Reserves down 8.7 to 5.3 at half-time for those who can't be botheredi clicking onto Facebook.
Leigh Matthews made a similar point to Roosy a couple of years ago when he was still coachin, saying one of his biggest challenges was to get players to watch other games.
The man who laughs has not yet heard the terrible news
only care about bradshaw currently.... how'd he go??
Dogzbody has reported on the Bradshaw thread that he sat on the bench for the second half with his knee on ice.
Looks like he has struggled to get it working.
Better to take the summer to rehab and try to get it right.
From FB
FINAL SCORE: RESSIES 11.7.73 BELCONNEN: 15.15.105 BELCONNEN! SOME GAME DAY STATS: BRADSHAW PLAYED 67 MINUTES KICKED 1.1 & HAD 8 KICKS, 1 HANDBALL & 6 MARKS! MATT O'DWYER WITH 37 DISPOSALS NATHAN GORDON WITH 34 DISPOSALS & CAMPBELL HEATH WITH 3 GOALS & 33 DISPOSALS! WE ALSO HOLD TOP SPOT ON THE LADDER AFTER AINSLIE LOST THIS AFTERNOON TO EASTLAKES BY 5 POINTS! RESSIES WIN THE MINOR PREMIERSHIP!
Belconnen 15.15 105
Sydney 11.7 73
SYDNEY SWANS
Goal Kickers: C. HEATH 3, B. SUMNER 2, M. GORMAN , D. CURRIE , M. O''DWYER , T. GILCRHIST , D. BRADSHAW , D. MCNEIL
Best Players: C. HEATH, D. MCNEIL, M. O''DWYER, J. FARRELL, D. CURRIE
Well it wasn't a disasterous result. You have to admit, it was a team of toppies backed up by a few Swans. Good on Frosty for being able to get the best out of them.
Nice one Cambo.
If you've never jumped from one couch to the other to save yourself from lava then you didn't have a childhood
Plenty of mitigating circumstances, but they will need to be overcome very quickly, because I don't think a lot will be changing in the short term!Originally Posted by Primmy
Here is NOT a match report, I will leave those to the experts, just some observations;
It was a glorious afternoon basking in the sun at Manuka yesterday, and Belco were revved up for a do or die effort. They started strongly and had the Swans defending desperately. The Swans seemed to be able to get the ball consistently at ground level and work it back, but seemed to consistently run into brick walls! Skill and decision errors let them down and with that last kick or handball being turned over, they were failing to get inside 50 with any consistence. The constant turnovers gave Belco the platform to move it forward, and a lot of their scoring seemed to come from marks and set shots from 40m+. When the Swans did get it inside 50, Bradshaw showed some touches of class (he also slipped over a couple of times and looked like anyone else too!). Lack of scoreboard pressure allowed Belco to grow in confidence, and by ? time, the 7 goal deficit was looking likely to blow out. Then a 10 minute burst in the final quarter saw all of the Swans skills return, along with their intensity, and all of a sudden we had a 4 goal game, and enough time for a fairy tale result! In spite of the effort and field position, the elusive next goal just would not come, and Belco were good enough to add a couple of their own, resulting in a score line that reflected their dominance. Unfortunately for them, other results meant it was the end of the season for Belco, and we now see a semi final series that is wide open, with teams 1&2 both coming off losses, and the minor premiers boasting the worst record of any team in the comp over the past 6 weeks!
It is fair to say that the team that went around yesterday, consisting of 9 and a half listed players, and a lot of kids, bears little resemblance to the roster of players responsible for their ladder position ? many of those players are either now playing 1?s and on fire, or injured. Add 3 or 4 of; Pyke, Rohan, TDL, Bevan, White, Barlow, Meredith, Richards, Playfair, Vez, ? you have more skill, more confidence, more experience, and also the opposition take a totally different attitude into the game.
So far as performances yesterday, I will leave the listed players to the coaches ? they know what they are looking for from them, but it is fair to say, if you are not being mentioned amongst the best, and behind top ups, chances are Frostie is not impressed! And call me a cynic, but I just wonder what we should be expecting from Ainslie and Eastlake top ups on the eve of finals? The 2 Balmain boys worked hard all day in defense (they had plenty to do!). Farrell in particular earned his mention amongst the best with one particular block he put on. The big fella got absolutely pole axed, quickly got back to his feet, got off the field, got his head bandaged and got back on begging for more! The 3 Scholarship boys all put in good efforts, Guthrie showed confidence with the ball in hand and pleasing desperation in defence, Kenny had his best game, getting some possessions on the wing, and showed some pace and enterprise, whilst May would have learned a few tricks from Braddy up forward, even if it was just how to ice your knee to the greatest effect.
A big challenge ahead for the boys, and it would help if some of those players mentioned above somehow become available, but our destiny probably depends on the caliber of top ups we can muster over the coming weeks. No idea about how those top up players qualify, nor their availability with their own finals on, for that matter???
That is what I call a very good report uncon! Impressions of the game is what we want. Many thanks.
Glad to hear about the Balmain boys, considering their "mentors", Saddington and Davis! as well as coach Fosdyke.
Have been keeping an eye on Guthrie, and your report confirms my impressions that he is improving as the year has progressed (nothing worse than staying the same), along with Kenny and I have been a bit ambivalent about May, given he has grown out of his socks this year and that can slow you down a bit. Good on them.
You didn't mention Dill or Gordon in particular. They usually work their butts off, so wonder if that is the issue, they are very young in footie terms, so perhaps are wearing down at this end of the year.
Anyway, thanks a lot for you Report.
If you've never jumped from one couch to the other to save yourself from lava then you didn't have a childhood
Heath shines as reserves go down - Official AFL Website of the Sydney Swans Football Club
I'd like to see that!After trailing Belconnen by 42 points at three quarter time, the Swans looked a chance towards the end of the quarter. Heath goaled on the run four minutes into the quarter after cleverly marking a kick from Lewis Johnston and Sumner eluded seven players to goal on the run from outside 50 metres a few minutes later.
Thanks, unconfuseme - just the kind of impressions I like to read, and gives a picture of what it was like. I thought it would be big year for the ressies, but that doesn't look likely now, for the reasons you mention. Still, it's good to know that there are some hard workers in the team.
He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)
Cheers for the feedback on the topups/scholarship players!
A couple of points to ponder for next season:
1/
For all the negatives posted about playing in the #ACTAFL, if the Swans can't field enough listed players with the current restrictions now, how will we compete in a more professional Northern League - especially if access to #ACTAFL topups is reduced/cancelled?...What's the plan?
2/
Who will play Mother Hen next year?
I wonder if the Ressies might have won or @ least been more competitive in the 2nd half of the season, if there was a stable, senior influence onfield to protect, marshall & encourage the troops.
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The first point is very well made, although I think that in the professional northern league we would hopefully go flat out playing as many players, and scholarship holders as we could, for as long as we could. Whereas our current selections and on-field rotations are all centred around the number 13, which has an effect on how everything works at that level. Given an average run with injuries, we should be able to manage 15 or 16 Swans-contracted players are on the park each week. And one thing that Canberra over the last 2 years has taught us, is that you see an exponential improvement in team performance for each Swans player you add beyond the usual 'worst case' figure of 10.
The second question involves speculation about which mid-career player (or players) will be overtaken in the pecking order next year, and so play out most of the year in the 2s before probable delisting. One of the iron rules of Swans list management over the last decade (which has in fact served us very well) is that once you're a mid-career player, if you're not getting a regular game in the best 22, you're gone. That's even more of an iron rule than, 'don't use early draft picks on talls and rucks-- get 'em in the junk picks or trade them in'. Modern lists are way too small to keep on some 26 year old who's not pushing for a spot, specifically so he can pass his wisdom on to the kids in Canberra (and protect them from the thugs). Based on 2010 selections, Richards and Bevan would have to be most likely candidates, but really, who knows? The modern game can seemingly pass by (ex-)champions in the blink of an eye, so could potentially be anyone. I'd probably bet against Goodes, though.
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