Autopsy Started off 2024 in style terrific hard fought win against Melbourne by 22 points

[Ticky009]

 

[SydneyBlood]

Don't have access to TV tonight. They normally show the coach pressers. Anything of note come from Longmire's?

Edit: it's now up on the club website. Watching now

 

[Dubsforsam1]

To think we could put Mills at halfback, Adams in the middle and Parker up front and still have Ladhams, Reid, Sheldrick, Hamlin not even .aking the 23 shows we are building the depth required

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

To think we could put Mills at halfback, Adams in the middle and Parker up front and still have Ladhams, Reid, Sheldrick, Hamlin not even .aking the 23 shows we are building the depth required

The depth always looks better after a win

 

[Ticky009]

crowd looked bit patchy for 40k on the tv

32k i would say

Wrong. Crowd came in late, the Bradman was full all the way up to the top tiers and only happens when we hit 40k

 

[Bloods86]

Wrong. Crowd came in late, the Bradman was full all the way up to the top tiers and only happens when we hit 40k

I assumed that once we got on top in the last, plenty left early (it is a Thursday). Lots of empty seats by the looks of it on TV, but looked packed earlier.

 

[Bloods86]

The depth always looks better after a win

Our depth was poor last week in the seniors and ressies practice matches. But we drafted, traded and developed well during the week to rectify things.

 

[Ticky009]

 

[Nuggetz]

I assumed that once we got on top in the last, plenty left early (it is a Thursday). Lots of empty seats by the looks of it on TV, but looked packed earlier.

They usually leave early. It was packed, a few empty seats because of restricted view but otherwise full.

 

[Ticky009]

Dane Rampe

24

Dane Rampe

Age

35

Ht

187cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.0

4star

K

10.6

4star

HB

6.4

4star

M

4.9

5star

T

2.5

4star

MG

358.8

5star

D

14.1

3star

K

9.0

4star

HB

5.1

3star

M

3.4

3star

T

1.5

2star

MG

284.5

4star

D

10.6

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.4

4star

says not today

 

[Nuggetz]

I thought Gulden was poor by his standards, pencil him in for 50 disposals & 2 goals next week

 

[Nuggetz]

Warner is such a sweet kick of the footy outside of 50 towards goal. Especially off a couple of steps.

 

[Nuggetz]

Cant wait to watch the replay of this game. Keen to watch Heeney & our midfield work.

 

[Ticky009]

 

[Swannie0307]

Went to the game with much excitement, by 3/4 time felt we were gonna squander it (like we did many times last year), but great Q4 and an awesome hard fought win in the end.

• we found our big bodied midfielder- he just happens to be a very good ruckman too … WELCOME TO THE CLUB BRODIE, what a presence he adds to the team all around the ground
• Heeney, been calling it for a while, great to see he got his chance in the guts, and was best on ground after a couple of early fumbles.
• Lizard, and the whole defence were awesome (young Roberts, very solid game too)
• 3 tall forwards didn’t work (though slippery dewy conditions didn’t help) - do they try and make Amartey a defender (again)? … otherwise he’ll struggle to stay in best 22… all worked better when Wicks came in, he gave the team a much needed spark
• very pleasing we grinded out a ‘tough’ win, AND with Errol having a relatively quite game

** Special mention to “Nollsie” who sang a great rendition of Sweet Caroline right in front of us

 

[Kiama Chris]

I'm not going to pretend he's not a good player because he is. But jeez is frustrating watching a bloke who looks like he sleeps with a security blanket carve us up.

As well as our defence played someone has to camp on Fritsch because he's a genius at just drifting away. No idea who was on him, if anyone.

 

[Kiama Chris]

That's just the game we needed to start the season. Shades of our better 2022 play.
1) Grundy giving us something to work with in the ruck. More than something! Easy to overlook but McLean also got 10 hitouts some against Gawn. Was a factor in tiring Gawn out. Well done ruck team!
2) They won't get a lot of votes but McCartin and Melican were superb. So much so that Van Rooyen had to get his goal from a header onto his shin. Totally squashed their KPFs.
3) Matty Roberts had a decent game but made a couple of glaring errors, one of which cost. But for mine he had more impact than Jordon.
4) Other than Heeney none of the mids were absolute standouts but as a group they really got the job done.
5) Nice in Horse's presser to see him acknowledge the conditions and change of strategy. Won us the game I think.
6) It's so great watching Blakey. Everything he does is a treat. Mark, spoil, tackle, run. That little chip inside. Chef's kiss.
7) Lastly so great to see the team finish out the game aggressively and confidently.
Bring on the Pies!

 

[caesar88]

5) Nice in Horse's presser to see him acknowledge the conditions and change of strategy. Won us the game I think.

Hopefully the Horse critics who think he always wants his players bombing it long paid attention to the part of his presser where he said it was on him that they were trying to kick it around laterally but what proved more effective was sending it long. Clearly if it was up to the coaches we'd have a beautiful kicking game going but the reality of games often dictates how you use it and bombing it long absolutely has its merits in the modern game. Warner barely looked at where he was sending any of his kicks in that fourth term but by that point many of our players were winning their match-ups and our structure in the front half had also improved, so his long bombs were being marked, or at the very least halved, and leading to scoring shots.

I suspect Horse's preparedness to switch it up and effective use of the sub in particular won't garner much appreciation from those who knock him for these very reasons.

 

[Nuggetz]

Recovery is crucial for next week. The heat & humidity was bad, especially in the 1st half.

 

[Nuggetz]

Hopefully the Horse critics who think he always wants his players bombing it long paid attention to the part of his presser where he said it was on him that they were trying to kick it around laterally but what proved more effective was sending it long. Clearly if it was up to the coaches we'd have a beautiful kicking game going but the reality of games often dictates how you use it and bombing it long absolutely has its merits in the modern game. Warner barely looked at where he was sending any of his kicks in that fourth term but by that point many of our players were winning their match-ups and our structure in the front half had also improved, so his long bombs were being marked, or at the very least halved, and leading to scoring shots.

I suspect Horse's preparedness to switch it up and effective use of the sub in particular won't garner much appreciation from those who knock him for these very reasons.

Also when not to change. They were tempted to throw Heeney into the forward line, as the 3 talls weren't working in the wet conditions but they decided not to make the change due to Heeney's dominant performance in the midfield.

 

[caesar88]

Very good win.

Looked to me like two teams who were playing a week after they'd played pre-season games and who were playing earlier in the year than they should've/normally would've been.

I commented at half time that the winner wouldn't be who played the best, but who didn't play the worst, and that's pretty much how it unfolded. There was absolutely nothing different about what we did in that 4th quarter from the rest of the game. We still just bombed it in, we still fumbled lots of ground balls, we still made poor decisions. We just stuck at it for longer than Melbourne did and rewarded ourselves for our hard work. It bodes incredibly well for both a) our fitness, which was a massive issue last year, and b) our upside, as our skill level will only get better as we work into the season.

I also think the introduction of Wicks into the game at the expense of a tall proved effective in this regard.

Heeney was BOG, and that was probably the best game of his career. In a career that has had some excellent games with bags of goals, marks etc. For me it was just the ticker he showed. Cracking into every contest, working tirelessly. It was just a colossal performance.

Grundy was also very good, and got better as the game went on. I felt like the constant free kicks to Gawn throughout the first half really stagnated his game. He looked frustrated like he couldn't really get into the rhythm because it was constantly being interrupted by the umpires whistle.

I also want to shout out players like Florent, Campbell & Papley, who were awesome in the first half but didn't really get the recognition they deserved because we weren't putting it on the scoreboard like we did in the fourth.

Great start to the year.

Adding to this, wanted to shout out a few others:

McLean - I think he was our best tall in the front half tonight and was also that player at the end of last year because he just has more ways to bring himself into the game. He was MIA early on but through his rucking, then a big contested mark, then his aerobic might, he was able to just slowly work into the game. A neat & tidy supporting role against Gawn and a handy 2 goals that should've been 3. In those conditions, that's a good night at the office.

Blakey - We often talk about inside mids being "strong through the hips", but it's an underrated quality of Blakey's over the last year or so. When he's wrapped up in a tackle or makes body contact, there's no longer that sense that it'll send him tipping over. In fact he was outright breaking a few tackles tonight. I think adding this has only given him more confidence to attack those sprints off half back.

Lloyd/McInerney - I'm grouping these two together because how many times tonight were they just BRICK WALLS in the middle of the ground? Obviously neither are exactly McCartin-level intercept marks, but their ability to just run and get to so many contests and then throw their bodies into impacting those contests was so important. The uncredited physicality that created turnovers and led to intercept possessions for us.

Fox/Wicks - Grouping these two together as well because I just love what they could bring to our side this year. Many wanted a mid in that extra forward spot (either Sheldrick this week, or Parker this year), but I'm perfectly comfortable with two general forwards who may not get a lot of the ball but who will chase, harass and tackle to make things happen. Things worth more than possessions, but the fact both were able to hit the scoreboard tonight as well was just... chef's kiss.

And finally... McCartin/Melican - Another duo but I strongly suspect you wouldn't have had the performance of one without the other. I particularly liked how there were a few instances where Melican marked the ball and went to take off but stopped himself and realised slowing it down and not playing on was the better option. It's that sort of game-savvy stuff that he's never really shown before, and I say this as a long-time fan of his.

Anyways sorry for ranting. Just know there will be games this year where we have few players to heap praise on, so gotta take the chances when we get 'em.

 

[Nuggetz]

So rucks are important aye

 

[bloodsbigot]

Our makeshift midfield dominated their AA midfield. Suck s**t oliver you dog campaigner & gawn you soft campaigner. No wonder melb culture went to s**t with you two leading it.

Oliver looked lazy and fat.

 

[Punts]

Heeney stood up

Bog by a mile

 

[momentbymoment]

We bullied them in the 4th.
Haven’t been able to say that about a Swans team for a few years.

Bloods is back.