Analysis Swans General Performance 2024

[Kiama Chris]

Having a little think about the turning points that have led us to our current performance level. All of these points have been raised at different times and places by astute posters but I felt like rounding them up.
1) Some down years coinciding with good academy crops that yielded us a good draft mob so we have a core of good young players coming through together.
2) Some changes in coaching staff (Pike et al) that seem to have helped Horse improve our game plan and execution.
3) Some changes in fitness and high performance staff. New facilities.
4) One of the best trade years the club has had in recent memory.
a) Grundy who has helped in three ways: competitive ruck, big bodied mid, giving confidence in the midfield.
b) JJ, Adams and Hamling have all contributed to seniors and depth as highly competent players and good citizens.
c) We have as much quality depth as we have ever had.
5) Buddy's retirement has forced us to be a multifaceted attacking side. We are averaging 105pts per game. No stars, all soldiers.
6) Perhaps a little contentious but the accidents that took Mills and Parker out of the picture. Would we have reshaped the midfield without that? I doubt it. The old cloud with a silver lining.
7) In this environment a number of players beyond the obvious are having (arguably) personal best seasons: Melican, Fox, Wicks, Roberts, Florent, Amartey.
All to the extent where we are wondering where Parker, in particular, might fit (Mills less so).
That's my take on how we got to where we are. You could probably add the COVID hubs, the experiences of 2022 and 2023 (good and bad) and having a good preseason and not be wrong.

 

[Millky95]

Out of a possible 360 votes given per game in the Coaches Award, our top 3 (Heeney, Warner and Gulden) have scored 183 of them, or 50.8%. Out of a maximum 120 for getting 10 votes in a game, Heeney is on 80.

 

[Callipygian]

It is so enjoyable to be performing so well. As I watched the replay of our victory on the weekend (having been there in person on the day) I thought: this really brings joy to my life. Because I'm pretty invested, it actually does put a bit of spring in my step and a crease in my cheek as I go about my day despite it being just a game.

I'm trying my best to savour the success and enjoy the glow because the shadow of this sunshine feeling is the increased expectations, and the sense that anything less than a flag this year is going to be crushing. After losing 3 grand finals in a row, I crave the reward of a flag. I desperately want to see my hero Rampe retire with a premiership medallion after he has given so much. (Although hopefully it's not the be all and end all for him. He'll still have been a great player whatever happens.) There will be lots of other great stories too, especially for the players who have been playing longer. Provided we win.

 

[RUNVS]

I love how the Swans are playing but I wish we would fix our bad starts. Continually giving up the first 3 or 4 goals is not great. We don't want to do that in finals.

 

[Kiama Chris]

It is so enjoyable to be performing so well. As I watched the replay of our victory on the weekend (having been there in person on the day) I thought: this really brings joy to my life. Because I'm pretty invested, it actually does put a bit of spring in my step and a crease in my cheek as I go about my day despite it being just a game.

I'm trying my best to savour the success and enjoy the glow because the shadow of this sunshine feeling is the increased expectations, and the sense that anything less than a flag this year is going to be crushing. After losing 3 grand finals in a row, I crave the reward of a flag. I desperately want to see my hero Rampe retire with a premiership medallion after he has given so much. (Although hopefully it's not the be all and end all for him. He'll still have been a great player whatever happens.) There will be lots of other great stories too, especially for the players who have been playing longer. Provided we win.

I bumped Rampe's dad at a Ressies game year before last (posted it) at a time many were expecting Rampe to retire. He said that Dane was very fit and still hoped for a premiership.

 

[DeathlyAccurate]

It is so enjoyable to be performing so well. As I watched the replay of our victory on the weekend (having been there in person on the day) I thought: this really brings joy to my life. Because I'm pretty invested, it actually does put a bit of spring in my step and a crease in my cheek as I go about my day despite it being just a game.

I'm trying my best to savour the success and enjoy the glow because the shadow of this sunshine feeling is the increased expectations, and the sense that anything less than a flag this year is going to be crushing. After losing 3 grand finals in a row, I crave the reward of a flag. I desperately want to see my hero Rampe retire with a premiership medallion after he has given so much. (Although hopefully it's not the be all and end all for him. He'll still have been a great player whatever happens.) There will be lots of other great stories too, especially for the players who have been playing longer. Provided we win. [emoji1696][emoji120]

This is so honest. I love this!

You’re absolutely right in saying it adds to your general mood throughout the day. So many of us are so invested in the success and failures of a group of guys running around who are doing it for a living while we barrack tirelessly simply because of the jumper they wear.

I try to push it back when we’re not doing so well because life can’t hinge on the success of the Swans but bloody hell I’ll celebrate our next flag harder than any other.

The players need this and we as fans perhaps need it even more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Callipygian]

I bumped Rampe's dad at a Ressies game year before last (posted it) at a time many were expecting Rampe to retire. He said that Dane was very fit and still hoped for a premiership.

I remember that post (although not the details of its content)! Great to know his dad is invested too. Did you recognise him or just strike up conversation coincidentally?

 

[Kiama Chris]

This is so honest. I love this!

You’re absolutely right in saying it adds to your general mood throughout the day. So many of us are so invested in the success and failures of a group of guys running around who are doing it for a living while we barrack tirelessly simply because of the jumper they wear.

I try to push it back when we’re not doing so well because life can’t hinge on the success of the Swans but bloody hell I’ll celebrate our next flag harder than any other.

The players need this and we as fans perhaps need it even more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's been my view for over 50 years that club sports are a substitute for tribes and the games for war. We sublimate a lot of our urges and invest a lot of our emotions. A very human thing to do and IMO very healthy (except for Pies fans).

 

[Kiama Chris]

I remember that post (although not the details of its content)! Great to know his dad is invested too. Did you recognise him or just strike up conversation coincidentally?

He was standing behind me (I on my stool) with a friend chatting about this and that. At Tramways before the main game. I cut in on something they said and joined in the conversation. The friend wandered off and we kept going. The conversation got to Rampe and I expressed concern that he would retire soon. He said no, he was very fit and healthy, would go at least another 2 years and hoped to lead the club to another premiership. I asked how he knew. Cue me gobsmacked. Turns out he was right. Dane fit as, playing well and a premiership definitely possible.

 

[Millky95]

He was standing behind me (I on my stool) with a friend chatting about this and that. At Tramways before the main game. I cut in on something they said and joined in the conversation. The friend wandered off and we kept going. The conversation got to Rampe and I expressed concern that he would retire soon. He said no, he was very fit and healthy, would go at least another 2 years and hoped to lead the club to another premiership. I asked how he knew. Cue me gobsmacked. Turns out he was right. Dane fit as, playing well and a premiership definitely possible.

I do lowkey think Rampe going down (and Cunningham being out with concussion) cost us the Richmond game. I was shocked when Rampe came straight back in without a run in the 2s but he did not need it at all

 

[Jewelsbon]

It is so enjoyable to be performing so well. As I watched the replay of our victory on the weekend (having been there in person on the day) I thought: this really brings joy to my life. Because I'm pretty invested, it actually does put a bit of spring in my step and a crease in my cheek as I go about my day despite it being just a game.

I'm trying my best to savour the success and enjoy the glow because the shadow of this sunshine feeling is the increased expectations, and the sense that anything less than a flag this year is going to be crushing. After losing 3 grand finals in a row, I crave the reward of a flag. I desperately want to see my hero Rampe retire with a premiership medallion after he has given so much. (Although hopefully it's not the be all and end all for him. He'll still have been a great player whatever happens.) There will be lots of other great stories too, especially for the players who have been playing longer. Provided we win.

This is so honest. I love this!

You’re absolutely right in saying it adds to your general mood throughout the day. So many of us are so invested in the success and failures of a group of guys running around who are doing it for a living while we barrack tirelessly simply because of the jumper they wear.

I try to push it back when we’re not doing so well because life can’t hinge on the success of the Swans but bloody hell I’ll celebrate our next flag harder than any other.

The players need this and we as fans perhaps need it even more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wish I could love these two posts more
Absolutely describes me and my love and attachment to this team and how their success directly affects me and my moods to a tee.
I'm going to show these to my husband so he can see I'm not the only one!

 

[Kiama Chris]

I do lowkey think Rampe going down (and Cunningham being out with concussion) cost us the Richmond game. I was shocked when Rampe came straight back in without a run in the 2s but he did not need it at all

The improvement in our back 6 when he came back was quite noticeable. We will miss him when he retires. Unique.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

This is so honest. I love this!

You’re absolutely right in saying it adds to your general mood throughout the day. So many of us are so invested in the success and failures of a group of guys running around who are doing it for a living while we barrack tirelessly simply because of the jumper they wear.

I try to push it back when we’re not doing so well because life can’t hinge on the success of the Swans but bloody hell I’ll celebrate our next flag harder than any other.

The players need this and we as fans perhaps need it even more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wonder if the players follow another sporting code and feel the same way!

 

[liz]

The improvement in our back 6 when he came back was quite noticeable. We will miss him when he retires. Unique.

We will, but like all great players we will move on as they move on.

I remember our first game after Craig Bolton got injured. It would turn out to be the end of his career. Our defence was a fumbling, hesitant mess. I exchanged fears with those sitting around me. "So this is what life without Bolton will be like?"

That was in round 5 2010. (Yes, I did have to go and look that up.) He didn't retire immediately, but didn't play another game after sustaining a bad ankle injury in the following pre-season.

Yet we still qualified for finals in both 2010 and 2011, and the following year won a premiership.

While I was still a relative noobie AFL fan, I remember being terrified of life (or football) after Plugger. And then football after Kelly. I eventually realised that the retirement of one player is never the end, but those fears still nagged away a little as Goodes approached the end of his career. Now I can feel sad when one of my favourites is approaching the end, but still remain optimistic that a replacement will seamlessly emerge.

 

[dosser]

We will, but like all great players we will move on as they move on.

I remember our first game after Craig Bolton got injured. It would turn out to be the end of his career. Our defence was a fumbling, hesitant mess. I exchanged fears with those sitting around me. "So this is what life without Bolton will be like?"

That was in round 5 2010. (Yes, I did have to go and look that up.) He didn't retire immediately, but didn't play another game after sustaining a bad ankle injury in the following pre-season.

Yet we still qualified for finals in both 2010 and 2011, and the following year won a premiership.

While I was still a relative noobie AFL fan, I remember being terrified of life (or football) after Plugger. And then football after Kelly. I eventually realised that the retirement of one player is never the end, but those fears still nagged away a little as Goodes approached the end of his career. Now I can feel sad when one of my favourites is approaching the end, but still remain optimistic that a replacement will seamlessly emerge.

I can only imagine what life will be like after Buddy retires. I've been listening to the commentary every game this year and I think he is still playing.

 

[Kiama Chris]

I can only imagine what life will be like after Buddy retires. I've been listening to the commentary every game this year and I think he is still playing.

I think we prepared remarkably well and had some luck too. For me the last pieces are Buller's back recovering fully and Chad and Logan re-signing.
Another good draft crop over the next few years will be the icing on the cake, especially if we can snag a young KPF. Tall backs are looking good. Midfield good. Another small forward coming through will be fantastic, whether it's Konstanty or A.N.Other.
Reckon KB can retire with a smile on his dial.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

We will, but like all great players we will move on as they move on.

I remember our first game after Craig Bolton got injured. It would turn out to be the end of his career. Our defence was a fumbling, hesitant mess. I exchanged fears with those sitting around me. "So this is what life without Bolton will be like?"

That was in round 5 2010. (Yes, I did have to go and look that up.) He didn't retire immediately, but didn't play another game after sustaining a bad ankle injury in the following pre-season.

Yet we still qualified for finals in both 2010 and 2011, and the following year won a premiership.

While I was still a relative noobie AFL fan, I remember being terrified of life (or football) after Plugger. And then football after Kelly. I eventually realised that the retirement of one player is never the end, but those fears still nagged away a little as Goodes approached the end of his career. Now I can feel sad when one of my favourites is approaching the end, but still remain optimistic that a replacement will seamlessly emerge.

Craig Bolton was a great of our Club and like heaps i mourned his injury caused retirement.

Craig famously developed (and slept rough to road test) a light, robust, waterproof and warm swag for folk experiencing homelessness. Such a good person.

 

[caesar88]

Saw on Facebook that we'd beaten every top 8 opponent we've faced this year by an average of 37 points, which is absurd.

It got me thinking about our wins, and so I thought I would rank them from worst to best.

11. Western Bulldogs - Don't really think anything else needs to be said about this one lol. Horse was going apeshit throughout and Beatson tore the performance to shreds on the True Bloods podcast. Moving along...

10. West Coast - Hindsight has made this one not look as bad as it felt on the day. It was the start of a mini-resurgence of form for them and we responded to their challenge and took care of them without really leaving second gear.

9. Fremantle - 10.1 vs 1.10 probably tells the story. A big win on the scoreboard that probably didn't reflect the circumstances of the game.

8. Gold Coast - I was actually really impressed with this win at the time, especially how we handled their highly-contested midfield, but yeah Gold Coast's form away from home is terrible, so hard to read this victory.

7. Essendon - A five goal win over a current top 4 side would normally be much higher on a list like this, but we did concede our highest score for the year, which I don't think would've impressed Horse.

6. Melbourne - Got our year off to a good start and was won the same way so many of our games have been won this year. A tough battle early on and eventually just wrestling our way over the top of our opponents to run away with it.

5. Hawthorn - Aside from the fact Hawthorn now actually look like a decent team, even if they weren't a decent team at the time, we did what we had to do against a poor team and flogged them for our biggest margin of the year. Either is impressive.

4. Geelong - I think there's a tendency to be enamoured with come-from-behind victories because they show a lot of character and produce such strong emotions within games. We were class, but I prefer not to be 6 goals down in the first place.

3. Collingwood - Reigning premiers on their home deck in front of our biggest H&A crowd in god knows how long, and we just came out and knocked them out of the park from the very first bounce. It was more an assault than a win.

2. GWS - This win was cool because it could basically be broken down by the four quarters: Challenged in the first, responded in the second, fought in the third, and dominated in the fourth. Just brilliant.

1. Carlton - This one was basically the GWS game on steroids, but I give this one an even higher mark because I think Carlton are a better team than GWS (they're our main contenders IMO), we dominated even more on the scoreboard, and we even got a centre bounce clinic that we Swans fans had been so starved of for years!

 

[TheGoatBaron]

Saw on Facebook that we'd beaten every top 8 opponent we've faced this year by an average of 37 points, which is absurd.

It got me thinking about our wins, and so I thought I would rank them from worst to best.

11. Western Bulldogs - Don't really think anything else needs to be said about this one lol. Horse was going apeshit throughout and Beatson tore the performance to shreds on the True Bloods podcast. Moving along...

10. West Coast - Hindsight has made this one not look as bad as it felt on the day. It was the start of a mini-resurgence of form for them and we responded to their challenge and took care of them without really leaving second gear.

9. Fremantle - 10.1 vs 1.10 probably tells the story. A big win on the scoreboard that probably didn't reflect the circumstances of the game.

8. Gold Coast - I was actually really impressed with this win at the time, especially how we handled their highly-contested midfield, but yeah Gold Coast's form away from home is terrible, so hard to read this victory.

7. Essendon - A five goal win over a current top 4 side would normally be much higher on a list like this, but we did concede our highest score for the year, which I don't think would've impressed Horse.

6. Melbourne - Got our year off to a good start and was won the same way so many of our games have been won this year. A tough battle early on and eventually just wrestling our way over the top of our opponents to run away with it.

5. Hawthorn - Aside from the fact Hawthorn now actually look like a decent team, even if they weren't a decent team at the time, we did what we had to do against a poor team and flogged them for our biggest margin of the year. Either is impressive.

4. Geelong - I think there's a tendency to be enamoured with come-from-behind victories because they show a lot of character and produce such strong emotions within games. We were class, but I prefer not to be 6 goals down in the first place.

3. Collingwood - Reigning premiers on their home deck in front of our biggest H&A crowd in god knows how long, and we just came out and knocked them out of the park from the very first bounce. It was more an assault than a win.

2. GWS - This win was cool because it could basically be broken down by the four quarters: Challenged in the first, responded in the second, fought in the third, and dominated in the fourth. Just brilliant.

1. Carlton - This one was basically the GWS game on steroids, but I give this one an even higher mark because I think Carlton are a better team than GWS (they're our main contenders IMO), we dominated even more on the scoreboard, and we even got a centre bounce clinic that we Swans fans had been so starved of for years!

The Carlton, Geelong and Collingwood wins are my top 3 so far. Great post though, well thought out. 5 golden goats for your effort King Caeser.

 

[Kirkswan]

Saw on Facebook that we'd beaten every top 8 opponent we've faced this year by an average of 37 points, which is absurd.

It got me thinking about our wins, and so I thought I would rank them from worst to best.

11. Western Bulldogs - Don't really think anything else needs to be said about this one lol. Horse was going apeshit throughout and Beatson tore the performance to shreds on the True Bloods podcast. Moving along...

10. West Coast - Hindsight has made this one not look as bad as it felt on the day. It was the start of a mini-resurgence of form for them and we responded to their challenge and took care of them without really leaving second gear.

9. Fremantle - 10.1 vs 1.10 probably tells the story. A big win on the scoreboard that probably didn't reflect the circumstances of the game.

8. Gold Coast - I was actually really impressed with this win at the time, especially how we handled their highly-contested midfield, but yeah Gold Coast's form away from home is terrible, so hard to read this victory.

7. Essendon - A five goal win over a current top 4 side would normally be much higher on a list like this, but we did concede our highest score for the year, which I don't think would've impressed Horse.

6. Melbourne - Got our year off to a good start and was won the same way so many of our games have been won this year. A tough battle early on and eventually just wrestling our way over the top of our opponents to run away with it.

5. Hawthorn - Aside from the fact Hawthorn now actually look like a decent team, even if they weren't a decent team at the time, we did what we had to do against a poor team and flogged them for our biggest margin of the year. Either is impressive.

4. Geelong - I think there's a tendency to be enamoured with come-from-behind victories because they show a lot of character and produce such strong emotions within games. We were class, but I prefer not to be 6 goals down in the first place.

3. Collingwood - Reigning premiers on their home deck in front of our biggest H&A crowd in god knows how long, and we just came out and knocked them out of the park from the very first bounce. It was more an assault than a win.

2. GWS - This win was cool because it could basically be broken down by the four quarters: Challenged in the first, responded in the second, fought in the third, and dominated in the fourth. Just brilliant.

1. Carlton - This one was basically the GWS game on steroids, but I give this one an even higher mark because I think Carlton are a better team than GWS (they're our main contenders IMO), we dominated even more on the scoreboard, and we even got a centre bounce clinic that we Swans fans had been so starved of for years!

Okay, you've convinced me... I need to go back and re-watch the Collingwood, GWS & Carlton games! 'Cause from my recollection, all three teams played poorly on the day... but perhaps that was a misconception, so I'll re-watch them!

(Give me something to do between now and tomorrow night, which seems to be taking forever to get here!)

 

[liz]

Okay, you've convinced me... I need to go back and re-watch the Collingwood, GWS & Carlton games! 'Cause from my recollection, all three teams played poorly on the day... but perhaps that was a misconception, so I'll re-watch them!

(Give me something to do between now and tomorrow night, which seems to be taking forever to get here!)

It's usually hard to discern whether the losing team plays poorly because they play poorly, or because their opponent plays well.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Saw on Facebook that we'd beaten every top 8 opponent we've faced this year by an average of 37 points, which is absurd.

It got me thinking about our wins, and so I thought I would rank them from worst to best.

11. Western Bulldogs - Don't really think anything else needs to be said about this one lol. Horse was going apeshit throughout and Beatson tore the performance to shreds on the True Bloods podcast. Moving along...

10. West Coast - Hindsight has made this one not look as bad as it felt on the day. It was the start of a mini-resurgence of form for them and we responded to their challenge and took care of them without really leaving second gear.

9. Fremantle - 10.1 vs 1.10 probably tells the story. A big win on the scoreboard that probably didn't reflect the circumstances of the game.

8. Gold Coast - I was actually really impressed with this win at the time, especially how we handled their highly-contested midfield, but yeah Gold Coast's form away from home is terrible, so hard to read this victory.

7. Essendon - A five goal win over a current top 4 side would normally be much higher on a list like this, but we did concede our highest score for the year, which I don't think would've impressed Horse.

6. Melbourne - Got our year off to a good start and was won the same way so many of our games have been won this year. A tough battle early on and eventually just wrestling our way over the top of our opponents to run away with it.

5. Hawthorn - Aside from the fact Hawthorn now actually look like a decent team, even if they weren't a decent team at the time, we did what we had to do against a poor team and flogged them for our biggest margin of the year. Either is impressive.

4. Geelong - I think there's a tendency to be enamoured with come-from-behind victories because they show a lot of character and produce such strong emotions within games. We were class, but I prefer not to be 6 goals down in the first place.

3. Collingwood - Reigning premiers on their home deck in front of our biggest H&A crowd in god knows how long, and we just came out and knocked them out of the park from the very first bounce. It was more an assault than a win.

2. GWS - This win was cool because it could basically be broken down by the four quarters: Challenged in the first, responded in the second, fought in the third, and dominated in the fourth. Just brilliant.

1. Carlton - This one was basically the GWS game on steroids, but I give this one an even higher mark because I think Carlton are a better team than GWS (they're our main contenders IMO), we dominated even more on the scoreboard, and we even got a centre bounce clinic that we Swans fans had been so starved of for years!

That is absolutely wild that first stat with the average winning margin there is nobody i mean nobody pre-season expected at this stage such dominance i would of been satisfied being in the logjam on 7 wins.

 

[Kiama Chris]

That is absolutely wild that first stat with the average winning margin there is nobody i mean nobody pre-season expected at this stage such dominance i would of been satisfied being in the logjam on 7 wins.

After the first two good wins I was hoping for 7-1 or 8-0. Saw no reason why not. I didn't expect the 1 to be Richmond.

 

[Callipygian]

Saw on Facebook that we'd beaten every top 8 opponent we've faced this year by an average of 37 points, which is absurd.

It got me thinking about our wins, and so I thought I would rank them from worst to best.

11. Western Bulldogs - Don't really think anything else needs to be said about this one lol. Horse was going apeshit throughout and Beatson tore the performance to shreds on the True Bloods podcast. Moving along...

10. West Coast - Hindsight has made this one not look as bad as it felt on the day. It was the start of a mini-resurgence of form for them and we responded to their challenge and took care of them without really leaving second gear.

9. Fremantle - 10.1 vs 1.10 probably tells the story. A big win on the scoreboard that probably didn't reflect the circumstances of the game.

8. Gold Coast - I was actually really impressed with this win at the time, especially how we handled their highly-contested midfield, but yeah Gold Coast's form away from home is terrible, so hard to read this victory.

7. Essendon - A five goal win over a current top 4 side would normally be much higher on a list like this, but we did concede our highest score for the year, which I don't think would've impressed Horse.

6. Melbourne - Got our year off to a good start and was won the same way so many of our games have been won this year. A tough battle early on and eventually just wrestling our way over the top of our opponents to run away with it.

5. Hawthorn - Aside from the fact Hawthorn now actually look like a decent team, even if they weren't a decent team at the time, we did what we had to do against a poor team and flogged them for our biggest margin of the year. Either is impressive.

4. Geelong - I think there's a tendency to be enamoured with come-from-behind victories because they show a lot of character and produce such strong emotions within games. We were class, but I prefer not to be 6 goals down in the first place.

3. Collingwood - Reigning premiers on their home deck in front of our biggest H&A crowd in god knows how long, and we just came out and knocked them out of the park from the very first bounce. It was more an assault than a win.

2. GWS - This win was cool because it could basically be broken down by the four quarters: Challenged in the first, responded in the second, fought in the third, and dominated in the fourth. Just brilliant.

1. Carlton - This one was basically the GWS game on steroids, but I give this one an even higher mark because I think Carlton are a better team than GWS (they're our main contenders IMO), we dominated even more on the scoreboard, and we even got a centre bounce clinic that we Swans fans had been so starved of for years!

Nice. For mine, you've got Hawthorn and Essendon too high and Bulldogs too low. Otherwise pretty good job.

 

[Kirkswan]

It's usually hard to discern whether the losing team plays poorly because they play poorly, or because their opponent plays well.

True, and I'm certainly no expert...

I've watched the Collingwood game, and I just think they were off... some of that was down to us, but some of it was just seemed like they were underdone. Their pressure was off, their connections were off, even their hand passing and kicking was off. We played well, but nothing like the way we're playing now... our pressure was up and down.

I've also watched the Suns game, and they were making the exuberant youth mistakes that we were a year or two ago. The longer the game went, the better we got (which seems to be a theme at this point) but again, our pressure was up and down. There was no Rampe in this game, and Blakey really stood up... so did Roberts, and it was McCartin's first game back and he was solid as a rock!

That's not to put us down, I think we have got better as the season progressed and I absolutely love watching us play.

Re-watching these early games has shown me how much they are training and developing McDonald and Amartey (and McLean to a lesser extent) during games, alternating their roles, having them play high on the F50, then back in the square; one marking, the other covering/blocking for them. Same with Wicks and Hayward... and Papley has certainly been banged up for a considerable part of the season. The backs have played without Rampe, without McCartin, with Francis and Campbell playing roles as required, with Lloyd, Fox and McInerney playing roles down back as and when required, with only Melican playing the same role week in and week out. Obviouly, the same can be said of our mids... The commentators talk about tweaking the team to ensure that we are unpredictable in the back half of the season, but it seems to me, they obviously haven't really been watching, as it appears we've been doing that the whole season. Even Grundy plays two roles at all times, ruck and mid...

It seems astounding to me that we are playing so well, and yet every game is a training and development session. My respect for the coaching group and the players has ratcheted up another few notches, and I feel fairly certain that regardless of injury, our style (game plan) will hold up.

caesar88, I get that its a personal preference, but the Collingwood game is a hard for me to get excited about. If we beat them up in round 22, then I'll be ecstatic, but the round 1 game, I just though they looked off. The Carlton game, I'm on board with as our best game of the season, although they had injuries during the game and played it out short manned. I loved the way we continued to put the foot on the gas all the way to the end (which has been a solid feature of our game this year!).

This is our run home, with the bolded being those currently in the 8; and those in red being the teams that are likely to test us, and if they play well enough on the day, stand a chance of beating us. Mind you, I'm not expecting to lose any of these games... I just think these teams could on their day, with Freemantle and Brisbane having the game plans most likely to upset ours. caesar88, what do you think?

Adelaide, GWS, Freemantle, St Kilda, North, Brisbane, Bulldogs, Port, Collingwood, Essendon, Adelaide.

EDIT: Bloody hell, I didn't this post was so long... sorry all... I was just kind of thinking and typing...