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Autopsy Overrun by GWS

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Interesting time for the club.

I've been a keen Swans supporter for a long time. We've had some ordinary teams over the years, but since the early 2000s we've been pretty solid. Never the flashiest club, but usually gutsy fighters. We've rarely given up games without making teams earn it and I can't remember us giving up runs of goals like we have been lately.

I grew up with guys like Paul Kelly and Stuey Maxfield. Tough as nails blokes who had no fear and were all go. Very different than the polished Heeneys and Mills' of today.

As many have said, mentally we're in trouble. We've got definite worries around leadership in the group - both on field and probably with the coach. Though I think Coxy gets the benefit of the doubt for the time being given the injuries and suspensions we had this year.

Our forward line is IMO ordinary. Amartey is good when he is on but goes missing for weeks at a time and is injury prone. McDonald is unproven - lots of potential but really hasn't ever done much. McLean is at best solid, not special. Paps can't get on the park. Willy is decent but goes missing. The rest is just filler.

Our backline is a vulnerability. McCartin is one nasty concussion away from career over. This is the elephant in the room as far as I'm concerned. And a head clash could happen any time he runs onto the field. Rampe has had a bad year by his standards and is coming to the end. Melican is as good a defender but is no stranger to the rehab room. Cunners is getting closer to the end. Hamling has had a good few weeks IMO.

Then there's the midfield. At best they're guns but when other teams get on top they go to water. Heeney is excellent. Chad feels like he's on his way out. Sheldrick will probably go too. Rowy is great but a one trick pony. Errol is a swan for life. Grundy is 31 - old for a big man - and who knows how long he's got left. JJ is a great recruit.

Smarter men than me will look over the list and decide what happens next. It feels like there's a lot to fix. I reckon there's more to do than at any time in the last 25 years.

But it does remind me of how fortunate I am to be a Swans fans. Imagine supporting Essendon or Carlton or St Kilda. We've had the year from hell and we're what? Tenth? Our club is usually well run and it's a pretty rare year when we're not still playing in September.

Get some good trades done. Try to mould a group that values resilience. Get some mongrel through the door and go again in 2026. We may not win a flag next year but we're a hell of a lot closer than most.
 
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He is absolutely not a poor athlete. Very good speed and endurance. He seems to be carrying a niggle to me.


He's not the most skilful but yeah he runs games out well, he is a solid tagger and collects some big scalps .

Maybe there's weeks where he can't play midfield if there isn't a run with role, maybe. But he is the least of our problems imo.

Again he is light though
 

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I was at the port game

As embarrassing as the 2024 gf was that experience truly shocked me and as such I find it hard to be overly optimistic about the team

Played grade for Gordon and Sydney university in Sydney
Nice! I was at Melbourne Uni and Hawthorn different states but both still good cricket.
Playing some Minor League in US at the moment 😂
 
The problem is that Roberts' form slump has disturbingly dragged on for a long time. I don't think he has the mindset to be an AFL starter.
He should have been dropped a while back to go reset and gain some confidence back in the VFL, but I don't think the club's inability to do this should make people forget his past form and capability.
 
Speaking of white lines.... got into Engie just after the bounce on Friday, just in time to see the medicab heading out onto the oval. Sussed out it was a Swan and went to the nearest young fella and asked who was down?

"Hayden" was the response in a sure, but friendly manner. Realised as I walked away that the young fella was Caiden Cleary dressed in casual civvies and sitting with maybe a grandfather.

How did I recognise him in such a brief moment? He is often offered as a potential "friend" on FB.... which makes me a bit suss about how we could be linked lol
 

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Interesting time for the club.

I've been a keen Swans supporter for a long time. We've had some ordinary teams over the years, but since the early 2000s we've been pretty solid. Never the flashiest club, but usually gutsy fighters. We've rarely given up games without making teams earn it and I can't remember us giving up runs of goals like we have been lately.

I grew up with guys like Paul Kelly and Stuey Maxfield. Tough as nails blokes who had no fear and were all go. Very different than the polished Heeneys and Mills' of today.

As many have said, mentally we're in trouble. We've got definite worries around leadership in the group - both on field and probably with the coach. Though I think Coxy gets the benefit of the doubt for the time being given the injuries and suspensions we had this year.

Our forward line is IMO ordinary. Amartey is good when he is on but goes missing for weeks at a time and is injury prone. McDonald is unproven - lots of potential but really hasn't ever done much. McLean is at best solid, not special. Paps can't get on the park. Willy is decent but goes missing. The rest is just filler.

Our backline is a vulnerability. McCartin is one nasty concussion away from career over. This is the elephant in the room as far as I'm concerned. And a head clash could happen any time he runs onto the field. Rampe has had a bad year by his standards and is coming to the end. Melican is as good a defender but is no stranger to the rehab room. Cunners is getting closer to the end. Hamling has had a good few weeks IMO.

Then there's the midfield. At best they're guns but when other teams get on top they go to water. Heeney is excellent. Chad feels like he's on his way out. Sheldrick will probably go too. Rowy is great but a one trick pony. Errol is a swan for life. Grundy is 31 - old for a big man - and who knows how long he's got left. JJ is a great recruit.

Smarter men than me will look over the list and decide what happens next. It feels like there's a lot to fix. I reckon there's more to do than at any time in the last 25 years.

But it does remind me of how fortunate I am to be a Swans fans. Imagine supporting Essendon or Carlton or St Kilda. We've had the year from hell and we're what? Tenth? Our club is usually well run and it's a pretty rare year when we're not still playing in September.

Get some good trades done. Try to mould a group that values resilience. Get some mongrel through the door and go again in 2026. We may not win a flag next year but we're a hell of a lot closer than most.
Agree with a lot of this. In my opinion, defence is our number 1 problem area.

Rampe is 36 early next season, Hamling and Fox will be 33, Lloyd 32 next month, Cunningham 32 in December and Melican 29 in November. Like you say, McCartin is one more concussion from career over.

We desperately need to find some key defensive stock.
 
We would never trade either of them but.. Paps and Jmac would get us a decent return
I don't know if I'd trade any. Aside from maybe McInerney, I think all have proven themselves key pieces of the puzzle in terms of us being a contender. I fear many are being too willy nilly about the idea of giving away players without whom there's a very good chance we might not actually be any good at all. And if we're no good, then we can kiss goodbye to a flag for the biggest dogs in Heeney, Grundy, Gulden. And if we're kissing goodbye to a flag for those guys, then we're basically rebuilding, in which case they're the ones we should actually be trading, as they'd be the ones we'd get the most in return for.

You see how it can easily spiral if you're too reckless with list decisions?

But geez those four players I named all give me the absolute shits. They're the most emblematic of everything wrong with this club in recent times - front-running, smack-talking, fig-jamming carry-on backed by putrid efforts, poor execution under pressure and a focus on all the wrong things.

I agreed with Florent & Lloyd being dropped, but if doing so was supposed to "send a message" to the rest, then those underperforming but modest players aren't the players to drop if you want to send a message. If we want buy-in every week, then send a message by dropping the players who seem to think they're above buying in, because they're busy getting the crowd excited, or creating energy in the team, or whatever it is that they supposedly do.
 
Just scrap the whole team and end the misery … oh dont forget this useless coach. Start from scratch. A truly grand 2nd half. As in repeat of grand final efforts come 2nd half. Full credit to Brodie Grundy though maybe he has another season or two in him. ps stop blaming injuries for the pathetic performances. E if for effort. It was there in 1st half it went missing in 2nd.
 
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Braedens game with 2 kicks and no tackles will be a good reason to debut Dattoli this week
I think he's been in good enough form to stave off a dropping just yet, but I wouldn't be against a sub appearance as a bit of a reset and hopefully get a burst of impact at some point like last year's QF. I'd be bringing in Dattoli for Papley anyway, so that'd be an additional move. If Braeden's out of the 22, then Hanily in. As well as Cleary for someone else (e.g. Roberts).
 
I'm choosing to go with the second half saying more about the Giants (ie, they're bloody good when they get their game right) than the Swans. Callaghan was outstanding and their forwards really clicked and seemed to be able to score goals from everywhere.

That said, it highlighted what I'd noted last week in the draft thread - we're too easy to score against, we crumble too easily when the pressure goes on, and the gap between us and the best in the competition's best football is too large.

Over to you list management team...
 

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Autopsy Overrun by GWS

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