SYDNEY V ADELAIDE MATCH REPORT
Charlie Goodman - 14 April 2003

A Familiar Story

My feelings about the game against Adelaide on Sunday are mixed. Am I furious about the result? No, I lost the ability to be furious last year when these performances became way too common. Am I embarrassed, like Paul Roos? Not really. It wasn't as if I was expecting to get within 27 points of the Crows. The best word I could use to describe my mood is, quite simply, frustrated.

The Swans are a team brimming with potential. We see it nearly every game, but why not for the entire match? That is a question that can probably only be answered by a psychologist, and I continually wonder why such a person hasn't already been employed, or if they have, why there has been no improvement in the Swans' mental state over the years. Yesterday's game looked like it was straight from the latter-Eade era.

The woeful first-half can only be explained as apathy. Anyone would think that the players had all been delayed by the tunnel closure in the city. The Swans seemed disinterested, a trait that was supposed to have been purged from the team over summer. They weren't manning their opponents, they were messy with disposals, and worst of all, gave away too many frees. In the first term alone, three of Adelaide's goals came from free kicks.

But in the second-half, things turned around. Why? Apparently Paul Roos said he was embarrassed by the performance at half time. Is that all it takes for the Swans to get moving? If so, then they need to realise that premierships aren't won when you only play the second half of a match. It was too late, really, since the margin at half time was 45 points.

The frustrating part is that the first-half just wasn't indicative of the team's ability. The second-half was much tighter, and the Swans pulled off a minor miracle by clawing back three goals against the wind in the third term. The fight back had elements of flair, skill and sheer hard work. Doctor Freud, please tell me why that is impossible for four quarters!

Where The Game Was Lost

The forward line is beginning to look like a shambles, after looking so dangerous on paper. I lost count of the times that seemingly perfect build-ups were wasted due to uncoordinated forward structure and poor marking. Players were spoiling each other for marks, and dropping others. The entire forward line managed just 3 goals for the match.

Hall was only ever in the game during the third term, and was beaten by Nathan Bassett. He must work on his overhead marking if he is to take his place in the best dozen players in Australia. Nick Davis had most of his possessions through the midfield, and was held goalless. Matthew Nicks manages to look dangerous until he it becomes apparent he will kick for goal. His miss in the first quarter, directly in front only 25 meters from goal, was pathetic. He is a barometer for the Swans, when they play well, so does he. Whether or not that means he is made to look better by those around him, I'm not sure.

The area where the Swans lost the game is in the clearances. The Swans had 37 clearances to the Crows' 45, and were thrashed in the ruck, with the Crows having 51 hit-outs to Sydney's 23. While Jason Ball had his best match since returning from his injuries, the Swans are desperately undermanned in the ruck. Adam Goodes, who has the potential to be one of the all-time greats in an Anthony Koutafides-style role, is going to be continually beaten when rucking against players like Matthew Clarke and Rhett Biglands, to whom he gave away seven and eight centimetres respectively.

The Flip Side

To be fair, while the general feeling was one of despair, there were some positive signs to take from the match. For the second successive week, the Swans showed that they have the ability to completely dominate periods of a match, even if the forward line didn't function well enough to fully take advantage. If only we could learn to break-even from the periods in which we aren't dominating, we could become a very good team.

The backline that was supposedly going to be our Achilles heel has once again stepped up. Except for Jason Saddington, who was beaten comprehensively by Mark Stevens, the others did there job well. It's worth noting that 10 of the 15 goals came from players named in the midfield - Riccuito, Gallagher and Ladhams - or who spent much of their time in the centre; Bode and Edwards. Of the other five goals, Stevens accounts for four.

Craig Bolton deserves a special mention. For a player who struggled for opportunities at Brisbane, he has surprised me this year. He is the pick of the defenders so far this season, and if the rest of his season continues in this form, it wouldn't surprise me if he were a shock winner of the best & fairest. In his first three matches with the club, he has more than lived up to the #6 jumper.

The midfield was a bit of a mixed bag. Tyson Stenglein tagged Paul Williams out of the game very effectively. Jared Crouch had a poor day, thoroughly beaten by Andrew McLeod. Crouch had only 3 kicks for the entire afternoon, but did make six tackles. Stuart Maxfield had a day out, with 22 kicks, 5 handpasses, 6 marks, 3 clearances, 2 goals and moved the ball into the forward line an incredible 10 times. Brett Kirk also deserves a mention for a fine performance blanketing Simon Goodwin, who had just 10 possessions. Nic Fosdike and Jude Bolton worked hard, and look like they may finally be on the verge of repaying all the faith the Swans have placed in them.

Has anything changed?

In summary, it was a very dim day for Swans fans. For the second consecutive week, I have had feelings of deja vu watching the Swans. Not a lot has changed over summer, they've failed to play four quarters a lot over the last two or three years. But usually in those matches, the coach had a lot less hair...