Did we lose by only 1 point?

[goswannie14]

I have yet to watch the tape as I was working last night, but looking at all of the threads on here I would swear that we got thumped by 100 points, not 1 point that I read we lost by.

What am I missing, or is the sky actually falling?:confused:

[anniswan]

watch the game, then you'll know

[goswannie14]

watch the game, then you'll knowI will get around to it, and yes I would rather us have won than lost. I also believe that like the GF last year we could have and should have won, but it is only round 1 and it is fairly unlikely that unlike last year we have just lost to the 15th placed team.:o

But then I've always been a glass half full kind of person.

[barry]

Welcome to RWO. Thats the way it is around here. Wouldnt have been much different if we had won by 1 point.

[The Big Cat]

Good point G14. Half our team is in the gun on this site, Roos is in the gun, our tactics are in the gun. In reality it was a great effort to fight back and nearly win it. The WCE are a great side and had everything to play for.

When will some people on this site realise that this team, this coach, these tactics have taken us to a premiership and two GFs in a row? Having followed the team since 1949, this is the greatest time of my football following life. OK, every team has to introduce new players at times, but let's not demolish half the team because we lost to the reigning premier by one point, especially given the fact that they are traditionally fast starters to the season and we are notoriously slow. (remember second-bottom team, Essendon, comfortably beat us in round 1 last year!).

[barry]

When will some people on this site realise that this team, this coach, these tactics have taken us to a premiership and two GFs in a row? Having followed the team since 1949, this is the greatest time of my football following life. .


To cut to the chase..... The Swans supporter now days is not the same as old the South supporter. Especially Sydney based supporters dont have much time for the pre-1980's era, and demand and expect success. We are one of the big players off the field which South never were. This change in mindset is great IMO.

Most here would agree that we need one more flag out of the Barry Hall era to call it truely successful.

[Sanecow]

like the GF last year we could have and should have won

Yeah, it's buckets of fun losing games that you could and should win.

[giant]

There's part of me that thinks that we always start the season crap & I wonder why I thought this year would be any better. A one point loss to the Premiers compares favourably to a belting by eventual cellar-dwellers as happened in last year's round 1.

There's also a part of me that thinks we played a very under-strength Eagles side at home & a one-point loss in those circumstances has very little merit attached to it at all.

[NMWBloods]

I have yet to watch the tape as I was working last night, but looking at all of the threads on here I would swear that we got thumped by 100 points, not 1 point that I read we lost by.

What am I missing, or is the sky actually falling?:confused:
We played a side missing six players from their premiership side and at home. It's a game we should have won and we played like garbage.

I haven't seen anyone say that it's a disaster, just that it was disappointing crap and some players have some question marks over them.

Essentially we just threw away 4 points.

[anniswan]

We played a side missing six players from their premiership side and at home. It's a game we should have won and we played like garbage.

I haven't seen anyone say that it's a disaster, just that it was disappointing crap and some players have some question marks over them.

Essentially we just threw away 4 points.

Exactly my thoughts, the one point loss was flattering

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Exactly my thoughts, the one point loss was flattering

To be honest, I saw the warning signs against Port in the trial a couple of weeks ago. Our first halves are to me now something I'm starting to be concerned with.

Also we have won one 1 game at home in front of a crowd of 55000+. And that was against Fremantle who were novices at Telstra stadium.

Are the Swans the proverbial big game dears-in-the-headlights? Do we the handle the pressure of big home ground attendances? :eek: :confused:

JF

[timthefish]

Exactly my thoughts, the one point loss was flattering

to be down by only 36 at half-time was flattering - the "comeback" to lose by a point was a cruel joke. yet, it was only the first round and i have faith in roos and the team to work their way into operating as the tightly-functioning unit we have come to know over the past few years.
the way that we i) came back after a dismal start and ii) ran the ball brilliantly up to the forward half only to stutter, flood ourselves and kick to the pocket gave me deju vu of the first half of 2005, so maybe it's all going to be okay ;)

[anniswan]

Accuracy killed us, we need a good goal kicking coach.

[timthefish]

Accuracy killed us, we need a good goal kicking coach.

we just need our best kicks near the goals. jude should be winning ball, not wasting it (he's always been a crap kick) and with micky more mobile i'd love to see davis leading out of the goal-square into space cleared by hall.

no more dinky-kicks against faster teams - please.

edit - if rok can be coached back into his 2005 kicking form, i'd be all for it but i don't think it's a general problem.

[anniswan]

we just need our best kicks near the goals. jude should be winning ball, not wasting it (he's always been a crap kick) and with micky more mobile i'd love to see davis leading out of the goal-square into space cleared by hall.

no more dinky-kicks against faster teams - please.

edit - if rok can be coached back into his 2005 kicking form, i'd be all for it but i don't think it's a general problem.

Looking at the WB today, they just have a knack of kicking goals, Aker was amazing so was Johnson.

[ScottH]

Accuracy killed us, we need a good goal kicking coach.
We need a kicking coach.

[Eala ?ireann]

We were @@@@ poor all over the park. Terrible decision-maiking from Hall. Barry was brutal. Bolton J was rubbish (his namesake was an oasis of effort and application). Mc Veigh got totally caned, admittedly by a genius, but caned nontheless, so why was he persisted with for so much of the game? Kennelly did zip until late on.

Is it time we started taking the NAB a bit more seriously to get these players some game time before ROund 1 or what?

That was absolutely dire footy. Worsfold will be ropable that the didn't steamroll us, even with their seriously weakened side.

The only way is up...

[NMWBloods]

yet, it was only the first round and i have faith in roos and the team to work their way into operating as the tightly-functioning unit we have come to know over the past few years.
Yes, we probably will this year, but at some point we won't (whether this year or next). It's not a certainty that every year we will have a slow start and gradually gain momentum throughout the year.

[Go Swannies]

Yes, we probably will this year, but at some point we won't (whether this year or next). It's not a certainty that every year we will have a slow start and gradually gain momentum throughout the year.

It's not a certainty but I think the slow start has proven to make good sense. Think the Melbourne Cup - if your horse takes an early lead, you know it's doomed. If we win the next few winnable games, we'll be in much better shape in terms of points than we were last year when we threw a few very winnable games. If we go down to the Tigers, we have a problem.

[Damien]

I don't really care about slow starts, but this is one game, one year that it never should have happened.

So much more to play for than 4 points on Saturday night IMO. Also, let's not forget the massive psychological advantage West Coast now take from that game - beating us with 7 players out at our home ground the first game after beating us to the flag, they are likely to mince us in Perth.

I am sure the Swans will recover, get better and all is good, but unlike previous years, I will not forget that were not ready to exact a little bit of revenge for a heartbreaking GF loss. One of the more disappointing losses in the post 1996 era in my opinion.

[NMWBloods]

It's not a certainty but I think the slow start has proven to make good sense. Think the Melbourne Cup - if your horse takes an early lead, you know it's doomed. I think this reasoning is specious. It's quite a different circumstance to the MC. Many grand finalists start well and they benefit from that. There is no real benefit to starting badly. You don't get any sort of rest by losing.

West Coast
2006 10-1
2005 15-1

Port Adelaide
2004 5-1

Brisbane
2004 6-2
2003 8-1-1
2002 6-1

Essendon
2001 8-1
2000 21-1

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

I still think we have several glaring weaknesses in the side. Leo Barry is a hb flanker/back pocket being played at full back. Not only is he not fast enough to stop a fast leading FF, he does not have the body strength to handle a big-framed opponent like Quentin Lynch. You could put Bolton there, as as seen against a tall strong ff like Matthew Richardson, his lack of height there can also hurt us. The only options I see are to put Richards down there. Or try Vogels there, which is somewhat iffy given his decided lack of pace.

Also too I still feel that we have no plan B when trying to counter a team who is flooding heavily. The way I see it, the way to beat the flood is not not fart-arse around the centre-line and half back looking for leads that will never come. We need players on half forward who can kick a long bomb over the flooded area, from outside the 50 if necessary. I see Davis and Malcevski as those players, even if I feel that Esky could possibly be played on the right HF flank where her can centre in on his natural left book as opposed to be pushed further out towards the boundary line.

I'd definitely look at bringing in Grundy for Vogels for starters. Any of the 2nd look as though they deserved coming up in place of our struggling fringe Senior players?

JF

[hammo]

I think this reasoning is specious. It's quite a different circumstance to the MC. Many grand finalists start well and they benefit from that. There is no real benefit to starting badly. You don't get any sort of rest by losing.

Yep, I agree.

4 point is 4 points whether it's round 1 or round 21. In the final wash up it can cost you a top 2 or 4 position which can just about end your premiership chances.

In the modern game, the training methods and fitness monitoring are so advanced that there is no excuse to not be up and running in round 1 and to stay up for 22 rounds plus finals.

West Coast have made 2 grand finals and basically been on top of the table round 1-22 in both years. Sydney prefer to do it the hard way. I know which path I would prefer.

[Zlatorog]

We need a kicking coach.

Sadly, we say this every year.:frown

[Jeffers1984]

I miss Schauble :(

[Wazza]

As others have stated West Coast had so many quality players out, it really was an inept performance.

What Im looking for from the Swans this year is, our next generation coming through and how Roos manages the players through this period. No doubt we have to give a couple of Reserves a few games to see if they are going to make it.

The question for me is does Roos have the courage to make the tough decisions and drop players who are not performing -or will he rely on injuries to give these players a game?

Cheers

Waz :confused:

[The Big Cat]

Why panic. We're only a game out of the eight!

[NMWBloods]

Who panicked?

[Zlatorog]

Not panic, but extreme disappointment for loosing to undermanned team. Roos should have shown less respect for them (check previous media reports) and perhaps go for a proper belting of drug cheaters.

[DST]

The funny thing is, even though we lost on Saturday night I still think we are better prepared early this year than in previous years.

I had a chance to have a look at the game again today and there was positives such as our clearance work in close and the defence held up reasonably well despite the ease the ball was coming forward for West Coast on my occasions due to our turnovers (something we are usually good at limiting).

The stats show we got the ball inside 50 much more than West Coast but we just didn't bring the ball forward well at all which was due to our poor disposal and decision making. All things that can be worked on with the current team.

I would like to see some more pace in the side and this will come with Scheinder, Croach and maybe Laidlaw and DOK later in the year. LRT or a suitable replacement is also needed down back as we lack height with sides who go tall which is what Richmond will do this week.

DST
:D

[Zlatorog]

...snip... Croach ...snip...

Who is that? A new recruit or Crouch's alter ego?:D

[Eala ?ireann]

Also too I still feel that we have no plan B when trying to counter a team who is flooding heavily.
JF

This is easily done and I don't understand why on Earth they don't do it. Basically, when the 50 becomes too congested, you draw your defenders out by retreating to the wings or the centre yourself to leave space for your marlking forwards.

Brain surgery? I think not. Did we do it? Negative. We stood there with no-one to go to. Static. Sheisse.

:mad:

[dread and might]

Goal kicking can be something that is remedied quite quickly...
The worst part was the second quarter static rubbish, which gives teams time to clog up their D50