Autopsy Analysis vs. Sydney

[Ripper]

How important was Zu's spoil?

Won the game.

 

[DudleyDocker]

Before the season I thought 2 and 2 was a reasonable start, 3 and 1 would be good. Hardly dared hope for four and zip.

Would rather we spend everything we have in the first half and hang on for a win - anyone remember the bad old days when we would come with a late rush only to fall agonizingly short?

I don't think many teams play 4 quarters of dominant footy against quality opposition. But good teams find a way to win.

Well done boys, love youse all!

 

[tek87]

last week we were poor in the 4th, stastically good in the 3rd with poor finishing. this week was a little in reverse. need the other talls like Taberner to stand up abit more, but thats football. we missed Ballantyne. home ground got us over the line, although we have not played sydney at home (regular season) for 5 years so we were owed somthing

 

[Shadow Man]

How important was Zu's spoil?

Love the Gu.

 

[dthom]

Won the game.

For me it was one of three game-winning moments. The other two were Fyfe's mark on the wing and obviously Ibbotson's intercept spoil.

 

[tek87]

good spoil but i would expect a relatively fresh substitute to make that play. Mzungu is quality though and discliplined

 

[Righteo]

For me it was one of three game-winning moments. The other two were Fyfe's mark on the wing and obviously Ibbotson's intercept spoil.

No love for Pav's clutch goal?

Ibbo was freaking amazing all game though, all our defenders were magnificent all game long.

 

[PapaJ]

If you can't see DeBoer and to a lesser extent, Subans worth after that game, I don't even know what to say.

Yeah, they were hard as nails and they were needed because, especially in the 3rd term, we were very soft in the middle. Too loose without the ball and slow and messy when we had it.

I fully expected Sydney to come back not just because they're a great team, the leagues best at the moment IMHO, but there was a sloppy last few minutes of the 1st 1/2 and I thought, hello, we're switching off here - just a touch, but that's all it takes. I'm sure we braced ourselves for Sydney's counter punch, but not being able to do much about it for a whole quarter was a bit of a worry.

Having said that, the guys really got back to work in the last 1/4 and, even though Sydney kicked on for a while there, you could see the hardness return and it became the game that I thought it would be. That last 1/4 is probably a fairer indication of where both teams are at ... i.e. not much in it.

Also, Longmire is a bloody smart coach. He saw how we were defending Tippett and Buddy by rolling our mids into key positions and started using that to his advantage, pulling Buddy right into the play and using his mids to break out in short controlling attacking footy.

Anyway, you do what you need to do and that was the leagues best and we took their best shot and, ultimately, stood up to it. I thought the last 10minutes was our best footy for the night, that's when something was needed and to get it done in those circumstances should not be underestimated.

 

[dthom]

No love for Pav's clutch goal?

Ibbo was freaking amazing all game though, all our defenders were magnificent all game long.

That's true. Pav's just done it so many times before that I guess I just expect him to do those things. He was brilliant again tonight.

 

[Rion]

Well Boy oh boy wowee. Don't know if I can take a seasons worth of games like this and Port but I'm sure as hell gonna enjoy them all while I'm still here. First half was incredible, second half was equally as worrying but in the end we came out with a win against a great side.

Thought Barlow and Neale both had quiet games which especially in Barlow's case might be a bit of a worry. Also for the first time in ages I really saw the impact of Deboer and Suban even if I still do remain a tad unconvinced. But overall extremely happy with the win and hopefully we can enjoy some the 'easier' fixtures coming up.

 

[chinggis77]

Fyfe being so good meant that he had Mcveigh on his arse the whole night which meant Hill didn´t get Mcveigh. Hence Hill also ended up with 20 poss as opposed to his usual 8 vs Mcveigh.

Fyfe still ended up BOG also!

 

[malpaso]

If you can't see DeBoer and to a lesser extent, Subans worth after that game, I don't even know what to say.

Yep have to agree. Both of them were good tonight, Suban lifted his game on a night where Neale and Barlow were down.

 

[DudleyDocker]

Yep have to agree. Both of them were good tonight, Suban lifted his game on a night where Neale and Barlow were down.

Thought he was genuinely tough tonight, as opposed to some games where he is faux tough. Good game from him particularly and DeBoer as well.

 

[Moo]

good spoil but i would expect a relatively fresh substitute to make that play. Mzungu is quality though and discliplined

There's expecting and then there's delivering.

Zu's an Obsterician as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Grandstan]

Luke McPharlap deserves a mention. Many thought he was done last year. Many thought he would/retire at the end of last year. He's come back and been outstanding, no doubt one of the best full backs in the AFL. As Ross would say, he's writing his own story, and two goals to Franklin on a night like tonight was an outstanding effort.

 

[tacopavlich]

I'm not too worried about the 3rd quarter, the Swans were playing blistering footy, they were very impressive. If any team can do that to us for four quarters, then they deserve the win. But great to see us guts a win considering the amount of momentum Sydney had.

 

[Swan4Life]

Great first half.

Longmire is a great coach though so made the right changes at half time and we were spanked in the second half in clearances, contested ball, I50, uncontested ball. Everything.

Sydney shut down a lot of our outside run for most of the night - Pearce, Hill, Barlow (link up player) couldn´t get near it.

Neale shut down. I think that was a big reason for us losing the clearances. He is the one at the bottom getting the ball out to Mundy and Co. Hence Mundy also had a quiet game.

At the end it was our efficiency going forward that won us that game (...but but Freo have no KPF!!).

Less possessions, less I50, fewer clearances, fewer uncontested possessions, fewer shots on goal, fewer marks I50.

Yet we won.

I think we were quite lucky to be honest. If we take anything away from this game - we should take this: we have a bloody lot to work on.

Sydney figured our structures out in the second half. One of the great things about the Swans team is that they have several players who have Crowley´s shut down ability but also win the ball.

No luck about it IMO, your first half was first class and we were stuck in third gear. Fyfe and Hannebery were miles ahead of the rest tonight.

The game proved nothing beyond what i already knew - there is a split fart between the two sides and at least one will be playing this years GF.

Good luck for the rest of the season.

 

[DudleyDocker]

Luke McPharlap deserved a mention. Many thought he was done last year. Many thought he would/retire at the end of last year. He's come back and been outstanding, no doubt one of the best full backs in the AFL. As Ross would say, he's writing his own story, and two goals to Franklin on a night like tonight was an outstanding effort.

If he had retired at the end of last year I reckon we might be 2 and 2 now - absolute legend of the game.

 

[cp3_jr]

To use a lyonism: It's never as good as it seems and never as bad as it seems. Obviously we played well in the first half but did get the rub of the green and our pressure was awesome. We clearly dropped off a bit in the third but a couple of their goals were from flukey kicks finding a chest. I think the pressure and work rate was still OK but they dominated the clearances and were smarter going forward.

Was fantastic to see the last quarter response though and to halve the clearances and have 14 inside 50's to 8 - it was a great effort. Impossible to control the game against great teams for all four quarters so it was a good win all things considered.

Plenty of upside too as I felt Taberner struggled (will improve with more experience and strength imo), Barlow and Neale were well held and Sandi/Johnson/Walters/Danyle were down a bit as well.

Have confidence they will all bounce back though and Mzungu was a fantastic inclusion and some of the other lesser lights played well so overall a great start to 2015!

 

[Spirit Level]

Amidst the wrist cutting, we are 4-0 and have a whole season in front of us to work out the kinks and stop the fadeouts.

We'll be ok

 

[DudleyDocker]

Thought Zac Clarke was good again tonight, did a few of those nice high jumping catch things.

Needs to stay in the game for longer periods but has stepped up from last year I reckon.

 

[Gekko71]

I'm pleased that we stopped Sydney's momentum, and pissed that we let them work up such a head of steam.

Having Barlow and lachie being well held worries me - we should have had the GU in the game earlier. Clancee stepped up in the gu's absense thankfully and was the leading possession getter just before half time. He went more quiet in the third and forth quarters... That's the kind of thing we can't afford.

Still... 4 and 0 after four rounds is a good start in anyone's language. Now we start resting guys and rotating in some younger p!ayers p!ease.

 

[Righteo]

Thought he was genuinely tough tonight, as opposed to some games where he is faux tough. Good game from him particularly and DeBoer as well.

Yep, Suban and MDB were good tonight and they needed to be. Fyfe was the only one of the fab four (or is it fab 5) to have a great game, stark contrast to last week. Overall I'd say Sydney won the midfield battle but our defence and freakish efficiency in the first half were the main factors behind the win.

 

[PapaJ]

Thought Zac Clarke was good again tonight, did a few of those nice high jumping catch things.

Needs to stay in the game for longer periods but has stepped up from last year I reckon.

Yeah, Zac was OK.

It looked like he started playing more in the middle in the last quarter and though I don't think he picked up a heap of stats, he was a presence and did well enough. I'll have to take another look at the reply, but that was my feeling. He did quite well.

 

[jusjoshin]

Is it just me or is Barlow a bit off at the moment? Only got 11 possessions and was quiet last week too from memory.

Sorry, my bad. I got him into my dreamteam, which is the kiss of death for players - grabbed Lachie Neale this week too :-( . I'll do the team thing and trade them out this week