Round 24: Swans v Demons @ SCG

[Blood Fever]

On Braeden Campbell: he’s a 21 year old, 3rd year player with 47 games under his belt, averaging 16 disposals a game this year and only a few weeks ago was being lauded by many on here for his precision disposal.

On Amartey: a 27 game veteran, coming off injuries playing on of the harder positions for an inexperienced youngster, KPF.

On Horse: who would want his job? String of losses with a squad decimated by injuries and cops criticism. Strings together half a dozen wins and the reception is acceptance to praise. A loss against a top 4 side and out come the daggers again. And I thought my job sucked. And it does. He has a 61.5% winning record, 1 premiership and from 4 grand finals (that’s the same grand final record as our team of the century coach Jack Bissett - although Bissett’s win/loss record was superior, with a far superior team). Longmire is our longest serving coach and for the critics, he’s with us for at least another 2 seasons.

For those lamenting no home final after today’s loss. In 2023:
* we’ve won 5 at home
* lost 5 at home
* won 7 away
* lost 5 away
* 1 draw

I haven’t done stats on in it, we are marginally better away than at home. And we lost to the Saints at home.

I’m not uncomfortable with the Swans playing away.

Great post GS. The usual suspects. Agree about playing away. Right up our alley with the pressure all on the Blues.

[Kafka's Ghost]

On Braeden Campbell: he’s a 21 year old, 3rd year player with 47 games under his belt, averaging 16 disposals a game this year and only a few weeks ago was being lauded by many on here for his precision disposal.

On Amartey: a 27 game veteran, coming off injuries playing on of the harder positions for an inexperienced youngster, KPF.

On Horse: who would want his job? String of losses with a squad decimated by injuries and cops criticism. Strings together half a dozen wins and the reception is acceptance to praise. A loss against a top 4 side and out come the daggers again. And I thought my job sucked. And it does. He has a 61.5% winning record, 1 premiership and from 4 grand finals (that’s the same grand final record as our team of the century coach Jack Bissett - although Bissett’s win/loss record was superior, with a far superior team). Longmire is our longest serving coach and for the critics, he’s with us for at least another 2 seasons.

For those lamenting no home final after today’s loss. In 2023:
* we’ve won 5 at home
* lost 5 at home
* won 7 away
* lost 5 away
* 1 draw

I haven’t done stats on in it, we are marginally better away than at home. And we lost to the Saints at home.

I’m not uncomfortable with the Swans playing away.

Excellent post. Although disappointing to not take our opportunities today, and fade out again in the 4th quarter, it’s been a mighty effort to even make the finals given where we were. Perhaps mightier than we mere observers will ever appreciate, as it seems most have been injured and/ or underdone this season.


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[crackedactor 01]

After todays effort It looks like we are in the finals by default and with a bit of luck. Instead of looking for a ruckman or a defender , maybe we need to look at a fitness coach? I believe its currently Shane Lehane??? I am tired of all these last quarter fade outs. Just we you think they we will have a comfortable win they scrap over the line or get beaten. It can only be fitness issue or some mental illness. No goals in the last quarter today or last week. I think it was West Coast when we last won the last quarter.

[Old S.M.Blood]

If we can't kick strait can't run out a last quarter' and can't fair deal from the umpires, what's the point in playing finals???There were 4 gettable goals missed this afternoon.

[Blood Fever]

We weren't composed kicking for goal, especially early. Cost us big time.

- - - Updated - - -

We are clearly not as match hard as other teams, the 4th quarter fade outs mean we are no chance of making a real impact on the finals. May have been better to miss the finals and plan for next year with a better draw and more time for the team to take break.

What the game did show was that our best is good but we still are short of quality players (a tough inside mid, a quality ruck and a tall defender). We need to very active in the off-season.

Yes i do think we need a coaching change but thats not going to happen. At the minimum we need some new blood in the coaching box.

So which of Pyke, McVeigh and Cox would you get rid of?

[0918330512]

We are clearly not as match hard as other teams, the 4th quarter fade outs mean we are no chance of making a real impact on the finals. May have been better to miss the finals and plan for next year with a better draw and more time for the team to take break.

What the game did show was that our best is good but we still are short of quality players (a tough inside mid, a quality ruck and a tall defender). We need to very active in the off-season.

Probably lucky for the Bulldogs that they didn’t didn’t go into the finals with that attitude in 2016

[0918330512]

We weren't composed kicking for goal, especially early. Cost us big time.

- - - Updated - - -


So which of Pyke, McVeigh and Cox would you get rid of?

Yup. Each of them would walk into most other clubs as assistants. Season ain’t over yet

[neilfws]

Disappointing, but not entirely surprising today. The Demons are a very good fourth quarter side and the Swans, not so much recently. And Fritsch seems like he can kick a goal given the merest sniff of the ball.

Greatly enjoyed Errol's two booming goals from our seats behind the sticks (and his game in general as usual), also McLean's tight from the boundary effort. A very physical game today, Hickey hit the deck hard a few times giving it his all.

Happy to have made it into finals given where things were a couple of months ago. But mostly excited for next season now.

[Blood Fever]

Yup. Each of them would walk into most other clubs as assistants. Season ain’t over yet

Not over for sure. Also, no one has mentioned were without our most dynamic player today. Getting McInerney back would help as well.

[MattW]

Not over for sure. Also, no one has mentioned were without our most dynamic player today. Getting McInerney back would help as well.

If McInerney and Papley return, it'll be interesting to see who they replace. Clarke is an obvious one. Stephens should stay in. Perhaps Campbell and he could play sub. Otherwise, Amartey is a possibility.

[giant]

Fascinating game to examine

I mean would anyone take the front 6 of Melbourne?

Yet their adjustments in structure and their trades the last few years in their backline of Lever and May have show again that away from home when it didn’t count that much they could control 3 out of 4 qtrs

Melbourne went plus 1 plus 2 plus 3 when required to counter our dominant play on quick slingshot footy.

This worked very very well despite Melbourne having daily ordinary forward line vs the top8 comp.

Good analysis, a very well drilled team that counters their weaknesses (wouldn't mind Fritsch in our forward line though).

That said, we were right in it at times - lack of polish and the ability to run games out were our downfall.

Well done to the team on making the finals again, it's a massive effort. But clearly this squad needs to be upgraded if we're going to make a real dent against the top 5 teams. The bottom 5 in today's 22 are barely AFL standard (and I think you all know whom I'm talking about).

Though it sent us packing to the Blues, I'm delighted for the GWS - since round 1 they've competed brilliantly and much richly deserved that last spot more than the Dogs. Hopefully, they've given us the blueprint to do a job on Carlton.

[MattW]

Feel a bit flat after that one. I thought it was going to be our day when we went three goals up in the third. Feeling a little pessimistic now.

[giant]

This. Our set shot kicking in this game was awful. It meant we were never able to exert the scoreboard pressure we should have. Tell me if I’m wrong, but I think it was 3-6 to 7-3, and some of our shots were easier, straight in front only 30m out. A real let down after the last few weeks of being the most accurate team in the comp.


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Doesn't include several times when we didn't make the distance from 40m out. What the heck is that?

[liz]

Happy to have made it into finals given where things were a couple of months ago. But mostly excited for next season now.

Exactly.

Clearly the only being able to play three-quarters thing is a problem this year, but I don't think we've historically (in recent seasons) had that problem. So hopefully they already have some good ideas of what they need to change up over the pre-season (if it's entirely, or mostly, physical).

We also clearly have a list issue right now that Longmire (or the coaches more broadly) don't have a lot of faith in anyone outside our best 23. Bring Papley and McInerney into the team, and move Stephens (or maybe Campbell, or maybe Fox) to sub - any of those three would likely be able to come on and make some impact in the last. But that's where the list ends right now. Clarke and Francis are "we'll play them if we really have to, but would prefer not to have to".

[The Big Cat]

Interesting that Stephens was in the top half dozen fantasy points for the swans and spent more time on the ground than every other player. Coaches’ confidence in him must be growing.