Opinion How The Swans Failed Chemistry

[azza77]

Was going to post this in the Non-Crows discussion thread but thought it may generate enough discussion to warrant it's own thread.

But for those of you interested, this is a great read and really raises some interesting points about the likes of club culture/team chemistry/list management etc


http://footyrhino.com.au/wordpress/2014/04/breaking-bad-how-the-swans-failed-chemistry/

 

[The Sloane Ranger]

For such a long time the Swans were viewed as the benchmark however from the outside it does seem that in recent years the Swans have gone against their core values and created some exceptions to the rule and what impact this will have is yet to been seen

 

[Glenno23]

Certainly have started the season like a bunch of unskilled plebs.

(except against us )

Hoping it bites them something fierce as the years go on

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

2 players earning 20% + of their caps was always going to kill the bloods culture.

Changed focus from the team to the individual.

 

[shotgun_blues]

Never was sold on that 'Bloods culture' bullshit anyway.

It was just some fantasy terminology coined to divert attention from the COLA allowance advantage before everyone else eventually woke up that their supposed famous culture which isn't better than any other club and never has been in fact was not the reason they were making the finals year in, year out, but simply AFL HQ salary advantages, dream draws, draft allowances (Keiran Jack was off limits to other clubs and Sydney were gifted him in the rookie draft as an example), easily poaching other clubs stars or breakout contenders (Lockett, Hall, Tippett, Franklin, Mumford, Kennedy and the list goes on going back 20 years) and finals scheduling preferences. Jack also gets an AFL Ambassador allowance of which half is outside the salary cap. Over and above COLA.

Please.. there was never any magic chemistry formula Sydney had found at all.

 

[Slippery Pete]

The Bloods stuff is a bit of a wank, just like the Shinboner spirit is.

But, you go with whatever works. It's a means to an end.

The efficacy of the "bloods culture" mantra is evident in a couple of premierships this decade.

 

[AFC979810]

Two points:

1. To quote Lou Holtz "You are never as good everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose".

Bad start to the season. But think we need more than a month to decide whether their culture is shot.

2. They are missing Kurt Tippett, Adam Goodes and Ben Reid. Thats an awful lot of tall timber to be missing. Will straighten em up a lot.

Too early to put a line through the Swans yet.

 

[headache1]

Never was sold on that 'Bloods culture' bullshit anyway.

It was just some fantasy terminology coined to divert attention from the COLA allowance advantage before everyone else eventually woke up that their supposed famous culture which isn't better than any other club and never has been in fact was not the reason they were making the finals year in, year out, but simply AFL HQ salary advantages, dream draws, draft allowances (Keiran Jack was off limits to other clubs and Sydney were gifted him in the rookie draft as an example), easily poaching other clubs stars or breakout contenders (Lockett, Hall, Tippett, Franklin, Mumford, Kennedy and the list goes on going back 20 years) and finals scheduling preferences. Jack also gets an AFL Ambassador allowance of which half is outside the salary cap. Over and above COLA.

Please.. there was never any magic chemistry formula Sydney had found at all.

Me, whenever I hear the term "Bloods Culture", particularly if it's mentioned by Brett ****ing Kirk.

 

[adelaidecrows]

They got greedy and alienated their list as a result. Remember they only won the premiership a couple of years ago. Instead of rewarding the players who played in it with better contracts they bring in Tippett for a $1m a year deal and then a year later they bring in Buddy at $1.1m a year. Where is the incentive for the premiership players to keep performing. The club has basically effed them over. I will be surprised if they generate any form of success.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

They're a broken team now. Culture down the toilet. No wonder we smashed them.

 

[Slippery Pete]

They're a broken team now. Culture down the toilet. No wonder we smashed them.

They'd be spitting chips we won the 2012 flag after the year they had.

 

[adelaidecrows]

They're a broken team now. Culture down the toilet. No wonder we smashed them.

I don't think that's what we are trying to say.

 

[fabs33]

They're a broken team now. Culture down the toilet. No wonder we smashed them.

Us being shit and them ruining their supposed mythical culture aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Time will tell with the Swans.

My take on it is that the four clubs in the rugby league/union market face different challenges to all other clubs. Over time the players there grow to understand and appreciate the bigger battle their clubs and AFL football face - the battle to be relevant. For instance, any kid drafted from Victoria in the TAC Cup would head from his home town having known nothing but football. Wall to wall on television, radio, newspaper 11-12 months of the year apart from perhaps Boxing Day. Arrive in Sydney and find a paragraph on the Swans 12 pages deep just before the tide times and pollen count.

I remember hearing Leigh Matthews speak about this when he was coach of Brisbane. He said that the football fraternity just didn't understand how small AFL football was in NSW/Qld. He said it was a battle not just to keep their club relevant but also to keep AFL football relevant. When Brisbane started going well they had their Queensland zone selections scaled back or removed altogether (can't remember which). It basically cost them Nick Riewoldt. Leigh spoke about what a big deal it would have been to have had a star local product come through. He was actually brought close to tears on Talking Footy. The rest of the clubs only saw Brisbane potentially getting a gun player. He was more than a player to them though.

Participation numbers are through the roof supposedly but they're utter bullshit. They run PE lessons dressed up as football programs or one day lightning carnivals where the kids get a day off school and count all of these as footballers. Much of the 'growth' is from when kids are at an age when they try everything... swimming lessons, piano, tennis, gymnastics etc.

We look at them spending ridiculous money on players like Folau and Hunt and laugh. Same with Tippett and Franklin - who'd be so silly? They aren't worth that coin. Sydney in particular have a history of it. To them they are worth the money. No profile, no crowds, no media, no sponsorship, no money, no success.

A Vic/SA/WA club couldn't justify Buddy's massive deal but Sydney can and I don't think it is a concept the other Sydney players would baulk at.

 

[Jcpdragonx]

Their culture escalated as they recycled players and turned them into solid contributors. Richmond tried it and now they are full of list cloggers.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Two points:

1. To quote Lou Holtz "You are never as good everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose".

Bad start to the season. But think we need more than a month to decide whether their culture is shot.

2. They are missing Kurt Tippett, Adam Goodes and Ben Reid. Thats an awful lot of tall timber to be missing. Will straighten em up a lot.

Too early to put a line through the Swans yet.

Doubt they will finish top 4 now which kills their flag hopes

 

[Glenno23]

Doubt they will finish top 4 now which kills their flag hopes

Yep. Already 1-3 and playing Freo today. Could very well be 1-4. Would need to hardly lose a game from there to finish top 4

 

[Mike Smyth]

Bloods culture - pfft what a joke. It was always COLA culture.

 

[Huntercrow]

Just a few random thoughts.....

AFL is big in NSW!
Buddy owns the Telly and the SMH.
The Swans attract more to their games than the NRL Blockbusters.
I don't think it will be too long before the battle for the coat hanger is shifted to ANZ stadium.
The buddy contract is long term.
They are talk of the town in Sydney. For good or bad.
Kurt will be back soon
Goodes will return eventually.
It's only round 4

And a very random thought...

To me the Swans are like Joffrey.........one of the most hated characters in television history and many were happy to see him bite the dust......but.....post Joffrey and the aftermath of his demise will be a different dynamic that won't be quite the same. If the Swans fall over it will be a tragedy for the AFL in NSW and the AFL are aware of this so don't get your hopes up as the Swans lye dying in their mothers arms while little brother is holding the poisoned cup. .................can't wait for Ep 3

 

[MRB37]

I think their recruitment changed a tad, which potentially hurt their side. They've always seemed to manage to land a big name like Lockett or Hall, but they mostly went from picking up recylced and/or talented, but fringe players who couldn't consistently break into their sides 22 like JPK, Mumford, McGlynn, Mattner, Shaw etc to going out any buying the biggest (and most expensive) free agent they could. One group would be hungry as hell to play football and establish a long term career, the other have already gotten their payday and are likely on their last long term deals, which doesn't provide a ton of motivation. Also add the fact that the large contracts means their depth had been hurt a tad. You go from a Mumford/Pyke ruck duo to a Pyke/Derickx one and your team is going to suffer most times.

They'll get better, and are I doubt they'll miss the finals, but you can't really be relying on Goodes coming back anymore to straighten your team out and it doesn't help that Sam Reid seems to have become extremely injury prone over the past few years.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Yep. Already 1-3 and playing Freo today. Could very well be 1-4. Would need to hardly lose a game from there to finish top 4

We were 1-3 in both flag years.

The footy gods don't like threads like this...

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

The Swans were 1-3 at this point in 2006 and lost the GF by a point with their only win being a narrow win against the eventual wooden spooners Carlton. Losses included Essendon who were deplorable and a lowly Port at home. So it's not over just yet but today is a huge game. A win could get them back on track but a loss would send them 1-4 and history suggests you seldom make finals let alone top 4 from there, and under the new system, no top 4 = no flag.

 

[RePete]

Two points:

1. To quote Lou Holtz "You are never as good everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose".

Bad start to the season. But think we need more than a month to decide whether their culture is shot.

2. They are missing Kurt Tippett, Adam Goodes and Ben Reid. Thats an awful lot of tall timber to be missing. Will straighten em up a lot.

Too early to put a line through the Swans yet.

Adam Goodes is 34 years old. Do they really expect him to be the answer to anything at that age?

 

[Glenno23]

We were 1-3 in both flag years.

The footy gods don't like threads like this...

Different systems. They are looking more like the past few years Swans to half time so far. Much better attack on the ball and the man

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

Big win frpr the,today and with Melbourne and Brisbane to come, expect them to be 4-3, they're not done yet, especially if Buddy can pull his finger out which he did against one of the best in the business McPharlin.