The positives...

[liz]

Why? Just cos...and because I want to do something other than read through the match thread (I am sure I will agree with most of the tooth gnashing).

1 It was just round 1

2 We weren't quite as bad as Richmond on Thursday night. Not quite.

3 I have decided I enjoy watching footy more when we're out of a game. For the first half I was on the egde of my seat, chewing my nails. But when the team's ineptness became impossible to ignore in the third quarter, I relaxed and almost starting enjoying myself.

4 Bird. Looked classy. Looked far more at home and confident in himself than last year. Confirmed our expectations that he is a player who can naturally find time. Next step is to impose himself when all around him are losing their heads (or just going missing). But for now, encouraging steps. Would like to see him spend some time in the middle at centre bounces because I am sure he will win clearances.

5 White. Sure, he didn't dominate but he won some good hitouts and generally looked like a senior player out there tonight - something he didn't really appear in his two appearances last year.

6 Grundy. Again, not dominant but a pretty well rounded game and looks like he might be capable of taking that cliched next step.

7 Bolton (C). OK, so Riewoldt wasn't at his best but Bolton was still masterful against one of the best marksman in the competition. Actually most of the defence did pretty well given how much ball was coming their way. Favourite whipping boy LRT did a pretty reasonable job apart from a couple of clumsy, but soft frees that would have had Plugger splitting his sides based on what he used to put up with. Richards plays that loose man role very well and his decision making and general skills were pretty good also.

[ugg]

I thought White was very good for a second ruckman. He looked shaky at first gave away that early free kick but from then on, was more than competitive in the hitout department and could hold his own in body strength.

[Cant turn right]

We only have one more game this year at Docklands

[Mike_B]

Our first quarter - we were switched on, intense, hard at the ball, not afraid to go in with head over the ball and we hit targets both by hand and foot and looked sharp. It showed what we're capable of. I just hope we see more of that rather than the middle 2 quarters.

[stellation]

Ahhhh liz, "we weren't as bad as Richmond!" was heard in our household as well :)

I agree with Bird, Grundy and White. I thought they were all encouraging. I was actually suprised at how well White rucked out there, King and Gardiner is a pretty tough order to go up against and I thought he did very well.

[laughingnome]

7 Bolton (C). OK, so Riewoldt wasn't at his best but Bolton was still masterful against one of the best marksman in the competition. Actually most of the defence did pretty well given how much ball was coming their way. Favourite whipping boy LRT did a pretty reasonable job apart from a couple of clumsy, but soft frees that would have had Plugger splitting his sides based on what he used to put up with. Richards plays that loose man role very well and his decision making and general skills were pretty good also.

Our think out back 6 was actually okay all round. St Kilda had 49 inside 50's and only 20 scoring shots for 12 goals. That's an okay return for us, we just were placed under siege when the rebounds didn't work and the midfield couldn't relieve the pressure.

I'm sure Plugger isn't alone there. It's incredible how over-policed it has become with forwards.

[Bas]

Why? Just cos...and because I want to do something other than read through the match thread (I am sure I will agree with most of the tooth gnashing).

Please we are not collingwwod supporters, some of us have two even three teeth! :D

I thought our positives from tonight were:

1. We didn't stress the goal umpire at our scoring end for over an hour;

2. Roos' hair was again looking good;

3. Riewoldt didn't break out in tears again;

4. Buccy knocked over a widget;

5. No injuries;

6. No Ablett;

7. I didn't travel to Melbourne to watch a loss;

8. Hawthorn would be jotting down a win for next week;

9. Barlow won a seat on the bus for Manuka next week; &

10. Schneider had an up yours to the people who traded him AND you couldn't blame him.

[bedford]

There is nothing positive with that style of footy and you carnt see it on the TV

[Melbournehammer]

Positives from me

1. that man on man our defence matches up ok against st kilda

2. i tipped against them this week.

negatives. this isn't the thread for negatives.

[The Big Cat]

LRT - Thought he did a good job. Several terrible umpire decisions meant goals against him.

[Melbournehammer]

LRT - Thought he did a good job. Several terrible umpire decisions meant goals against him.

I agree. But he does have the tendency to get pinged - and he will get pinged 15 metres out from goal...

[j s]

We won half the game - unfortunately they won their half by more.

[SwansFan1972]

Plenty of positives...

For the record, I think the doomsayers are a bit premature - they were pretty hard at the contest most of the night, and the influence of the three blind mice shouldn't be undersold.

As per usual the boys got a lousy run and Ray Chamberlain is kidding himself as an umpire. He is so keen to blow his whistle it's a wonder the pea isn't worn out before three quarter time. Hope springs eternal he'll swallow it one day ....

Apart from the burst from St Kilda at the death of the third and the start of the fourth, the boys were within 2-3 goals. The umpiring gave the Saints a dream run, 24-16 against us and at least three (probably four) were soft as melted butter and cost us goals.

You can be a reasonable chance of beating 22, but forget beating 25, it just won't happen. Pies copped the rough end of the pineapple today too, some of the decisions just bear no relation to what plays out on the ground.

And yes, the swannies didn't play great through the mid part of the match, but they didn't get blown away either. Plenty still to look forward to this season. Chins up folks!

[Cardinal]

Our odds of making the top 4 will probably be around 16 to 1 now .......

Bird is going to very very good.

The magoos should have an injection of much needed experience and the ACT will produce much needed talent for a 2018 premiership tilt

[Donners]

Apparently LRT gained the most distance of any Sydney player. I'm not convinced about the usefulness of that stat, but it's an interesting one.

[msb]

Hard to find any positives when you dont kick a goal for 2 and a half quarters!!!! Anyway I thought LRT did a great job, as did C.Bolton although Reiwoldt really was not fit. Was something wrong with Kirky? He looked slow and did nothing all night.
It is only round 1, but geez looking at our draw I really cant pencil in a win till round 6 against Richmond! Maybe Carlton in round 4.....who knows!

[Wazza]

I thought LRT was good given how often the ball was coming in, he ran the ball out of defence on several occasions and looked very composed.

Shaw came into it more as the game went on and looks like he will slot in well.

White was good and showed glimpses, I would luv to see him spend time in our Fwd 50.

Like everyone was saying Bird looked very good.

Richards had an interesting game - great 1st half. Why couldnt Richards hold down CHF for us??

Not a negative but was Kirk running backwards or did he look rrrreeeaaallly slow?

Cheers

Wazza

[Rob-bloods]

Agree with most posts, some good to come out the mess.

White seemed to tap well would have liked to see him get a little more time on, or even rest forward for a short time.

Why did we drop so many marks?

Briefly a few reflections..

Bird good, White encouraging, Grundy not too bad, Bolton & LRT excellent....considering the pressure defence were under. Shaw glimpses of good stuff certainly not the worst. Why passing off from 50 metres into a crowded fwd line,no one pegging at goal any more from 50/55? Bring back the Vez. Barlow soft several times just eases up around the ball NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Sorry to hear of Ablett family issue very sad.

Why are our kickins so atrocious? Whoever has that responsibility should be SACKED....we were very poor last year and have started the same, the KPI for the defensive coach includes kick in structure and tactics...where are they? That put the defence unnder intense pressure because when they got a run on we could simply not clear the 50 so the ball continually rebounded during the spell that put Saints on top.

Saints flooded more quarters 2/3 and we could not handle it. There accuracy when we then turned the ball over was simply better than ours, they also got the run of ball and frees, for that middle passage they probably earned it.

We certainly need our 'stars' to perform Goodes'y very patchy and decision making poor. They pressured us in 2nd quarter but why so many dinky handballs under pressure, you may as well hoof it!

Indeed not as bad as Richmond but, a looong season no doubt!

[Dalai Lama]

to not score a goal for 78 minutes then only get beaten by 15 points is a positive!

[Rob-bloods]

to not score a goal for 78 minutes then only get beaten by 15 poits is a positive!

No I think we are just trying to look for "something" amongst the strewn ashes of the Bloods!

[Dalai Lama]

& at least Jesse White didn't do a 19th man incident?

[Rob-bloods]

& at least Jesse White didn't do a 19th man incident?

Luv' it "oh revered one", can God's messenger on earth help with our kickins possibly?

[Dalai Lama]

Luv' it "oh revered one", can God's messenger on earth help with our kickins possibly?

Yes my child - avoid directing kick ins to a Rotor Virus affected, ex-Collingwood Rhesus Macaque on all occassions.
then:-
Go quick, go long, and go hard. Don't think - DO!

[Rob-bloods]

oooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....I'm trance like......I can see the future Swans clear their 50 through fast sweet passing by foot...........and then I woke up!:D

[Nico]

We won't get Chamberlain next week. Almost all of our frees against were given by him. His inconsistency was bordering on cheating. The other 2 umpires were hardly noticed and let the game flow without unnecessary frees.

[Playsmart]

We won't get Chamberlain next week. Almost all of our frees against were given by him. His inconsistency was bordering on cheating. The other 2 umpires were hardly noticed and let the game flow without unnecessary frees.


Agree - you could almost feel that a free against us anytime with him. It puts doubts in the players mind. How could a professonal AFL allow this kind umpiring to get through?

Better to examine all the negatives (more important now than the positives from shocking 2nd/3rd quarter last nite performance) & postives, and someone a send copy to all highly paid players and coaches to wake them up.

[lwjoyner]

I nearly sent a message last night, very frusatrating again for a long time member, how did we do so bad in the middle stages of the game. I for one thing that Ed Barlow has gone backwards since his debut and his papers should just about be marked. Jesse White although he did quite well should play in a settled postion perhaps chf , we have no one there. He can run around like Rooey does for the Saints and give Halley a helping hand I dont think he is a number 2 ruck, give the Canadian a go or Currie. A number of other players look as if they are on their way out as well. Kirky even though he had a number of touches looked out of soughts and I hope he doesnt go ebyond his use by date, it will undo all the good work much the same as Leo has gone on too long. We need more movement on the forward line the first quarter was good. If we play like that continually we will get the high draft picks in the years that the "new" teams take the cream and we will miss out.

[swan_song]

There is ONE very important positive to come out of the game...
and that is that there are now only 21 matches to go for us to have to put up with this bulldust...
One of the reasons we didn't renew membership this year (apart from the treatment of ND, the recruiting policy of the past few years, and the GFC -- thats Global Financial Crisis, and nothing to do with Geelong...well, maybe a bit to do with us having no show against a team that's won something like 43 of 46 games) was that we collectively thought that the players seriously let us, as supporters, down last year, especially in the games against Collingwood and Adelaide, as well as others. Now it's started again, but earlier in the season.
At least another positive is that, given Saturday night's effort, my expectations can now only be exceeded.

[royboy42]

Watching LRT fight it out one off with a big forward takes me back a lot...you're right Liz, Plugger must be dirty that he's not playing now...he would have kicked 20 every week..19 from frees. It's a shame that the one off contest has been taken out of the game with the no touching rule...damn shame!

[Legs Akimbo]

What I would like to see next week

- Bird starting on the ground in the centre, spending as much time there as possible.
- No Barlow, Crouch or Buchanan (Ablett, Meredith, MOD or MOL of fit)
- Hall to play true CHF, Grundy FF (although I do think he can play back)
- Moore to have a spells in the middle rotating from the forward pocket with resting Bird, McVeigh).
- ROK as a link man on the wing not in the forward 50m
- Stick with the run and carry and rapid ball movement, even kicking to contests. Even if we screw up, at least the other guys can't run forward en masse into empty space.
- A much much higher work rate with players pushing forward on the rebound to present options.
- Pressure in the centre corridor instead of allowing the other team to switch play at will and bring the ball to 50m arc unharried. No wonder the saints got it into their forward 50m so many times.

[msb]

There is ONE very important positive to come out of the game...
and that is that there are now only 21 matches to go for us to have to put up with this bulldust...
One of the reasons we didn't renew membership this year (apart from the treatment of ND, the recruiting policy of the past few years, and the GFC -- thats Global Financial Crisis, and nothing to do with Geelong...well, maybe a bit to do with us having no show against a team that's won something like 43 of 46 games) was that we collectively thought that the players seriously let us, as supporters, down last year, especially in the games against Collingwood and Adelaide, as well as others. Now it's started again, but earlier in the season.
At least another positive is that, given Saturday night's effort, my expectations can now only be exceeded.

LET YOU DOWN???? WHAT??????!!!!!! They made the bloody finals for the 6th year in a row! Sure they put in some bad games last year but all teams do, go barrack for Richmond, that is a team that lets you down.

[satchmopugdog]

Just back from the game:

1. Our Banner holders were neater than theirs.

2. Our banner was better made than theirs but the messages were a bit commercial.

3.Ted Richards was fantastic. Dominated in the first quarter but was then tagged when he was a defensive player.

4. Jesse White did some great things in the ruck especially his second efforts where he was unstoppable by the oppositions ruckmen as they were not as agile as he.

5. Darren Jollywas fantastic. His technique and body positioning was first rate.

6. Bird is good. His hands and awareness are good. Must be the result of being a surfer and looking out for sharks.

7. At times we were only beaten by a matter of centimetres in contests.....but sadly in this game that accumulates.

8. The Swans supporters around me didn't turn on their players like the Saints supporters did on their players in the first quarter. They were vitriolic a nd you would have thought they hated their team.

9. Some of Jared McVeigh's work was first class.

10. LRT tried his hardest and was crucified by the umpies. He ran hardoff his player to present as an option..twice to be killed on a ticky touchwood turnover.

11. Our clearance work in general play can only get better...no that's a bit harsh..sometimes there were some lightening hands that had the Saints supporters crying "BALL" and our players had already disposed of it.


That's all I can think of for now...have to unpack and then get ready for Grade 7 Camp (Now that's not a positive!!!!)

[satchmopugdog]

How could I forget




JOLLY'S MARK



Absolutely awesome...he is now a confident reliable player but was limping when he came off in the last quarter.(but not as badly as Riewoldt and Clarke!!!!!)

[Xie Shan]

I have to agree with the dog lady, watching it on TV there were a few contests with only a centimetre or two in it and once St. Kilda got their game going it was always going to be tough to play against a mega-flood. Difference was we didn't run for each other as well or as often as the Saints did after quarter-time.

B2 showed why he's such an integral part of our backline and that he was clearly carrying injuries last year because he led the defence really well. I think having him back to his best helped LRT too and gave him more confidence.

Ted was fantastic and I think McVeigh will be even better this year than he was in 2008.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Just back from the game:

1. Our Banner holders were neater than theirs.

2. Our banner was better made than theirs but the messages were a bit commercial.
first rate.

To be honest I wasn't a fan of them either. Plus because they were so long it took ages to bloody stick them down. Hopefully we can remain independant down here in future and not just be a moving billboard for ads from the club.

I think enough has been said that has already been said. Thought they were just brilliant in the 1st quarter. Moore fantastic. But when teams flood our defensive 50 and start our "handball happy" game out of defence we have no Plan B. Then again we never have had one under Roos, so why bother starting now? :rolleyes: (Hence our records against defensive teams like Adelaide & Collingwood)

The highlight to me was seeing the St Kilda feral in the next bay not only be asked to leave the stadium in the 1st quarter but totally lose the plot swinging punches at the seccos and cops for what seemed like ages. "YOU ARE A WANKER !! !!!!" Reminds me of the North Melbourne fans who spat beer on us in the 3rd quarter of the GF in 1996 and MISSED THEIR PREMIERSHIP! :D :rolleyes:

JF

[goswannie14]

One of the reasons we didn't renew membership this year (apart from the treatment of ND, the recruiting policy of the past few years, and the GFC -- thats Global Financial Crisis, and nothing to do with Geelong...well, maybe a bit to do with us having no show against a team that's won something like 43 of 46 games) was that we collectively thought that the players seriously let us, as supporters, down last year, especially in the games against Collingwood and Adelaide, as well as others. Now it's started again, but earlier in the season.
At least another positive is that, given Saturday night's effort, my expectations can now only be exceeded.What a piss weak excuse for bailing out on a team you are supposed to be a supporter of. If the truth be known we are better of without supporters who don't support through thick and thin.

[The Big Cat]

There is ONE very important positive to come out of the game...
and that is that there are now only 21 matches to go for us to have to put up with this bulldust...
One of the reasons we didn't renew membership this year (apart from the treatment of ND, the recruiting policy of the past few years, and the GFC -- thats Global Financial Crisis, and nothing to do with Geelong...well, maybe a bit to do with us having no show against a team that's won something like 43 of 46 games) was that we collectively thought that the players seriously let us, as supporters, down last year, especially in the games against Collingwood and Adelaide, as well as others. Now it's started again, but earlier in the season.
At least another positive is that, given Saturday night's effort, my expectations can now only be exceeded.

You're not a supporter, you're a band wagon rider. You'd be better off following Richmond.

[2005]

There is ONE very important positive to come out of the game...
and that is that there are now only 21 matches to go for us to have to put up with this bulldust...
One of the reasons we didn't renew membership this year (apart from the treatment of ND, the recruiting policy of the past few years, and the GFC -- thats Global Financial Crisis, and nothing to do with Geelong...well, maybe a bit to do with us having no show against a team that's won something like 43 of 46 games) was that we collectively thought that the players seriously let us, as supporters, down last year, especially in the games against Collingwood and Adelaide, as well as others. Now it's started again, but earlier in the season.
At least another positive is that, given Saturday night's effort, my expectations can now only be exceeded.


The most ridiculous post Ive probably seen on this site.
Pissweak is kind I would of thought.
You paint what alot of AFL Football supporters think of the SYDNEY SUPPORT we have north of the border.

[RaZoRBlad3]

I thought Grundy did some pretty good things, and his kick for goal were pretty reliable. Keep him in the forward I reckon.

[top40]

I should start by stating that the Swans performance for 2 ? quarters against the Saints is of major concern. St Kilda are a good side, but not great. I can?t see Sydney making the 8 at this stage.

Is there any hope?

Well the Swans Round one record dating back to the early 1990?s is quite poor.

In the past few years, where the Swans have without fail qualified for September, they have five months earlier lost their past (4) Round one games, plus (5) of the last (6) Round one games. Just one solitary win, against Hawthorn in 2005 at the SCG.

Going back in further, in the past 19 years the Swans Round one record stands:

Games Wins Losses

19 6 13

A poor 31.5% record


By contrast, for the overall games played for the past 19 years

Games Wins Losses Draws

416 197 213 6

A reasonably respectable 48% record. (Herein, we take into account of course the dark years (1991-1994))


And, it gets worse when you factor in Round one away games

The Swans have won just 2 away games in Round one since 1991: against Port in 1998 and St Kilda in 2000.

For the record:

Games Wins Losses

11 2 9

A pathetic 18% record


By contrast, for the overall away games played for the past 19 years are:

Games Wins Losses Draws

209 79 125 5

An OK, (as away games go), 39% record

[satchmopugdog]

too many numbers...made me feel sick.

[UglyDuckling]

Our games style in the first quarter showed shades of Geelong with with lots of handpasses finding a free guy who sprints down the coridoor bloody good to watch and effective........Unfortunately after the first quarter we reverted to chipping it up the wing only to turn it over ad have it pumped into our defensive 50.

LRT was bloody awesome

Grundy & White looked senior players

Crouch wont be there next week..........hopefully

Bazza didnt punch anyone

Shaw looked pretty good

All in all lots of positives from an insipid performance

[Primmy]

Positives. We fought back in the last quarter. We did that before, nice to see the tradition continue. Good practice.

That Twerp, got bowled over.....loved it.

LRT now looks like a gangly bloke instead of a gangly kid.
White has proven me right when I told Roosy a few years ago the kid would do ok as a pinch hit ruckman - Roosy was not convinced, ....whoodathort!
Little Craig can play a bit.
Big Craig can play a big bit.
Cheese is a disappointment. Has no down and dirty about him, and as for that petulent display that cost us a free, sheeze! Bazza give him a few boxing sessions will you, that may work.
Jolls, B&F this year? Hear it here first. Yay the Big Mark.
Kirky, umm, Kirky was, umm....love you Kirky, I will give you the rest of the year to come good.
Condolences to Luke's family.
The rest of them just kind of faded to pink.

It will all work out in the wash. We will come good, as usual. We will stay loyal (well MOST of us) to the Club because we love our footy (well MOST of the time) and that's our tribe we are talking about.

[Mel_C]

3. Riewoldt didn't break out in tears again;



He didn't break out in tears but he broke out in a flood of expletives when he was dragged in the 1st qtr. I was sitting right behind the saints bench and as as soon as he came off he started saying F this F that...why was he Fing dragged. To which we gladly replied it was because he hadn't got a kick.

[Robbo]

Grundy would be one of the first blokes I would pick each week if I was on the selection panel. Needs to play 22 games this year.

[ScottH]

2 We weren't quite as bad as Richmond on Thursday night. Not quite.
Not sure about that. At least they managed to get at least one goal every qtr.

[Bloods05]

I agree with a lot of what has been said here, especially Liz's post. Overall, I think the most positive thing was that it was the young guys like Bird, Grundy and White who did best. We have to be realistic and not drop our bundle as supporters. We will have a poor season or two eventually, and this one looks like being a bit ugly. We have to look to the future. Who could be seriously good in, say, three years? My list would include the following: McVeigh (still improving, some brilliant work last night), Bird, Currie (maybe?), Grundy, Moore, MOD, Veszpremi, White. That's not a bad start (includes rucks, KPPs, midfielders, small forwards), and if we then add a few more, say Johnston, Orreal, Hanneberry and Gilchrist, and hope a few others come through as they always do, and if blokes like LRT and Jack continue their steady improvement, there's some cause for optimism.

[Krispy]

I reckon last night was the best match LRT has ever played....that hasn't finished with a premiership medallion. He was never beaten in a contest by koschitzke - he created movement and generally used the ball well. 23 touches when your job is stopping a key forward is damn impressive, and highlights that he is capable of holding down a key role for the future.

Obviously not much else to be positive about - a few guys showed a bit and thats been well covered already, but lets not be blinded by that.

Rather than focusing on either positives or negatives lets just hope that the difference between quarter 1 and quarters 2&3 can be quickly evaluated and rectified. Much of it is simply workrate and movement.

[swan_song]

You're not a supporter, you're a band wagon rider. You'd be better off following Richmond.

You may have something there, I think they are known to score a goal or two in a half of footy...

Quote: The most ridiculous post Ive probably seen on this site.

Only probably? :D You can't have visited RWOL too often then...

[pinkemu]

I agree. But he does have the tendency to get pinged - and he will get pinged 15 metres out from goal...

I would think that's standard in the Fullback position

[Swannette]

OK, my two bobs worth of positives - LRT: first time ever I can recall that he was used as part of taking the ball upfield. He has presented as an option many many times - last year, the year before, even in 05, and to my memory, very rarely got used. That all changed last night and he used the ball well, not a sign of a rabbit in headlights. Good for you and us LRT. Overall, the defence was solid. Teddy, Bolts, Marty - very good. Rhyce - not as influential as the pre-season, but fast - and sans Tadgh that's a big positive. The bevonator was good, Baz was very good with limited delivery, Reg good, McVeigh outstanding (can we clone him?), Ryan great, Jolly terrific, but can't say I saw much more I would rate as positive. Oh, other than its only round 1.

[Jeffers1984]

LRT and Bird.

That is all..

[Bas]

He didn't break out in tears but he broke out in a flood of expletives when he was dragged in the 1st qtr. I was sitting right behind the saints bench and as as soon as he came off he started saying F this F that...why was he Fing dragged. To which we gladly replied it was because he hadn't got a kick.

Just as I thought. People with limited communication skills always swear alot.

[Cardinal]

He didn't break out in tears but he broke out in a flood of expletives when he was dragged in the 1st qtr. I was sitting right behind the saints bench and as as soon as he came off he started saying F this F that...why was he Fing dragged. To which we gladly replied it was because he hadn't got a kick.


I would have been sitting a few rows back from you then - couldn't hear the words but didn't have to be a lip reader

[barry]

Let see what happens this week.

Rearrange the quarters so that we were the ones coming from behind, and just falling short, and there wouldnt be so much knasshing of teeth on here.

The 1st quarter was exceptional. That is the template Roos has to find. We dont have the buildup of Melbourne, so I'll reserve judgement for another two weeks.

All I can say, is we showed something in round 1. Now to work on it. I'm off to ANZ this weekend.. Go Swans.

I actually think the Luke Ablett issue could have effected the team mentally.

[sidswan]

Big positive...BBB not cracking, must've been incredibly frustrated but controlled it...or so it seemed on TV:)

[573v30]

The Swans are only 12th on the ladder so far. :o

[JC 14]

Big positive...BBB not cracking, must've been incredibly frustrated but controlled it...or so it seemed on TV:)

I went last night and could see the frustration in his eyes all night, with either Gilbert or Kosi a loose man behind the ball all game, Barry was playing out of the square alot of the night, a role in which micky o usually occupies. A lot of the time he was competing against 2-3 opponents and hes a body-on-body footballer; it was easy pickings for the second man up. I could see in the second and third quarters his effort look like it fell a little.

Zac Dawson was ok on him but flattered by the way the saints were coached. It must have been so frustrating for BBB; saying that i thought he played fair.

The underlying issue is that Roosy allowed this to happen all night. St Kilda out played us at our own game (again at the dome). Every swans supporter at the game knew how st kilda were going to play. The pre-season talk of the boys playing a new brand of football and adopting with the times was not apparent at all...

Positives to take out of the game:
Ted Richards was very good, and B2's game on Reiwoldt, saying that it was one of the most disappointing games ive been too.

[ScottH]

I went last night and could see the frustration in his eyes all night, with either Gilbert or Kosi a loose man behind the ball all game, Barry was playing out of the square alot of the night, a role in which micky o usually occupies. A lot of the time he was competing against 2-3 opponents and hes a body-on-body footballer; it was easy pickings for the second man up. I could see in the second and third quarters his effort look like it fell a little.

Zac Dawson was ok on him but flattered by the way the saints were coached. It must have been so frustrating for BBB; saying that i thought he played fair.

The underlying issue is that Roosy allowed this to happen all night. St Kilda out played us at our own game (again at the dome). Every swans supporter at the game knew how st kilda were going to play. The pre-season talk of the boys playing a new brand of football and adopting with the times was not apparent at all...

Positives to take out of the game:
Ted Richards was very good, and B2's game on Reiwoldt, saying that it was one of the most disappointing games ive been too.

That was the glaring whole in our fwd line. No Micky O. no oppotunistic fwds, such as Vepsa. Put those two in, and I'm sure we would not have gonce for a 78 Min drought.

[robamiee]

i agree with most POSITIVES in the posts here..

Agree that 1st qtr template is what we have to work towards and also working around the old fashioned flood that St Kilda employed, not a zone..

qUICK BALL MOVEMENT is what we lacked in those 2 qtrs, btu we showed in the 1st and last what we can do.

Bird, good game showed some real gl;impses, but he now must impose himself.
He has some real fleet of foot potential that reminded of a yng Ben Cousins..
But i think the confidence will do him wonders, I think if roosey can let him of the leash, will see what his makings are.

LRT good run of the backline, some harsh calls on him though..

White needs to impose himself as well, but did some great follow up work around the ground.

McVeigh showed glimpses but now needs the 4 qtr consistancy and with him and bird working the outside of the packs, J Bolton and Kirk (missing for the night i thought), we could ahve that well baalnced midfield i think we have been lacking...


Where the hell is D O'Keefe at....

[bandwagon]

Thanks for your post Top40 - if I had an 18% expectation of a win I might not be so disappointed. Anyway what are our chances next weekend?

Positives:
1. Bird
2. Tall defenders - LRT, CBolton, Richards
3. Grundy and White went ok
4. It's only Round 1

[SwansFan1972]

One other positive (in a roundabout kinda way) ...

The goal drought in the second and third quarters saw a scoring run of 73 points to 4 (according to On the Couch last night). Tell anyone who didn't see the game that and they would expect a 100 point hammering - Swans lost by 15.

For all the doom and gloom around, it says that there is still something there and I reckon they'll have a better than even season and squeak into the eight. Whether that is beneficial either short or long term is another question. As we all know, mid table is the dead zone - gives you nothing draft wise and gives you nothing glory wise either. Carlton's wooden spoons have turned into silver spoons (or even gold) these days!

[ROK Lobster]

We didn't have Nick Davis dragging us down.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

We didn't have Nick Davis dragging us down.

Yeah, he probably would have done something stupid like playing attacking football. Thank @@@@ he wasn't there!