Swans v Saints: Positives & Negatives

[tbarker]

Yeah, it has been a frustrating year on a number of levels but the bolded pretty much sums me up too. From what I see, the gameplan involves playing on at ALL COSTS - no matter if the player you are handballing to is under pressure or not. I think we definitely needed to play on more after our previous coach had pretty much deemed that as a no-no but we simply do it all the time now, even if it is not to our advantage. And when we are in trouble, we go back and wide. I really hope that this is more a sign of where our list is at rather than it being instructions and that we will be looking to implement a better game plan in the coming years.

Great call Narkles. Jack Steven does it a lot and ends up doing a trade mark u-turn. Gotta knock that out of his game if he is to become elite. Also not sure about the quick handball backwards for the sake of it?? We did it heaps on the weekend instead of kicking it. Perhaps a ploy to maintain possession. Whatever it was - it killed our momentum.

 

[Rors]

Great call Narkles. Jack Steven does it a lot and ends up doing a trade mark u-turn. Gotta knock that out of his game if he is to become elite. Also not sure about the quick handball backwards for the sake of it?? We did it heaps on the weekend instead of kicking it. Perhaps a ploy to maintain possession. Whatever it was - it killed our momentum.

It just simply appears to me that our run & spread, which is definitely what we are trying to achieve, just doesn't cut it due to our relative inexperienced players at the elite level of the AFL. The spread of the Swans & Hawks over the last 2 weeks was great to watch & is the benchmark of the comp IMO. The first hand experience of our blokes seeing it before their own eyes is invaluable & will teach them that: First & foremost, your skills need to be up to scratch, otherwise ANY gameplan will fall to shit; Secondly, the run & spread is taxing & shows them the fitness levels that need to be achieved; Thirdly, I take a bit of heart knowing that sometime next year it will all click, I know it will because you can see a team like the Bulldogs with their focus on contested ball all year, has finally turned the corner & now the whole team has gelled.

Give it time, it will work. Afterall, to execute the run & spread, you need courage to take the game on.... And our youngsters have certainly shown us this year that they aren't short on courage

 

[karaoke]

It just simply appears to me that our run & spread, which is definitely what we are trying to achieve, just doesn't cut it due to our relative inexperienced players at the elite level of the AFL. The spread of the Swans & Hawks over the last 2 weeks was great to watch & is the benchmark of the comp IMO. The first hand experience of our blokes seeing it before their own eyes is invaluable & will teach them that: First & foremost, your skills need to be up to scratch, otherwise ANY gameplan will fall to shit; Secondly, the run & spread is taxing & shows them the fitness levels that need to be achieved; Thirdly, I take a bit of heart knowing that sometime next year it will all click, I know it will because you can see a team like the Bulldogs with their focus on contested ball all year, has finally turned the corner & now the whole team has gelled.

Give it time, it will work. Afterall, to execute the run & spread, you need courage to take the game on.... And our youngsters have certainly shown us this year that they aren't short on courage

+1

 

[tbarker]

It just simply appears to me that our run & spread, which is definitely what we are trying to achieve, just doesn't cut it due to our relative inexperienced players at the elite level of the AFL. The spread of the Swans & Hawks over the last 2 weeks was great to watch & is the benchmark of the comp IMO. The first hand experience of our blokes seeing it before their own eyes is invaluable & will teach them that: First & foremost, your skills need to be up to scratch, otherwise ANY gameplan will fall to shit; Secondly, the run & spread is taxing & shows them the fitness levels that need to be achieved; Thirdly, I take a bit of heart knowing that sometime next year it will all click, I know it will because you can see a team like the Bulldogs with their focus on contested ball all year, has finally turned the corner & now the whole team has gelled.

Give it time, it will work. Afterall, to execute the run & spread, you need courage to take the game on.... And our youngsters have certainly shown us this year that they aren't short on courage

Yeah - I hope you are correct and is the reason that I am willing to wait it out.

 

[JMan5]

I was on Sydney's Preview thread during the match and they were shocked in the first quarter. I was glad to see you guys stay with Sydney for the first quarter. If only you could keep wih them for the whole game.

 

[NarklesHelmet]

It just simply appears to me that our run & spread, which is definitely what we are trying to achieve, just doesn't cut it due to our relative inexperienced players at the elite level of the AFL. The spread of the Swans & Hawks over the last 2 weeks was great to watch & is the benchmark of the comp IMO. The first hand experience of our blokes seeing it before their own eyes is invaluable & will teach them that: First & foremost, your skills need to be up to scratch, otherwise ANY gameplan will fall to shit; Secondly, the run & spread is taxing & shows them the fitness levels that need to be achieved; Thirdly, I take a bit of heart knowing that sometime next year it will all click, I know it will because you can see a team like the Bulldogs with their focus on contested ball all year, has finally turned the corner & now the whole team has gelled.

Give it time, it will work. Afterall, to execute the run & spread, you need courage to take the game on.... And our youngsters have certainly shown us this year that they aren't short on courage

Good points, agree with it all, especially the bolded. The main thing I can decipher from watching us this year as that the coaching have basically told them "play on at all costs, you will not be dragged or yelled at if it doesn't work" so that the players become immune to it being a scary thing to do... building their courage so to speak. Hopefully, we will see this bear fruit when these young guys play 100 games. We will be a really exciting team if this comes off as well.

 

[Rors]

Good points, agree with it all, especially the bolded. The main thing I can decipher from watching us this year as that the coaching have basically told them "play on at all costs, you will not be dragged or yelled at if it doesn't work" so that the players become immune to it being a scary thing to do... building their courage so to speak. Hopefully, we will see this bear fruit when these young guys play 100 games. We will be a really exciting team if this comes off as well.

This is exactly what I mean. Look at our kids this year, they've never backed down. We've had Newnes break his jaw trying to intimidate the one of the most intimidating players in the league in Dean Brogan. We've had Nathan Wright get dropped behind play by a late bump that broke his jaw & he was back out there 3 weeks later. We've had Saunders making searching runs through the midfield time & time again. We've had Murdoch plucking solid contested marks against much older more experienced defenders. We've got a Sandy B&F winner at 20 years of age in Tom Curren come into the team in the last 5 weeks & he's avg 13 touches a game, & kept a near Norm Smith medallist to 16 while he had 20 himself...

I could go on & on but I don't need to, because NONE of them have looked out of place.... Exciting times ahead I feel!

 

[Persevering Saint]

What's TC's stats, if we take Geelong out of the equation, as a bit of an anomaly?

 

[Sunshine Saint]

I'd just like to say in your face to those that doubted him

Not a matter of either group being wrong actually. Those who trusted that Watters and assistants that they knew what they were doing and that Curren needed more time, have been vindicated. And those who said that Curren was an AFL quality player have also been vindicated by his games in the AFL.

Win, Win, Win.

 

[SaintLex]

What's TC's stats, if we take Geelong out of the equation, as a bit of an anomaly?

Average: 16 disposals, 9.5 kicks, 6.5 handballs, 2 tackles, 3.25 marks, 3.25 I50s

*This is with a sub affected first game

 

[Periphery]

Average: 16 disposals, 9.5 kicks, 6.5 handballs, 2 tackles, 3.25 marks, 3.25 I50s

*This is with a sub affected first game

And if you count the 3 games he has played in full it gets even better, it is a small sample size but it is a very, very good start. If he plays the next 2 games at the same level as he has started with then I can't wait to see what he will do next year with another preseason under his belt.

 

[Persevering Saint]

Not a matter of either group being wrong actually. Those who trusted that Watters and assistants that they knew what they were doing and that Curren needed more time, have been vindicated. And those who said that Curren was an AFL quality player have also been vindicated by his games in the AFL.

Win, Win, Win.

Respectfully disagree. I think the delay in playing Curren has been detrimental on two levels.

Firstly, I'd much rather he was going to come in to 2014 as a 15 game player than a 6.5 game player. Developmentally, he could be so much further along.

Secondly, Curren's abilities, that he has already shown at AFL level, would have been immensely valuable for the team, especially at times where we were lacking the very kind of attributes he's shown since entering the team.

Watters hesitation cost a bit there.

 

[Nutsngum]

Looking at the stats, Curren was INCREDIBLY unlucky (and frankly, should have gotten imo) to miss out on the rising star nomination. He didn't have as many disposals as Viney but his DE% was a lot better and he had two more scoring shots.

 

[Sunshine Saint]

Respectfully disagree. I think the delay in playing Curren has been detrimental on two levels.

Firstly, I'd much rather he was going to come in to 2014 as a 15 game player than a 6.5 game player. Developmentally, he could be so much further along.

Secondly, Curren's abilities, that he has already shown at AFL level, would have been immensely valuable for the team, especially at times where we were lacking the very kind of attributes he's shown since entering the team.

Watters hesitation cost a bit there.

Percy I see it like the painter, sculptor, actor, or musician who bursting upon their respective scene to become an "overnight success", who says, I have spent xx years practicing and honing my craft, to become this overnight success.

Curren like most of the youth at Geelong have had to learn and hone their skills, for a period of time, to become this overnight success.

Therefore outstanding development.

 

[Rors]

Percy I see it like the painter, sculptor, actor, or musician who bursting upon their respective scene to become an "overnight success", who says, I have spent xx years practicing and honing my craft, to become this overnight success.

Curren like most of the youth at Geelong have had to learn and hone their skills, for a period of time, to become this overnight success.

Therefore outstanding development.

... and the great willingness to train harder than anyone to better himself

 

[Squizz]

Maybe he could have played a week or two earlier, but I think overall it has been a positive. Notwithstanding the B&F win, Curren is a better (more rounded) player now than he was last year - and even earlier this year. His kicking has improved, and I note Simon McPhee's comments from early July :

"He’s racking up big numbers now but I reckon this was probably his best game from an impact point of view. He was striking hard at the ball and using his legs.”

Watters paid tribute when he got elevated that (as a third year rookie) he had continued to improve and develop his game.

He has extra pre-seasons under his belt (and the extra years of senior footy form part of his development).

 

[Baldur]

Another week much the same. Can hold a good team for one, be almost good enough for two but there is always one quarter when our mids turn into traffic cones and the goals rocket.

Blake and Gilbert helped our backline structure. Steven and Curren the pick of the young players. Milne looks cooked and was a poor choice for sub anyway. He is not and never was the sort of player that would make a good sub.