If so you don't leave their really dangerous backs on their own. At least be within grasp of them. Burgoyne & Birchell destroyed us with their delivery running through the centre square. Once this was happening I think you need to rethink strategy and place the flanker on the flank. Kizza & co being mids on the wing played like mids. They were also covering more ground this way too so not much of a rest forward. The strategy to open the forward line was a joke. Hawks had plenty back in a zone and we had nobody to crumb off the talls. Stupid but the same as always.
BTW after the shame of the Tigers umpiring a few weeks ago I came away from Saturday's game thinking the umpiring v the Hawks was a lot better than I expected. I saw the run of decisions at the end of Q2 but didn't see any that were blatantly unfair (cf Tigers).
Being at the game did I miss woeful umpiring decisions beyond the slightly different interpretation of prior opportunity, etc that I simply expect every week?
With the exception of Mumford the players that we shipped wouldn't help us much. Everitt was OK against the weaker teams, White is nearly a liability at Collingwood and we're got more tall forwards than you can shake a stick at, Membrey struggles to hold his spot at the lowly St Kilda, Biggs can't get a game at the bullies, Lamb can't get a game at GWS. If we are looking for depth we are better to play your Robinsons etc as maybe they might just become better than depth players which the ones we shipped out most certainly were.
Those who have the greatest power to hurt us are those we love.
I only read the blurb but what he says is what I have been thinking all this year. Not only is our 2012 game plan with a few tweaks, so, so predictable but we have just shoved Buddy and KT into it and continued on. It was interesting to see that with both of them out we still won, no probs, that's how we have played for the last x number of years. Put Buddy and KT back in, and yet again we see how easily they are shut down when in the forward line. We do not yet know how to maximise their skills and talents nor have we an effective plan B for when teams drop extra players back. Watching Buddy on Sat. night I wondered if he was about ready to give up. If it is frustrating to watch I can't imagine what it is like for him.
What is a mystery to me is that we went after 2 forwards with proven ability, at considerable cost, but we stick with a game plan/forward structure that functions as well or even better without them. Maybe we should stick with KT as our number 1 ruck man (when he is available) and put Buddy permanently on the wing. Goodesy and Reid are good enough to keep the opposition key backs busy and we don't bomb the ball in long on top of their heads quite so much.
The Hawks really are impressive in the way they change things up and are always at the cutting edge. Like surrounding Buddy with the arc of players when he was kicking for goal, and coming out on Sat. night very controlled, smooth, confident and clinical after a period of physically roughing teams up, especially the Swans.
Parts of your analysis I agree with but parts I don't.
1. Smithy, Kizza, Macca & Joey have been terribly inconsistent. Not only that their performances are very much down on 2012 and even down on last year. Their influence is far less and as some of the most experienced of our players they have been a let down this year. macca & Kizza havwe not stood up when a captain needs to either.
2. Shaw, Richards and Pyke have not produced at all. They have been poor and in any other top side would have been dropped ages ago. Hawks & Freo would hacve dropped them. We don't. Maybe because we don't have any replacements. I disagree when it comes the Shaw & Pyke.
3. Reg & Laids have been our most consistent performers all season. Rampe has had his moments too but Longmire needs to make up his mind what role Rampe is going to play in defence. Is he the Mal replacement or do you play him on the talls as a third tall? For crying out loud horse make your bloody mind up. The kid would benefit by just playing one role and so would our defence.
4. You didn't mention Laids. He has been really good. Then again he is not a Fav is he?
5. The young blokes are having more impact than the experienced players this year. Parker, Hannas, Lloydy (other than when he was carrying a soft tissue), Heeney (when he has played), Rampe, Jetts (people forget he is still only young), Sammy (even though they haven't found a role for him, his dippy form is Horse's fault. I think when given responsibility he has played really well).
6. Jetts role is another confusing one. He has done well but needs more time to get the KO right. Macca needs to be permanent HB. He, Jetts & Rampe the runners out of the defence.
7. Lloyd didn't join us until 2014 not 2013. He is still very young in AFL terms in his second season. This is generally the season a player regresses a bit after a good debut season. He hasn't done that in fact when totally fit he has been very good and clever. But I'd like to know what idiot decided he should play on Isaac Smith, far too slow for Smith.
8. We need to have a transition plan in place. I don't think we have. All the energy went into getting Bud & Tip. Nothing as to what is going to happen whenb our backs get old ands slow. Well that is happening now. No transition plan at all and we keep drafting mids? What the @@@@ for?
9. Jones will be good, he has so far in his infancy in AFL footy, proven to be a hard nut and pretty cool under pressure. Can't say that for most of the rest of the team, Parks excluded.
10. I think you might like to look at the coaches too.
The mids coach Stewart Dew has been mixed in the strategies and personnel mixes he has used this year. I don't think the mids mixes have been that great until Mitchell came in frankly. You say Mitchell gives us less than Bird did in 2012. Bird in 2012 was an already established senior player. Mitchell is a rookie in comparison but as far as giving us more this year, he gives us a thousand times more than Bird. Bird was getting murdered by Sam Mitchell and even his attempts to dispose were smothered every time. He was pretty ineffective until he went off last game. Mitchell held his own.
Forward Coach Henry Playfair. I think he has been poor this year. Our forward structures don't work and are our main problem. I don't know if it is Henry or Horse. But it is one of them or both. They seem to be tunnel visioned.
Josh Francou - Clearance & Stoppages; We have been getting better in this area so whatever he is doing is starting to work.
Defence Coach - John Blakey; the strategy of having all the mids and half the forwards in defence to save a defence that is incapable of going man on man is starting to wear thin. The game plan to continuously handball backward toward the opposition goal was always going to be exploited by a good side. Hawks totally exploited this and kicked 8 goals from eventual mistakes. All year our defence has been brittle. Now it is glass and is getting smashed. Blakey is holding together a rotting tapestry.
Our coaches compared to 2012, no comparison, 2012 were far better. George Stone & Leigh Tudor were sensational. Francou may be just as good as Stone, time will tell but I worry about the others, Horse included. He seems a two trick pony to me. He doesn't seem to be able to change when needed and doesn't make key decisions during a game that can wrest control back.
Last edited by wolftone57; 20th July 2015 at 06:26 PM.
Jack: We can't dwell on loss - sydneyswans.com.au
Another diatribe by a captain who doesn't stand up and be counted. Both him and Macca go missing along with the rest and they do not lead by example. their disposal was just as crappy as every other player. They could both take a good look at Lukie Parker and see what a real leader is. He stood up. He tried to get things going and get some cohesion in the team. Same with Goodsie. Goodsie showed real leadership with his young mate Parks.
Without wanting to sound pedantic, I was talking about Stevic himself: since while watching on Saturday night, it seemed that the other two umpires were pretty even handed, but Stevic was heavily favouring Hawthorn. Of course, my perceptions may have been slightly biased.
We should give up this idea of Jetta being a defender - whenever he is actually called upon to defend, he looks totally lost.
As for our Forward line, I don't think we have a forward structure - that is how bad it is at the moment.
You are very harsh on our defence. Yes they've been exposed at times this season, but we are still one of the best defensive teams going around (measured by points conceded).
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
Wolftone57. Pretty good post. I am sure that Lloyd selected at the end of 2012 and played the 2013 as a rookie and was upgraded in 2014 and played about 21 games. It is called the 2013 rookie draft but occurred in December 2012.
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