Round Two - Swans vs Kangaroos

[CharlieG]

Use this thread for all your pre-match musings!

Please make welcome any Kangaroos guests we have during the week.

 

[grimlock]

We've got to be careful not to get too carried away by the win last week. We played okay but Hawthorn were quite atrocious (apologies to Hawks fans, but I think most would agree). The difference this week is that the Roos have tall marking targets (Rocca, Thompson, Petrie) which might stretch our defence. Hopefully if we do well in the midfield that would restrict the opportunities those forwards get.

Potential matchups:
Kirk v Simpson
Crouch v Wells
Williams v Harvey
JBolton v Grant

Barry v Rocca
Goodes v Thompson
CBolton v Petrie
Kennelly v Jones

Hall v Watt
Doyle v Brown
O'Keefe v Archer
Davis v Makepeace

Not too sure about North will matchup on our forwards. Hopefully Roos fans can help me out there. Looking forward to this match, should be a cracker.

 

[Motters19]

Is Crouch quick enough to go with Wells? I think Brown will go with Hall with Colby on Goodes or even Watt maybe....

 

[Barry Schneider]

Is Crouch quick enough to go with Wells? I think Brown will go with Hall with Colby on Goodes or even Watt maybe....

He is the quickest we have got.He has a won a grand final sprint if that means anything.

 

[grimlock]

Is Crouch quick enough to go with Wells? I think Brown will go with Hall with Colby on Goodes or even Watt maybe....

He's one of the quickest we have, but of course that may not mean he's quick enough to go with Wells.

As for Goodes, I think he'll play back especially because of the Roos tall forwards. I think we have enough options up front, even with O'Loughlin out.

 

[Motters19]

What would your forward setup look like if Goodes plays down back and O'Loughlin doesn't play?

 

[grimlock]

What would your forward setup look like if Goodes plays down back and O'Loughlin doesn't play?

Against the Hawks we had Barry Hall playing between CHF and FF as per usual. Stephen Doyle or Darren Jolly, whichever wasn't playing in the ruck, was playing at FF. Nick Davis playing in the goal square. Ryan O'Keefe pushing up towards the wings. Amon Buchanan, Adam Schneider and Matty Nicks spent some time up forward too, I guess they were the crumbing forwards.

 

[Firrito24]

here's my stab

Backline
Brown vs Hall
Watt vs Roberts-Thompson
Colbert vs Nicks
Makepeace vs Schneider
Pratt vs O'Keefe
Sinclair vs Davis

Centre
Wells vs Crouch
Harris vs McVeigh
Simpson vs Kennelly
Grant vs Kirk
Harvey vs Williams
Rawlings vs J. Bolton
Firrito vs Maxfield/Matthews
Picioane vs Bevan
Stevens vs Buchanan

Forward
Rocca vs ??
Thompson vs Goodes
Jones vs Barry
Archer vs C. Bolton

Rucks
Hale/Petrie vs Ball/Jolly

Doyle - out through injury??
Spriggs ??
Fosdike ??
O'Loughlin ??
Saddington ??
Schauble ??

injuryupdate.com.au says schauble and o'loughlin to be back this week, is this true?

 

[robbieando]

injuryupdate.com.au says schauble and o'loughlin to be back this week, is this true?

I would doubt it to be true, but if they were to play this week at all it would be in the reserves rather than the seniors because they need some match practice.

I wouldn't be surprised if Heath James came into the side to take Rocca like he did last season in Round 3 and I think Ball could get the job on Thompson. That would leave LRT and Goodes to roam around the backline with a bit of freedom.

 

[Dingster]

I would doubt it to be true, but if they were to play this week at all it would be in the reserves rather than the seniors because they need some match practice.

If they're right, I'd be surprised if they came back via the Magoos, esp Micky O'Loughlin. With Sav, Thommo and Petrie/Hale, I would have thought Schauble would come straight back in too. Though I haven't followed the Swan's history of bringing back their better players.

Last week I was very confident of beating Carlton and pretty vocal about it too. You'll be happy to hear that I don't have the same confidence this week. We just don't match up well against you guys as your team is pretty even, esp your midfield. I guess you will flood given our structure and that might be our best bet. Have the same patience as we showed last week and try and control the footy. That way, Hall will be starved for opportunities and we can get numbers back to support. Unfortunately, you guys will be better prepared and coached.

Interestingly Simmo switched back the clock and took a defensive role on Stevens last week. So (Grimlock), you might be "wasting" Kirk on Simmo. I'd play him on Grant. If you shut him down, you'll take away a lot of our quality drive. Grant does start the year well too. It probably doesn't matter in respect to the amount of changes that I'm expecting in the midfield throughout the game.

As always, scoreboard pressure will be the key forcing the other team's hand.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Brown on Hall.
Pratt on Davis.
Watt on O'Keefe.
Colbert on Nicks.
Makepeace on Scheider.

 

[liz]

I guess you will flood given our structure and that might be our best bet. Have the same patience as we showed last week and try and control the footy. That way, Hall will be starved for opportunities and we can get numbers back to support. Unfortunately, you guys will be better prepared and coached.

Just out of curiousity, why will the Swans "flood" while the Roos will "get numbers back to support"?

 

[grimlock]

I'd be more than happy if Simpson wanted to switch to a defensive role, he's such a prolific player. I still think Kirk will start on him, but of course that doesn't necessarily mean he's there the whole game.

 

[Dingster]

Just out of curiousity, why will the Swans "flood" while the Roos will "get numbers back to support"?

Fair question. My perception of the Swans defensive set up is that you have extra numbers strategically positioned in defense and are very good at pushing numbers up the ground when you get possession. Whereas our wingers don't get back as far defensively. Sometimes I wish that they would!

Just a subtle difference and I haven't seen the Swans play this year. So it's just a perception on my part based on last year. Feel free to enlighten me if that's not the case.

 

[liz]

I think the difference you suggest is too subtle to be meaningful in today's football.

Fact is, almost every team plays some variation on "the flood" at times - some more than most but all do it. It seems just to have become a reason for supporters (and now even coaches) to whinge if their team has been beaten or they fear it might be.

The Swans are a smallish side, nothwithstanding the fact that they played three 200cm+ giants on Sunday (and another past AA ruckman), are very very fit, relatively quick by foot, work well as a unit and run hard. They like to transfer the ball in running, overlapping waves for about 2/3rds of the ground, mostly by hand, sometimes by short kicks. If it works well and they have moved it quickly they will try to finish off with a long kick into the forward line. If not, there will be some shorter chipping until one of four or five marking forward gets space on a lead.

If anything they probably crowd the half-back line and midfield more than the back 50, though their transfer of the ball out of the defensive zone does rely on a fair number of bodies milling around.

 

[Dingster]

The Swans are a smallish side, nothwithstanding the fact that they played three 200cm+ giants on Sunday (and another past AA ruckman), are very very fit, relatively quick by foot, work well as a unit and run hard. They like to transfer the ball in running, overlapping waves for about 2/3rds of the ground, mostly by hand, sometimes by short kicks. If it works well and they have moved it quickly they will try to finish off with a long kick into the forward line. If not, there will be some shorter chipping until one of four or five marking forward gets space on a lead.

It's something that we haven't been able to deal with withstanding your charitable final qtr last time. Out of interest what teams have you struggled against?

 

[liz]

It's something that we haven't been able to deal with withstanding your charitable final qtr last time. Out of interest what teams have you struggled against?

There doesn't seem to be that much of a pattern, other than mentally they tend to be soft against teams they perceive not to be great - eg Richmond and Hawthorn last year - yet able to lift for the big contests - ie Brisbane for the last few years, the unbeaten Saints in round 11 last year, Port in the 2003 GF.

We didn't beat Essendon for years, though seem to have tamed them at the moment in Sydney. We still haven't beaten them in Melbourne since I started following the game (1995). Port and Freo, two teams who probably have very similar styles to ours, have also caused regular problems, although Freo's inability to travel has masked this a bit in the Sydney encounters.

And even against your lot it's been pretty even since Laidley took over. You can't argue with Pagan's success record with the Roos and his game plan worked a treat most of the time while Carey was at its peak. But he didn't ever seem to have a plan B if it wasn't working, and Eade (passed onto Roos) managed to crack the game plan. I think that's why we had the wood over you for a couple of years, with those huge scorelines in 2001-2. Of course, the fact that all those games were played at the SCG played into the Swans' hands too, as it is an unusually shaped ground and one that the Swans are obviously very very comfortable with.

Should be a good game this weekend and I have no idea which way it will go. I suspect that one team will get on top and win it quite comfortably but I hope I'm wrong. A tight tussle will do both teams a world of good.

 

[Paulkanga2000]

Hi Swan BF people


We have made 1 change to our team to the game for sat.

In: Sansbury Out: Harding

Paul

 

[Doofy]

Hi Swan BF people


We have made 1 change to our team to the game for sat.

In: Sansbury Out: Harding

Paul

We shoolda made a lot!!

Crap team

 

[SouthSwans]

We weren't good this week. Slow, boring, cloggy footy. Open up the game plan. Not much, just enough to make you not want to break the TV in anger

 

[Sid]

Rawlings took three weeks suspension for bloodying paul william's eye.

 

[Bleed Red Cheer]

Excellent, so the Roos can lose to someone else.

 

[HighReeve]

And who are you...