Game Day : Vs Saints

[gossipcom]

According to Swans Twitter, Jetta will start as sub. I think this could be a good move for him.

[swansrob]

According to Swans Twitter, Jetta will start as sub. I think this could be a good move for him.

Agreed. Hopefully he can come on around three quarter time and bust the game open - I think he needs some confidence

[ugg]

Only if we inject him into the game in time. We tend to leave it to as late as possible before subbing in

[gossipcom]

Only if we inject him into the game in time. We tend to leave it to as late as possible before subbing in
Yep agree with that. Hopefully we'll have our game on boots and be ahead to enable him to come on earlier rather than later (touch wood and not due to an injury).

[Aaron]

Jetta as sub

[Wardy]

How fantastic hearing all of those kiwis singing their anthem - fantastic!! GO SWANS!!

[swans_premiers]

spine tingling

[Melbournehammer]

really want to see us bounce back here tonight. bit stressed as usual. want to see us crunch them very early and have this game over by half time. wont happen i know but thats really what i want

[Melbournehammer]

by the way what the hell is mumford looking like ?

he looks like a player from the 1880s or something else

[gossipcom]

by the way what the hell is mumford looking like ?

he looks like a player from the 1880s or something else
Looks like he's auditioning for Boogie Nights sequel. :D

[Melbournehammer]

gee whiz goodes looks like he might be starting on the ball tonight

[Wardy]

Mummy should change his name to Dirk Diggler with that new mo and sidies combo!! Boom chick-a-wah- wah!!

[Melbournehammer]

early signs very ugly. barely able to touch the ball.

[Melbournehammer]

grundy outmarked by kosi - probably pushed under the ball to be honest but i reckon we've had three possessions in the first 5 minutes and really lucky to have had them.

[Aaron]

Saints winning cleaarance and kicked a goal

[Melbournehammer]

we look so far off the pace tonight it is barely believable.

[Cheer_Cheer]

When are we going to start playing ?

[Wardy]

spine tingling I think it should be legislated that julie Anthony and the girl from the army today at the MCG should be allowed to sing out anthem - you don't see anyone putting their slant on the Kiwi number (which is lovely - my great great grea uncle Peter Dodds McCormick would turn in his grave if he heard some if the versions or murderings of AAF!! ) rant over !! Cmon swans pull the finger out!!!

[gossipcom]

Nice goal to Joey (thanks to an interchange free).

[Melbournehammer]

reid has been outmarked three times in the first 8 minutes by gilbert.

[Melbournehammer]

looks like the conditions have completely thrown us - we cant hold it kick it or handpass it with any accuracy or skills at all.

really ugly game and we are playing terribly

[ShockOfHair]

So much for the extra tackling pressure. Saints have laid 17 tackles to 9.

[ShockOfHair]

Teddy!

[Melbournehammer]

teddy kicks a great goal but the rest of the team is trying to play kick to kick to the pack.

[gossipcom]

Teddy channelling his full forward days. Nice goal! Then we go back to our useless play and concede a goal.

[Aaron]

Just in front for less than a minute

[Melbournehammer]

free kick in the middle long kick to a really open forward line and straightforward goal to riewoldt.

[Melbournehammer]

fundamentally anyone who thinks a non-marking four tall forwards is a good structure is kidding themselves. i really wouldnt mind reducing our forward line by at least one tall and replace it with a small - lamb i think really should be in the side and i think longmire should be reconsidering his structure

[ShockOfHair]

Nice goal around the body from McVeigh.

[Aaron]

1st Q 21:19 Sydney by 2

[Swans500]

Some very sloppy Swans efforts....

[Melbournehammer]

clearly so wet and slippery that neither team can actually hold their feet - but as usual the wet conditions stuff our skills.

jude kicks the first point for the second quarter - swans up by 3

[BillyRayCypress]

Mummy should change his name to Dirk Diggler with that new mo and sidies combo!! Boom chick-a-wah- wah!!

Was he a 70's porn star? :D

[BillyRayCypress]

Parker is in serious threat of getting dropped from my supercoach side. However, playing well so far.

[Melbournehammer]

weve been much better this quarter but haven't done much scoreboard pressure. riewoldt takes uncontested mark as a result of grundy falling behind and mal failing to actually act as the free man. saints up by three

[Melbournehammer]

jack kicks a good goal as a result of uncontested mark from parker and a good kick

[Wardy]

C'mon SWANS!!

[Melbournehammer]

swans scramble a goal as a result of very good pressure around the ball. swans up by 8 points

[Melbournehammer]

saints get one back - swans up by 2 again

[Simo]

Andre, needs to get the ball and not worry about his hair.... Get hard nuts in. Pretty boys do not survive at south.

[Melbournehammer]

so far parker has been our best player. jude and kennedy starting to come on. swans up by 10

[Melbournehammer]

amongst the ugliest games i have ever watched. clearly a very very hard game in the conditions. really best described as a contest. anyway see what happens in the second half.

[Nich]

Mattner might need to get a glove out. Nothing is sticking.

Lukey Parker is everywhere and Macca is playing like a bloke with the weight of the World off his shoulders.

C'mon boys!

[ShockOfHair]

The Saints beat us once last year and in the return match were just a goal down five minutes from the end before we kicked three or four goals. So although we came in as redhot favourites, the 10-point lead at halftime is within expectations. (The scrappy, crappy contest isn't, though.)

McVeigh and Parker have been excellent in the conditions. Reid having another shocker. Ted needs some help to contain Reiwoldt -- 19 possessions and two goals.

[stellation]

Just curious; when Jesse was the next big thing did he ever get the support of the coaches and hold his spot whist struggling as much as Sam has?

[ShockOfHair]

Grundy now on Reiwoldt. That's definitely a help to Ted.

[Melbournehammer]

luke parker gets a hard ball and reid delivers a very good pass to goodes who converts. swans by 17

[BillyRayCypress]

Just curious; when Jesse was the next big thing did he ever get the support of the coaches and hold his spot whist struggling as much as Sam has?

Jesse didn't sign a five year contract.

Parker cements his place in my supercoach team.

[Melbournehammer]

no, also he was second ruckman for much of that time.

having said that reid rarely gets outmarked and he really does strike me increasingly as a chb

[Daisi]

Reid will get better when Tippett comes in. I think Armstrong is having a good game tonight. Perhaps he is getting more used to the speed of play. Nice to see him improving.

[Melbournehammer]

gerard healy correctly notes that the swans have gone small and now actually look like we can attack. saad kicking at goal here after a free which i think was a classic - pyke cant defend so he is bound to have infringed.

we are up by 26 points - not really put them away yet.

armstrong is actually doing pretty well tonight.

[Yuri H]

Late to the game (so to speak) but yes, Mummy's facefuzz thing is ... erm, interesting.

Also, am I the only person who, when McGlynn gets near the ball, starts singing a twisted version of 'Benny & the Jets' (buh-buh-buh-Benny Mc-ik-Glynn)? And if he does well, shriek the 'Benny! Benny! Benny! Bennybennybennybenny yeah-eah-eahhhh..' fadeout vocal? Or am I just torturing my partner alone? ... anyone? Bueller?

[Yuri H]

Also, agreed on Armstrong - I find myself muttering 'I trust him with the ball ...'

[Melbournehammer]

we played very well for the first ten minutes of this quarter but the last 8 has been terrible - they have been completely dominant

[gossipcom]

As strange as this sounds because he's been out of form, but they need to get Jetta on. He'd rip this game apart with his speed in the wet.

[Melbournehammer]

goodes commits a bad error and tdl kicks a goal - that had been coming for ten minutes. what a waste of ten minutes

[Zlatorog]

I don't understand what is with this. It happens too often. I thought they addressed that after last year GF fading in the third quarter.

[Yuri H]

Agh, our olden-times 3rd quarter nap. I was hoping Horse had beaten it out of the team.

[BillyRayCypress]

Goodes is at least being consistent with how bad he has been this year.

I'm sure the players have bet on themselves to see who can do the best hospital pass.

[Melbournehammer]

parker has been very good tonight - and he goals - our best three would be parker mcveigh and probably richards who has taken a lot of marks on a wet night

[BillyRayCypress]

Also, am I the only person who, when McGlynn gets near the ball, starts singing a twisted version of 'Benny & the Jets' (buh-buh-buh-Benny Mc-ik-Glynn)? And if he does well, shriek the 'Benny! Benny! Benny! Bennybennybennybenny yeah-eah-eahhhh..' fadeout vocal? Or am I just torturing my partner alone? ... anyone? Bueller?

Jetts isn't own yet so you are technically singing incorrectly.

You want support to torture your partner? If you have skype I'm sure there would be a few more torturing vocals we could set up on conference mode.

I'm singing the Michael Jackson of Ben. An arms slowly waving in the air mode.

[treespirit]

C'mon Swannies. Convince me.

[ShockOfHair]

Luke Parker - what a gem.

[Yuri H]

Jets is on! Time to sing. We hope.

[Yuri H]

I think Rampe's praises haven't been sung enough tonight.

[Melbournehammer]

if we lose this the failure of nick snith to actually want to take the mark then will be a major moment.

swans now only up by 16

[Melbournehammer]

swans up by 10. disappointing quarter.

[Wardy]

Jetts isn't own yet so you are technically singing incorrectly.

You want support to torture your partner? If you have skype I'm sure there would be a few more torturing vocals we could set up on conference mode.

I'm singing the Michael Jackson of Ben. An arms slowly waving in the air mode.
How much have you had up drink darl ??

[Yuri H]

OK, more Yuriverse in the at home & making obscure yell/sing-at-the-telly references ... for Cap'n Jack, I tend to start singing Yoko's 'Kiss, Kiss, Kiss', only 'Kizz, Kizz, Kizz, Kizz me now-ow-ow' when he approacheth the goal .... hmm, I may be divulging too much.

[Melbournehammer]

got a good run from the umpires tonight. mumford goals. we win.

but we are really a long way from it at the moment.

[Yuri H]

Yes, the horn, we'll take it.

[treespirit]

C'mon Swannies. Convince me.

Nope.

[Yuri H]

but we are really a long way from it at the moment.

Definitely - I worry. (but then as a genetic Slav it's in my bones)

[kangle4]

Our players need to put some studs in their boots before they go out.

[Yuri H]

Also, watching Reiwoldt snivel & blubber - errrm, I mean, glower intensely at the loss - is always good.

[CJK]

Not a great game but will take 4 points

[Nich]

Dream Team points might not show it but I'm convinced Parker earnt that medal tonight. Unlucky Luke.

In saying that Dan just missed out on the Norm Smith so we will call it even.

On to next week!!

[stellation]

Also, watching Reiwoldt snivel & blubber - errrm, I mean, glower intensely at the loss - is always good.
I must admit, I don't really get that. He always plays his heart out and clearly cares if his team wins or loses, the AFL should have more players like him.

[Melbournehammer]

as a team we are a bit off it. reid, mumford still looking poor. i am not sure whether the 25 minutes as a sub was really worth it for jetta. waste of his time i think.

smith was quiet. mattner had hands covered in soap i presume. shockingly poor touch. grundy and richards did their job. rampe and armstrong played well. rok was quiet, as was jack - both struggled a bit. goodesy was better i think than he has been but still done on his form.

our best players were the youngsters - parker hanners pyke (young in games). mcglynn was very good and bolton did well.

we are not really playing well enough to compete against the best teams at the moment - and tippett cant arrive soon enough for us. as with the past years since barry and micky left we have a dysfunctional forward line.

i really dont like what we are doing at the moment - the long kicks to contests and relying on midfielders getting up and back for that. if we actually learn to hit up lead up players we might create a bit more space for the forwards to lead into.

[BillyRayCypress]

Dream Team points might not show it but I'm convinced Parker earnt that medal tonight. Unlucky Luke.

In saying that Dan just missed out on the Norm Smith so we will call it even.

On to next week!!

I agree I thought Parker should have had it over Daniel.

[ugg]

Hanners getting it as part compensation for not winning the NS Medal.

[Reggi]

It's a win. Rampe, Armstrong, Parker & Jetta took steps forward.

Our form is still not great. Forgiving of Reid and Everitt ordinary conditions for players like them

[Zlatorog]

I disagree re Jack. He laid 13 tackles. Highest of anybody in the game. He should deserve the medal just based on that. Daniel got the medal because he had the highest possession count of all the players if that was the criteria.

[mcs]

I thought that was a very ordinary performance, but I guess at least we got the right result.

Very happy with Rampe, thought he was good under pressure, and Parker should have been BOG if you ask me.

Still not convinced that Armstrong is any good - for every good thing he does, he does something awful. Really hit and miss and his tackling is plain awful.

[mcs]

got a good run from the umpires tonight. mumford goals. we win.

but we are really a long way from it at the moment.

We got a few calls go our way but some absolute shockers not go our way. Could easily have had 2 or 3 frees in our forward 50 in the last quarter that were clearly there but not given.

[ShockOfHair]

Reid was atrocious in the first half, but quite good in the third quarter - had a lot to do with our dominance in the early part of the quarter. The higher he plays up the ground the better for his confidence at this stage.

Mumford was much better and Bird played pretty well on return. Everitt was barely sighted and Goodes is still far too quiet. That free kick into the 50 -- what was he thinking??

To me it sounded like the medal was awarded for the most Anzac-like player rather than best player. For sure Parker was our best. McGlynn and Bolton were very Anzacish but good to see Hana get rewarded.

[liz]

I thought the umpiring was pretty decent, especially considering the conditions. There were none of the ticky-touch frees that ruined last week's game. Any number of high / in the pack frees could have been plucked from the scrums in front of goal at both ends, so it was credit to the umpires that they resisted the temptation of plucking things from nowhere. The Mumford free was clearly there - his run at the ball was completely blocked.

As for the Swans' performance, they did just enough. Tackling was reasonable, and got better as the game went on. Skills were so so. Lapses of concentration / effort at times during the game were a bit of a worry.

Most exciting things were Rampe's coolness under pressure, especially late in the game, and the continuing emergence of Parker towards becoming another top notch, hard-bodied, hard tackling, strong marking, quick thinking, goal scoring midfielder.

[Auntie.Gerald]

i think that in 2012 we adapted our game plan to be a little more explosive in our counter attack and it worked for us

the opposition has done their homework and we are actually getting beaten when we push high of our opposite player BUT worse is it appears we are still getting beaten in the contest/clearance !

[Nico]

Under the conditions I thought the umpiring was ok. From our point of view the head high tackle to McGlynn in the square was the real howler of the game and the push out by Dempster in the last Q.

[Nico]

I thought Everitt was poor. I can't see where he has improved. He is but a depth player.

[Vonsteinman]

Some people quickly forget what it takes for the Swans to win a flag. Agreed it didn't look too flash on tv but I imagine Horse will be a lot happier this week. Tackles were up, pressure was up. We are 4-1 with plenty of improvement in the team.

Tippett will be a welcome addition but I think the 'can't come quickly enough' comments are disrespectful and frankly misguided.

[DamY]

I thought Everitt was poor. I can't see where he has improved. He is but a depth player.

I'd drop Armstrong before Everitt but I thought both were serviceable

[dawson]

I'm stoked to have won. We've lost plenty to the Saints over the years and this is a game we could have easily lost.

4-1 is a great way to start the season.

Looking ahead, Brisbane should be ok and then it's Hawthorn at the G. Last year our record during the year against the other top 4 sides wasn't that good. Obviously we rectified that in September when we beat each of them.

So while it's not the end of the world if we lose to the Hawks, it would be amazing if we won down there.

[Matt79]

Rampe...looked very comfortable out there tonight! He's a keeper!

[Ludwig]

The conditions were obviously difficult and StK competed relentlessly to their credit. Riewoldt had a great game and Montagna kicked a couple of nice goals. It was a game where it was difficult to show off your talent with all the fumbling and effort went a long way to determining where the ball went. Everitt was disappointing, but Armstrong was better this week. Reid is a worry as a key forward at the moment, but he's pretty handy around the ground. Just shows how cleaver we were to land Tippett. He will be needed.

[Auntie.Gerald]

very happy for Rampe

he is our Mattner of the future

loves a contest.......has a solid long left kick

has some vision and appears to be dominant on the smalls.........can he take med talls is the question that will be answered over time

[Auntie.Gerald]

very happy for Rampe an our Swanny backline !

he is our Mattner of the future

loves a contest.......has a solid long left kick

has some vision and appears to be dominant on the smalls.........can he take med talls is the question that will be answered over time

[dimelb]

We are still missing AJ, but not by quite as much after watching Rampe tonight - very encouraging. I had Ted as our best, but happy to see Dan get the nod for the medal.
St Kilda deserve credit for the pressure they applied, and despite their errors I thought their ball handling skills were superior overall. Their midfield outplayed ours at the centre bounces; we have had this problem for a while and I wish someone would fix it.
Sam Reid had a mixed game but I'd be very unhappy to see him dropped. He was very closely marked and often team-tagged. If he is to become the topflight CHF I believe he will be he simply has to learn how to deal with what happens, and he won't learn that in reserves.
The umpiring was a bit patchy, but I think the faults tended to cancel out over the game. At least they weren't whistle-happy.
And it will be a while before I gripe about the catering at the MCG. Westpac Stadium is locally known as The Cake Tin, and that's where any resemblance to decent food ends. The pies literally stank - I am not using metaphor here - and the rest of the food was overcooked fsh 'n' chps plus the odd sandwich.
We still have a lot of work to do but a win is a win; I'm happier than the St kilda people tonight.

[swanspant12]

Rampe...this blokes gonna be a player. Calm, Composed and a good left peg. People need to give Reidy a chop out aswell. I saw him lay a solid 5 hard tackles tonight. He competes and brings the ball to ground. And he's bloody 21. Ease up!

[hot potato]

I thought The Saints deserved a lot of credit as well, they were relentless and gave us precious little disposal time all game .
I was happy with Reid and Armstrong. Parker is terrific.
Hp

[31 hard at it]

It was very wet under foot (heavy rain in the morning) and very windy and under lights that were not designed for AFL - I think a solid effort from the Swans.

16 premiership points in the bag early so as teams start to sort themselves out we are a lot closer to the top than most :)

Brisbane next week at home (and we get a few extra days recovery.

2013 setting up nicely for the reigning Premiers :)

[Beerman]

Very frustrating game to watch. Not sure that I would be that excited about next year if I was a Wellington resident (Wellingtonian? Wellingtonite? Welly?). But a win is a win, and you don't get more points for winning pretty than fumbling your way over the line.

Umps did let the game go a bit, which was good, but there were a few shockers against us. In particular, in quick succession Benny got a whack in the head with no free and then Mattner was pinged for deliberate OOB (always very ticky-touchwood those) and then for running through the mark when common sense suggested letting it go.

[Cheer_Cheer]

I am happy with the win.. I think we have a lot of upside..Hopefully we can start to click before we take on the Hawks.. Was I the only one who found it hard to understand what Barry Hall was saying tonight.. He is like an octave below everyone else.. Subsonic..

[swanspant12]

How good were Parks and Hanners? Ill answer it: Very good. Guns.

[wolftone57]

Parker, Hannas, Rampe, Jude, Benny all good. The others tried and I presume the conditions were not good, very slippery. The ball seemed to have been layered in soap it was so slippery. But there were several players who didn't handle the conditions, Marty was one especially in the first half. Lukey's skills in the conditions were silky. His ball control was about the best out there and his kicking was superb, as though it was dry.

Still not convinced about this year even though the conditions were not good. We got opened up down the guts too often just like last week. We need to improve incredibly before we meet the Hawks, Pies and Bombers. Cats showed us just how far behind we are and it showed again tonight. We should have killed this mob but we only just got over the line.

[msb]

I am happy with the win.. I think we have a lot of upside..Hopefully we can start to click before we take on the Hawks.. Was I the only one who found it hard to understand what Barry Hall was saying tonight.. He is like an octave below everyone else.. Subsonic..

I too am happy, 4 points is 4 points. I think it is a real positive that we are just going along but are still 4-1. Most likely will be 5-1 going into the hawks game. Its a long season, we will hit our straps soon IMO but to be getting these early wins, albeit against weaker teams is a real positive so im a little bemused with the negativity.

[ShockOfHair]

I don't have the link but I see Watters at his press conference complained about Swans defenders blocking 10-15m away from the ball.

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Brad Scott Watters

[liz]

I don't have the link but I see Watters at his press conference complained about Swans defenders blocking 10-15m away from the ball.

Five talking points: St Kilda v Sydney Swans - AFL.com.au (http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-04-25/five-talking-points-st-kilda-v-sydney-swans)

AS per item 2

[Gary]

What do you say...a win is a win...but we are a long way from looking good. Ok it is still early & we are 4 / 1...but Everitt & Armstrong are not up to it...Reid must take more marks...surely there is a technique problem with those easy ones he regularly drops...would have thought coaches would have sorted that by now. Goodesy must have something on his mind half the time. Rampe very encouraging. Parker & Hanners terrific...we would have lost without them. Mumford offered a bit of encouragement that we can have a great ruck duo. The continuing Pyke growth at 29 is really amazing.

[Doctor J.]

Five talking points: St Kilda v Sydney Swans - AFL.com.au (http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-04-25/five-talking-points-st-kilda-v-sydney-swans)

AS per item 2

Classic divert attention away from your own team after a loss.

Watters was clearly listening during this media training session.

[Go Swannies]

Classic divert attention away from your own team after a loss.

Watters was clearly listening during this media training session.

Wasn't St Nick being tunnelled, too?

Awful game to watch, like so many Swans Saints games going back over the decade. But their kids kept the pressure on and nearly stole a win. We still look a month behind every other team. Parker and Jude - father/son? Did we swap Goodes' brain with Jesse's? My Dan love grows and what planet am I on when I think "there's only one Swans player there - phew it's Mike"? And anyone else notice that's Mike's kicks are generally more effective than those of the Swans player he passes off to?

[mcs]

Wasn't St Nick being tunnelled, too?

Awful game to watch, like so many Swans Saints games going back over the decade. But their kids kept the pressure on and nearly stole a win. We still look a month behind every other team. Parker and Jude - father/son? Did we swap Goodes' brain with Jesse's? My Dan love grows and what planet am I on when I think "there's only one Swans player there - phew it's Mike"? And anyone else notice that's Mike's kicks are generally more effective than those of the Swans player he passes off to?

Mike Pyke has become a very important player to us. He is excellent in the ruck, has a good motor to get around the ground, and is popping up more and more in important spots to take important marks! There are a number of teams out there in the league, that should he be available for trade would take him in a heartbeat. He has been by far the better of our two ruckman so far this season, and he will be exceptionally hard done by if he is the man that eventually makes way for Tippett in the second half of the season.

[Mr Magoo]

Mike Pyke has become a very important player to us. He is excellent in the ruck, has a good motor to get around the ground, and is popping up more and more in important spots to take important marks! There are a number of teams out there in the league, that should he be available for trade would take him in a heartbeat. He has been by far the better of our two ruckman so far this season, and he will be exceptionally hard done by if he is the man that eventually makes way for Tippett in the second half of the season.

Agreed. I dont know if Mumford is injured but I actually think we look better in the middle when Pyke is in there and his contested marking is very good (hence why he is a league leader in this respect) .

As for the quality of last nights game, at least the new zealanders would have felt comfortable with the numerous rolling mauls but as a spectacle not up there with the best. Looked like it must have been very slippery out there.

[Plugger1300]

I have some issues with Sam at this stage (it pains me to say). I can understand not taking many marks in those conditions but what i can't comprehend is to be out marked by Sam Gilbert who is in my opinion lucky to still be on their list. His tackling at times was non existent, twice i saw him watch an opponent run past him. You are on a lot of money son! if you cant impact the scoreboard than tackle and harass. Our inability to keep the ball in our i50 this year has been diabolical.

I don't want him dropped but think he needs to understand that confidence will come from doing the little things.

Not sure he will ever make it as a CHB as people have said on here. He loses the body contest everytime.

He is a forward and we need to get him playing like one.

[RogueSwan]

We won, and if Jude and Mummy had kicked a little straighter we would/could have had a 30pt win.
I liked Armstrong's game too. He seems to be getting better every week, and Rampe looks like he could become AJ mkII.
Hopefully it is a dry track when we play the Blions and we can hand out a bit of a thumping with Reid kicking half a dozen:eek:.

[Bloods05]

I must admit, I don't really get that. He always plays his heart out and clearly cares if his team wins or loses, the AFL should have more players like him.

Yes. This hairy-chested crap about players showing any emotion other than anger is juvenile.

[alt_mattr]

Reid has more contested marks this year than Goodes or any other Swan besides Pyke. If Roberts-Thomspon was making a contest and tackling in the forward line like Reid has been, we would all be very happy. A few missed sitters stand out in one's memory, but overall he is doing well. The ball is bouncing back from our forward fifty too quickly, too often, but we are talking about small tweaks, not wholesale problems.

I thought Gilbert played very well last night, Reid was not the only Swan he did a number on.

[wolftone57]

Mike Pyke has become a very important player to us. He is excellent in the ruck, has a good motor to get around the ground, and is popping up more and more in important spots to take important marks! There are a number of teams out there in the league, that should he be available for trade would take him in a heartbeat. He has been by far the better of our two ruckman so far this season, and he will be exceptionally hard done by if he is the man that eventually makes way for Tippett in the second half of the season.

I also likr the fact that he can match it with the faster players too. He went for a contested mark came down to be surrounded by Saints, chased one caught him and the battled two to get a ball up. That is what I like about both our big blokes they will never give up even at ground level and against faster opposition. It only takes the perception of pressure to create a mistake.

[aardvark]

The moment when Pyke took the mark and destroyed Kosi was the match highlight for me. Kosi is a big pussy!

[Doctor J.]

The moment when Pyke took the mark and destroyed Kosi was the match highlight for me. Kosi is a big pussy!

The moment when Benny got his head pulled off and didn't get a free kick, destroyed the game for me.
After nearly vomiting from watching the umpire love for Joel Selwood last week, and for Benny not to get that obvious free kick, was beyond belief. Very hard to take anything serious after that.

[alt_mattr]

Benny has had a rough run from the umps the last two weeks, lets hope it evens out over the season.

[liz]

The moment when Pyke took the mark and destroyed Kosi was the match highlight for me. Kosi is a big pussy!

That, followed by the ground giving Kosi a falcon.

[aardvark]

That, followed by the ground giving Kosi a falcon.

Yes i'd forgotten that. Kosi really should be so much better than he is.

[johnno]

Kennedy is still getting tagged hard, but seemed to deal with it a lot better last night.

Am I the only one that thinks Jetta's 1 quarter appearence last night was excellent?!?!?!

Lots of run and carry....and lots of flat out running too!!!!

[ShockOfHair]

... I actually think we look better in the middle when Pyke is in there ....

Mumford's moustache resembles that remark.

[Ludwig]

Kennedy is still getting tagged hard, but seemed to deal with it a lot better last night.

Am I the only one that thinks Jetta's 1 quarter appearence last night was excellent?!?!?!

Lots of run and carry....and lots of flat out running too!!!!

I agree with that. He had a lot more run in his legs and was involved in a lot of the play. Also tried breaking out in the slingshot, something we haven't seen for a while. Maybe we should continue on with Jetta as sub for a couple of more games.

[mcs]

We won, and if Jude and Mummy had kicked a little straighter we would/could have had a 30pt win.
I liked Armstrong's game too. He seems to be getting better every week, and Rampe looks like he could become AJ mkII.
Hopefully it is a dry track when we play the Blions and we can hand out a bit of a thumping with Reid kicking half a dozen:eek:.

I think Rampe is slotting in very nicely, but I can't agree about Armstrong. He is just so useless when it comes to the defensive side of the game, because he CANT tackle. Add to that the fact that he'll do one or two really nice things, and then the next two things will be awful, and you can see why he is frustrating a lot of fans. As soon as Shaw is fit, I want to see rampe stay in the team and Armstrong drop out. I have no doubt the guy has plenty of ability, but until he bulks up and learns to make tackles stick, then I can't see how he is in our best 22 (even with AJ on the sideline).

[mcs]

That, followed by the ground giving Kosi a falcon.

That was hilarious! :rofl:

Poor old Kosi has been stuffed by a plethora of injuries over his career. Certianly a decade ago he looked a world beater, but like many before him, he hasn't lived up to expectations.

[Industrial Fan]

I thought Armstrong had a solid game (did Gerard Healy play a part in getting him to the club - seemed to consistently single him out for having clean hands) and enough to earn a reprieve. Compare his game to Mattner who was dirty all day. Rampe was also a positive.

Did think Jetta provided much, certainly didnt influence the game in any way. Without looking at this disposals, I'd be surprised if he hit more than 1 in 3. Need more from him.

Reid needs to lift his game too - only learning etc, but we have plenty of players learning in the seconds that would love the opportunities he's had.

[Nico]

Very frustrating game to watch. Not sure that I would be that excited about next year if I was a Wellington resident (Wellingtonian? Wellingtonite? Welly?). But a win is a win, and you don't get more points for winning pretty than fumbling your way over the line.

Umps did let the game go a bit, which was good, but there were a few shockers against us. In particular, in quick succession Benny got a whack in the head with no free and then Mattner was pinged for deliberate OOB (always very ticky-touchwood those) and then for running through the mark when common sense suggested letting it go.

Watched all of the Pies and Dons match and players were running into that space all the time and weren't pinged once. Last week one of our players got pinged because he raised his arms. Mattner raised his arms also and got done. I guess you can now run through the space but not raise the arms.

[ScottH]

Watched all of the Pies and Dons match and players were running into that space all the time and weren't pinged once. Last week one of our players got pinged because he raised his arms. Mattner raised his arms also and got done. I guess you can now run through the space but not raise the arms.

i think there is supposed to be a 2 mt exclusion zone around the player.
If you raise your arms, even as if to say I'm out of here, it is deemed to be inhibiting the player kicking the ball.

Watch the video of the rules, its a bit dumb!!

EDIT: It is actually a 5m proteted zone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1pEVWe6CPI

[rojo]

I think it might be time for Reid to have a game in the Ressies, perhaps when we next play an AFL reserve team. He could benefit from a game or two where he is able to out-muscle his opposition a few times and take a few marks and kick a few goals. It might give his confidence a needed boost or help him practise the skills he seems to be struggling with, without the constant pressure. I don't see it happening though!

I don't think the way our forward line is structured is helping his development. AJ was able to slot into a pretty stable backline with experienced players who were also experienced in playing together as a unit. Compare that with our forward line - which may have any combination of Goodsey, Mike, Mummy, LRT all flying with Reid for the same bombed-in-long ball. Also when Reid plays up the ground he is often competing with one of our rucks for the ball. I would like to see him stay closer to goal.

Great to see Jude patrolling the forward line so successfully at the moment. He might be making it more difficult for Morton to get a spot.

[Scottee]

i think there is supposed to be a 2 mt exclusion zone around the player.
If you raise your arms, even as if to say I'm out of here, it is deemed to be inhibiting the player kicking the ball.

Watch the video of the rules, its a bit dumb!!

EDIT: It is actually a 5m proteted zone.

AFL Laws 2013 - 50 Metre Penalty - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1pEVWe6CPI)

This is very good! I think the umpires should watch it.

[ScottH]

This is very good! I think the umpires should watch it.

:rofl

[707]

I'm in the Armstrong demotion camp, just can't make a tackle stick, and it cost us goals last night, again. As soon as he is fit it has to be Shaw for Armstrong, Rampe to stay in as he looks to be a player in the making.

Everitt provided nothing again. Surely Lamb has to debut.

How about the mercurial lamp post, I mean Kosi? Wasn't he good ................... for us! I think his list of positives included an interchange infringement, free kick in front of goal, getting knocked out by Pyke, getting hit in the face by the bouncing ball, oh such a joy to watch him ply his errrr trade? Much betterer that he played against us rather than the face gouger.

[swanwolf]

As long as we beat New Zealand St Kilda...

A more disciplined performance over last week's chaos, Swans showed enough to convince me we are back on track and refocused on defence. What was down to form or the conditions was difficult to gauge but Parker, Hannebery, McVeigh and Bolton were all class. Of the newbies, Armstrong's progress is slow if not steady whereas Rampe is the player we thought Towers would be.

Not long ago, some fretted over Reid's ability to convert - now it's whether he can even mark. I trust Longmire has the matter in hand (in gloves?) while not forgetting Jetta who has begun to shake off his premiership hangover.

4-1 with room to improve. Not so bad.

[crackedactor]

Rampe...this blokes gonna be a player. Calm, Composed and a good left peg. People need to give Reidy a chop out aswell. I saw him lay a solid 5 hard tackles tonight. He competes and brings the ball to ground. And he's bloody 21. Ease up!Could not agree more. Reid lay several good tackles and there was some hard running from him as well. Often has one bit of the cherry and then drops the mark, but he is still work in progress. Whereas Armstrong cannot tackle and even though he is small, he is not very fast!! Seen Scott Watters complain about our blocking??? Aren't you allow to run with your opponent and put body on body??
What is he actually talking about??/???

[Panttz]

Can anyone go back and put the stop watch on Saad on that attempt when he started his run up from the center bounce?

[ScottH]

Can anyone go back and put the stop watch on Saad on that attempt when he started his run up from the center bounce?

It's over a minute.
Video: is Saad's crazy run-up illegal? | AFL | Fox Sports (http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/st-kilda-forward-ahmed-saad-takes-long-run-up-to-new-levels-during-landmark-game-against-sydney-swans/story-e6frf3e3-1226629981847?from=public_rss&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#.UXoCjKL-Gyo)

[liz]

Swans hit back at blocking claims - AFL.com.au (http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-04-26/swans-blocking-whats-he-talking-about)

O'Keefe has his say on Watters' "blocking" comments.

[Primmy]

I particularly noticed that although Reid wasn't massively wonderful, he was still in the game by the end of the 4th quarter. He was still contributing. that's a blood.

Tony wasn't particularly brilliant, but he was involved, and did things and was contributing. that's a blood.

I see Jetts picked up 9 possessions in a single quarter, when he was let loose. Contributed.

Nothing to be worried about. They are still team players.


I see Travis Cloake didn't kick 7 goals again either. Maybe the Collies should demote him next week......or maybe things do fluctuate.

[Dosser]

Could not agree more. Reid lay several good tackles and there was some hard running from him as well. Often has one bit of the cherry and then drops the mark, but he is still work in progress. Whereas Armstrong cannot tackle and even though he is small, he is not very fast!! Seen Scott Watters complain about our blocking??? Aren't you allow to run with your opponent and put body on body??
What is he actually talking about??/???

Um... I am 6' and after seeing him yesterday, he is taller than me!

[sharp9]

Watched all of the Pies and Dons match and players were running into that space all the time and weren't pinged once. Last week one of our players got pinged because he raised his arms. Mattner raised his arms also and got done. I guess you can now run through the space but not raise the arms.Believe it or not you ARE correct....on AFL 360 Bob Murphy was shocked to discover that he had missed the memo sent to players that if you are not affecting the mark (ie you can't avoid running through the area) it is not a fifty UNLESS you raise your arms to say "I'm not in this contest....I'm getting out of the way" - yes that's right. Apparently Geelong players had been deliberately waving their arms as a distraction....so there you go.

How dumb is the umpiring department.....seriously....they are not very bright guys.

[sharp9]

I agree with Watters....there were at least two occasions I can recall (being at the game) where I thought a free might get paid....he's talking about (mostly) a 2 on one where Reg and St. Nick are wrestling...but it appears that Reg's aim is to keep Nick on the ground, edging him to 5 metres in front of where the ball will actually land, leaving Teddy to mark uncontested. You are only allowed to make that contact if you are genuinely trying to spoil or mark the ball yourself. There was an umpires directive at the start of the season to be stricter on it.....the video features a few Swans from memory :-)

[sharp9]

What the hell is this "Umpires department has been working with Saad to speed up his kicking for goal" WTF????? Phone call....."Tell Ahmed he has 30 seconds to kick for goal or play on will be called." I got really, really angry and was up yelling and, yes even booing....I had a lot of mates as it seemed the crowd made a lot of noise at that point.

[dimelb]

What the hell is this "Umpires department has been working with Saad to speed up his kicking for goal" WTF????? Phone call....."Tell Ahmed he has 30 seconds to kick for goal or play on will be called." I got really, really angry and was up yelling and, yes even booing....I had a lot of mates as it seemed the crowd made a lot of noise at that point.

The rest of us were giggling helplessly.
Like something out of a zombie movie.

[stellation]

I loved the comedy of Saad's run up, it was fantastic!