Tweet
The Game in Summary
The Swans reserves cruised to an easy 58 point win against Ainslie on a cold and windswept SCG on Saturday afternoon. The standard of play and the comfort of the Noble Stand viewers was not enhanced by the freezing wind blowing in the occasional scudding shower of rain
For the first game I have witnessed, the listed player roster was overflowing. Eighteen players meant that there were plenty of rotations and (unfortunately for some) minimal game time for a lot of players. . I was looking forward to seeing Brett Meredith run out, as he was listed as just about recovered from his shoulder injury. Unfortunately, no show ? maybe he will take the trip down to Siberia on Sunday to play with Tuggeranong.
Kicking into the strong wind, in the first quarter the Swans midfielders were immediately on top and took a two goal lead into the first break. With the wind at their backs into the second, the Swans produced a six goal to one second quarter. From then on the game was over as a contest and the game dropped in both standard and intensity of play. The third quarter in particular was pretty forgettable, but the Swans stirred themselves to kick another four goals in the last to round off the match.
Quarter by Quarter:
Ainslie created the first scoring opportunity of the match when they caught the Swans napping with a fast break, but the shot on the run went wide. Ainslie were sending plenty back, but in a typical side to side manoeuvre Braba, Currie, Schmidt and Grundy combined to set up Cheese for a shot on goal. With the cold wind howling through the last gap in the new stand Cheese fluffed the kick out of bounds. Clicking into gear, Currie won a clear tap to Braba, he delivered to Fossie; he and the Cheese set up Grundy to register the Swans first major. After Cheese missed another shot, a hurried pack clearance from Fossie was well marked by Currie on the 50. Rather than take the difficult shot he handed off to Timmy Schmidt who did the business. On the few occasions the ball came down Ainslie?s end, good pressure and tackling from Swan defenders was denying them opportunity; that was until Ainslie received a charity free for a gift goal. Soon after Bruce and O?Dwyer combined to set Smith up for a running shot, but the wind again had its way. But next forward move Smith had another opportunity, courtesy of Skull and Mathews and made no mistake. Not so good for the Skull soon after, he was caught on the wrong side of a marking contest, misjudged the ball in the wind to boot and was comprehensively outmarked to concede an Ainslie goal. After being invisible for most of the first quarter (on the bench?) Nick Davis suddenly appeared near the end of the quarter on the end of good work by Braba and Schmidt. Showing them how it should be done he drilled his long shot into the wind.
Quarter Time: Sydney 4-4-28 to Ainslie 2-3-15
The second quarter opened with Currie feeding Mathews, he released Braba who stuffed the running shot. Mocca burst out of defence, passed to Mathews who kicked to Davis? advantage. Unfortunately, the wind blew the ball just out of Nick?s reach. But from a throw in Currie expertly directed his tap over the back to Nick skiting the pack and he snapped a lovely goal. Currie, then showed another string to his bow, after contesting the ball up he sprinted down to the forward pocket to win the ball and set up Braba for an unsuccessful snap. Next forward move Nick was caught out trying to break one tackle two many, he was dispossessed and Ainslie raced the ball downfield on the fast break to get one back. But he was soon back on song to kick a lovely goal from 50 out on a 45 degree angle. Braba then missed an easy snap, but the Ainslie fullback totally stuffed his kick-in; Terlich took the intercept mark for the goal. ?SOD? (son of Dunkley) Brennan then drove the ball forward, Butcher dropped the mark but Bruce swooped on the crumb and goaled. Next ball up Nick Smith got a free, he (unfairly IMO) was the beneficiary of a 50 metre penalty for another goal. Great work from one of the Ainslie forwards then went unrewarded ? he took a good contested mark one on two against Mocca and Skull but failed to convert. The end of the quarter had me rubbing my eyes in disbelief ? the ?lazy no chase? Nick Davis ran down an Ainslie defender, tackled perfectly and kicked the goal from the resultant free. Well done Nick!
Half Time: Sydney 10-6-66 to Ainslie 3-5-23
Only two goals were scored in a forgettable third quarter. Ainslie got theirs when the ?Van was caught ball watching and Ainslie converted from the mark. The Swans then scored a string of points, the wind coming through the gap in the new stand was still affecting kicks to the Randwick end. Ainslie had the ball forward a good deal more in this quarter but good defensive work from Columbo and SOD kept them at bay. Several aggressive spoils from Faulks in this period led to breakouts out of defence for the Swans that were not converted. Reg sprayed several shots in this period. The Swan?s only third quarter goal came when Reg fed Terlich.
Three Quarter Time: Sydney 11-13-79 to Ainslie 4-6-30
Schmidt feeds young T/U Zac Manly. Very impressively, young Zac nailed his long set shot. Next forward move was rather amusing. After twice trying to do the right thing setting up teammates, only to have the ball go back in dispute Nick said bugger this, won the ball back and nailed the snap under pressure. Ainslie then replied via a free kick. T/U 52 then sent a good kick forward to the Butcher?s advantage. He marked nicely, but lived up to his name by slaughtering the set shot. Some redemption soon after, Butchers centering ball results in Reg getting smashed in the goalsquare ? easy goal from the free. The Swan?s final score came when the ?Van received a free from a boundary throw in. To the squealing delight of the big footy ?roomies? he converted his chance. Ainslie had one last chance, but their day was typified when they hit the post from point blank range after a good mark in the square.
Final Sydney 15-13-103 to Ainslie 6-9-45
Player Assessments:
Currie: Dominated the ruck contests, more importantly created a string of opportunities with accurate taps to advantage. Also showed the ability to get involved as link through the middle and to make his opponent accountable by running hard to free himself up. I am really excited by his progress this year.
Brabazon: One of the best games from Braba I have seen, spoilt only by poor accuracy in front of goal. Normally Braba does not get into the game until late, but this week he did his best work in the first half when the game was up for grabs. Just about BOG at half time, unfortunately not so dominant in the second half.
Fosdike: Ran himself into the ground, influential for the whole match. Now pushing very hard for a return to the firsts.
Davis: Five goals in tricky conditions, as usual a class above his opposition. Ran hard and chased some of the time, needs to make that all of the time.
Grundy: Alternated a lot with Davis up forward, got a fair bit of ball early but wasted it. Not so impressive.
O.Dwyer: Very good. Disposal much improved; delivered a couple of accurate 40 metre ?daisy cutters?. Speed, elusiveness and marking ability again to the fore.
Mathews: Ben is doing an excellent job as captain of the twos. He really does benefit from the extra time and space in this comp. Sets the example re work ethic to the kids. Hats off Ben ? clubman of the year for mine.
Smith: Solid game, good composure.
Schmidt: Solid game without dominating.
Barlow: Only played the first half. Got plenty of the ball but uncharacteristic poor decision making and disposal marred his game. Still appears to be too casual.
Murphy: Not so good today the Skull, struggled to time his marks in the windy conditions. Also needs to understand his limitations ? a couple of times he called for the ball, received it and charged downfield ? only to find that he had put himself in a position where he needed to kick with his left. Unfortunately at present his left foot disposal is shocking.
White: Solid at CHB. Several good charges out of defence. I wish the club would settle him in one position.
Note: Now that Skull has grown his hair back, he and Mocca are almost impossible to distinguish between when running towards you. Both have similar height, and build, wear white boots and cycle pants
Brennan: I thought his disposal was not so bad. Not as much work to do this week, but did it well.
Orreal: Still as green as grass. Keep working Jake!
Faulks: Looked like Snapper Seymout in his long sleeved gurnsey. Similar to Brennan, not much to do but did his work well. Progressing nicely.
Beckmans, Bruce and Terlich: Limited opportunities for these guys because of the extended squad this week.
SYDNEY: 4-4, 10-6, 11-13, 15-13-103
Def
AINSLIE: 2-3, 3-5, 4-6, 6-9-45
SYDNEY SWANS
Goal Kickers: N. DAVIS 5, D. Terlich 2, H. GRUNDY 2, N. SMITH 2, A. BRUCE, J. Orreal, Z. Manly, T. SCHMIDT
Best Players: D Currie, N. Fosdike, B. Mathews, R. Brabazon, M. O'Dwyer, N Davis
AINSLIE FOOTBALL CLUB
Goal Kickers: B. HUGHES, W. NEELY, A. BOURKE, J. WILSON, J. HOLMES, R. TUOHEY
Best Players: B. MONTAGUE, W. NEELY, A. BOURKE, M. CROOK, J. WILSON, E. Stone
The Swans reserves cruised to an easy 58 point win against Ainslie on a cold and windswept SCG on Saturday afternoon. The standard of play and the comfort of the Noble Stand viewers was not enhanced by the freezing wind blowing in the occasional scudding shower of rain
For the first game I have witnessed, the listed player roster was overflowing. Eighteen players meant that there were plenty of rotations and (unfortunately for some) minimal game time for a lot of players. . I was looking forward to seeing Brett Meredith run out, as he was listed as just about recovered from his shoulder injury. Unfortunately, no show ? maybe he will take the trip down to Siberia on Sunday to play with Tuggeranong.
Kicking into the strong wind, in the first quarter the Swans midfielders were immediately on top and took a two goal lead into the first break. With the wind at their backs into the second, the Swans produced a six goal to one second quarter. From then on the game was over as a contest and the game dropped in both standard and intensity of play. The third quarter in particular was pretty forgettable, but the Swans stirred themselves to kick another four goals in the last to round off the match.
Quarter by Quarter:
Ainslie created the first scoring opportunity of the match when they caught the Swans napping with a fast break, but the shot on the run went wide. Ainslie were sending plenty back, but in a typical side to side manoeuvre Braba, Currie, Schmidt and Grundy combined to set up Cheese for a shot on goal. With the cold wind howling through the last gap in the new stand Cheese fluffed the kick out of bounds. Clicking into gear, Currie won a clear tap to Braba, he delivered to Fossie; he and the Cheese set up Grundy to register the Swans first major. After Cheese missed another shot, a hurried pack clearance from Fossie was well marked by Currie on the 50. Rather than take the difficult shot he handed off to Timmy Schmidt who did the business. On the few occasions the ball came down Ainslie?s end, good pressure and tackling from Swan defenders was denying them opportunity; that was until Ainslie received a charity free for a gift goal. Soon after Bruce and O?Dwyer combined to set Smith up for a running shot, but the wind again had its way. But next forward move Smith had another opportunity, courtesy of Skull and Mathews and made no mistake. Not so good for the Skull soon after, he was caught on the wrong side of a marking contest, misjudged the ball in the wind to boot and was comprehensively outmarked to concede an Ainslie goal. After being invisible for most of the first quarter (on the bench?) Nick Davis suddenly appeared near the end of the quarter on the end of good work by Braba and Schmidt. Showing them how it should be done he drilled his long shot into the wind.
Quarter Time: Sydney 4-4-28 to Ainslie 2-3-15
The second quarter opened with Currie feeding Mathews, he released Braba who stuffed the running shot. Mocca burst out of defence, passed to Mathews who kicked to Davis? advantage. Unfortunately, the wind blew the ball just out of Nick?s reach. But from a throw in Currie expertly directed his tap over the back to Nick skiting the pack and he snapped a lovely goal. Currie, then showed another string to his bow, after contesting the ball up he sprinted down to the forward pocket to win the ball and set up Braba for an unsuccessful snap. Next forward move Nick was caught out trying to break one tackle two many, he was dispossessed and Ainslie raced the ball downfield on the fast break to get one back. But he was soon back on song to kick a lovely goal from 50 out on a 45 degree angle. Braba then missed an easy snap, but the Ainslie fullback totally stuffed his kick-in; Terlich took the intercept mark for the goal. ?SOD? (son of Dunkley) Brennan then drove the ball forward, Butcher dropped the mark but Bruce swooped on the crumb and goaled. Next ball up Nick Smith got a free, he (unfairly IMO) was the beneficiary of a 50 metre penalty for another goal. Great work from one of the Ainslie forwards then went unrewarded ? he took a good contested mark one on two against Mocca and Skull but failed to convert. The end of the quarter had me rubbing my eyes in disbelief ? the ?lazy no chase? Nick Davis ran down an Ainslie defender, tackled perfectly and kicked the goal from the resultant free. Well done Nick!
Half Time: Sydney 10-6-66 to Ainslie 3-5-23
Only two goals were scored in a forgettable third quarter. Ainslie got theirs when the ?Van was caught ball watching and Ainslie converted from the mark. The Swans then scored a string of points, the wind coming through the gap in the new stand was still affecting kicks to the Randwick end. Ainslie had the ball forward a good deal more in this quarter but good defensive work from Columbo and SOD kept them at bay. Several aggressive spoils from Faulks in this period led to breakouts out of defence for the Swans that were not converted. Reg sprayed several shots in this period. The Swan?s only third quarter goal came when Reg fed Terlich.
Three Quarter Time: Sydney 11-13-79 to Ainslie 4-6-30
Schmidt feeds young T/U Zac Manly. Very impressively, young Zac nailed his long set shot. Next forward move was rather amusing. After twice trying to do the right thing setting up teammates, only to have the ball go back in dispute Nick said bugger this, won the ball back and nailed the snap under pressure. Ainslie then replied via a free kick. T/U 52 then sent a good kick forward to the Butcher?s advantage. He marked nicely, but lived up to his name by slaughtering the set shot. Some redemption soon after, Butchers centering ball results in Reg getting smashed in the goalsquare ? easy goal from the free. The Swan?s final score came when the ?Van received a free from a boundary throw in. To the squealing delight of the big footy ?roomies? he converted his chance. Ainslie had one last chance, but their day was typified when they hit the post from point blank range after a good mark in the square.
Final Sydney 15-13-103 to Ainslie 6-9-45
Player Assessments:
Currie: Dominated the ruck contests, more importantly created a string of opportunities with accurate taps to advantage. Also showed the ability to get involved as link through the middle and to make his opponent accountable by running hard to free himself up. I am really excited by his progress this year.
Brabazon: One of the best games from Braba I have seen, spoilt only by poor accuracy in front of goal. Normally Braba does not get into the game until late, but this week he did his best work in the first half when the game was up for grabs. Just about BOG at half time, unfortunately not so dominant in the second half.
Fosdike: Ran himself into the ground, influential for the whole match. Now pushing very hard for a return to the firsts.
Davis: Five goals in tricky conditions, as usual a class above his opposition. Ran hard and chased some of the time, needs to make that all of the time.
Grundy: Alternated a lot with Davis up forward, got a fair bit of ball early but wasted it. Not so impressive.
O.Dwyer: Very good. Disposal much improved; delivered a couple of accurate 40 metre ?daisy cutters?. Speed, elusiveness and marking ability again to the fore.
Mathews: Ben is doing an excellent job as captain of the twos. He really does benefit from the extra time and space in this comp. Sets the example re work ethic to the kids. Hats off Ben ? clubman of the year for mine.
Smith: Solid game, good composure.
Schmidt: Solid game without dominating.
Barlow: Only played the first half. Got plenty of the ball but uncharacteristic poor decision making and disposal marred his game. Still appears to be too casual.
Murphy: Not so good today the Skull, struggled to time his marks in the windy conditions. Also needs to understand his limitations ? a couple of times he called for the ball, received it and charged downfield ? only to find that he had put himself in a position where he needed to kick with his left. Unfortunately at present his left foot disposal is shocking.
White: Solid at CHB. Several good charges out of defence. I wish the club would settle him in one position.
Note: Now that Skull has grown his hair back, he and Mocca are almost impossible to distinguish between when running towards you. Both have similar height, and build, wear white boots and cycle pants
Brennan: I thought his disposal was not so bad. Not as much work to do this week, but did it well.
Orreal: Still as green as grass. Keep working Jake!
Faulks: Looked like Snapper Seymout in his long sleeved gurnsey. Similar to Brennan, not much to do but did his work well. Progressing nicely.
Beckmans, Bruce and Terlich: Limited opportunities for these guys because of the extended squad this week.
SYDNEY: 4-4, 10-6, 11-13, 15-13-103
Def
AINSLIE: 2-3, 3-5, 4-6, 6-9-45
SYDNEY SWANS
Goal Kickers: N. DAVIS 5, D. Terlich 2, H. GRUNDY 2, N. SMITH 2, A. BRUCE, J. Orreal, Z. Manly, T. SCHMIDT
Best Players: D Currie, N. Fosdike, B. Mathews, R. Brabazon, M. O'Dwyer, N Davis
AINSLIE FOOTBALL CLUB
Goal Kickers: B. HUGHES, W. NEELY, A. BOURKE, J. WILSON, J. HOLMES, R. TUOHEY
Best Players: B. MONTAGUE, W. NEELY, A. BOURKE, M. CROOK, J. WILSON, E. Stone
Comment