Yes it hurts tonight....but thank you Swannies for a great season!

[Melbourne_Blood]

I was pretty dissapointed in a lot of swans fans at the game last night. Not a peep out of them and stuck to their chairs for the hole duration. I was more upset about that then the loss

[Yuri H]

We are a team of crocks and kids at present. Jude smashed. Peb wobbling. Mummy no legs left. The Mountie doing his best, but not yet fully street wise. Braddy missing. TDL without his shotgun (WHAT were they thinking!). Benny with plates in his face. Kirky getting left behind (admit it). Macca organising like mad, but having a woeful time with the boot. Hanners still hard at it, but his kicking has gone off and he needs to have a rest.

Yeah, when you look at it this way, we did run out of steam at just the right moment, for the sake of our players' health at very least. We just hit the wall at the end of a surprisingly better-than-anticipated run. Now I just want everyone to rest and recover and heal and come out full force in 2011. We'll be a force to be reckoned with, I am sure (however little the parochial footy press swine pay attention to us).

[Wardy]

Yeah, when you look at it this way, we did run out of steam at just the right moment, for the sake of our players' health at very least. We just hit the wall at the end of a surprisingly better-than-anticipated run. Now I just want everyone to rest and recover and heal and come out full force in 2011. We'll be a force to be reckoned with, I am sure (however little the parochial footy press swine pay attention to us).

agree 100% Yuri - 2011 is looking very exciting.

[Cardinal]

I?ll need some time before I can reconcile the despair of last night with soothing ideas of ?exceeding expectations? or ?potential for the future?. The Swans have made four prelims in the last 20 years (Geelong?s record of the past 4 years) and the game therefore represents a massive lost historical opportunity for the Swan?s family - one which we cannot assume will repeat itself any time soon.

During that 2nd quarter when the team was sweeping all before it, I was also silly enough to assume the result and think about next week?s game. I haven?t made that mistake since the gf in 1996 and it was an emotional killer when a seemingly inevitable victory failed to materialise.

[mcs]

Last night will take a bit to get over, because we had the chance to get through to the Prelim final- but you can't fault the team for what has been an excellent season that has far exceeded my expectations. I was hoping that we could blood some new players and maybe scrape into the finals, but to get ourselves into a position to win in the 2nd week of the finals was a very good result. The fact we stuffed it up and failed to capatlise hurts now, but the boys will learn from it, and we will be stronger as a fact of it.

It is disappointing Cardinal and the chances don't come around often- but surely you can see that there is a very good chance the team will kick on from here and truly challenge for another flag in the next couple of years.

Farewell to Kirk and Roosy, but the next generation of heroes is beginning to emerge. I for one can not wait to see what 2011 brings, as I feel there is so much to like about the squad and where it might take us.

[voodooguru]

Yes it hurts but we'll be top 4 next year. Great season, lots to look forward to, well done.

[Red]

Agree 100% with the consensus that it was a positive season with a disappointing finale.

Today though I'm telling myself that unless we won The Flag (highly unlikely) then the season was always going to end with a loss. This way we got a classic, Swans-style nail-biter where the contest is alive until the final siren like so many of our great games in the Roos/Kirk era.

All things considered, it's a fitting send-off. I don't think this would've been the case next week had we won.

[goswannie14]

I have crazy thoughts that haven't settled. Part of me thinks we should have won and be playing a prelim next week. Part of me thinks we shouldn't have made the finals and have done well.

But the overwhelming part of me just feels the hope for the future. I hope we have got what I think we have because there is a core group that is going to be a force for the next 5-6 years. There are the ones we've seen in the seniors but add a few who are running around in the ressies and our future looks good for next year and its into the next decade.

The other thoughts are for Kirky and Roosy champions of our club and though there presence may be different I'm pretty sure some stuff these guys have started will live for a while yet

Exactly how I feel, should have won tonight, but did way better than I thought we would this season. Unfortunately with a number of younger players you are going to lose some of those close ones, but with experinece that will change.

[Matty10]

I?ll need some time before I can reconcile the despair of last night with soothing ideas of ?exceeding expectations? or ?potential for the future?. The Swans have made four prelims in the last 20 years (Geelong?s record of the past 4 years) and the game therefore represents a massive lost historical opportunity for the Swan?s family - one which we cannot assume will repeat itself any time soon.

During that 2nd quarter when the team was sweeping all before it, I was also silly enough to assume the result and think about next week?s game. I haven?t made that mistake since the gf in 1996 and it was an emotional killer when a seemingly inevitable victory failed to materialise.

Well said - my feelings echo your sentiments.

[Nolie]

Agree 100% with the consensus that it was a positive season with a disappointing finale.

Today though I'm telling myself that unless we won The Flag (highly unlikely) then the season was always going to end with a loss. This way we got a classic, Swans-style nail-biter where the contest is alive until the final siren like so many of our great games in the Roos/Kirk era.

All things considered, it's a fitting send-off. I don't think this would've been the case next week had we won.

Ditto. Well said. As are all the comments on this thread. One of the best threads I have read.

[R-1]

Agree 100% with the consensus that it was a positive season with a disappointing finale.

Today though I'm telling myself that unless we won The Flag (highly unlikely) then the season was always going to end with a loss. This way we got a classic, Swans-style nail-biter where the contest is alive until the final siren like so many of our great games in the Roos/Kirk era.

All things considered, it's a fitting send-off. I don't think this would've been the case next week had we won.

Well, we could have missed the finals and gone out on a win...

But yes. Once we made the finals there was only one way Kirky and Roosy were going to leave on a win.

Echoing all the sentiments here, I'm just proud of the club and so glad I support them. Have we been the most consistent finals-playing side over the last ten or 15 years? Feels like we have. And there's more to come.

[DST]

I am looking forward to next year already.

We will have a new coach which should make it interesting , he won't tinker with too much but we are bound to be slightly different under Longmires guidance.

How much of an effect on our performances the last years of Roos and Kirk had on the team, will also be interesting to see come 2011.

We have the potential to improve next year with the likes of Rohan, Reid, Johnstone, Vespa, White to all push for selection as best 22 players and the return of C Bolton, Seaby, LRT and Bird will strengthen the squad.

Could see us anyhwere form 3 to 10th next year.

DST