Game Plan?

[Go Swannies]

Last night I pulled up the tape of the R11 win over the Saints last year. It was stunning how open the game was - and how we spanked them. How do you reckon Roos and GT will want to play it this week.

Cressa - want to lend your old team some help this week? How would you play it?

I reckon they'll miss Hamill's hardness a lot. Is it true that SEN this morning said that Willo is out? Time to step up Adam or Jude (or someone other than Bucky, the Captain and Nicky D).

[Go Swannies]

I posted this earlier today. I'd be interested to see how various posters here see our most likely game plan?

[Sanecow]

Based on the last couple of weeks, if St Kilda tackle hard and flood back to prevent marks and set shots at goal we will struggle. We need effective tackling, clean hands and quick movement of the ball into our forward 50 to get the ball away successfully from the inevitable stoppages. Duh :D I would like to see our boys attempt to be first to the ball more often than hanging back and tackling the instant their opponent picks up.

[Go Swannies]

Watching that game from 2004 I thought the same Cow. Though everyone on BigFooty wouldn't believe it, the Swans are definitely looking more fragile in a one-on-one game. I think the Saints will try to play it like the Eagles as it suits their style - and that may be the option that gives us our best chance.

[big bear]

Paul Roos and I have played 356 games between us, so my input is not based on experience. I would like to see us play an open game as we played in the latter part of the home and away. This seemed to work and we kicked some good scores against good teams. I am sure the coaching staff will come up with a game plan suitable for the occasion. I hope we can win with style but will take a win under any style of game.

[NMWBloods]

We need to be more attacking. We've had just 77 Inside 50s in the past two weeks and we've struggled to kick goals.

[Sanecow]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
We need to be more attacking. We've had just 77 Inside 50s in the past two weeks and we've struggled to kick goals.

As useful as "kick more goals". How do you think we might enter the 50 more often? It's not like we haven't been trying to get in there.

[BonBon]

The plan is to win. I don't care what happens, as long as we win.

[cowcar]

i have spoken to some people with connections to the swans, and was told (last week) that they were more concerned about geelong than Stkilda, as they knew them, and had a plan for them, whilst for the cats, they were a bit more of an unknown. I am surprisingly confident on this game

[ScottH]

Originally posted by cowcar
i have spoken to some people with connections to the swans, and was told (last week) that they were more concerned about geelong than Stkilda, as they knew them, and had a plan for them, whilst for the cats, they were a bit more of an unknown. I am surprisingly confident on this game How connected , cc???

[Sanecow]

Originally posted by ScottH
How connected , cc???

As connected as you want if anyone else's "connections" are anything to go by.

[swansrule100]

i think we need to play our natural game and not focus too much on stopping stkilda. Make them stop us.

Also we need to make sure the oldest player in the league isnt given a free reign, IMHO he is still the best player at stkilda, he is a dead set champion and we need to keep him very very quiet.


Ideally we need an easy win, to be fresh for the grand final

[cowcar]

It was from someone involved with the coaching staff. At first i dismissed it myself, as i honestly thought Geelong would be a push over, but now i am not so sure.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by Sanecow
As useful as "kick more goals". How do you think we might enter the 50 more often? It's not like we haven't been trying to get in there.
Go and read one of my many game plan posts! :rolleyes:

[barry]

I'd prefer a shoot-out to a shut-down against the saints. But I suspect weather conditions will mean it will turn into a shut-down.

[Schneiderman]

The Game Plan will most likely revolve around a combination of shutting down the midfield, and trying to generate run from half-back to feed our forwards. Nothing new there.

Midfield:
1. Negate Harvey with Ablett/Mathews. Whilst very clever, he isn't as quick or agile as a Judd, Ablett or McLeod. Wear him like a glove, and if he has a 20 possie game you have most likely won out
2. Match L Ball at hard ball gets. Jude or Kirk can do this just fine, and a player like Ball is ineffective without the ball. Seeing as he goes in and gets it more than any other Saint, if you get it first, he will have limited impact.
3. Negate Lenny. The other tagger not on Harvey gets the job, and it is no less important than Harvey. Kirk might pull the "short" straw on this too, but Roos would like to keep him free as he is no longer a tagger.
4. Restrict Dal. This IMO is the toughest. Such talent, elusiveness and speed. Not quite Judd, but damn close. Very creative and skilled. I think Crouch is a good match-up, but then who for Milne? Schneider?

Half-back Flank
1. Tadgh - since the midfield is at best a 50/50, Tadgh has to generate run through the corridor. We saw him do it well at times in the WC game, and a repeat at that level is a minimum. Needs to spot forward targets on a lead much better though
2. ROK - The third goal to Nick D is the template. He received a handball from Ball in the D50, handballed and avoided the shepherd, and received it again in right on the centre dot. The rest is history. A true HFF, who is now more responsible for I50 entries than kicking goals.
3. Leo - Gehrig is struggling. Spoiling the mark shouldn't be as hard as normal. Smack that hand a few times by "accident" during the game. And then RUN! I seriously doubt Gehrig will give much of a chase, and suddenly we may well get the rebound from Leo that we so crave. If you watch a replay of the Geelong game, you'll see Leo was playing further up the field as Roos felt the game slipping away. I am hoping he finds a way to release Leo as a proactive rather than reactive move this Friday.

[Sanecow]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
Go and read one of my many game plan posts! :rolleyes:

All opposition teams are the same. :rolleyes:

[Jeffers1984]

Our legs are the best in the competition and usually save our best for the last quarter. If the Saints decide to play alot of underdone and players who are not match fit it will fall into our favour IF we can keep up with them in the first 3 quarters. I'm sure Roos knows this.

[giant]

Kick straight!!!

All will be for nought unless we have 80 I50s (unlikely) or tremendous effectiveness when we do enter.

Playing smart wet weather footy for once would also be nice.

[hammo]

Originally posted by Jeffers1984
Our legs are the best in the competition and usually save our best for the last quarter.

What happened against West Coast then?

[Jeffers1984]

Originally posted by hammo
What happened against West Coast then?
What if Goodes and Kennelly converted their very gettable opportunities in the 4th ?

[hammo]

Our game plan will fail unless we kick straight. We probably should have won last week by 4 goals.

We kicked well at the MCG against Hawthorn so hopefully we carry that form over.

[Young Blood]

I agree with NMW. 10 goals won't be enough this week (unless it is absoutely hosing down). When we've got the ball, we have to take risks, move it quickly, and back our forwards to win the ball.

[Go Swannies]

Presumably Nicky D will start in the midfield and move forward. Is he going to be a problem for the Saints to match? After all, he was leading possession getter in last week's game.

[punter257]

Originally posted by giant
Playing smart wet weather footy for once would also be nice.

i reckon! we are way too cute in the wet, kick the thing FFS

[Go Swannies]

Interesting that when we get desperate, we don get the ball into the F50 at all costs - think the last few minutes of last week (those great double fisted punches) and the last minutes of the R3 Lions game. I guess it's tiring for us - or only works when the opposition is tired, is the reason we don't do it more.

Don't forget that we outplayed the Eagles for much of the Subi final - and the ball was damp/wet that night, too. So we can do it. And we have to. We'll find out in about 51.5 hours.

[Thunder Shaker]

Originally posted by hammo
What happened against West Coast then?
We suffered an attack from bloodthirsty killer maggots.

[swanzotope]

1. Keep your feet

2. Don't all dive on the ball (as was the case in swans v cats final 4th quarter)

[Dave]

Game plan - kick more goals.

I think the magic mark is 13 goals.

We haven't lost a game this year when we've reached this target.

[chammond]

The only difference between the 'good' Swans and the 'bad' is accuracy in goal-kicking.

I'd be quite happy for the Swans to play scrappy, negative footy for four quarters, so long as they win by 1 point from a kick after the siren.

The pleasure would be in watching the Melbourne media squirm for the rest of the season :)