We weathered the GWS storm really well in the first half. They're rebound from defence was too good but we were clearly the better and more deterined team. Not a big fan of the all the bombs we were doing into our forward line, let GWS rebound easily and we could have really had a nice win if we lowered the eyes a bit more into the forward 50. But ecstatic with the team atm, all the youngsters need to really be applauded
The amazing thing was that at one stage we had something like 55 to 20 inside 50's. Which is hard to digest when it looked like they were charging forward regularly. Maybe those fast breaks they had were not as fruitful as it seemed, or we noticed them because they were fast and free.
Can someone tell me what the 50-metre penalty against Papley was for? Did he back-chat the umpire (as he clearly didn't agree with the initial free given against him)?
The 50-metre penalty which led to Mummy's straight-in-front goal was infuriating. Jack clearly touched the ball before Mummy 'marked' it.
Barry, just go and support gws already - your constant crusade against the swans administration is very tiring.Originally Posted by barry
Good tough win tonight - a real grind to say the least but our bit of class ended up making the difference.
Oh and papley's composure in the last quarter was just superb - he is a rookie draft gem!
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
Yep it was very emotional to say goodbye, a fine man and a truly great footballer, something that has been forgotten with the shameful treatment he has copped over the last few years.
Back to GWS, tonight shows very starkly how much work they have to do in this town.
On the back of one of their best wins last week and with a local derby I reckon there would have been fewer than 1,000 genuine GWS fans there tonight.
And it correlates to the story in the paper today that said that of their 13,840 members last year 36% actually support another club. So, they have about 8,850 members that are actually fans and I reckon you could strip 3,000 out of that number for their Canberra members which is where I actually think they'll end up anyway. That's 5,850 in Sydney and I suspect that includes a few 3 game memberships and the like. Overall they are lucky to have a rusted on supporter base of 3,000.
And before any peanut comes on here and says "it's not so long ago we were getting 3,000 people to watch the Swans", even when we were the worst team in any code in Australia we still had average crowds overs 9,000.
Sure the GWS have attracted extra fans but I'd say the easy wins are now in the board with new members. Sure success will help crowds and members but their supporters are really a bunch of happy clappers with no idea about the game. They kind of have this self-deprecating view of themselves as some sort of pseudo-club as they don their new strip freshly bought from Lowes that morning. In fact in many ways I feel GWS fans treat the club as a bit if a joke and that by following them they are showing the world how crazy and kooky they are like it holds some form of novelty value.
I enjoyed tonight and I'll vaguely support them if they are in the finals and we are not. But I reckon it will take decades to get any genuine support and atmosphere around that operation and it will get truly embarrassing when they start to really get some success o the field.
I just wonder if the AFL has the guts to stay with them for the journey. Personally I think they'll get so much flak for the Riverina zone that they'll get relocated to Canberra and bookend a massive development of Manuka
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+1
not the best prediction you have ever made Wauchope ????
How good is grundy this year ?. He'd be the firm Backman of the comp. Even ted rolled back the clock although i reackon patten is way overated.
Mug Punter, i think of you expect giants to take less than 30 years to get to where the swans are you are judging them unfairly. Swans were ok when first arrived , then good under edelston then crap then good with locket. Then basically a run of nearly 20 years of finals contenders.
So far giants have been just crap. They will be good in time and after that we may judge them.
Nico I reckon you had pre stamped cunninghams papers tonight.
Thought he was good around the contest and worked hard.
++1 i hope he gets recognised with AA jumper if he continues his form and not just give it to Rance
Tippet was also excellent. Mummy has always been the player we dearly missed after he left. Only now with sinclair and tippet do we have a decent ruck combo again and can start challenging for flags
Can someone tell me what the hit- out stats were, by player? I know they are listed somewhere but I've forgotten where and can't find them. It looked to me as if Tippett more than held his own against Mumford. Gee he was jumping high at centre bounces, and well-timed jumps at that. And Sinclair also did well.
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