Autopsy Swans Vs Dees Rnd 4

[Kirkswan]

Morning... am apologising this morning for any bitchiness yesterday. Crappy, crappy day!

So, another slow start to the year, with the Tigers, Giants and Lions to come. Our best can match it with any of them I think, but consistency is going to be the issue this year for me. We need full effort for four quarters from all.

 

[momentbymoment]

Llyod had a bad game, not need to go overboard IMHO - it happens, though pretty rarely for him. I'd much rather have him than not atm, and I advocated trading him at the end of last year to GC for one of their high pics. (Obviously I meant Port - cause their pics are doing much better).

Given the state of the Tigers atm we can do them - though it would have helped if Dusty had of gotten the two weeks he deserved.

KJ and McInerney should be both better for the run (I hope they stick with him, may as well give him a block of 3 games and see)
Thurlow couldn't possibly play worse - that was plain weird given he's looked solid enough to date.
Reid and Buddy should kick a couple each - surely they don't play as badly.
Based on this game I think a game in the NEAFL to remind Blakey how to collect the footy is in order - should give him a rest too and get him prepped for another block of games in the 1s.
I wouldn't mind seeing either Rose or Rowbottom in next week. Definitely the latter if Parker is too banged up. He was very lucky not to have a broken ankle/leg after that tackle.

McInerney got one touch and did little else .... Let’s not double down on this mistake. Give him a year in the ressies and then reassess.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Morning... am apologising this morning for any bitchiness yesterday. Crappy, crappy day!

So, another slow start to the year, with the Tigers, Giants and Lions to come. Our best can match it with any of them I think, but consistency is going to be the issue this year for me. We need full effort for four quarters from all.

hahaha... no need for apologies. Everyone has crappy days and most esp me can get cranky. Still the nice thing about this place is it remains pretty civil and the debates are often very interesting.

On the issue of effort, I don't doubt the lads put in to the best of their ability. Try as he might Sinkers could not grow another 6-8cms and find unknown leap in his legs to compete with Gawn.

I think after half time we went into our shells and that coincided with a 'protect the lead' mentality. I do not believe it was a fitness issue, though KJ looked knackered by half time and a couple of others had copped knocks.

I understand your point about the need for 4 quarter effort. Watching our games I sometimes think the effort is not there. I am mistaken. Those periods coincide with our park the bus strategy when the other mob is on top and we lose intent to play the direct and creative footy that helps us be competitive.

Anyways cheer up. There is an interesting ressies game on today.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

McInerney got one touch and did little else .... Let’s not double down on this mistake. Give him a year in the ressies and then reassess.

Harsh. Dropping him now would leave the kid in parlous shape and do the team a disservice. I think he should get a least another game and be encouraged to get some cheapie handpasses and show how he can use his pace to the team's advantage.

 

[Kirkswan]

hahaha... no need for apologies. Everyone has crappy days and most esp me can get cranky. Still the nice thing about this place is it remains pretty civil and the debates are often very interesting.

On the issue of effort, I don't doubt the lads put in to the best of their ability. Try as he might Sinkers could not grow another 6-8cms and find unknown leap in his legs to compete with Gawn.

I think after half time we went into our shells and that coincided with a 'protect the lead' mentality. I do not believe it was a fitness issue, though KJ looked knackered by half time and a couple of others had copped knocks.

I understand your point about the need for 4 quarter effort. Watching our games I sometimes think the effort is not there. I am mistaken. Those periods coincide with our park the bus strategy when the other mob is on top and we lose intent to play the direct and creative footy that helps us be competitive.

Anyways cheer up. There is an interesting ressies game on today.

I agree that our boys are always putting in effort is there, it's the level of effort. If you're a bit short on match fitness, then it can be a difficult hill to climb...

 

[Skhilton14]

Harsh. Dropping him now would leave the kid in parlous shape and do the team a disservice. I think he should get a least another game and be encouraged to get some cheapie handpasses and show how he can use his pace to the team's advantage.

I agree. Leave him in and let him find his feet. He actually got in some good positions on Thursday night but we couldn’t deliver the ball to him. Maybe if we play him off HB/wing which is, to my understanding, his natural position, then we will see more of why we drafted him.

 

[Skhilton14]

I agree that our boys are always putting in effort is there, it's the level of effort. If you're a bit short on match fitness, then it can be a difficult hill to climb...

If it is match fitness then it’s pretty disgraceful that it’s been so poor for a few years now and it hasn’t been rectified. Is this perhaps an issue related Tom Harley’s re arranging of the structure of the fitness/medical team when he was GM of football?

I also wonder if it’s a mindset issue early in the season, almost like our players need extra incentive for the rest of the year to go out and win games.

 

[RUNVS]

You get a "like" just for the effort.

It paints a picture of Parker of a very consistent midfielder. You know exactly what you're going to get. What this doesn't illustrate is how hard he is at the ball or the man with the ball. Harder than a pr0n star in a hot tub.

Problem is that 22 to 25 disposals was great in 1990, but we have moved on since then and Parker just doesn't have enough games where he gets into the 30's.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

I still cannot bring myself to watch Jose's presser. Was there anything of interest?

 

[TheMase]

Just noticed that McInerney had 19 pressure acts which was equal 5th for the Swans (Jones, Kennedy, Parker, Cunningham ahead and equal with Heeney). Didn’t get much of the ball but his effort off the ball was at worst solid.

 

[Superstar swan]

One thing that is noticable is that heeney has matured physically...while not massive he is carved out of stone and looks "hardened"...ready to take over not only the club but the league

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

As someone who would rather stab a fork into my own eye than have anything to do with that induced coma masquerading as the world's most popular "sport", can somebody please explain the Jose Horsey nickname to me? Thanks a bunch.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

How is it that other teams are able to play a fast brand of football whilst still producing turnovers and making skill errors but they don’t get themselves into a rut like we seem to where we go from ultra attacking to seemingly stagnant.

These players are human beings so other teams obviously make errors too but can still go on to score, maintain their attacking style, defend the ground, etc.

It seems like we play one half of exciting footy and then completely shift. Or we begin stagnant and then break free. Look at the bulldogs game, it was our second half where we played exciting footy—that doesn’t correspond with your fitness argument, shouldn’t our fitness have been worse after half time? It indicates alternative direction from the coaching staff IMO.

Why there seems to be such a hesitation to back the players in for the full game, or perhaps the players don’t back themselves in and automatically shift to a defensive mindset, is frustrating as a supporter. The way we play is uncertain.

I recognise that our youth produces inconsistencies, but can they do so to such a degree that produces this huge gulf between our best footy and our worst? I’m not so sure.

Very good post.

 

[caesar88]

Harsh. Dropping him now would leave the kid in parlous shape and do the team a disservice. I think he should get a least another game and be encouraged to get some cheapie handpasses and show how he can use his pace to the team's advantage.

Or risk another game like Thursday and knock his confidence? No buenos. He’s had a taste of AFL footy, he’s now more aware of the gulf between the reserves and the highest level and can now go to the NEAFL to work on improving in those areas. It was a mistake to play him, I’m sure even Horse would concede he made the wrong call there, so why drag the mistake out for another week? I’d rather we pretend it never happened, it wasn’t really his debut and he will get his chance at a proper debut in the near future.

 

[mikey_san]

McInerney got one touch and did little else .... Let’s not double down on this mistake. Give him a year in the ressies and then reassess.

That's simply not true - he got two other touches in contested situations and won 2 free kicks because of it. Was also robbed of another when the D ran out of bounds under pressure from him and should have been penalised.
Yep he wasn't confident enough to run to space and demand the ball when he should of....wouldn't mind if he got another chance this weekend with instruction to do just that. Like Florent in his first year some of the senior guys also looked straight through him when assessing options on the mark - they need to learn to trust the guys put out on the field - other teams do far more than us. Perhaps we missed the pointing skills of McV on the weekend. Ollie will need to develop that quick despite being young if he is to take McV's role.

Understand if they don't go that path though as they'll be under pressure now to scrap a win rather than develop the players they need to.

I'd give Blakey a rest - get him putting up some stats for a game in the NEAFL - and bring in another player more able to get the footy to balance the team.
Good list management to give all these kids a run via rotation - without overloading them, or the team IMHO.

 

[Dubsforsam1]

How is it that other teams are able to play a fast brand of football whilst still producing turnovers and making skill errors but they don’t get themselves into a rut like we seem to where we go from ultra attacking to seemingly stagnant.

These players are human beings so other teams obviously make errors too but can still go on to score, maintain their attacking style, defend the ground, etc.

It seems like we play one half of exciting footy and then completely shift. Or we begin stagnant and then break free. Look at the bulldogs game, it was our second half where we played exciting footy—that doesn’t correspond with your fitness argument, shouldn’t our fitness have been worse after half time? It indicates alternative direction from the coaching staff IMO.

Why there seems to be such a hesitation to back the players in for the full game, or perhaps the players don’t back themselves in and automatically shift to a defensive mindset, is frustrating as a supporter. The way we play is uncertain.

I recognise that our youth produces inconsistencies, but can they do so to such a degree that produces this huge gulf between our best footy and our worst? I’m not so sure.

Did you see while we were on top Melbourne kicking 4.2 from 6 I50's with a number of the goals coming from us missing free unmarked players with 20m kicks? What would you be saying if we didn't do what any other team does in that circumstance and try to slow the game down/defend and we let them kick another 4/5 goals very quickly?
In the 2nd half Gawn/Oliver etc started to dominate a lot more which meant we didn't have as much ball (smashed in contested possession etc).

But hey it was the defensive game plan that enabled Jones to score 3 goals, Petracca to screw one over the shoulder from 45m etc whilst Buddy miss from dead in front of the posts.

 

[BruceFromBalnarring]

Agree bad kicking = bad footy, however I thought through Gawn's dominance that they were the better team on the night and to some extent we were flattered by the margin.

I wrote an essay at the end of last season about the importance of Naismith and Tippett (and Reid) and the consequent affect their absence has on our midfield. I think that was exposed in more dramatic fashion on Thursday night. Reid spilled marks and Sinclair was dominated in the ruck. The faitigue that leads to in our mids was plain to see and exaggerated by the poor kicking for goal and the 5 day break.

These aren't excuses, they are explanations. Reid clunks his marks early and that is three or four sprints the mids don't have to make. Everyone kicks straight and that's scoreboard pressure. If you don't make the best of your opportunities early in those games then the faitigue will tell in the end.

There was a game last year, it might have been the Bombers, where to me it seemed we went all out attack early and failed to capitalise and fell away in the second half. In this case it was after successive 6 day breaks.

 

[caesar88]

That's simply not true - he got two other touches in contested situations and won 2 free kicks because of it. Was also robbed of another when the D ran out of bounds under pressure from him and should have been penalised.
Yep he wasn't confident enough to run to space and demand the ball when he should of....wouldn't mind if he got another chance this weekend with instruction to do just that. Like Florent in his first year some of the senior guys also looked straight through him when assessing options on the mark - they need to learn to trust the guys put out on the field - other teams do far more than us. Perhaps we missed the pointing skills of McV on the weekend. Ollie will need to develop that quick despite being young if he is to take McV's role.

Understand if they don't go that path though as they'll be under pressure now to scrap a win rather than develop the players they need to.

I'd give Blakey a rest - get him putting up some stats for a game in the NEAFL - and bring in another player more able to get the footy to balance the team.
Good list management to give all these kids a run via rotation - without overloading them, or the team IMHO.

If McInerney is dropped, guarantee it would be for his development, not so the team can win. He was not over-awed. He got into good positions, he worked hard in situations where he couldn’t find the footy, as Mase suggested above. Yet he only had 1 possession. He was a boy amongst men and anyone who watched the NEAFL would not have been surprised by that. He is very clearly not ready for senior footy, and to have him anywhere but in the reserves where he can play a blinder and gain confidence would be to his own detriment.

 

[Wolfgang West]

Geelong is also looking like a top 2 team.

So that makes them more capable physically to handle a 5 day break and still win ???? Book of excuses and argument for them get more exaggerated by the day on this Board.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

So that makes them more capable physically to handle a 5 day break and still win ???? Book of excuses and argument for them get more exaggerated by the day on this Board.

Yes cause they are a better side pretty simple.

 

[Wolfgang West]

Yes cause they are a better side pretty simple.

Yeah they are but your excuse that they are more capable of handling a 5 day break because of it is Bullshit. Pure and Simple.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Yeah they are but your excuse that they are more capable of handling a 5 day break because of it is Bullshit. Pure and Simple.

How is it bullshit? they beat Melbourne by 13 goals their playing list didnt have as many off-season surgeries as ours therefor they are better equipped to handle a 5 day break than us.

 

[Kirkswan]

That's simply not true - he got two other touches in contested situations and won 2 free kicks because of it. Was also robbed of another when the D ran out of bounds under pressure from him and should have been penalised.
Yep he wasn't confident enough to run to space and demand the ball when he should of....wouldn't mind if he got another chance this weekend with instruction to do just that. Like Florent in his first year some of the senior guys also looked straight through him when assessing options on the mark - they need to learn to trust the guys put out on the field - other teams do far more than us. Perhaps we missed the pointing skills of McV on the weekend. Ollie will need to develop that quick despite being young if he is to take McV's role.

Understand if they don't go that path though as they'll be under pressure now to scrap a win rather than develop the players they need to.

I'd give Blakey a rest - get him putting up some stats for a game in the NEAFL - and bring in another player more able to get the footy to balance the team.
Good list management to give all these kids a run via rotation - without overloading them, or the team IMHO.

I really like this post mikey_san and think you have it exactly right, except perhaps Blakey.

McInerney did do some very nice stuff, and will improve with every run he gets I think.

Ollie is picking up as the season progresses. Can't remember if he had a full pre-season or not, but I'll be looking for him to double down against the Tigers.

And Blakey has had at least one stand up moment in every game he has played, and not let us down. He looks like he's made of sticks, but MUST be tougher than he looks. Also, I think he's kicked a goal in every game he has played so far, so if we're dropping him for a stint with Hayward out, we need to make sure we bring in a solid goal kicker.

 

[GotTheGoodes]

Just noticed that McInerney had 19 pressure acts which was equal 5th for the Swans (Jones, Kennedy, Parker, Cunningham ahead and equal with Heeney). Didn’t get much of the ball but his effort off the ball was at worst solid.

Monty python would approve this.....


Always look on the bright side of life!!

 

[mikey_san]

I really like this post mikey_san and think you have it exactly right, except perhaps Blakey.

McInerney did do some very nice stuff, and will improve with every run he gets I think.

Ollie is picking up as the season progresses. Can't remember if he had a full pre-season or not, but I'll be looking for him to double down against the Tigers.

And Blakey has had at least one stand up moment in every game he has played, and not let us down. He looks like he's made of sticks, but MUST be tougher than he looks. Also, I think he's kicked a goal in every game he has played so far, so if we're dropping him for a stint with Hayward out, we need to make sure we bring in a solid goal kicker.

Good point about Hayward being out. I'd put McCartin forward and bring Reg back. Though McCartin might be our best option on Lynch size and athletically tbh so....

The only reason I advocate resting Blakey is to manage that body. Travel away next week v a home NEAFL game (?) - allows him to concentrate on eating and putting in a gym session during the week, 3 to 4 games on, one game off I think is a good mix for him this year. Horse has a tendency to run players into the ground, maybe through lack of options, but still.

Ollie didn't have much of a preseason due to injury, is picking it up now - that was his best half of footy. Lets see if he can hit 3/4s next week.