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Thread: Why?

  1. #1

    Why?

    Why does it seem that some people on this site appear to be writing us off before the season is done and before the finals have even started? Obviously last night was a disappointment, but put into perspective that fact that we have something like 6 premiership players out and a few coming back into the side from injury (mcglynn and shaw).

    Now I'm not one to post often as you have probably noticed, but it annoys me to see so many people writing off 4th before the seasons done and saying its virtually impossible to win the flag from any lower than 4th. To these people I call bull@@@@. Firstly, last time I checked we were 3rd and still one of the strongest teams in the competition even with so many injuries.

    Secondly, if its one thing I learned from being a Swans supporter over the years is that it's not over till the fat lady sings. Think back to this time last year, we lost 3 of our last 4 IIRC and we're given no hope in the finals. Yet we overcame the fancied crows, broke (somewhat) of a hoodoo against the pies and took out the "strongest" team in the big one.

    I also wanted to remind people of 2005 where we basically did what a team lower than fourth had to do to win a flag (excusing the second chance we got).

    So before you write off the Swans just remember, we have the pedigree and history to know that we can bring it to any team at any time and on the biggest stage of all.

  2. #2
    Senior Player DamY's Avatar
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    Nice work brother, I completely agree

  3. #3
    Well said ????

  4. #4
    Well said could not agree more.

  5. #5
    Firstly, I agree with you. Before the final siren has gone in a losing game the doom & gloom posts are aplenty.

    BUT to offer a devil's advocate viewpoint...

    Quote Originally Posted by Swanno View Post
    we have something like 6 premiership players out and a few coming back into the side from injury (mcglynn and shaw).
    Freo also have a horror injury run.

    Quote Originally Posted by Swanno View Post
    and saying its virtually impossible to win the flag from any lower than 4th.
    to my knowledge (& I'm happy to be corrected) a premiership from 5th or lower has only been achieved once since the VFL/AFL began in 1897 ... the Crows I think from 5th ... so, while not impossible, the odds aren't really in favor of it

    Quote Originally Posted by Swanno View Post
    , last time I checked we were 3rd and still one of the strongest teams in the competition even with so many injuries.
    True, BUT the Hawks & Cats seem to have been stronger for much of the year, BOTH of them beat us earlier in the year, & they both play us in the final 2 rounds. Certainly not impossible, but not like we're playing Melbourne & GWS ... speaking of which, Freo, who are breathing down our necks had both of these teams in the final 4 rounds. In fact, in the final four rounds we have 3 top 5 sides. Freo have 3 bottom 3 sides. Fair chance 4th is a best case scenario. This is coupled with Collingwood & Richmond being only 1 1/2 games behind us with 2-3 winnable games ... thus arises the concern.

    But I agree than anything can happen on any given day & we are seasoned campaigners with a good track record & the intangible Bloods spirit. Have faith.

  6. #6
    Salt future's rising SimonH's Avatar
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    2 completely different issues.

    1. Are Sydney good enough to win the flag? Hell yeah. Losing once, even in a disappointing way, doesn't mean that you're not. Whoever wins the flag will have had a disappointing loss this year. Hawthorn's was just a week ago. Adelaide were ripped limb from limb in the first week of finals (by Melbourne of all teams) in a year they went on to win the flag.

    2. Will Sydney actually win the flag if we finish below 4th? Nothing's impossible, I guess, but in a word: no. Previous finals systems were completely different (e.g. the 1994?99 system had no advantage to finishing anywhere from 3rd to 6th). The relevant time in the current system is from the year 2000 onwards. In that time, there have been 52 sides (13 years x 4) who've finished 5th to 8th and played finals. Not one has even played a GF, let alone won it. Of the 26 EF winners, 24 have gone out in the 2nd week. A grand total of 2 have won their SF. They've both lost their prelim (albeit narrowly). Records are made to be broken, but that's a long enough history that it's not just bad luck or coincidence.

  7. #7
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    If we don't make top 4 by beating Geelong, the Hawks, or both, then we shouldn't expect to suddenly turn it around because of a tradition of finals' competitiveness. Luckily I expect to beat both in the regular season and then in the finals.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cardinal View Post
    If we don't make top 4 by beating Geelong, the Hawks, or both, then we shouldn't expect to suddenly turn it around because of a tradition of finals' competitiveness. Luckily I expect to beat both in the regular season and then in the finals.
    However, last year I couldn't understand the underdone performance of the Swans vs the Cats in the H&A conclusion of 2012 - just as the lack of run on Saturday was baffling. In both cases the flag seemed out of reach at the end of those games. Preparing for the finals was the best explanation in both cases. But the loss to the Pies puts us where we were before the strange loses the weekend before (Cats and Hawks downed) - we MUST beat the Saints and have to win one of the Hawks or Cats games. I'd much prefer to beat the Cats to take the pressure off for the last game of the H&A season.

  9. #9
    It's Goodes to cheer!! ScottH's Avatar
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    It's just the emotional roller coaster of the season.
    Imagine what this site would have been like in the early 90's.

    *shudders*

    Compared to last year it is very similar, but we did drop from 1st to 3rd.
    Where as this year if it plays out the same, we could drop from 3rd to 5th.
    No team has won from outside the top 4 since the introduction of a final 8 System.
    Swans have a way of breaking hoodoos in recent years.
    The H&A season is just shuffling the deck chairs, come finals time it is winner takes all.
    4 wins on the trot is not impossible.

    2 more wins out of 3 would be nice!!
    3 from 3 would be greatly appreciated!!

    Never say Never!!

  10. #10
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    2 out of three will be ideal and set us up to knock off hawks at mcg. Freo vs Geelong maybe at freo. Fancy coming in us underdogs with a stronger list available

  11. #11
    Regular in the Side Velour&Ruffles's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Swanno View Post
    Why does it seem that some people on this site appear to be writing us off before the season is done and before the finals have even started? Obviously last night was a disappointment, but put into perspective that fact that we have something like 6 premiership players out and a few coming back into the side from injury (mcglynn and shaw).

    Now I'm not one to post often as you have probably noticed, but it annoys me to see so many people writing off 4th before the seasons done and saying its virtually impossible to win the flag from any lower than 4th. To these people I call bull@@@@. Firstly, last time I checked we were 3rd and still one of the strongest teams in the competition even with so many injuries.

    Secondly, if its one thing I learned from being a Swans supporter over the years is that it's not over till the fat lady sings. Think back to this time last year, we lost 3 of our last 4 IIRC and we're given no hope in the finals. Yet we overcame the fancied crows, broke (somewhat) of a hoodoo against the pies and took out the "strongest" team in the big one.

    I also wanted to remind people of 2005 where we basically did what a team lower than fourth had to do to win a flag (excusing the second chance we got).

    So before you write off the Swans just remember, we have the pedigree and history to know that we can bring it to any team at any time and on the biggest stage of all.
    I agree that our depth has been pleasing, but winning finals is a different proposition and the problem is that the players we really need most to do that will not be coming back (LRT, AJ), or won't have time to play themselves into form in the time remaining (Jetta, Goodes, Reid).

    Also, we were extremely competitive in the Hawks and Pies games in the last few weeks of last year and terribly unlucky not to win both. In contrast, we were miles off the pace on Saturday night. The scoreboard flattered us and only served to wallpaper over a few very fundamental problems (eg two weeks in a row now we've been outrun, outnumbered at the ball and smashed out of the middle, our supposed strengths). Unless we show massive and immediate improvement then it is a false comfort to draw any comparisons with last year's win/loss ratio in the run home.
    My opinion is objective truth in its purest form

  12. #12
    On the Rookie List Jewels's Avatar
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    Maybe I'm just a cockeyed optimist but just because it's never been won from 5th or 6th doesn't mean it can never be. As I have said before, with the exception of Simmonds Stadium were there is no finals anyway, there isn't a ground in this league that we haven't won and won comfortably at in the past two seasons so we just might have to be trail blazers this year, while there's life there's hope.
    I'll be keeping the faith for a few more weeks!

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