Round 2 Port Adelaide v Swans

[MattW]

What a game! I think the disaster of that last day in September has now been redeemed! A weight off their collective shoulders. Bring on the Hawks.

While the great effort in defence is being lauded, and rightly so, at last we saw our forward line functioning about the best I have seen with Buddy and KT both there playing their roles, and with others actually there to feed off them and kick goals. For the first time it seems to have worked. The combination of Towers, Lloyd, Rohan and Heeney rotating forward of centre was impressive.

The 'old firm' mids were at their best and Macca showed us just how important he is to the team structure. KT's teaming with Mike Pyke in the ruck, with his Mummy-like presence, may be just what they have desperately needed.

Go Swannies!!

Too early to claim redemption; only a grand final win can do that. Great to see they are up for it though.

[DLBIA14]

Seemed like there was quite a bit of "Unsociable footy" from the Swans. Maybe we learned something from the GF after all.

This. I know we are a physical big bodied side, but we usually don't go out of our way to engage in scraps and any push and shove. Normally well have a bit of an obligatory go when one of ours gets targeted (the fact that it didn't happen in the GF was one of the most resonant aspects of that game for me), but we're never the instigators. A fairly respectful team by most standards.

Last night, our mood seemed a little intense however. A little angry even. We seemed to want to physically and mentally out-perform Port and in the end, that was telling as went longer and stronger in our pressure and hardness. We seemed to let them know about it too, and I walked away believing we bullied them out of the game.

The Hawks, Freo and Geelong in their time, have all had this aggressive arrogance to their play. I don't mind our 'unsociable' change, as long I don't have to sit through us being pushed around and intimidated like we were by Hawthorn on THAT day. Never again.

[Matt80]

How great was it that Tippett and Franklin laid 8 tackles each?

The may be labeled the Bondi Billionaires, but they are putting in the grunt work and 2nd efforts that would make Brett Kirk happy.

I really feel that if we had not got Tippett and Franklin that we would be a 5-8 positioned team, and not a 2-4 positioned team that we are now.

We would not have beaten Essendon without them. They drag you over the line in the tough, close games.

[Scottee]

I thought that the game last night highlighted what a crap venue ANZ stadium is and the terrible things it does to football as a spectacle.

[dejavoodoo44]

I thought that the game last night highlighted what a crap venue ANZ stadium is and the terrible things it does to football as a spectacle.

Yes, the surface is pretty appalling when it's dry and when it's wet, trying to play the sort of running and slick handball style of attacking game, that we prefer, is next to impossible.
Though given the half time score at the G, Essendon 45 - 23, maybe we are all underestimating the Bombers?
Ahhh, you know you hate Hawthorn when.....

[Doctor]

It'd be nice to keep it a thread about last night's win rather than yet another ANZ Stadium bash, but you can't compare a game in the dry to a game on a ground where it had been raining steadily, and sometimes very heavily, for 24 hours. Keep comparisons reasonable at the very least.

[mcs]

How great was it that Tippett and Franklin laid 8 tackles each?

The may be labeled the Bondi Billionaires, but they are putting in the grunt work and 2nd efforts that would make Brett Kirk happy.

I really feel that if we had not got Tippett and Franklin that we would be a 5-8 positioned team, and not a 2-4 positioned team that we are now.

We would not have beaten Essendon without them. They drag you over the line in the tough, close games.

We won a flag without either of them.......

[Mel_C]

I was there and the atmosphere was incredible at this stunning venue. The two small (ish) pockets of Swans supporters yelled and sang themselves hoarse, I hope you could hear us on the TV.

Yes we could hear you! When the Syyyyyydneeeeey chant started it sounded like our home game ????.

[Untamed Snark]

Yes we could hear you! When the Syyyyyydneeeeey chant started it sounded like our home game ??.

It was amazing!
Great effort to be able to be heard like that at the portress

[Matt80]

We won a flag without either of them.......

Correct, but 2012 marked the end of the elite AFL productive capacity of LRT, ROK and Goodes. Longmire knew straight after the game that it was time to top up the list. That's what led him on the Monday after the GF to track down Tippett. He could have been excused for being on the cans.

Early in 2013, like a international supermodel choosing you in a nightclub, Buddy wanted to come to the Swans.

Longmire has now given us a platform to be a very competitive, finals playing club over the next four years.

Essendon just beat the Hawks. Our much derided round one performance now looks good.

Well done Longmire.

[giant]

Fantastic team effort - it was more satisfying watching a trademark tough as nails win like that than a 20 goal belting. Everyone we'd love to see mixing it up was on song - brilliant stuff.

Was it Bird that kept Boak to one kick in the first half? Tremendous work. Look forward to hearing various critics eat humble pie this week.

- - - Updated - - -

Among a host of fine performances tonight the one that stood out for me, especially compared with what we've done in some other games, is the ball movement. They were terrific at linking up, picking up the dropped ball, handpassing, kicking to advantage, all against a top four team. Ripping stuff to watch.

Closely followed by the pressure: we were at their throats almost all night and caused handovers galore. Of course they did the same to us at times, but we soaked it up and got back down to work.

And to think that only one person in the Fairfax papers and none at all in the Hun tipped us!

I was in Melbourne on Friday and the only two people that I saw tip us in either paper were the Village Idiot and the Kiss of Death!! Well played gentlemen!!

[Wardy]

My first time at Adelaide oval too - wow, wow, wow!! Thankfully there about 10 other swans supporters in our function room and we were having a great time but I have to say the Other 100 port supporters in the room were all lovely. It was such a great game and the noise Port supporters make is amazing. But I could hear our little "Sydneeeey" and felt really proud!! The team put in but our new boys are something special!!!