Tweet
I hope the Swans were dealt more than one "Get Out of Jail Free" card at the start of the season. Because they certainly used one up on Saturday night. It was a game they were widely favoured to win quite comfortably, given the inexperience of so many of the Eagles outfit and their poor season to date, the Crows game notwithstanding. Yet what we got was yet another single-digit points margin, continuing what has become a grand tradition between these two teams.
And yes, it was a steal. Without taking anything away from the way the Swans responded after half-time, the Eagles can blame some ordinary - and one extraordinary - attempts at goal for letting this one slip. If one can understand how the rusty Hunter missed a handful of chances, or why Butler bodged a sitter in his first AFL game since the 2006 grand final, it is harder to explain how the magnificent Dean Cox missed from less than 30m, right in front. The commentators suggested these might come back to haunt the Eagles, and indeed they did. The other crucial factor that enabled the Swans to peg back the lead was the number of inexperienced, young bodies in the blue and gold. Most of them played their part during the match, some very well indeed, but it was not unexpected that they couldn't maintain the same level of fanatical pressure for a full four quarters. And their inexperience showed late in the game - for instance a missed tackle on Malceski on his way to his first goal, and the space that Jude was given to turn and deliver to Bevan for the latter's second.
So what to make of the Swans? There is no doubt the first half was disappointing. "Soft" said Bolton. "Disgraceful" even. I doubt that consciously they took the Eagles lightly, but maybe subconsciously the pressure took them by surprise. Certainly they were slow to react. Rather than respond in kind, and reflect that tackling intensity back onto the Eagles, too many seemed to go into their shell, fumble on the ground, or sit back and watch as their opponents swathed through traffic.
As poor as that first half was, much of the second - and almost all of the final quarter - are worthy of a place in the canon alongside some of the classic finals quarters from 2005 and 2006. Sure, this wasn't the West Coast team of that era but when you allow yourself to fall six goals behind in front of a hostile Subiaco crowd, you need something special to pull your way back. And it is not as if the Eagles rolled over. After failing to convert their third quarter chances, they came out firing in the fourth and early on matched the Swans goal for goal. The Swans knew it wasn't just a case of pegging back the three-quarter time lead. They'd need a few more on top to get over the line.
It started with the top tier of Swans players, the usual suspects like Kirk and Goodes, Kennelly and O'Keefe. As as the final crescendo built, pretty much every Swan joined in the mission. Those who'd been beaten by their opponent - like Jack - found a way to win a crucial contest or two. Those who'd been quiet - like Bevan and Buchanan - snared crucial goals at crucial times. And Ablett, who'd been anonymous all night, became a driven man, busting through tackles and driving the ball Swanwards. It's been well over a year since I've seen the red and white quite so focussed, so unified, and so cohesive in the face of fierce resistance as in that last ten minutes of Saturday night.
By the end of the night there were too many contributors to single them all out, but two performances are noteworthy because they exceeded what we had a right to expect, or even hope for, just a few weeks back. Knees have not been kind to our two running half-backs and it has been left to the third, and newest, muskateer to grab most of the attention. On Saturday night, Kennelly and Malceski signalled that they are ready to resume their roles in that 'dream team'. Kennelly still doesn't look completely at ease with his body. Certainly his pace is not quite what it can be. But his coolness, his decision making, and his never-ending movement got the Swans out of plenty of sticky situations. We saw, too, why he's joined the leadership group this season as he was one of those who clearly believed that all was not lost as the second half got underway. Malceski's tale is even more remarkable and I am still pinching myself that he's out there at all. His kicking is not yet perfect but is getting better each week, and for a player who was out for so long, his ability to find space from beginning to end is quite remarkable. I'm not quite sure what the Eagles' strategy was for him. Maybe once Sumich had decided he was unlikely to play, they just discarded his name from the whiteboard. Certainly there was little evidence of an assigned opponent. Or if he had one, it was someone who has clearly forgotten what a dangerous player he can be.
Best of all, both Kennelly and Malceski have plenty of scope to get better as the season progresses. Together with the imminent return of YKW, the ominous form that Goodes is finally finding, and some decent midfield depth still languishing in Canberra, there are plenty of reasons for us to get excited as the second half of the season gets underway.
Goals:
West Coast: Wirrpunda 2 Kerr 2 Staker 2 Hunter Lynch Selwood Seaby Nicoski
Sydney: Kirk 2 J Bolton 2 Bevan 2 Malceski 2 McVeigh 2 Buchanan O'Loughlin .
Best:
West Coast: Kerr Cox Wirrpanda Glass Hunter Lynch
Sydney: Goodes Kirk Malceski J Bolton Richards O'Keefe Kennelly
Injuries:
None
Reports: Goodes (Sydney) reported for rough conduct against Selwood, Q1
Umpires: Donlon, Kennedy, Head
Crowd: 38,802 at Subiaco Oval.
And yes, it was a steal. Without taking anything away from the way the Swans responded after half-time, the Eagles can blame some ordinary - and one extraordinary - attempts at goal for letting this one slip. If one can understand how the rusty Hunter missed a handful of chances, or why Butler bodged a sitter in his first AFL game since the 2006 grand final, it is harder to explain how the magnificent Dean Cox missed from less than 30m, right in front. The commentators suggested these might come back to haunt the Eagles, and indeed they did. The other crucial factor that enabled the Swans to peg back the lead was the number of inexperienced, young bodies in the blue and gold. Most of them played their part during the match, some very well indeed, but it was not unexpected that they couldn't maintain the same level of fanatical pressure for a full four quarters. And their inexperience showed late in the game - for instance a missed tackle on Malceski on his way to his first goal, and the space that Jude was given to turn and deliver to Bevan for the latter's second.
So what to make of the Swans? There is no doubt the first half was disappointing. "Soft" said Bolton. "Disgraceful" even. I doubt that consciously they took the Eagles lightly, but maybe subconsciously the pressure took them by surprise. Certainly they were slow to react. Rather than respond in kind, and reflect that tackling intensity back onto the Eagles, too many seemed to go into their shell, fumble on the ground, or sit back and watch as their opponents swathed through traffic.
As poor as that first half was, much of the second - and almost all of the final quarter - are worthy of a place in the canon alongside some of the classic finals quarters from 2005 and 2006. Sure, this wasn't the West Coast team of that era but when you allow yourself to fall six goals behind in front of a hostile Subiaco crowd, you need something special to pull your way back. And it is not as if the Eagles rolled over. After failing to convert their third quarter chances, they came out firing in the fourth and early on matched the Swans goal for goal. The Swans knew it wasn't just a case of pegging back the three-quarter time lead. They'd need a few more on top to get over the line.
It started with the top tier of Swans players, the usual suspects like Kirk and Goodes, Kennelly and O'Keefe. As as the final crescendo built, pretty much every Swan joined in the mission. Those who'd been beaten by their opponent - like Jack - found a way to win a crucial contest or two. Those who'd been quiet - like Bevan and Buchanan - snared crucial goals at crucial times. And Ablett, who'd been anonymous all night, became a driven man, busting through tackles and driving the ball Swanwards. It's been well over a year since I've seen the red and white quite so focussed, so unified, and so cohesive in the face of fierce resistance as in that last ten minutes of Saturday night.
By the end of the night there were too many contributors to single them all out, but two performances are noteworthy because they exceeded what we had a right to expect, or even hope for, just a few weeks back. Knees have not been kind to our two running half-backs and it has been left to the third, and newest, muskateer to grab most of the attention. On Saturday night, Kennelly and Malceski signalled that they are ready to resume their roles in that 'dream team'. Kennelly still doesn't look completely at ease with his body. Certainly his pace is not quite what it can be. But his coolness, his decision making, and his never-ending movement got the Swans out of plenty of sticky situations. We saw, too, why he's joined the leadership group this season as he was one of those who clearly believed that all was not lost as the second half got underway. Malceski's tale is even more remarkable and I am still pinching myself that he's out there at all. His kicking is not yet perfect but is getting better each week, and for a player who was out for so long, his ability to find space from beginning to end is quite remarkable. I'm not quite sure what the Eagles' strategy was for him. Maybe once Sumich had decided he was unlikely to play, they just discarded his name from the whiteboard. Certainly there was little evidence of an assigned opponent. Or if he had one, it was someone who has clearly forgotten what a dangerous player he can be.
Best of all, both Kennelly and Malceski have plenty of scope to get better as the season progresses. Together with the imminent return of YKW, the ominous form that Goodes is finally finding, and some decent midfield depth still languishing in Canberra, there are plenty of reasons for us to get excited as the second half of the season gets underway.
Goals:
West Coast: Wirrpunda 2 Kerr 2 Staker 2 Hunter Lynch Selwood Seaby Nicoski
Sydney: Kirk 2 J Bolton 2 Bevan 2 Malceski 2 McVeigh 2 Buchanan O'Loughlin .
Best:
West Coast: Kerr Cox Wirrpanda Glass Hunter Lynch
Sydney: Goodes Kirk Malceski J Bolton Richards O'Keefe Kennelly
Injuries:
None
Reports: Goodes (Sydney) reported for rough conduct against Selwood, Q1
Umpires: Donlon, Kennedy, Head
Crowd: 38,802 at Subiaco Oval.