Match thread: Swans v Crows

[Hotpotato]

Papley clunks some great grabs, he really has sweet hands and so clever on the run.

[Sandridge]

Just love our club!

GO BLOODS!!

[Dow]

People complaining about the umpiring, hope they noticed some of the frees we got once we started to get our pressure game going and started binding first to the ball, I am big believer that pressure and being first to the ball greats opptuinities and gets you free kicks.

Grundy massive again and Amerty not a big fan but he keeps kicking goals credit to him.

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Just love our club!

GO BLOODS!!

Great response when our Mids were having it all their own way

Amartey amazing
Grundy Amazing
Heeney probably just pips Gulden who's kicking ironically let him doen a bit

Jmac always gets better the longer the game goes
JJ good again
Blakeys spoils were great
Will and Ligans bail out runs were good
Ramps did some very good things, plays to advantage and it doesnt register on stats sheets

Reckon it's time to give Ladhams a go for Mclean.
Not all his fault as he is getting thrown around a bit but does not offer alot as a 2nd ruck

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*mids werent having it all their own way

I'd edit the previous post but it would probably crash the site

Saves me writing anymore, agree with all above

[Auntie.Gerald]

Amazing run of wins
1 loss
Full credit to everyone driving this spaceship

Ps if the Swans were a “car” right now, what would they be?

Definitely a turbo but not an EV. Missing that immediate direct speed, 1st qtr lag thing happening.

Conversely 2nd, 3rd and 4th qtrs are something to behold.

These Swans have spine !!!

[Thunder Shaker]

What a wild game of footy that was. Another slow start (however as Horse said - it was more a case they took their early chances in front of the sticks, while our forward entries were awful), but eventually we kicked into gear - and won by just a lazy 7 goals.

So happy to see Amartey to kick a big bag. His reading of the ball in flight continues to improve significantly, as does his contested marking. His kicking for goal from set shots seems to be coming along nicely - really finally starting to 'click' and I think he believes that he belongs at this level.

Hard to say much except Amartey's confidence will be well and truly up after this. So many contested marks and goals from everywhere. He will be hungry for more. I hope we can turn the Amartey party into the Amartey goal feast.

The scary part for other teams is that I think everyone knows, deep down, we haven't yet put together complete 4 quarter performances. Some poor team is going to get utterly blown to smithereens when we turn up and really hit the 'go' button from the first minute.

We haven't played North Melbourne or St Kilda yet. We flogged West Coast by 171 points last year when we were 15th on the ladder (round 15). Who knows what will happen when we play Norf at the SCG on July 13th.

Whatever happens this season - we are being treated to a wonderful footy side to watch. All I hope is that we can turn the dominance we've shown so far into the one result, if we can carry it through most of the season, that is needed to put the exclamation mark on it.

It's like the Swans have decided not to play too much of the dour defensive football that's currently in fashion and gone back to the free-flowing football of the 1980s and 1990s. I don't have many fond memories of the early 1990s for obvious reasons, though other teams enjoyed it. I consider this season to be overdue payback for the indignities of the 1993 season.

A long way to go - but we are 3 games clear of the pack. Just let that sink in for a moment - 3 games!

Three games and a massive percentage gap.

[i'm-uninformed2]

When Kinnear Beatson was on Truebloods podcast a few weeks he spoke highly of his hopes for Amartey. Talked about how much of a power athlete he was but still a work in progress to build the endurance and fitness to go with it, but did think his pre season this year was easily the best he has had since he’d been at the club. Also reminded everyone he’d come into this season having only played 30 odd games.

We are now seeing the fruits of all that. I think it was Ludwig on here who was always very high on Amartey. He’s been vindicated.

He was frustrated me early in the year but has gone on to play a terrific stretch of footy the last six weeks so whilst you always need a bit of luck to have a night like that, he deserved it. Good on him and fingers crossed for the rest of the year.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Fair to argue was he the most influential player on the outcome of yesterday’s game?

I think he was by a country mile.

Well done Joel……you wrestled that game away from the Crows yesterday !!!!!

[Hotpotato]

All those poor fanatical Crows fans, at the ground (booing like mad all day and after the final siren) and at home. Dreaming for over two quarters they were set to beat the Ladder leaders.
Then they get audited by 7 goals.

I come from Adelaide so I have an ounce of empathy, however Im so red n white now (lived in Sydney since ‘68).

Nicksy hss to talk the talk all week, the gig just sucks sometimes bc its more than just a game.

This is the best Swans team I’ve seen, they play for each other with passion and joy , bringing us the same.

[liz]

When Kinnear Beatson was on Truebloods podcast a few weeks he spoke highly of his hopes for Amartey. Talked about how much of a power athlete he was but still a work in progress to build the endurance and fitness to go with it, but did think his pre season this year was easily the best he has had since he’d been at the club. Also reminded everyone he’d come into this season having only played 30 odd games.

We are now seeing the fruits of all that. I think it was Ludwig on here who was always very high on Amartey. He’s been vindicated.

He was frustrated me early in the year but has gone on to play a terrific stretch of footy the last six weeks so whilst you always need a bit of luck to have a night like that, he deserved it. Good on him and fingers crossed for the rest of the year.

I think Beatson has been willing Joel to break out for ages. I'm sure he wants all our players (and all his draft selections) to become fine players, but I reckon long-shot-at-the-draft-Joel is one he's long held high hopes for, but feared for a while Joel wouldn't get there. It's not often that Beatson will criticise players well into their careers. He generally steers clear of the coaching/development stuff. But a couple of times, in years past, I've heard him comment on how Joel needs to work on his fitness and his body. I think he'd only have done that if he was convinced he'd found another gem in the rough and was desperate to be vindicated. Not in terms of getting personal acknowledgement; just in terms of seeing another late pick become a genuine topliner.

Nine goals in one match doesn't a topliner make. But Joel's contested marking, his set shot conversion, and his improved effort in second halves of games, not just this week but over the last month or two, are all highly encouraging signs.

[Bloods05]

I think Beatson has been willing Joel to break out for ages. I'm sure he wants all our players (and all his draft selections) to become fine players, but I reckon long-shot-at-the-draft-Joel is one he's long held high hopes for, but feared for a while Joel wouldn't get there. It's not often that Beatson will criticise players well into their careers. He generally steers clear of the coaching/development stuff. But a couple of times, in years past, I've heard him comment on how Joel needs to work on his fitness and his body. I think he'd only have done that if he was convinced he'd found another gem in the rough and was desperate to be vindicated. Not in terms of getting personal acknowledgement; just in terms of seeing another late pick become a genuine topliner.

Nine goals in one match doesn't a topliner make. But Joel's contested marking, his set shot conversion, and his improved effort in second halves of games, not just this week but over the last month or two, are all highly encouraging signs.

Yes, I remember a tone of exasperation in Kinnear's voice in one interview. He has obviously always had a high regard for his potential, but wondered aloud a couple of times whether it would ever be realised.

He made a bit of a faux pas in that TrueBloods interview - said his athleticism came from his Nigerian background. His dad's from Ghana.

[waswan]

I think Beatson has been willing Joel to break out for ages. I'm sure he wants all our players (and all his draft selections) to become fine players, but I reckon long-shot-at-the-draft-Joel is one he's long held high hopes for, but feared for a while Joel wouldn't get there. It's not often that Beatson will criticise players well into their careers. He generally steers clear of the coaching/development stuff. But a couple of times, in years past, I've heard him comment on how Joel needs to work on his fitness and his body. I think he'd only have done that if he was convinced he'd found another gem in the rough and was desperate to be vindicated. Not in terms of getting personal acknowledgement; just in terms of seeing another late pick become a genuine topliner.

Nine goals in one match doesn't a topliner make. But Joel's contested marking, his set shot conversion, and his improved effort in second halves of games, not just this week but over the last month or two, are all highly encouraging signs.

It's belief to change it mid season, fitness was more an issue last year.

He hasn't had to ruck which has helped but most of all he is simply jumping at the ball like a fwd should.
Start of the year he was playing like a defender as a forward, finding body when he had a run at it.
Now he is jumping at it, all the Power and Athletiscm KB kept spruiking is there for all to see

[neilfws]

Bit of a pattern to recent games isn't there!

I'm wary of "psychology at a distance" but this team seems mentally, as much as physically, in a really good space. They don't panic when it isn't going their way: they just stick to the process, figure out what needs to be adjusted, then make those adjustments and away they go.

I wonder whether in some ways the 2022 GF was - well not a good thing obviously - but the lesson they needed, in terms of realising that they were not quite ready, the raw young talent was not enough, they needed to build resolve and resilience. Which they seem to have in spades this season.

Lots of good performances last night - great game from Adams I thought. Amartey 9.1 from 10 disposals, ludicrous! He's starting to contest as you'd expect for a bloke of his size, great to see.

[Daisi]

Really enjoyed the last half of this match- the first half not so much. Amartey was great, but it seemed that the team lifted when Gulden started to get possessions. Yes some of them were not good possessions, but I think it started with him.

Agree that Adams was good, Gulden with 35 possessions- good, Amartey just kept calm and did his job, and I'm really liking Logan- is he playing further up the field now? This is a great team, they seem to be enjoying their footy and playing for each other.

[dejavoodoo44]

I think Beatson has been willing Joel to break out for ages. I'm sure he wants all our players (and all his draft selections) to become fine players, but I reckon long-shot-at-the-draft-Joel is one he's long held high hopes for, but feared for a while Joel wouldn't get there. It's not often that Beatson will criticise players well into their careers. He generally steers clear of the coaching/development stuff. But a couple of times, in years past, I've heard him comment on how Joel needs to work on his fitness and his body. I think he'd only have done that if he was convinced he'd found another gem in the rough and was desperate to be vindicated. Not in terms of getting personal acknowledgement; just in terms of seeing another late pick become a genuine topliner.

Nine goals in one match doesn't a topliner make. But Joel's contested marking, his set shot conversion, and his improved effort in second halves of games, not just this week but over the last month or two, are all highly encouraging signs.

A couple of seasons ago, Tadhg was commentating one of our games on ABC Radio, and I remember him saying that when Amartey first arrived, he couldn't run a lap of the SCG. I'm not sure exactly what that meant? As in, he was so unfit that he couldn't fast jog 400m before collapsing? Or maybe he was just burnt trying to keep up with the aging, former 400m schoolboy champion of Ireland? But it does suggest that he was a long, long way away from AFL level fitness.

And if true, I don't really know what to think of that? Was it an inspired decision by our recruiting staff, to just go on his marking, kicking, size and potential, while ignoring that Joel was unfit and possibly not all that interested in fitness? Or perhaps they didn't really notice how unfit he was until he started training, and it was a bit of negligence on their part?

But anyway, it was very enjoyable seeing him flying last night. Although, some of the defensive efforts from Adelaide last night were pretty insipid, especially from Keane. Hopefully he can produce similarly strong performances against better defenders: though another nine goal haul is probably unlikely.

And on defensive match ups, I suspect that the opposition's best defender, has generally been spending the majority of their time on McDonald. So I wonder if in future matches, that focus might shift to Amartey? Which might see a few more goals from McDonald. Although against Taylor and Buckley next week, I'll probably be very happy if they got four or five between them.

And a few random thoughts on last night's game. Despite Amartey's haul, I thought Grundy was very close to being BOG. 49 hitouts, 24 contested possessions and 9 clearances are really impressive stats. Though those stats say that he only had 2 tackles and 8 pressure acts. Which makes me wonder if they missed some, because I thought he was really dominant around the contests.

I also thought Adams had his best game for us. With him, Rowbottom and Grundy in the side, I'm becoming increasingly less concerned about the possibility of us being overpowered inside, like in the 22 GF.

The running power of Gulden was also fun to watch. But he did miss a few more targets than usual, so it wasn't quite peak Errol. Heeney was also really good, so it'll be interesting to see who gets more votes from the game.

[Mel_C]

Was the site down for large parts of the second half? I was at a concert and couldn’t check the scores/site and there doesn’t seem to be much activity for a great comeback and 9 goals by Amartey!

What a great result!

Yes unfortunately the site was down from halftime. It would have been great to read the posts about the Amartey Party as the game went on!