Changes for Round 9 vs. Collingwood

[Melbournehammer]

. Most of our scoring shots come either via the "slingshot", which usually requires the team to find Jetta in space (with Jack an occasional substitute) or via mindless bombs forward to no-one in particular, from which point the team tries to create stoppages in a crowded forward line and score from there (something the team is fortunately rather good at)

An excellent description of our style. And the exact reason why Jetta shouldn't play small forward. He is one of the few that can mindlessly bomb with depth, and he isn't strong enough to create stoppages.

Horrible to watch at the moment, given the great skills to clear from stoppages in the back half.

Also part of the reason we are struggling because the powers that be are making it harder to create a stoppage and speeding it up when it occurs making it harder for us to get everyone there

[Melbournehammer]

You seem to be making a case for a change in roles. I agree, he is too stationary, just hanging off packs waiting for something to develop. As a forward, he could use his speed to put some distance between himself and his opponent in a situation where he is likely to get rewarded with a mark or other possession of the ball. His role would be more structured and he will be forced to move to the ball in particular situations. We both agree that if you can get him the ball in a dangerous position, he can be very damaging with his good kicking. To me, it seems like a player with top level straight line burst speed would make a good lead up marking target.

Except we are horrible at kicking to advantage, and it would require us pinpointing kicks to a very fast moving target, because if he didnt mark it, it is likely to be cleared pretty fast

[Jewels]

I wouldnr worry. Once tippet returns we wont lose another game.
Its actually a question of how many games clear on top we are.

I love your thinking there Baz, don't know if I'm quite as confident as you but the thought process is brilliant ????

[Ludwig]

Except we are horrible at kicking to advantage, and it would require us pinpointing kicks to a very fast moving target, because if he didnt mark it, it is likely to be cleared pretty fast

Firstly, we are far from horrible at kicking efficiency. and when we are playing well, we do this well. Sure we make plenty of mistakes and can improve. Perhaps another man in the open would help.

In any case, if a team can't kick to advantage, they might as well give up, because this is a key ingredient for success.

I'm sure you remember the GF mark Jetta took late in the 4th qtr., on the lead about 50 out. He had a leg cramp and the kick fell short. But this is the sort of role I think Jetta can do well, and is what I am suggesting.

[liz]

You seem to be making a case for a change in roles.

Not really - just a case for him playing his current role better.

[barry]

I love your thinking there Baz, don't know if I'm quite as confident as you but the thought process is brilliant ??

Thanks Jewels. This site, as wonderful as it is, is drawn to the glass-half-empty on occations. Even with a team that has just won a premiership, recruited a gun fullforward, and is sitting in 4th early in the season, there are those who greet pesimissim like a long lost friend.

Its as though they think a multi-premiership dynasty like Brisbane or Geelong is the only measure of success.

To my eyes we are looking good. Sure a win against Freo would have been nice, but footy is unpredicatible and upsets happen both for and against. We are blooding a few young players as the teams game plan evolves and adaptes to aging players (Goodes, Bolton will unlikely tear a game open again), and suddenly being the hunted team. We've also had to find new depth players with the loss of TDL, Spranger, etc.

I will not be judging the swans finals aspirations until Tippet is a good 4-5 games into his swans career, and how the side gells around him.

[barry]

All opposition sides see Jetta as the key to slingshot footy, and therefore the key to the swans game plan in 2012. In 2013, he would be the No.1 player to "stop" when working out tactics. This is tough on a young kid. But a altered game plan built around a key forward like Tippet will open up other opportunities for him.

[Melbournehammer]

Firstly, we are far from horrible at kicking efficiency. and when we are playing well, we do this well. Sure we make plenty of mistakes and can improve. Perhaps another man in the open would help.

In any case, if a team can't kick to advantage, they might as well give up, because this is a key ingredient for success.

I'm sure you remember the GF mark Jetta took late in the 4th qtr., on the lead about 50 out. He had a leg cramp and the kick fell short. But this is the sort of role I think Jetta can do well, and is what I am suggesting.

If the answer to our problems is pyke kicking the ball off the ground from a ruck stoppage then I guess I have got it all wrong. In my opinion it worked because gibson was naturally sagging off to the dangerous spots rather than expecting a kick off the ground going twenty metres - but it worked. I guess to my mind that sort of luck will come off once or twice every five matches or so.

And I think our kicking around the ground is very poor - my recollection from one of the footy programs this week was that our kicking efficiency was terrible, amongst the worst in the comp- and i would like to see what it is over the season in the north, geelong, freo and hawthorn games as opposed to the soft games (I wouldnt count st kilda because the conditions meant that kicking was horrible for both teams).

We are a very good team at using handballs in tight to get a player free who is then encouraged to kick the leather off the ball. Its not a bad tactic and we won a flag from it but it doesnt mean that our kicking is great it just means that they know what they are supposed to do.

I just think Jetta gives us an outlet from stoppages which opens up space meaning that at least one opponent must stand wider than normal. that gives jack and hanners the opportunity to burst through the middle. without him wider teams can sag their defence into the pack and unless goodes is on song we dont look very damaging.

[ugg]

Our kicking efficiency is the worst in the league but you have to take into the fact that we have the highest contested possession rate in the league (by a significant margin) which will diminish the quality of our kicks. We also have the least amount of uncontested marks meaning we don't mess about chipping it sideways and back, but often kick it long where there's space to work into. It doesn't result in an efficient disposal as classified by the statisticians but it often works out in our advantage.

[Jewels]

Thanks Jewels. This site, as wonderful as it is, is drawn to the glass-half-empty on occations. Even with a team that has just won a premiership, recruited a gun fullforward, and is sitting in 4th early in the season, there are those who greet pesimissim like a long lost friend.

Its as though they think a multi-premiership dynasty like Brisbane or Geelong is the only measure of success. .

Oh brother do I hear you! I often sit open mouthed reading this site as you would think it was a Demons fan site and not that of the defending premier with the doom and gloom and the we are crap, can't kick, can't mark garbage that is so often posted on here.
Get a grip folks, yes we're not great atm but tell me when was the last time a Sydney Swan team went through the season without making us fans want to pull their hair out? I can't remember it ever happening.
And for the record I think The Pies will do us this Friday night, but I still won't think our season is done and I'll still have faith that when the business end of the season rolls around we'll do what we have to do and if we don't, well @@@@ happens. As I said to a loud mouthed Hawks fan on the way out of the MCG the other week, we are and forever will be the 2012 premiers, nothing can take that away.

[wolftone57]

In: Tippet, Shaw, Johnson
Out: Walsh, Rampe, Everitt

I hate to tell you but Kurt can't [play until round 12 & Aj is still injured and won't return until next year. Happy days lol

[wolftone57]

I don't think we will see Reid as a defender until the Tippo/Reid forward combo plays out. It's hard to find a dynamic duo forward line, so we've go to give it a shot. We already have some very good tall defenders, just that a couple are injured at the moment.

I do think he would make a very good defender, and maybe it will end up that way. In the long run, it will depend on how a number of players develop and what where the structural needs are.

I think Tommy would make a very good defender. I have seen him play on some really good players in the Twos. Those players generally come from sides like GWS, Suns, Brisbane and Queenbean. He played on O'hAlpin and touched him up & he has also played on Karnesis and did pretty well.