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I, too, was quite bemused at the officiating (once again). But I wouldn’t overstate things. I am sure that the AFL and its literal corporate rulers would allow the Doggies to go 0-3. I am sure that the fact they are playing at MARVEL stadium has nothing to do with it. I am sure the Bulldogs CEO Kylie Watson-Wheeler is a VP and Managing Director is a non-factor! I am positive that Luke Beveridge had ZERO consequences for the worst over-the-line conduct during an interview in the U.S. or Australia in years was unrelated. Come to think of it, I have mo doubt that the fact that Tom Morris was surreptitiously recorded saying demeaning things longer before the incident and that those recordings just happened to be leaked right after is a total coincidence! He probably would have been fired anyway. And besides Disney, I mean the Bulldogs, did make a $20,000 contribution to “at risk” youth and nobody can criticize that, right? Our trusted media wouldn’t just collectively drop the whole thing in less than a week, would it? So no, do not put any stock into those pro-Bulldog theories because that is just crazy. There is no way this league would bend over and do gold medal gymnastics to please their corporate money…
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Hmm so it’s starting to become a well known thing then
‘Mind-boggling’: Fuming AFL fans are ‘livid’Last edited by Faunac8; 1 April 2022, 03:58 AM.Comment
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The effort was there like it always is, the poise, skill execution and vision were not. Rowbottom had many little fumbles that gave the Dogs time to close him down and other players down. That vision of him chip kicking the ball to the middle of half forward and totally missing the man is not good.Originally posted by TheBloods
It’s going to be a brutal video session for Rowbottom this week.
He’s a favourite but tonight but Chadmania disappeared tonight. Chad like Rowbottom had too many little fumbles and was caught trying to break the lines too often. The Bulldogs smartly new that Chad would try to break through the lines and sent all their tacklers to him as soon as he got the ball. Chad needs to develop the quick early give as tacklers have caught on to his want to take a couple of clearing steps.
People talk about TheBloods being tough on Rowbottom, however at the start of last season he was equally as tough on Blakey.
Blakey has now emerged into a brilliant half back flanker and TheBloods is now a fan.
Blakey was very good again and you know that good things happen when he has the ball in his hand.
There was one time in the last quarter where Rowbottom had Blakey running by him on half forward and didn’t give him the ball. Blakey had space and would have almost gone into range, however Rowbottom better of it.Comment
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I am happy to excuse the boys for having an off game. Fumbling, off kicks and poor options was broadly across the team, not just isolated to a few. I'm sure the short turn around after a massive game played a big part. There will be changes as a result of injury (Ladhams for Hickey) and players returning (McInerney for Stephens, ?Paps for Wicks) but beyond this, I wouldn't be pulling the trigger over one poor game.Comment
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Indeed, and as I always say in these discussions, I don't believe that that free kicks have no effect. The question is, how much effect do they have, especially when compared with the effect of all the other things that happen during a game. That's a really interesting question to me and I don't think it's addressed by a simple focus on counts.
If an umpire made a terrible decision, 30 seconds to go, gifting a goal to a team less than a goal down, I agree there'd be just cause for outrage! But I think that's a rare event, and a different kind of outrage to the kind generated by free kick counts and differentials.Comment
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Fair and balanced overview and I think your team changes are on the money. Definitely not a time to panic and while some may suggest wholesale changes that is not the Swans way.
Plenty to learn from last night and the video reviews will be brutal I suspect this week .Comment
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Bit harsh. Thought Amartey tried hard and his second effort was good. McLean not so, but needs more experience. Ladhams to come in next week, together with Paps and JMac. All right, your scapegoat didn’t play well- neither did your favourite: fumbled a lot and got caught but he did improve in the second half.
The whole team was poor, with the exception of the Lizard and a pretty good effort from Paddy and then brother Tom, though his kicking needs to improve a lot.
Let’s just forget this game and hope the lads learn from it. It was painful to watch at times and the AFL really must do something about this ridiculous umpiring but we all know they won’t!Comment
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Finally someone who actually observed what was happening. They stopped our run out of the backline, placed enormous real or perceived pressure on our players so disposal was awful and then ran hard when they had the ball. Irrespective of what umpiring decisions were made or not, we were outplayed and outcoached. Hopefully a very big wake up call to us; we are emerging and must continue to evolve, we are a long way off having arrivedComment
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Well that was horrible.
Yeah the umpires stank (yes again), but so did our entire team (Blakey excepted) - and Horse MAY have been outcoached.
Face it when your rucks are being towelled up by Tim English, FFS, then something is clearly very, very wrong.
My match lowlight actually involved Tim, not the mark he took over Buddy, but the comments made by Hamish McLaughlan came out with.
One commentator says: "Whatever happens for the rest of Tim English's career, he took a hang over Buddy" - another says "Only a few an say that" and then HM comes out with "There's a 1,000 players that Buddy can say that about"
The inhabitants of RW0 are pretty one eyed Swans fans, but would anyone of us suggest that Buddy's taken a 1,000 hangs on other payers?
Why not celebrate Buddy's qualities rather than making nonsensical claims. Might as well celebrate Barry Hall for his even temperedness, Warwick Capper for his humility, and Andrew Dunkly for his exquisite kicking syle.
It's the sort of fabrication which will make a proper retrospective so difficult when #23 retires.Comment
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While I could rant about umpiring and the lack of clean ball we were afforded.
The main takeaway from my perspective was the Dogs allowed us to be first to the ball and tackled us, into errors. We need to learn to do something else when the pressure is on. Perhaps not take the ball and be tackled without the ball, or tap to advantage.
That was finals heat and if we are serious contenders we need to play through that type of play. (and not expect Victorian umpires to be one sided against us)
Agree we were outplayed on the night. Only their inaccuracy kept us in the game.
And would it have been excellent to steal the game, with 5 seconds on the clock.. Close but no cookie! Given that we were out played all night and with 60 seconds only needed a goal to win. Not totally upset and will line up next week and cheer the Swans to victory.Comment
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This is all true and fair enough. But I think what we saw last night clearly fell into the effect category.
Take late in the third quarter. We'd crept back into the game and Buddy brings down Libba with a clear tackle, and Libba gets nowhere near kicking it. It was in open play and the umps had a clear view of it. It was stone cold HTB, and Bud should have been having a shot from 40m out, to bring us back to within two goals edging into three quarter time. That can have as much an impact on the flow and psychology of the game as a decision made at the death. Or, as others have pointed out, the number of decisions that forced our team to expend energy playing defense for an extended period are just as consequential.'Delicious' is a fun word to sayComment
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Even Barrett pointed out how bad the officiating was in his weekly sliding doors postComment
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