Autopsy Done by the Demons by 50 points

[BloodySwan]

Too many mistakes, we're better than that. Take the lesson and move on, Port next week will also be looking to bounce back

 

[Wolftone]

I think I'll go and watch a murder documentary because I definitely want to commit one after that lol

 

[tombomb]

Even if buddy averages 2 goals a game, does it cost us more.

He's probably my favourite ever swan, but understandably he doesn't win enough contests anymore yet we kick to him at the same rate. When he's not there, the forward line has more space and looks more dynamic

It's stuff like this that makes me wonder whether some actually watch the games.

Franklin, Amartey/McLean, McDonald worked as well as they ever had today. We just wasted opportunities, missed gettable shots, and they took all of theirs.

 

[Dan87]

Why was Heeney playing he couldn't move

 

[Punts]

Why was Heeney playing he couldn't move

Must of been ticked off because we subbed Stephens

 

[Superstar swan]

It's stuff like this that makes me wonder whether some actually watch the games.

Franklin, Amartey/McLean, McDonald worked as well as they ever had today. We just wasted opportunities, missed gettable shots, and they took all of theirs.

Just because something works as well as it has doesn't mean it doesn't work better with a different make up.

 

[Superstar swan]

Must of been ticked off because we subbed Stephens

Same fitness test Reid gets

 

[Dan87]

Anything interesting out of the presser?

 

[Wheresbuddy]

We lost that in the midfield. Just seem to be a step or two behind at every contest. This resulted in fast forward entry for the Dees and just so happen to be the day they bought their kicking boors with them.

I thought Ladhams got absolutely towelled up by Grundy. His day was summed up by when he thought it more useful to gesticulate at the umpire then to chase a Melbourne mid. I really have my doubts about him. Hoping Hickey can see out the season when back which will buy time for Big Mac and Owens to develop.

Pete was not alone though. Our on ballers seemed incredibly fumbly and our disposal by both hand and foot was just so sloppy. The wingers didn't run today. Only Errol had any semblance of a good game. In many ways, reminded me of the 2022 GF effort.

Forward line was actually OK except for the shite goal kicking. Amartey clearly a superior option to Mclean, Buddy had a great 3Q, Logan did some nice things and looks to be building and Paps made the most of limited opportunities.

Defence was a mixed bag. The Mac brothers were good. However, Rampe got burnt off a few times and our smaller defenders wilted under the repeat, quality entries.

Changes for next week:

Sheldrick looking great at VFL level. I think it would be worth bringing him in and playing him on ball. Cunningham to make way - he did very little. Rotate our on ballers through his forward position. Stephens was pretty bad today but would like him to stay given his recent body of work. Roberts to return to VFL to get a full game. Corey Warner as sub. Tempted to drop Ladhams but not confident that Big Mac is ready or that Amartey and Mclean can carry our ruck for a whole game.

 

[tombomb]

Just because something works as well as it has doesn't mean it doesn't work better with a different make up.

There was nothing wrong with how our forward line functioned today. We just spent too many opportunities.

If McDonald and Franklin are missing shots from 30m out directly in front and Melbourne is nailing every shot from the boundary, we are going to lose.

 

[Superstar swan]

There was nothing wrong with how our forward line functioned today. We just spent too many opportunities.

If McDonald and Franklin are missing shots from 30m out directly in front and Melbourne is nailing every shot from the boundary, we are going to lose.

I'm just not convinced. We kick to buddy for too much and he draws a big crowd. It makes it easy for oppo to chop it off.

When buddy isn't there, I think we have much more natural leading patterns. Players move more, lead harder which creates holes behind them.

We are stagnant alot of the time kicking to buddy

 

[Punts]

50 points on the g , big game and supposed to be a top side.

Maybe not as good as we think , spooked but interesting.

Pies would do the same to us

Fu k that was a disappointing display first game back at the g and our real test for the year.

 

[tombomb]

I'm just not convinced. We kick to buddy for too much and he draws a big crowd. It makes it easy for oppo to chop it off.

When buddy isn't there, I think we have much more natural leading patterns. Players move more, lead harder which creates holes behind them.

We are stagnant alot of the time kicking to buddy

Historically it has been an issue, but I didn't think it was a problem at all today. The problem were the skill errors up the ground and then the difference in the two teams taking their opportunities.

 

[wills2g]

When we had Logan and Bud in the same team in R1, Logan was the link up playing running up and down the ground. Didn't see much of it today.

 

[Banyo Bloods]

I'm just not convinced. We kick to buddy for too much and he draws a big crowd. It makes it easy for oppo to chop it off.

When buddy isn't there, I think we have much more natural leading patterns. Players move more, lead harder which creates holes behind them.

We are stagnant alot of the time kicking to buddy

I’m not a subscriber to being too Buddy centric but one was clear today. Cunningham was clear in the 50 for a short kick and a sizzler was kicked to Buddy with May of all people on his hammer and would have been a difficult shot.

It was a really bad option. Got to respect a defender like May nothing against Buddy.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

We improved by 6 goals at least on our last outing at this ground

But that was a genuine flogging doubt it will do our confidence any good.

4th quarter was really bad

 

[Wheresbuddy]

I'm just not convinced. We kick to buddy for too much and he draws a big crowd. It makes it easy for oppo to chop it off.

When buddy isn't there, I think we have much more natural leading patterns. Players move more, lead harder which creates holes behind them.

We are stagnant alot of the time kicking to buddy

Buddy got on his bike in the third and we looked so much better. Prior to that, we just kept bombing it on his head.

Can someone send the memo to Horse that Buddy has always been better on the move then grabbing pack marks? Its only been common knowledge since 2005...........

 

[Punts]

We improved by 6 goals at least on our last outing at this ground

But that was a genuine flogging doubt it will do our confidence any good.

First game back there and our first real test this year.

Failed big time

Maybe not a top 4 team

 

[Mister B]

Disappointing. Players didn’t run hard enough, rarely took the first option and the forwards once again led to the same spot as each other over and over and over again. Let me in the coaches box.

Umpires are campaigners and the AFL can go * themselves.

 

[ashep]

Got punched in the mouth in the first quarter - it happens.

Good comeback and some great periods of play in the second and early third. Showed some real character even if we weren't at our best.

Fourth quarter capitulation was embarassing.

 

[Wheresbuddy]

First game back there and our first real test this year.

Failed big time

Maybe not a top 4 team

We have enough talent to be top 4. The fact we were still in it in the third yet playing so poorly shows this.

But talent must be converted to results and today we didn't even look top 8 for most of the game.

 

[Maddo11]

When we had Logan and Bud in the same team in R1, Logan was the link up playing running up and down the ground. Didn't see much of it today.

Probably a match up thing, trying to keep the forwards forward to keep May and Lever honest

Not that that worked either mind

 

[caesar88]

Two of the thoughts I had pre-game, which I'm pretty sure I aired in the preview thread, were at odds with each other.

One was that Melbourne had already thrown seemingly everything they could throw at us in recent clashes, and we seemed to withstand it, and then beat it, so what more could they throw at us today?

The other was that very few Swans were actually going into this game in good form. Many were well below their best in the first two games, but it didn't cost us as we played awful opposition and our ball movement from defensive 50 alone was enough to score heavily.

Today felt like something of a resolution to the two conflicting thoughts. Melbourne threw something new at us - pressure and ball movement that mirrored our own - and we didn't handle it; we didn't handle it, because too many players weren't in good enough form going into it.

Two players who I'm really disappointed in are Mills & Parker. They are our two captains, they're our two most experienced mids, they're our two former All Australian mids, they're the two mids that spent the most amount of time in the midfield in this game. While Oliver & Petracca had 15 & 16 disposals respectively by half time, Mills and Parker had 8 each. Both also gave away completely unnecessary and silly 50m penalties.

I'm guessing a lot of players are going to get their names dragged through the mud on here over the next week, and I've already seen it start on social media. But the rot often starts at the top. Not calling for their heads, not saying they're anything less than the reputations they've earned for themselves. But they were our Oliver and Petracca, and they just didn't deliver today.

To Melbourne's credit, they were amazing. They adapted to every single thing we tried to do. We won clearances, so they pressured to force our clearances into turnovers. We started getting our defensive 50 transition game going, so they set up to shut it down. By the time we tried to run and carry by hand, as I think Jimmy Bartel(?) suggested we needed to do more of, rather than trying to kick through Melbourne's set-up (something I have bemoaned many times as a fool's errand), our skills and confidence was already shot, so our handball chains would even come unstuck.

Very disappointing.

 

[Donza]

They lost contested poss by 30 odd.

You're never going to beat Melbourne, or most sides with those numbers.

Let's just fix that up and then I reckon the rest will fall into play.

 

[sthmelb_dimmies]

I’m not a subscriber to being too Buddy centric but one was clear today. Cunningham was clear in the 50 for a short kick and a sizzler was kicked to Buddy with May of all people on his hammer and would have been a difficult shot.

It was a really bad option. Got to respect a defender like May nothing against Buddy.

Yep that was Heeney. Ignored Archie wide open, about 35m dead in front, to go to Bud deep in the pocket with May on his hammer