Match thread: Swans v Suns.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Plugger was once asked who was the best full back he ever played against and he mentioned Steve Silvagni. He went on to say there were
probably a couple of other good ones but he didn't know their names.

And the amazing thing is that he managed to say it, with his tongue wedged firmly in his cheek.

[NeonBible]

Hi all,

This was a tough viewing. I very nearly made the trip up as i had a ticket available but had to cancel at the last minute.. i am glad i did! Though it would have been fabulous to see our 2012 premiership heroes lap of honour.

If the last month or so have seen a wheel at a time slowly coming loose off the wagon, then this was the whole engine breaking down! There was a total lack of energy!! Why?? This must be addressed.. these are signs we are used to seeing from North.. from Carlton.. but us?? The Swans? Why is this happening??

As always there were a few players who could hold their head high:

- Paddy Mac has been such a wonderful addition to our back six. Isn't it a shame that he was the exact player we needed but is now getting so little support from those around him??
- The Chad and The Lizard did their best to provide a circuit breaker for us.. with their constant taking the game on.. its so exciting!! But, like Paddy Mac, they didn't have enough support from others willing to do the same!!
- Jimmy Rowbottom tried hard all game. There was a moment i liked where Chad was going to blow a fuse at the umpire.. on a day where we weren't concentrating and seemed to be a bit immature, Rowbottom straight away had a word to him and calmed him down. A sign of maturity that might explain why he is selected most weeks.
- I liked the effort of Ladhams! Not for his rucking.. he was well beaten by Witts, which isn't unique for Peter! But he didn't stop trying! Kept competing and winning clearances when he could. Well done for not letting the situation get him down!!

Looking forward to our redemption this week!

CHEER CHEER

[0918330512]

What’s the Brandon Jack book like? From the smh articles I read, he seemed like Dawson from Dawson’s Creek in trying to find deep meaning in everything

Don’t be cheap and don’t take the SMH authors word for it. Go and buy it and read it for yourself. Suffice to say you belittle a young man with your Dawson’s Creek comparison (and for pity’s sake what man watched that show anyway?). Brandon is reflecting on a career that didn’t achieve the highs he desired, that failed to realise the dreams of so many young footballers, that tore apart his family and himself. He seems honest about his self destruction and perhaps too vocal about his team mates (who cannot defend themselves against what he writes). It’s one - perhaps immature - man’s reflection and account of an AFL football career and the AFL environment from his perspective.

Don’t ask what others think - as you so often do. Just buy the book yourself. Read it. Then you can offer your own opinion about it. That, I would be interested to hear.

Football is supposed to be simple. Attack the ball and body, win the game, celebrate with team mates, drink plenty of alcohol, go dancing and then have a good laugh at the warm ups the following week.

That’s a simpleton’s view about the game at the professional level. Football is complicated. If it was as “attack the ball and the body”, there would be no calls for a plan B and plan C when we lose. There would be no need for assistant coaches and analysts to dissect every facet of the game, in preparation and assessment afterward. “Win the game”. Hah that only happens roughly 50% of the time. “Celebrate”? Yup. “Drink plenty of alcohol”? Are you serious?! That in itself is irresponsible, but for a professional athlete it’s simply a stupid comment. Do you have any concept of what excessive alcohol consumption does to the body of a regular person? And how much it adversely affects the performance of an elite athlete? “go dancing and then have a good laugh at the warm ups the following week” - these are players earning hundreds of thousands of dollars in their chosen professions, in an industry worth millions, if not billions, of dollars, working at the highest echelons of their chosen fields. With their clubs, their sponsors, their members and their supporters relying on them to give their absolute best, hoping for a win - week in, week out. I would hope that they take their jobs more seriously than you do.

[Bangalore Swans]

Don’t be cheap and don’t take the SMH authors word for it. Go and buy it and read it for yourself. Suffice to say you belittle a young man with your Dawson’s Creek comparison (and for pity’s sake what man watched that show anyway?). Brandon is reflecting on a career that didn’t achieve the highs he desired, that failed to realise the dreams of so many young footballers, that tore apart his family and himself. He seems honest about his self destruction and perhaps too vocal about his team mates (who cannot defend themselves against what he writes). It’s one - perhaps immature - man’s reflection and account of an AFL football career and the AFL environment from his perspective.

Don’t ask what others think - as you so often do. Just buy the book yourself. Read it. Then you can offer your own opinion about it. That, I would be interested to hear.


That’s a simpleton’s view about the game at the professional level. Football is complicated. If it was as “attack the ball and the body”, there would be no calls for a plan B and plan C when we lose. There would be no need for assistant coaches and analysts to dissect every facet of the game, in preparation and assessment afterward. “Win the game”. Hah that only happens roughly 50% of the time. “Celebrate”? Yup. “Drink plenty of alcohol”? Are you serious?! That in itself is irresponsible, but for a professional athlete it’s simply a stupid comment. Do you have any concept of what excessive alcohol consumption does to the body of a regular person? And how much it adversely affects the performance of an elite athlete? “go dancing and then have a good laugh at the warm ups the following week” - these are players earning hundreds of thousands of dollars in their chosen professions, in an industry worth millions, if not billions, of dollars, working at the highest echelons of their chosen fields. With their clubs, their sponsors, their members and their supporters relying on them to give their absolute best, hoping for a win - week in, week out. I would hope that they take their jobs more seriously than you do.

In the words of Chris Rock “Wow”. When I saw your name 09183305, I knew that I was going to get a good clip and you delivered as always.

I could be wrong, it seems you only come unto the forum to give me a good rebuttal.

You should watch a season of Dawson’s Creek and listen to his commentary. Dawson’s Creek was a cult classic in the late 90s and early 2000s amongst teenagers and young adults of that time. Plenty of people watched it.

Dawson was a complicated and hesitant young man who would over analyse any situation. He would go through every scnario in his head and would paralyse himself with self analysis. If he liked a girl he would hesitate for weeks about what to do.

I feel that Brandon’s writing in the smh had a similar flavour to it. Plenty of deep analysis for lifes simple functions.

Thanks for your reflections on his book. That’s why I asked. Interested in your point that his team mates couldn’t have a right of reply to what he was saying. I think a couple of them would have given him a call to discuss his thoughts. Not sure if Brandon would have taken their calls though. In any event the 2012 premiership guys walking around the oval waving and being celebrated was probably the perfect reply to anything that Brandon was writing about them.

[KTigers]

mmm... my point was that to be a successful sportsperson you need to be very self focused. To be a successful anything you need to be
very self focused. It is just what it takes. It's not even a bad thing. And I'm sure when a former successful football player watches a game
years after they've retired they look at the game in a way that is way different to the way we fans in the stands do.
As for Brandon Jack's book, I did buy it and read it. To me he comes across as a slightly troubled young fella in his mid to late 20s. It can
be a difficult time for many people (male or female, sportsperson or non-sportsperson). It's unfortunate for the entire Jack family that
many relationships within it appear to be very strained. I think maybe down the track Brandon may wish he held back a little with his
private thoughts. But who knows, he may not. He is his own man. He is also a real person. Characters on TV shows are not.
They are characters on TV shows.

[i'm-uninformed2]

You should watch a season of Dawson’s Creek and listen to his commentary. Dawson’s Creek was a cult classic in the late 90s and early 2000s amongst teenagers and young adults of that time. Plenty of people watched it.

Dawson was a complicated and hesitant young man who would over analyse any situation. He would go through every scnario in his head and would paralyse himself with self analysis. If he liked a girl he would hesitate for weeks about what to do.

Bangalore: I'd like to know what time of day you posted this, as if it was before 11pm and not at the end of a bender, it's indefensible. And even then, it's borderline.

[stevoswan]

In the words of Chris Rock “Wow”. When I saw your name 09183305, I knew that I was going to get a good clip and you delivered as always.

I could be wrong, it seems you only come unto the forum to give me a good rebuttal.

You should watch a season of Dawson’s Creek and listen to his commentary. Dawson’s Creek was a cult classic in the late 90s and early 2000s amongst teenagers and young adults of that time. Plenty of people watched it.

Dawson was a complicated and hesitant young man who would over analyse any situation. He would go through every scnario in his head and would paralyse himself with self analysis. If he liked a girl he would hesitate for weeks about what to do.

I feel that Brandon’s writing in the smh had a similar flavour to it. Plenty of deep analysis for lifes simple functions.

Thanks for your reflections on his book. That’s why I asked. Interested in your point that his team mates couldn’t have a right of reply to what he was saying. I think a couple of them would have given him a call to discuss his thoughts. Not sure if Brandon would have taken their calls though. In any event the 2012 premiership guys walking around the oval waving and being celebrated was probably the perfect reply to anything that Brandon was writing about them.

It was a whack you deserved (as opposed to Mr Rock, who didn't)....and yet instead of taking that whack on the chin and trying to learn from it, you double down on your Dawson's Creek drivel. I think most people know what DC was about, which is probably why most people avoided it. Then you come up with more wild conjecture involving the 2012 players to supposedly back up your 'stab in the dark' theory about 'soft' Brandon. Disappointing to say the least.

BS, stop trying to be RWO's 'oracle'....that's TB's job (the trying, I mean).

[Maltopia]

He is his own man. He is also a real person. Characters on TV shows are not.
They are characters on TV shows.

Where is Ludwig or Fauna8 etc? I would have expected someone to have already said in jest (or serious sledge) that Bangalore is not a real person, just a character on this forum

[bloodspirit]

Nice to see the pics of the 2012 team: Lap of honour for 2012 heroes (sydneyswans.com.au). I see just about everyone made it. Macca and Shawry in the coaches box and Reid, Parker and Joey involved in playing (not that I sighted Reid at either game). ROK is the only one who's absence I can't account for. I hope that doesn't suggest any kind of a falling out. I struggled to recognise Morton but by process of elimination he has to be the one between Reg and Bird in the front row in the group pic.

[ugg]

Nice to see the pics of the 2012 team: Lap of honour for 2012 heroes (sydneyswans.com.au). I see just about everyone made it. Macca and Shawry in the coaches box and Reid, Parker and Joey involved in playing (not that I sighted Reid at either game). ROK is the only one who's absence I can't account for. I hope that doesn't suggest any kind of a falling out. I struggled to recognise Morton but by process of elimination he has to be the one between Reg and Bird in the front row in the group pic.

The Swans website article a few days before Saturday said Shaw Mumford and ROK had coaching commitments. Not sure how it turned out that Shaw (Suns development coach) and Mumford (GWS ruck coach) ended up making it

ROK is currently NSW/ACT’s Coaching Development and Education Lead which sounds more like a coaching director’s role than actual coaching

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Don’t ask what others think - as you so often do. Just buy the book yourself. Read it. Then you can offer your own opinion about it. That, I would be interested to hear.

I got a pre-pub copy put into my hands, which varies slightly from the copy KTigers read - but we both took different things from the book. FWIW I saw his self focus, not as what was required to make it in the AFL, but the reason why he was unable to achieve the success his talent should have made achievable. The extreme aversion he expresses to team culture, would at the very least made it hard for him to reconcile with the Leading Teams philosophy/methodology that was such a feature of the Swans premiership teams.
So tou too should read the book BS and see what you think - much better than reflecting others thought.

Nice to see the pics of the 2012 team: Lap of honour for 2012 heroes (sydneyswans.com.au). I see just about everyone made it. Macca and Shawry in the coaches box and Reid, Parker and Joey involved in playing (not that I sighted Reid at either game). ROK is the only one who's absence I can't account for. I hope that doesn't suggest any kind of a falling out. I struggled to recognise Morton but by process of elimination he has to be the one between Reg and Bird in the front row in the group pic.

My Bouquet:
I was surprised to see Adam Goodes, but absolutely delighted (I flt myself tear up) that his shocking treatment hadn't made it impossible for him to be a part of the day. What an outstanding man he is.

My Brick bat:
The Swans marketing team. Their intrusive "game day experience" has coused considerable disgruntlement upon some Swans fans (and driven others away altogether). But when it comes to the ten year anniversary, their lack of effort was pretty pathetic.

[bloodspirit]

My Brick bat:
The Swans marketing team. Their intrusive "game day experience" has coused considerable disgruntlement upon some Swans fans (and driven others away altogether). But when it comes to the ten year anniversary, their lack of effort was pretty pathetic.

I hate this too! It sucked that when I asked them about it directly at the AGM Tom Harley said "we make no apologies" and that they are aware it is not universally popular but apparently they feel it works well at bringing new fans to the game.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

On the face of it, Tom's response screams arrogance, maybe he was in training to replace Hamish's idiot brother at AFL HQ?

Perhaps he could have added something like we are hoping to acquire more new fans than they will will exclude old fans. And so what if these new fans, leave games halfway though, or fail to stick tough like the old fans - the only metric that matters is money (just ask Gil).

[Meg]

I hate this too! It sucked that when I asked them about it directly at the AGM Tom Harley said "we make no apologies" and that they are aware it is not universally popular but apparently they feel it works well at bringing new fans to the game.

I question if they have any evidence that relentless, ear-splitting music brings new fans to the footy. I suspect loud-music lovers go to concerts, gigs etc. for their entertainment not to football.

[longmile]

I question if they have any evidence that relentless, ear-splitting music brings new fans to the footy. I suspect loud-music lovers go to concerts, gigs etc. for their entertainment not to football.

I'm in my late 20s and I find it an absolute blight on the game. They allow no time for you to talk to friends and fans about the game and build up natural atmosphere. Instead they have to fill every non-game moment with music and ads. Which means as soon as the music ends the crowd is quiet cause they've not been allowed to build up natural atmosphere as they're constantly beaten over the head with near white noise.

I'm not sure if its a Swans only focus. My memories of going to the MCG (pre-Covid) and Homebush was quite similar. May be an AFL directive?