I noticed that too it felt like we were playing our cards close to our chest tactically.Swans have traditionally lost preseason but performed in season.
I think we will see a improved game plan come season proper.
Game Day Official Practice Match - Carlton v Sydney Game Day
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I think we will see a improved game plan come season proper.
Was weird how some senior players presence on the night was like they were not there. Cerra and Saad I need reminding were actually playing. Barely noticed them. Carroll was on for a bit of last quarter and noticed him more than them all match.
Charlie Curnow was the one that made his presence noticed the most. If he was not in the play or making a lead he was barking instructions to other players where to be.
True they are, but most turn into deck chairs once the oppos spread and run after pressuring our contested ball winners into turn overs.
And it is not just this year it has been 10 years since a blues team ran unconditionally for each other in all directions.
And based on this game that team first and next man up mentality either does not exist on our list, or a group of players do not believe it is what they need to do.
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Callipygian
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He would be. But we won't be letting him go.
Callipygian
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I get the impression that you undervalue Hewett. At the very least he flies under your radar. I guess he is that kind of player. But so good!
I still miss George, even though we have covered his loss and needed the cap space.
I still miss George, even though we have covered his loss and needed the cap space.
Jimmae
Brownlow Medallist
Pretty easy: inside mid play leaves your feet/lower legs absolutely cooked... makes kicking harder when your legs are much more like jelly.
FTFY
I did pick up on this somewhat, but I was much more disappointed with our defensive reactions after the first 15 or so minutes. This just re-affirms that. Worse still, when we lost a centre bounce contest we had zero answers, eventually fully resorting to a quick defender coming in off CHB for coverage.
We must be the only team in the competition that tries its best to play without an adequate strength/speed mix at the centre bounce. We try to get pace by adding Fisher...
- Sep 25, 2013
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Hewett ain’t undervalued here. He’s a star and comfortably inside our top 10 players.
We need three or four more like him who will go about their business with no fuss, week in week out.
Everyone loves George. He's been a fantastic get for the Blues and was really missed when he was injured towards the back have of the season last year. Swanies could've done better with George in the grand final last year.
People fail to realise we’re probably putting slot of high intensity track work and gym work in still. We also had to travel with a half strength side plus carried too many talls into the game. I would of expected a pretty heavy session on the Wednesday prior and the boys wouldn’t have been tapered enough to go at 100% yet. Once the next week starts we will be pulling back the intensity of training. Tapering our loads and bringing back our better mids and half backs. You’ll see a very different team come round 1.
- Nov 27, 2016
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Mots is fine. Still a kid and needs real confidence rather than occasional bravado. Work in progress.
Still growing while a myriad of fans want him to evolve overnight in to E. Betts. He is quick, but not lightning. Good skills and his grunt is still a work in progress, in that it remains inconsistent. He is a second year player who has largely been fast tracked.
Will “grow” when the smarter and stronger Durdin is beside him as well as being able to go to work at Harry’s feet. Plenty of faith in Mots, but with his stature, is going to need some physical maturity to peak. Owies and Fisher both have limitations in the forward 50 and we have an unhealthy reliance on Durds to sort the structures in my opinion. The others are more reactive than readers of the play.
I have long believed our forward fifty is inhabited by a combination of individually talented players and a couple who have dedicated themselves to workrate at learning the craft. We are almost bereft of natural, instinctively smart team players. Our connection is too often random or forced, while most other clubs have clear fall back systems. It would be bloody hard work getting to good areas to complement our talls when their patterns remain very random. Durdin and Motlop definitely raise the forward IQ of the group.
We often have glorious uncertainty up forward. When we are “on” it is lethal. When we are missing a piece or two, particularly H or Charles, we are easy to defend. The lack of plan B is lamented by many including me. I cannot comprehend why a naturally dangerous forward like Kennedy is not deployed there as a change up when things stagnate. Vossy is so very locked in to his midfield drednought mentality.
Nah, our problem is not our (lack of) forward targets, its about our lack of running players who will back themselves within range, rather than look to give it off to a lopsided contest.
Bam bam is not fast but he can roost a ball and is a mid/forward. One of the few who will back himself.
As the season gets under way, id like to see Motts move on the ball against teams with smaller mids, and get his confidence up to trust in those thighs…
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I watched it again and it's not all doom and gloom. We Def need the 3rd tall forward if Charlie is linking up down the ground.
I thought Silvagni was excellent aside from missing the goals. He leads so well.
Sick of Fisher. He is lazy.
Loved Hollands, Cowan and Cincotta and Acres has fitted tight in. Loved him backing himself and taking the shots for goal.
Motlop is fine. He has only played 12 games.
I actually think TDK is a liability up forward. He doesn't communicate with the other forwards and gets in the way
We really missed Newman down back.
Bring on round 1
I thought Silvagni was excellent aside from missing the goals. He leads so well.
Sick of Fisher. He is lazy.
Loved Hollands, Cowan and Cincotta and Acres has fitted tight in. Loved him backing himself and taking the shots for goal.
Motlop is fine. He has only played 12 games.
I actually think TDK is a liability up forward. He doesn't communicate with the other forwards and gets in the way
We really missed Newman down back.
Bring on round 1
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charred_fate
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MK still concerns me as a midfielder for the lack of speed/explosiveness. Not his alone but for the overall midfield/team’s lack of speed/explosiveness. The balance has been out of whack under Voss’ tenure. Feels like Voss has been playing the ideal midfield setup for a Premiership in the 90s. While many fans called for it, we only saw Doc moved into the centre belatedly and when Voss virtually ran out of alternative options (with great success, ala Setters).
Perhaps MK could be a centre bounce specialist who then rolls to the half-forward line. He’s solid overhead and reads the play well. May help solve our half-forward issues and allow someone with more run to help with transition in general play.
With our injuries, the real hope (and necessity if we’re to make top 4 imo) is that the first year players can contribute, esp Cowan and Cincotta. If Cowan can hold down half-back and allow Doc to play in the middle, we’re in a much better place. A big issue for us last year was slow transition leading to a crowded forward line by the time the ball arrived. If both these guys are good enough for senior roles, could make a massive difference to our ball movement from D50 to F50.
Add Walsh and Acres and Hollands and suddenly we do have decent run. I’d really like to see Acres break lines/tackles with his size, like Jack Crisp. A entirely new dimension would be added with Cunners and Boyd.
It feels like we’re at the mercy of our injuries more than most teams bc we are quite slow across the board, so losing speedy/explosive players really hurts.
I also hope Honey can become a maniac with his pressure up forward - he could hold down a position on that alone. If we’re going to persist with TDK and Pitto (which isn’t ideal imo), I’d prefer to see TDK roaming across CHB, but obvs not going to happen.
Perhaps MK could be a centre bounce specialist who then rolls to the half-forward line. He’s solid overhead and reads the play well. May help solve our half-forward issues and allow someone with more run to help with transition in general play.
With our injuries, the real hope (and necessity if we’re to make top 4 imo) is that the first year players can contribute, esp Cowan and Cincotta. If Cowan can hold down half-back and allow Doc to play in the middle, we’re in a much better place. A big issue for us last year was slow transition leading to a crowded forward line by the time the ball arrived. If both these guys are good enough for senior roles, could make a massive difference to our ball movement from D50 to F50.
Add Walsh and Acres and Hollands and suddenly we do have decent run. I’d really like to see Acres break lines/tackles with his size, like Jack Crisp. A entirely new dimension would be added with Cunners and Boyd.
It feels like we’re at the mercy of our injuries more than most teams bc we are quite slow across the board, so losing speedy/explosive players really hurts.
I also hope Honey can become a maniac with his pressure up forward - he could hold down a position on that alone. If we’re going to persist with TDK and Pitto (which isn’t ideal imo), I’d prefer to see TDK roaming across CHB, but obvs not going to happen.
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We went 12-5 last year with Kennedy playing… he is now a bonafide star in the league. How on earth can you say he’s an issue?
Agree totally many people on here placing way too emphasis on practice match outcomes which mean zero.
Hollands & Cowan are the positives from the trial games.
There will be a very different mindset come R1 against the Tigers.
Aph should be back from Chaddy later this afternoon, so I'm guessing it's up tonight.
They'll make each other better footballers when they'e out there together - I've been lucky enough to witness it in the open training sessions - can't wait to see it now when real stuff kicks off.
charred_fate
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Team balance and he being the only one of the slower brigade who has shown to have a strong overhead mark and reasonable skill as a forward (as well as football “smarts”). We’ve got very good contested ball winners in the middle with or without MK (provided players are healthy). Half-forward, it’s slim pickings.
As I said, he could be a centre bounce specialist - that doesn’t mean he takes off as soon as first bounce/contest is done.. rather, when the game has moved to open play he shifts forward and becomes a HF target.
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No one was concerned with the scores. It was the poor ball movement, foot skills and lack of intensity from fringe players that was concerning.
Hollands and Cowan super impressive.
l would not be reading too much into those areas in a practice game, mindset is such a important part at this level, we need to focus on the real season now, which will a better indicator of where we are at.
Carlton supporter as a kid....maybe he wants to come back
Beyond Blue
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Hayward is guy we really need but he is a pipe dream now he’s in their leadership group so I’d definitely be looking at McInerney or even Cuningham.
I’d also be looking at Melican to replace Plowman when we delist him at the end of the year and possibly have to make a call on the always injured Marchbank and Gov.
The Swans have so much good depth - look at how good Hewett and Newman have been for us - it’s a testament to their development program.
