’t mean the recipient takes it in

[Bangalore Swans]

To compare drinks at a pub of an amateur footy club with elite AFL footballers is simply laughable.

To suggest that “Sorrrento Sessions” led to premiership, while ignoring everything far more football related that transpired at the club in between those events is naive.

And perhaps consider that Max Gawn’s supportive comments might just have had some element of damage control.


RWO members will tell people the brutal truth after NO beers most of the time … doesn’t mean the recipient takes it in

Here comes the rebuttal. Strap yourselves in.

There are differences between amateur and professional environments. That goes without saying. One thing that I firmly believe however is that there is not a huge difference between how an amateur athlete and a professional athlete enjoys their social time. The only difference really is that professional AFL athletes are simply better at playing the sport. Most professional AFL athletes and amateur athletes enjoy a drink and a good session at a nice hotel.

I have it on good authority that two well know Swans players were enjoying mid week beers during the season in 2021 at an Eastern Suburbs pub. It was 2.00pm in the afternoon. They had finished their work at Moore Park for the morning and headed straight to the pub. This is the sort of stuff amateur athletes do.


Don’t any body try and tell me that Swans players behaviour off the field is any different to that of an amateur athlete.

I never said that the “Sorrento Sessions” led to a premiership. You should read that paragraph again. I said that many Melbourne players had career best years and many had players had big turnaround years. I said that “maybe” some honest conversations were had at the Hotel Sorrento and this contributed to some players having a turn around. I used the word “maybe” to imply that I’m speculating. It’s ok to speculate, it’s a footy forum.

Max Gawn was possibly doing damage control to support Goodwin but he doubled down and made it clear that he enjoys having work meetings on a Saturday afternoon at The Sorrento. That is more than damage control, it’s a big middle finger up to anyone who questions the pre-season methods that helped build a premiership side.

The reality is Red and White that if the Swans win the flag in 2022 then you would not care if the coaching staff drink with the players or not.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Alcohol is easily humankind's greatest invention. I freaking love it.

[dejavoodoo44]

Alcohol is easily humankind's greatest invention. I freaking love it.

My hangover says possibly not.

[Thunder Shaker]

Hard to see Melbourne not making the top 4.

Melbourne's form season to season is notoriously fickle. This is a side that over the last 30 years has made the finals in even-numbered years 7 times (1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2018) and odd-numbered years only twice (2005, 2021). I'm still expecting them to make the finals, but not top 4. 5th or 6th is my guess.

- - - Updated - - -

There was also this classic of the genre on our prospects heading into the finals in 2012.

Mick: Swans, Crows not worthy

At the end of that season, he would have eaten a big humble pie stuffed full of crow, magpie and hawk.

[rickmat]

Caught Fox Footy the other night and the discussion about season 2022. King and that ex Saint whose name escapes me!!! all had the Swans in the eight. Mark Robinson , that guru of footy Scribd in Melb ha ha, didn't have the Swans in the eight and made a fool of himself after listening to the other 2 describe why Swans were in their 8. I just couldn't believe this from a footy Scrib who doesn't leave Melb during the season!!!!!

[KSAS]

Caught Fox Footy the other night and the discussion about season 2022. King and that ex Saint whose name escapes me!!! all had the Swans in the eight. Mark Robinson , that guru of footy Scribd in Melb ha ha, didn't have the Swans in the eight and made a fool of himself after listening to the other 2 describe why Swans were in their 8. I just couldn't believe this from a footy Scrib who doesn't leave Melb during the season!!!!!

I was going to post the same when I caught this last week. David King was most bullish of our chances of making top 4. Leigh Montana (the ex-Saint you mentioned), thought we'll plateau this year finishing around 6th before making a real assault next year after another year's development in our young stars. Yeah Robbo was genuinely embarrassed not having us in the 8 upon reflection, but I give him some slack as it was good to see him back on the screen after his health scare. He has been a Swans admirer & one of few Melb journos to stick up for Goodes during the height of the racial booing drama.

[mcs]

I was going to post the same when I caught this last week. David King was most bullish of our chances of making top 4. Leigh Montana (the ex-Saint you mentioned), thought we'll plateau this year finishing around 6th before making a real assault next year after another year's development in our young stars. Yeah Robbo was genuinely embarrassed not having us in the 8 upon reflection, but I give him some slack as it was good to see him back on the screen after his health scare. He has been a Swans admirer & one of few Melb journos to stick up for Goodes during the height of the racial booing drama.

Robinson has always been a Swans admirer to some degree and, and imho was one of the first outside our supporter base to recognise the huge leaps going on (despite it not being reflected on the ladder until last year in any form). Glad he is better after being pretty crook. And certainly stood up up for Goodesy during the booing drama.

I think Montagna might be closest to the truth, but I'll take King's prediction too should it happen!

[Aprilbr]

Robinson has always been a Swans admirer to some degree and, and imho was one of the first outside our supporter base to recognise the huge leaps going on (despite it not being reflected on the ladder until last year in any form). Glad he is better after being pretty crook. And certainly stood up up for Goodesy during the booing drama.

I think Montagna might be closest to the truth, but I'll take King's prediction too should it happen!

I agree totally with what you say here!

[Thunder Shaker]

David King was most bullish of our chances of making top 4.

David King thinks Sydney can win the premiership. “They can win it”: Swans declared 2022 flag threat

[rojo]

I'll have to chase up the Fox footy discussion. It's a bit premature to be making decisions after one practice match but with Mills out and JPK not having much influence I am questioning the decision to let George Hewett go. Another player gone just as they reach their prime! I don't think Heeney and for that matter Mills can be classed as big-bodied mids, and for all the grunt they may have, Paps, Rowie and Ollie neither. Chad and Roberts and maybe Sheather or Anderson have got two, three or more years development before they become consistent at the coal face. When Mills is out, Parks again has a too heavy load!

The other thing that is a bit concerning is that last year we took the whole competition by surprise and had 4 wins, or something like that, on the board before teams began to work our new game style out a bit. Now, as evidenced in the practice match, teams have strategies in place to much more effectively counter it. Like you all, I am going to be looking at Sunday's game with great interest.

PMac may be an x-factor for us, making up a little for the loss of Dawson but we are going to need Hayward, JMac and Blakey to really come into their own if we are going to make the top 8. Errol, Campbell, Stephens etc will complement them.

[liz]

I'll have to chase up the Fox footy discussion. It's a bit premature to be making decisions after one practice match but with Mills out and JPK not having much influence I am questioning the decision to let George Hewett go.

Do you not consider that JPK's relative lack of influence was by design? He attended very few centre bounces, with the coaching panel choosing to use other (mostly smaller and faster/more nimble) players there instead. And that choice was made with Mills unavailable. If they were experimenting with ways to make the team more dynamic at centre bounces, George would surely add to the problem, not solve it.

I acknowledge we were well beaten at centre clearances against the Giants last week. Maybe that will push the coaches to go back and look at their use of Kennedy, particularly if/while Mills is unavailable.

The other thing that is a bit concerning is that last year we took the whole competition by surprise and had 4 wins, or something like that, on the board before teams began to work our new game style out a bit. Now, as evidenced in the practice match, teams have strategies in place to much more effectively counter it.

I'm not sure you can draw that conclusion based on a single game, especially one where the Swans' work-rate was well down on where it needed to be (and on the Giants'). The thing most obviously lacking - to me - in that game was any decent attempt to move the ball as they were last year. There was too much long, aimless bombing to a forward line that wasn't working hard enough. You might interpret that as "teams" (or maybe just the Giants) finding ways to counter our ball movement style. I interpret it as a team that was too rusty or lethargic to make an effort to move the ball the way they did last year.

Only time will tell. Not one scratchy pre-season game.

[rojo]

In reply to Liz's comments I did acknowledge that it was a bit premature to make observations after one practice match. They were just thoughts I had as I was watching a replay of the game. I was aware that JPK was playing different roles. As Liz says, only time will tell. I am hoping I will have to make some amendments re big bodied-mids and our 2022 game plan execution after watching the game on Sunday!

[Ruck'n'Roll]

I think we will win less games this year than last in the home and away season, but do better in the finals.

I also think the ruck forward setup may take loner to bed down than most think.