Surprised to be in 15th position, honestly didn't think we were that bad, but I look at what's above us on the ladder and can't objectively say anyone's worse.
Are we playing for draft picks?
- - - Updated - - -
Yes I added an "e" to Hawthorn. I have no respect for them.
The eternal connundrum "what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object" was finally solved when David Hasselhoff punched himself in the face.
Plenty of games where we have had a lead and lost. Suspect if we had won every game where we had a decent lead we would be top 4. One good trade and draft period and we are back next year. So yeah - not tanking but also - not……. not …..
Argggh - as fans we want to win every game we play and also so do the coaches
We are a bit lower due to the bye rounds.
Carlton are 14th but have played one more game. They are only ahead of us due to their draw with Richmond. GWS are four spots higher for similar reasons (one extra game).
We are one of the last sides to play West Coast, whom we have at home next weekend. We should beat them. If we do, we will pass Carlton and GWS on the ladder because they both have byes next week. We would be 13th on the ladder, and could go as high as 11th if Fremantle lose to Essendon and Gold Coast lose to Hawthorn (both happening is unlikely).
So fretting about being 15th on the ladder is not really justified.
Even if it were, let's compare a few other sides:
* Richmond made the finals in 2013, 2014 and 2015. In 2016 they missed the finals, finishing 13th. They won three of the next four premierships.
* Melbourne made the finals in 2018. In 2019, they finished 17th and in 2020 they finished ninth. They won the premiership the following year.
* Collingwood made the finals in 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2021, they finished 17th. They made the finals last year with a top-4 finish and are well placed for another top-4 finish.
Sides can have an occasional bad year in between seasons where they make the finals and do well.
"Unbelievable!" -- Nick Davis leaves his mark on the 2005 semi final
The close losses certainly have hurt our season badly. I just don't think we've put together much in the way of consistent football. Good odd quarters here and there, a couple of decent overall performances, but little consistency.
We aren't playing for picks, but likewise it could be wise to be trying to finish bottom 6 ideally to get a softer draw next year.
Teams that are, in a broad sense inexperienced/young (as we are - though with some very experienced leaders and older players) can often be very much up and down for a few years before reaching consistency in their performance levels.
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
Look at the % of teams, we are well above 15th on that.
Bottom six draw in 2024, top six pick in the ND, with our injury list I'll take both at this stage of the season, not fussed.
Things can change much more quickly these days year to year. Makes competition more interesting.
We lost to GWS by one point, to Port by two points. The Port loss happened after we played the last half without a functional backline, and was only by two points to a side that has not lost a game since. Honourable loss?Originally Posted by mcs
We're not running out games well, but as I've previously pointed out, we have been decimated by injuries. When we're playing with 20 players and they are playing with 22 it affects performance.
Occasional injury-depleted seasons happen. We have been fortunate not to experience too many of those.
"Unbelievable!" -- Nick Davis leaves his mark on the 2005 semi final
I seem to recall a statistic from a few years ago regarding close losses. Losses in close games were followed by an increased ladder position in future years, presumably as teams get the experience from those close finishes and get better at winning them. Given the age and experience profiles of our last few games we would certainly expect to win these games next year and that would have a significant impact on our ladder position.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Agree with you Thunder Shaker.
In the Port game we lost both McCartins early in the second quarter, and if you recall Port got two goals in the last quarter from free kicks that were possibly on the generous side.
The main problem we have experienced this year is injuries early in games, most critically it has been the taller players which has unbalanced the side.
It seems we are going through a cycle of two injuries each game for extended periods, and only getting one back.
We had a great run last year, and these things seem to go in cycles.
The other factor may also be the length of the season in 2022 with a young and developing list. Some of the teams doing well this year had an extra 5 weeks off due to the contentious weeks rest before the finals compared to the teams that participate in the grand final. Just what difference it makes I am not sure, but recovery from injury in a shortened pre season may be a factor
Good post. We over achieved last year considering our age profile and have had zero luck this year.
Spot on. Losing most of the defence in one match, then most of the tall forwards, then Mills and McDonald in the Freo match when we’d started quite brightly has been all our bad luck coming at once. Last year we barely made a change after the Essendon loss, until the Prelim when Reid went down. Our bad luck started then, and the wheel has to turn eventually.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Welcome to RWO Pigeon.....great first post.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks