Round 6 vs Geelong Cats @ GMHBA - Match Thread

[Doctor]

I was at that game against St Kilda. Pretty embarrassing on both occasions.


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Me too. Only avoided getting into a fight protecting a mate who had overreached because one of their guys had a KISS hat on and I started a conversation about them to calm things down. There is nothing that can't be sorted out if you're in the KISS Army.

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[stevoswan]

It’s a worry. The Bloods was right all along. Need more grunt in there. Our soft belly getting exposed and it’s gonna be a long season.

I got back from the game about an hour ago and while The Bloods might be right about needing more grunt in there, he was still wrong about Rowbottom. The kid just doesn't know when to give up, never stops trying and is great with his hands, extracting the ball from tight spots better than most tonight. I'd just about pick him first every week.

Gulden's left foot magic has gone missing, his kicking was crap tonight. Warner was tagged out of it. The whole team looked a bit tired, which was disappointing after last week's great effort.

The midfielders in general had a shocker tonight, the team overall just got bullied again a la the GF but we were depleted with a far weaker team than the GF team.....and with a home crowd who were basically given everything they asked for by the umps (take note H2F, you pessimist, I was there) they were ripe for a thrashing....but the second half was very frustrating, they hardly gave a yelp. It was men against boys, umpires against boys and I left not greatly unhappy....I feel we will regroup and improve but I have definitely lowered my expectations for this season. The GF effect may be real....we'll see.

I think Ludwig's entry on the pre-match discussion thread (shown below) was a portent of what to expect tonight and indeed it came to fruition:

Average Attributes

Geelong Sydney
190.5cm Height 186.2cm
90.3kg Weight 84.9kg
28yr 4mth Age 24yr 9mth
151.0 Games 92.4

On a brighter note, my daughters Cat mad fiance reckons we will be the bullies in a season or two when our youngin's have developed.

[stevoswan]

Touche. Much as i love this forum, it can be a little elitist at times. As in: if you weren't watching them as south Melbourne in the 70s and can offer in depth opinions on the drafting strategy for next year, you tend to be ignored. Which is crap. So welcome! We're all Swans supporters and have just been flogged, so we should be nice to each other.

Seriously, it's no different to any footy forum, lots of different opinions, lots of sensible stuff, lots of crap, lots of pessimists, some optimists, lots of to and fro....as it should be.....grow a skin and stop judging.

[mcs]

So stevo - do tell. You can hold a different view, sure. But I don't see what part of that is pathetic, or indeed wrong exactly?

- Yes we were down on troops. But we were utterly abject tonight. Didn't give a squeak and the effort was poor in total. It was a grand final replay - down on troops or not down on troops, it should be a game that we were well up for and at least keen to make it a genuine contest. Instead, we achieved our worse loss since 1998. and kicked the equal lowest score for the second half of a game of footy since 1971. You may disagree, but I think pathetic is an apt descriptor for that.

- The players should get a roasting for that effort. I know its not Longmire's style - but what exactly in that performance makes you think, that in any shape or form any of it should be seen as at anything approaching an acceptable level? There is a balance to be achieved, sure - but some players are in woeful form, and whatever softly softly approach we have been taking doesn't appear to be working.

- The players do need to grow a spine and find a way to compete when things aren't going their way. We rolled over on Grand Final day, and we rolled over again tonight. I get the physicality difference between the teams - but for such a talented squad, we hoisted the white flag very quickly. Especially in midfield where, with the exception of Hickey (who does make a difference) we were close to full strength. But yet again, we were bullied like toddlers in the playground against year 12 kids.

-We will get roasted in the media this week, and deservedly so.

-Collingwood will belt us at the 'G if we play like that. That is a fact.

-We barely had a winner out there - a few tried hard, but I wouldn't say any were genuine winners against their direct opponent tonight.

-And I do feel sorry for those, you included, that had to sit through that utter @@@@ show tonight. It was bad enough on the day which brings joy just for being there last year. Having to watch it a second time would not be fun.

So again - where was I wrong and 'pathetic'? Maybe a little harsh sure. But there was precious little to like out there tonight - if that performance doesn't deserve a bake, then none does. And that is taking into account the broader circumstances, and our important missing players. However, the fact remains we got bullied in exactly the same way we did in September - there was nothing tonight to dispel the 'grand final will break them' motto plenty have rolled out.

We are a proud club, and on that basis alone I expected a reasonable performance tonight, which is not unreasonable. We still had a lot of very good footballers out there, especially in the middle. Yet we turned out a performance that was a long way from the high standards we set for ourselves.

You can't win them all - of course. But you can have a red hot crack, and make your opponents work for the win. I don't feel we did either tonight - after all they could of stopped counting the Cats score at QUARTER TIME and they still would have won.

[Blake Jones]

Watching the game, the players still gave effort. If the players didn’t give effort it would have been 160 plus points. Some of Dangerfields early hard ball gets and handballs were incredible in and Geelong kicked straight for most of the game. Kicking 16 goal, 5 behinds allows big points to be scored. Blicavs was too much for Ladhams as he for most players.

Happy with Campbell and Heeneys contributions.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Come on ladies and Gents

We no that alot of comments when being dismantled are a little extreme

Cooler kitchen usually surfaces 48hrs later ????????????

.....

As the dust settles I suppose there are some serious gems that can be salvaged from the smouldering ashes of last night's game.

How do you dismantle the Swans core areas of strength? You make their strength and predictable high pressure game their weakness.

Out smart the swans high pressure game at centre bounce and throw ins and u can control the field position and game.

For me when we go flat to the floor with high pressure on the ball we were actually exposed in the GF and last night. In the GF the Cats at the clearnace decided to push it along the ground no matter what tunnel ball tip ahead to ensure they could get the ball into the area of the ground they could control best. Ie seal it in our defensive arc. The area the Cats felt gave us no advantage was in tight in a small space where we could not kick and use our superior kick passing.

Yet last night the Cats didn't try and do this as much because they didn't need to. They changed direction from centre clearances and throw ins so well. They sent us in numbers to rush the ball forward and then so many times handballed it back over the top of our rushing players to a free cat standing opposite end of the clearance. It was genius and made us look like chickens without our heads on. It looked like a snr team vs a ressie team ie so much control the Cats possessed just around the contest.

The Cats truly outsmarted our rushing pressure at the centre clearance. I mean it is high risk by the Cats because if we get our hands on it we have numbers when rushing the ball. But the Cats looked like they have watched countless footage of our natural high pressure conyest work........the cats have no doubt been simulating this and practising this alot last two seasons and it was done so professionally.

From here the Cats have the ball and the numbers.......so how do u negate the Cats forward entries without Rampe, Tom nor Paddy and or no Reid?

You can't!!!!!

We tried to have a spare but that made it worse because then we fully lost control in the middle.

This is an opportunity for us though.

We have seen a blue print of nrgating high pressure and "setting the trap exits" from centre ball ups and throw ins. The Cats have shown their cards early in the season.

The real question is not just this remedy but getting in front of their next trick in the bag vs us.

Do we have the coaching mindset to be 3 steps ahead of a team coached like the Cats?

[stellation]

On the upside, I’ve found an extra hour or two in my day today as I don’t think I’ll rewatch that one.

[rickmat]

How did Gould look and perform thrown in second half replacing Roberts?

[Auntie.Gerald]

Gould entered Navy Seal training last night ????????????

[Auntie.Gerald]

BTW making my fav Minestrone recipe with Ham hock this morning ready for the fresh crusty bread at lunch with friends today

I'm so hungry already ???? ????????

[707]

I had a prior engagement so missed the game but recorded it to watch today. Warm sunny day here in Adelaide so I think I can find better things to do as reading this I'm not sure I can bear watching the replay.

Looks like good draft picks on their way in all the three drafts, starting at the end of May in the MSD now that we are drifting down the table. Not sure where we'll be after the round finishes.

For betting people, GWS against us next week are $4.50!

[lwjoyner]

I know Lomngmire was not playing but he and his fellow selectors cna take some of the blame. Mills on hawkins, goule substitute when at least he has a bit of bulk behind hime. Throwing Francis on the forward line was at least usderstandable with armartey gone, but whta is understandable why trade for him imn the first place he was crap at dons..With Mills out of the middle we lost a lot. Could not beleive we lost by so much.

[KTigers]

You folks realise The Smashing Pumpkins played in Melbourne last night. I know where I would have been. 93 points..... yikes.

[liz]

Looks like good draft picks on their way in all the three drafts, starting at the end of May in the MSD now that we are drifting down the table. Not sure where we'll be after the round finishes.

We don't actually have a pick in the MSD as things stand now. That might change, but right now a lower spot does us no good that respect.

[AB Swannie]

I do now wonder why we kept Gould on our list. The coaches don’t have the confidence in him as evidenced by starting Mills on Hawkins instead of him. When he did get his chance, he was a non-factor taking only 1 mark and 3 possessions when the ball lived in his area for the entire time.