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By Liz Read
29th June 2003
When you play the league leaders - and arguably flag favourites - at their
home ground, dominate play in the opening quarter, and create numerous
straightforward scoring shots, you really have to do better than kick 1.6.
Good as the Swannies were in the opening quarter, they probably threw away
any chance they had to win with their out-of-character conversion.
Roos started the game employing similar tactics to those that nearly pulled
off a shock win against the Power a year ago, by flooding the midfield.
His players were doing their bit as well, getting to contests more quickly
than their opponents and using the weight of numbers effectively. Sydney
had created half a dozen scoring shots before the Power even got a sniff of
the ball inside their forward 50. Unfortunately, the likes of Crouch,
O'Loughlin and Fosdike (x three) were unable to capitalise. It was a huge
relief when Bazza finally slotted through the Swans first goal but one
sensed that Port were going to make them pay for their wastefulness. Sure
enough Dew scored Port's first point shortly afterwards and it was quickly
followed by a goal from Cornes jnr. Sydney took a lead of just four points
into the first change.
Sydney were still in the contest early in the second quarter, although not
with the same degree of domination, and again they wasted chances. This
time it was Nick Davis missing goals he would normally kick blindfolded and
with his hands tied behind his back. Wanganeen - who had not touched the
ball in the opening term - worked his way into the game and gradually Port
started to get their game going. They scored three for the quarter, and
only a piece of brilliance from the Schneiderman kept Sydney's score
ticking along.
The third quarter was all Port. Sydney kept trying but were simply
outclassed by a Port side bristling with confidence and with tough bodies
to match their skills. They dominated both the clearances and the free
kick count - and at least one of those was testament to their greater skill
at the contests. Goodes and Mathews each kicked a goal for the visitors
from close range but Port added five of their own and it probably should
have been more, given the nine behinds they also slotted through.
Sydney showed a bit of spirit in the final term and managed to double their
goal count for the afternoon. The best of the lot was another Schneider
effort but it was all in vain and most of the lads looked as if they knew
it. At least the umpires gave us something to scream at, with Lade paid a
mark after he had clearly gotten to the ball second, and Wanganeen awarded
the most ridiculous free I've seen all season against a justifiably bemused
Barry.
So then, a decent effort by Sydney but ultimately they were not good enough
to knock off the in-form team of the competition. Conditions didn't help,
with the very soft ground hindering the back line's efforts to rebound the
ball in their normally self-assured fashion. But too many players were
just slightly down on their games and, as we've been told time and time
again, Sydney can't win that way. We did get to see a vintage Cressa
performance - he knocked up getting possessions, wasted a few of them but
never stopped working for four quarters. Jude Bolton was also solid and
found enough of the ball, as did Williams. Kirk did a reasonable job on
Stevens but didn't provide much himself in the opposite direction.
Schneider continued to demonstrate why we are all so excited about him by
kicking the best two goals of the afternoon, at least from the Sydney side.
In many ways the result matters less than what the club learnt from the
game. We need some bigger bodies in the clinches if we are to match it
with the likes of Port and Brisbane in the forthcoming years and the lack
of height down back was exposed once Cornes, Tredrea and Lade were given
quality delivery from their midfield. Next week's game looms as a huge
test of self-belief that they belong in the lofty ladder position they
still occupy.
29th June 2003
When you play the league leaders - and arguably flag favourites - at their
home ground, dominate play in the opening quarter, and create numerous
straightforward scoring shots, you really have to do better than kick 1.6.
Good as the Swannies were in the opening quarter, they probably threw away
any chance they had to win with their out-of-character conversion.
Roos started the game employing similar tactics to those that nearly pulled
off a shock win against the Power a year ago, by flooding the midfield.
His players were doing their bit as well, getting to contests more quickly
than their opponents and using the weight of numbers effectively. Sydney
had created half a dozen scoring shots before the Power even got a sniff of
the ball inside their forward 50. Unfortunately, the likes of Crouch,
O'Loughlin and Fosdike (x three) were unable to capitalise. It was a huge
relief when Bazza finally slotted through the Swans first goal but one
sensed that Port were going to make them pay for their wastefulness. Sure
enough Dew scored Port's first point shortly afterwards and it was quickly
followed by a goal from Cornes jnr. Sydney took a lead of just four points
into the first change.
Sydney were still in the contest early in the second quarter, although not
with the same degree of domination, and again they wasted chances. This
time it was Nick Davis missing goals he would normally kick blindfolded and
with his hands tied behind his back. Wanganeen - who had not touched the
ball in the opening term - worked his way into the game and gradually Port
started to get their game going. They scored three for the quarter, and
only a piece of brilliance from the Schneiderman kept Sydney's score
ticking along.
The third quarter was all Port. Sydney kept trying but were simply
outclassed by a Port side bristling with confidence and with tough bodies
to match their skills. They dominated both the clearances and the free
kick count - and at least one of those was testament to their greater skill
at the contests. Goodes and Mathews each kicked a goal for the visitors
from close range but Port added five of their own and it probably should
have been more, given the nine behinds they also slotted through.
Sydney showed a bit of spirit in the final term and managed to double their
goal count for the afternoon. The best of the lot was another Schneider
effort but it was all in vain and most of the lads looked as if they knew
it. At least the umpires gave us something to scream at, with Lade paid a
mark after he had clearly gotten to the ball second, and Wanganeen awarded
the most ridiculous free I've seen all season against a justifiably bemused
Barry.
So then, a decent effort by Sydney but ultimately they were not good enough
to knock off the in-form team of the competition. Conditions didn't help,
with the very soft ground hindering the back line's efforts to rebound the
ball in their normally self-assured fashion. But too many players were
just slightly down on their games and, as we've been told time and time
again, Sydney can't win that way. We did get to see a vintage Cressa
performance - he knocked up getting possessions, wasted a few of them but
never stopped working for four quarters. Jude Bolton was also solid and
found enough of the ball, as did Williams. Kirk did a reasonable job on
Stevens but didn't provide much himself in the opposite direction.
Schneider continued to demonstrate why we are all so excited about him by
kicking the best two goals of the afternoon, at least from the Sydney side.
In many ways the result matters less than what the club learnt from the
game. We need some bigger bodies in the clinches if we are to match it
with the likes of Port and Brisbane in the forthcoming years and the lack
of height down back was exposed once Cornes, Tredrea and Lade were given
quality delivery from their midfield. Next week's game looms as a huge
test of self-belief that they belong in the lofty ladder position they
still occupy.