I'm not convinced that was the explanation. I doubt game-day coaching can have that much influence.
A few minutes after I wrote that comment I reflected that it was probably a bit daft, given that the VFL team won by over 100 points last week. So they were pretty cohesive in that game too. So what I was trying to pinpoint (with hindsight) was the way they were moving the ball. There was far more run and gun, handballing in close to a player running past, trying to keep the ball alive rather than locking it up, far less mark and kick to a stationary target. I don't think that style of play creates cohesion, per se, but it doesn't work if you don't have cohesion. So when you see it working well, it comes across as team cohesion.
Fast forward four hours or so, and we saw exactly the same thing from the senior team. So clearly it was a focus this week to try and move the ball more quickly than we saw last week (and probably more quickly than we've seen from the Swans this season - in terms of a style sustained throughout the match with an opposition applying a reasonable degree of pressure - ie not the Bombers or Eagles).
In neither game - AFL or VFL - was it entirely successful as that last kick forward wasn't up to the standard of the rest of the ball movement. But it's a good place to start.
Yeah, my comment was a bit cheap.
Blakey made an illuminating comment in his interview with Swans media on the official site/app that the focus during the week was on each player reflecting on what they bring to the team and playing to their strengths accordingly. (Blakey is pretty good at regurgitating the coaching lesson.)
So it sounds like the coaches made the most of a teachable moment, across the squad.
I went to the game. Sandringham were huge, whilst the swans were pretty small. However the swans were more skilled and structured. With Taylor and Clark out the mids we’re much more inside, and despite sinkers getting slaughtered in the ruck, the young mids, led by belly, did a very good job.
The backs were settled and organised with some very disciplined play. Melican, Gould and O’Connor worked well together handling the large Sandringham forwards.
Best game by Warner, good hit out from sheldrick. Hall Kahn has plenty of potential when he gets some muscle.
Armatey was the only tall forward and did an excellent job scoring and bringing the ball to ground.
The swans small forwards, ronke, wicks and Morrison really ripped up the tall defenders. Ronke was solid but is definitely more of an understudy for papley. He just doesn’t crunch tackles. Morrison is an impressive player who tends to stay deep. Wicks, I see had 23 disposals and 4 tackles according to the updated stats. He added some real physicality to to the swans. Often hurting opposition players in the tackle, and producing numerous turnovers. A couple of times players went to him after someone else scored a goal as he had caused it. He looked like he was enjoying himself and getting back to his brand.
I had intended to make that observation too (but hadn't got around to it). I reckon there must have been 100kgs or so difference in combined weight between the two teams.
Agree with you on Morrison. He's been playing NEAFL and now VFL for several seasons, and it's been fun to watch his development (as it is with the youngsters who come through and make the AFL list). He's turned into a very solid VFL player.
I think it is only temporary. Laidler together with Pyke, Kirk and some other staff were out per Health and Safety Protocol (COVID) together with the two players. There was no written announcement though. So Tom was the bench coach, Charlie was the runner and McViegh had to be the VFL coach. (By the way, Josh was sitting in the box as a line coach too!)
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