Sydney v Hawthorn

[barry]

Yes, we missed an inforcer. Fact is, the swans turned up expecting to win. Couldnt turn around their mindset, and there was no Barry Hall to be the catalyst.

We should target Ballantyne as a free agent.

[Industrial Fan]

How about the bone crusher from BLT on Hodge in 2012? THAT set the tone.

[rojo]

This season Buddy is the only one in the team who threw his weight around a bit. In this area as well as others we have really missed Mummy. In the 2012 grand final LRT's aggression was a real revelation - so unlike him but was great for 'setting the tone' that day but like Mummy he has moved on. In the last GF even Buddy was the receiver of aggression rather than dishing it out. Benny is a terrier and maybe Kieran too but they are too small to worry too many and Goodesy is the only other player I can think of who can be a bit 'rough' on his way through now and again.

I would love us, some time, to have a KP back man who has a bit of mongrel. Can't see Sam Reid (!), XR or Aliir meeting that requirement. Tom Walsh may have but he's gone, so my only hope now is AJ making it back. While in no way a Brian Lake type at least he didn't let the opposition push him around.

[magic.merkin]

The NRL just showed the AFL that you can host a grand final in sydney, at ANZ, and it has 10 times the atmosphere of the MCG because its full of actual fans not corporates.

Time for the highest qualifier to host the grand final. Time to be the AFL, not yhe VFL.

I see where you are coming from, but i thought the atmosphere at the ground for the first quarter at least was as intense as i've ever felt.

You didn't agree?

[mcs]

That softness is a worry for the future , it appears that Hawthorn bullied us about and we did not response. Lake on Franklin's shoulder, Roughead smashing into hannebery and some extremely poor chasing by Jetta and Reid. Not one swans player had the guts to confront Lake or Roughead. I am not sure how Longmire is going to fix this issue. Even supporters of other clubs have told me that the way to beat the swans is to bully them. 2015 is a worry!!!

Zak jones is one tough nut that can help I feel, he certainly has not stood back in ressies games if there has been a bit of niggle going on.

[crackedactor]

That softness is a worry for the future , it appears that Hawthorn bullied us about and we did not response. Lake on Franklin's shoulder, Roughead smashing into hannebery and some extremely poor chasing by Jetta and Reid. Not one swans player had the guts to confront Lake or Roughead. I am not sure how Longmire is going to fix this issue. Even supporters of other clubs have told me that the way to beat the swans is to bully them. 2015 is a worry!!!

[Meg]

There were occasional notices adertised to report unsociable behaviour by texting a number at the grand final. I recall thinking the umpies should be made aware of Gibson's treatment of Buddy.

Thanks. I must have been too caught up in the game to look at the video screen. Or more likely had my head buried in my hands.

Anyway it means I have no grounds to complain on that front to the AFL (as I was considering doing).

[Cardinal]

There were occasional notices adertised to report unsociable behaviour by texting a number at the grand final. I recall thinking the umpies should be made aware of Gibson's treatment of Buddy.

[Mel_C]

It's taken a week but, back on topic, how good were the Hawks in the Grand Final? With their injuries this season I thought they'd do what the Swans did last year and fall short after the preceding Premiership year. Instead they showed a lot more strength than we did and went back to back. Clarkson (pre and post illness), Hodge and the whole team set an example to the rest of the competition.

There was a big difference between us and the hawks in that they got their injured players back before the end of the season, (apart from Cyril), so they were able to get match fit. Most of our injured players didn't make it back and those that did were so underdone.

Credit to the hawks for what they achieved.

[Mel_C]

Can others who attended the GF tell me if at any time messages and the text number to make reports re crowd behaviour were shown on the video screen? (We always have these messages at the SCG.) Although I was at the MCG by midday I didn't sit in my seat until about 20 minutes before the game so I might have missed them. As you can probably guess I remain appalled by the behaviour of a significant minority of the Hawthorn fans at the match.

Meg at the MCG they normally have signs with the phone number around the ground in front of the stands where the advertising is. But to be honest I didn't really notice if they were also there for the GF.

[Go Swannies]

Can others who attended the GF tell me if at any time messages and the text number to make reports re crowd behaviour were shown on the video screen? (We always have these messages at the SCG.) Although I was at the MCG by midday I didn't sit in my seat until about 20 minutes before the game so I might have missed them. As you can probably guess I remain appalled by the behaviour of a significant minority of the Hawthorn fans at the match.

Meg, we were back up the back of Bay 4 - where the yobs that Erin referred to were - and we were so far back that we couldn't see the top of the screen so I saw no notices. And the yobs were so offensive that I would have noted if it had been shown.

[Meg]

Can others who attended the GF tell me if at any time messages and the text number to make reports re crowd behaviour were shown on the video screen? (We always have these messages at the SCG.) Although I was at the MCG by midday I didn't sit in my seat until about 20 minutes before the game so I might have missed them. As you can probably guess I remain appalled by the behaviour of a significant minority of the Hawthorn fans at the match.

[Meg]

Hear, hear.

And I would happily scrap all pop artists and instead just have the junior football most of us didn't get to see. And the AFL would save a bundle.

And hear, hear to that!

[dimelb]

I thought the entertainment was just as bad as the AFL.

Good to see the League fans turn up for a change. ANZ normally looks like an empty stadium.

People waving flags for the duration does not equal a great atmosphere by the way.

Hear, hear.

And I would happily scrap all pop artists and instead just have the junior football most of us didn't get to see. And the AFL would save a bundle.

[Go Swannies]

It's taken a week but, back on topic, how good were the Hawks in the Grand Final? With their injuries this season I thought they'd do what the Swans did last year and fall short after the preceding Premiership year. Instead they showed a lot more strength than we did and went back to back. Clarkson (pre and post illness), Hodge and the whole team set an example to the rest of the competition. And their performance on Grand Final day was simply superb - and showed how far ahead of every other team they were.

After R18 I though the Swans were so lacklustre that night that Longmire was holding something back for when we played the Hawks in finals. As it turns out, it looks like the Hawks were the team keeping their powder dry. If so, the near-loss to Port in the PF must have been stressful.