Richmond game thread

[grayham]

Just begs the question. Why can't we play like we did in the last quarter for the whole game?

You could say that about a lot of games we've played over the last 3 years. We can turn it on for 1 quarter, but not a match.

In the context of the season, makes it hard for top 4, but on team performance, not bad to get within 1 point with little from Hall, Davis and Oloughlan.

 

[liz]

they cost us in the end looking at the end result.

They didn't cost us any more than sloppy kicking for goal in the first quarter when we managed to get the ball forward against the run of play.

They didn't cost us any more than Goodes and Crouch missing gettable shots in the final term.

They didn't cost us any more than the entire midfield being second to the ball for an hour and a half.

 

[swan_song]

This was a classic Swans game...Everything to play for (third spot on the ladder), yet once again the team let everyone down -- supporters, sponsors and themselves. And how many times have we seen that happen in games that matter? Far too often, I'd suggest. Richmond would have been stiff to have lost, having been clearly a much more disciplined and committed side for three quarters. As everyone has said...why do we wait till we are six or seven goals down to play attacking attractive footy. And when we do play like that, even from that dire position at 3/4 time, it nearly paid off. I'm just so exasperated by this club! Different year, same story.

 

[liz]

I wonder how much the fact that Sydney played a tough game last week while the Tigers went fishing. It's hard to tell given that the Tigers were the ones who ran out of legs at the end - but that might have been because they were running so hard for the first three quarters.

One thing that was evident was that Kirk's hands were not clean today. Little things can often make a huge difference. He was getting his hands on the ball at lot at stoppages but not able to get it going forward as he so often does. 'Twas one of the reasons why our clearances were down for most of the game.

Good to see Fosdike back, reminding us that he's not the dud that some have accused him of being.

 

[eirinn]

I'm just so exasperated by this club!

Amen to that!!!

Why exactly do we willingly inflict all that on ourselves? Two one-point games in two weeks is about all my poor, frazzled nerves can deal with...

I'll have to watch the replay to get any real idea about the game (too disgusted to take in anything in the the first 3 quarters, too nervous in the 4th), but for my part Craig Bolton and Ryan O'Keefe both played well, and seemed to play well together- both often passing to the other. The importance of Barry in defence was certainly evident when he went off- He seems to provide all the structure, and it goes with him.

 

[Bloods Rule!]

Best result possible. If they had won they might have thought they could really win ugly. But we didn't suffer on percentages. The last time I was that annoyed with the team was when I went to see the Saints game. We were comprehensively outcoached today. It was amazing to see how many more players the Tigers had in their forward 50, the defensive 50 and how they could run free in the midfield.

They played our game - in close and tackling hard and did it better than us. Only a few players can hold their heads up high and surprisingly Fossie has claim to be best on ground. And did you see the pure joy on Amon's face when he kicked true from the boundary? He couldn't kick a goal from that distance if he was directly in front! If our midfield defence is going to fall apart we really need Schauble back. But, like the same game last year, if Richo gets unlimited supply he'll kill us. But were there ever less than three on Baz. Umpiring was crap but that just put them on the same side as the Tigers. Even the Swans were playing for the Tigers for much of the game. Everyone else turns to crap (including Kirk - Bolton at least held the ball while he was being smashed in each tackle) and Pebbles decides to step up. So many amateurish kicks on goal from everyone - including our forwards.

After the Saints game I decided that we were just a team with poor skills doing the best it could. Then we play a team with some guts (has Stafford always been such a dirty scragging b**stard?) and fall apart again. At least we stood up at the end (Essendon last year, anyone?) But it could be a long month.

And it will be a commentating wasteland too. Every coach will watch today's tape and flood and tackle and bottle us up like Richmond did while the commentators go on and on and on and bloody on about the negative Sydney game.

Only good point: Fossie's back! Could he always play so well? And booming kick, too - it was like we'd cloned Williams and stuck McVeigh's head on top. And next week all the other teams will be coming off a one week rest - not two. I just can't see that it will be enough.

 

[swandave]

One thing that was evident was that Kirk's hands were not clean today.

You got that right. He was Mr Fumbles all day.

I'd also have to say the ground looked in a pretty sorry state. There were quite a few players losing their footing from both sides.

 

[RW]

And it will be a commentating wasteland too. Every coach will watch today's tape and flood and tackle and bottle us up like Richmond did while the commentators go on and on and on and bloody on about the negative Sydney game.

But isn't this what just about every coach has done to us since 2003 when you think about it? They're going to have to come to terms with this sooner or later - if they can't, then they just aren't good enough.

 

[TheBloods]

F*** that was crap.

Just mind-numbingly pathetic.

Watching us live you can see that our system is terrible or non-existent, the skills are ordinary, and the players often don't seem to know what to do or have little interest in really doing it.

One of the worst games from Hall I can remember.

O'Keefe worked hard but missed some goals he should have kicked.

CBolt was very good.

Barry wasn't bad considering the task.

Fosdike was good in the second half, although he reminded of how much he can go from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Buchanan was good in patches, but like Fosdike.

O'Loughlin was okay.

Everyone else ordinary to crap.

Umpiring had no impact on the result.

 

[TheBloods]

This was a classic Swans game...Everything to play for (third spot on the ladder), yet once again the team let everyone down -- supporters, sponsors and themselves. And how many times have we seen that happen in games that matter? Far too often, I'd suggest. Richmond would have been stiff to have lost, having been clearly a much more disciplined and committed side for three quarters. As everyone has said...why do we wait till we are six or seven goals down to play attacking attractive footy. And when we do play like that, even from that dire position at 3/4 time, it nearly paid off. I'm just so exasperated by this club! Different year, same story.

Spot on!!

 

[RW]

i think the last qtr can blind people as to just how pathetic the first three were - even now the first three qtrs don't SEEM as bad to me given the final score - but no, the last qtr comeback doesn't excuse the crap performance at all.

 

[liz]

Barry wasn't bad considering the task.

Thought he was better than "not bad". A player like Richo was always going to outmark him on occasions but Leo did superbly to stop him marking on so many other occasions, still provided run from defence and kept a cool head in the final term. The four goals against his name doesn't reflect accurately on his performance.

IMO one of only three Swans who can hold their heads up because they played for four quarters - Barry, B2 and O'Keefe. Magic gets a pass mark because he probably did as much as could be expected given the ball he got. Was a bit disappointed that he tried to claim a goal in the final term when he didn't get anywhere near the ball though.

Some of the midfielders looked great in the final term but that just ain't good enough.

 

[liz]

i think the last qtr can blind people as to just how pathetic the first three were - even now the first three qtrs don't SEEM as bad to me given the final score - but no, the last qtr comeback doesn't excuse the crap performance at all.

Except that not a single poster on this board is saying anything other than that it was a very very disappointing performance.

 

[HighReeve]

Gee, looks like a good Charmed episode tonight.

Oh yeah, the game. Dreadful.

Kennelly should be played on the wing. It's been said for a long time now, but it has to happen now.

 

[RW]

Except that not a single poster on this board is saying anything other than that it was a very very disappointing performance.

true - i didn't intend to suggest otherwise. i meant to say a 1 point loss sometimes makes the performance look better than it actually was, and I think it did to me straight after the game, but it looks like the people on here aren't that easily fooled, and realise that it was nothing less than a very disappointing performance.

 

[cruiser]

I agree with just about everything posted here. We didnt deserve to win but I was desperately hoping that we would hit the front in those last few minutes (screaming at the TV, scaring the cat etc). So much like the game at the Gabba, only this time we lost. If only Williams kick for goal in the last minute had gone through, if only ...., if only ...., if only Sydney had played more than one quarter of good football! Am feeling very cranky thanks to that game.

 

[yellabellabingbooo]

i was at the game and you're all right, you played woefully for 3 quarters however you were crucified by the umpires, i was there... richmond supporters are the most one eyed feral supporters going around and even they were commenting on the dreadful umpiring... Richmond didn't deserve to win either as they made so many mistakes today, they didn't show much skill... you weren't good in the midfield however you were umpired out of the game....

AGREE; why don't you play like you did in the last quarter throughout the whole game??? you'd be the best in the comp if you did...

 

[liz]

We didnt deserve to win but I was desperately hoping that we would hit the front in those last few minutes (screaming at the TV, scaring the cat etc)

LOL - that was the first time in my years following the Swans that I almost walked away from the TV in disgust towards the end because I feared they would get up for an undeserved win. I almost couldn't bear to watch!

 

[liz]

why don't you play like you did in the last quarter throughout the whole game??? you'd be the best in the comp if you did...

Partly because we only did because Richmond let us. My guess is your guys were pretty dead on their feet after running hard all game and had little left in the tank. Still doesn't excuse why the intensity was so so low from the Swans for the rest of the game.

 

[stellation]

Really disappointed with Davis - constantly outmarked and shirked at least one contest I thought he should have made.

How many of them was he outmarked on and how many of them did the kick go over his head because of poor delivery? He looked to be working his tail off today... he ended with 15 disposals + 5 marks, he offered a hell of a lot of leads on top of that which were ignored or honoured with poor delivery. Not many of those he didn't take seemed to actually be in his favour to start with.

 

[eirinn]

sydneyswans.com match report

Exactly which 3rd quarter was Roosy watching?

I just hope he's less positive with the boys. The first three quarters were shocking, and they need to be told so.

 

[Eagles 4 Mine]

Bloody hell guys you let me down with my tips I got the Pies and the Coasters , wanted to pick the Tigers but thought Sydney were the better side.

 

[nico]

I'm kinda glad they lost that. They were the second best team out there for almost all the afternoon and didn't deserve to escape from gaol. I hope they will have learned a fair amount about how their work-rate directly affects the outcome of the game. If they'd played like that for even one other quarter they would probably have won fairly comfortably but they didn;t and Richmond deserved the points.

The good thing is that our percentage hasn't taken the hammering that it looked like it might during the 3rd term.

Liz, they never learn.

Dumb mistakes are our hallmark. Try these.

Hallx2 - gets free and a mark just outside 50 metre line, kicks backwards both times to static player in worse positions. Once to Mathews who can't kick over a jam tin,who duly turns it over. He does this almost every week.
Hall misses set shots adnausium.

Goodes - misses 2 set shots from 30 metres or less.

Goodes - makes space on the wing with a clear run up the ground. Marks on the run, but stops and props and shows the footy to his opponent (lair) then does a hospital pass to McVeigh, turnover. Goodes gets the dummy of the week for a 10 possession game of which about 8 were shockers.

Constantly kicking backwards in the backline for 3 quarters with no result but self imposed pressure and turnovers.

Barry, last Q beats a paddock, runs clear and kicks straight to Richmond player, when he had an option on his own in the centre with a clear run into the forward line, standing there for a week. The crowd was screaming for this option.

Buchanan sprints into the 50 metre zone, but inexplicably kicks a grubber across his body with his wrong foot to a crowd. Gee that was horrid.

Fosdike breaks clear off HB and kicks a 5 metre grubber. Some one show him what a chest looks like please. His last Q was the best of his career.

Did someone mention Mathews in this thread? Back to his scintillating worst. Towelled up merciously by Krakouer and Roos had him in centre bounces where he just refuses to contest but holds on well. Changed the mix in the last Q and BINGO.

This is but a small sample.

They keep doing it every week win or lose. I doubt they will learn anything from this game because they just keep on doing it. The collective low IQ's of the serial dummies was on full show today.

 

[eirinn]

The collective low IQ's of the serial dummies was on full show today.

Ouch!!!

 

[Bloods Rule!]

F*** that was crap.

Just mind-numbingly pathetic.

Watching us live you can see that our system is terrible or non-existent, the skills are ordinary, and the players often don't seem to know what to do or have little interest in really doing it.

If you live in Melbourne you're having a bad, and non-representative, time this year. The two Melbourne games (Saints and today) have been the absolute low points of our season. Live elsewhere, including the Gabba, we haven't been that bad. No we are not the Weagles but we're not Carlton either. Though today we looked like it. We lost today - we were bound to sooner or later. It was the manner of our playing.

It's good to see no-one overreacting here. But today was probably the most winnable of the next month. If we regroup, today may have come at the right time. Or we're the presenders that everyone says we are.