#AFL Rd19 Bombers v Swans, Docklands, 27 July 2018

**Scottee** · 29th July 2018, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by Ralph Dawg

All this talk about taking the game on, using speed and running through the corridor is all fine - if you have the cattle. We dont at the moment, pure and simple. The safety first game plan, with extras at the contests (which we are still losing) and flooding back into defence allowing our opposition to double / triple team an injured buddy along with kicking long down the line and bombing into forward 50 all reflect the composition of the fit players on our list. People talking about plan B's and sacking the coaching staff would be the first to jump up and down too if we were getting flogged due to an attempt to implement a fast, high risk footy which our list is not suited to. The other issue is all the injuries we have had and the subsequent dependence on alot of players who normally would've been support acts. These guys did well for a while but it is clear that they are now running out of steam. The expectation wouldve been for these guys to become elite players, week in, week out in a few years time, not now and it is really starting to show. What highlights this in particular is that we have an 18 year old key forward, who wouldnt have even been expected to play AFL this year (mind you he has done pretty well). On top of this, our genuine superstars Kennedy and Franklin are both clearly playing injured but there is no way they can be rested unless we decide to give up on the finals this year. It was so sad to see Franklin continually get beaten by first Thompson then Hurley over the last fortnight when we all know, if fully fit, he would've smashed both of them. So where to? My personal feeling is we need to rest our injured stars. If we fluke it into the finals, then they can come back fully fit and do some damage. If we don't then so be it and we can move ahead to 2019, aiming for a fully fit list. We also need to keep the fringe players in the team, no more chopping and changing unless for injury, make it clear that they are playing for their futures, and see what they can do.

A voice of reason Ralph.

That pretty well sums it up.Our champs are risking serious injury playing underdone.

For the rest of the year pick a fully fit team for a start, blood some kids (Maibaum, Darcy and Amartey one at a time) play AJ and get prepared for next year when we will probably have the best batch of kids for years from a super draft and a fit Hanners, JK and Buddy and maybe even a trade.

I must say that Ryley Stoddart and Bell still need to mature a bit before throwing them to the wolves.

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**Foreign Legion** · 29th July 2018, 09:16 PM

Yep you are 100% correct mcs - it *could* have been a broken leg but because it wasn't it is a $1000 dollar fine. Probably about 5 minutes of football on his contract.

**S.S. Bleeder** · 29th July 2018, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by Sandrevan

I have cooled down after last night. I can't see us winning another game for 2018. To be honest, I wasn't expecting a win but was a bit hopeful at 3/4 time. For any team to be defending so desperately for much of the game I think the players are just physically and mentally worn out. If you cannot get the ball past the centre square because you keep turning it over you're never going to be in a winning position. Since the bye, our opponents have had a flood of F50 entries but kicked poorly. The score lines (with the exception of last night) haven't been that bad but only because of poor conversion. In some ways these results make us look 'competitive' but a closer look at other stats make us look very ordinary.
The Swans heavy contested style of play is exhausting and easy to pick apart. We need to take the game on, move the ball quickly. Richmond are doing that to great effect - they never hesitate, they just keep the ball moving forward and they are always moving - looking for space. We always hesitate with ball in hand; too many times we were caught for HTB when there was a clear opportunity to dispose of the ball. When we take a mark in the back half of the ground we stop and wait - this simply lets the opposition get organised.

The era of the old swans game plan is over. I don't want us to make the finals this year. If we do, the club will say our game plan is still ok. The only way we'll get a new game plan is to miss the finals and shock the club into a bit of self reflection. It worked really well for Richmond and Collingwood.

We might be accused of tanking but we need to play fit players. May I suggest we rotate players so they can be rested eg JPK and Parker. However, Longmire will never do this. We're cooked for 2018 so lets be a bit kind to our sore and injured players.

Agree with all of that. I'll be hoping that we don't win another game for the season for the same reasons. I'd also like to drop far enough down the ladder so we can get a selection prior to Blakeys bid. A gun inside mid and Blakey would be a nice outcome.

**Hotpotato** · 29th July 2018, 09:22 PM

Ralph, could you please form paragraphs ?
I keep losing my place in yr interesting post .

**troyjones2525** · 30th July 2018, 12:00 AM

Originally Posted by S.S. Bleeder

Agree with all of that. I'll be hoping that we don't win another game for the season for the same reasons. I'd also like to drop far enough down the ladder so we can get a selection prior to Blakeys bid. A gun inside mid and Blakey would be a nice outcome.

Totally agree here. We need to look to the future and play youth and if need be put a few of sore senior players out to pasture to hopefully get a headstart on being fit and ready for a big pre-season. If people want to call that tanking then so be it, but in a perfect world now we will fall just low enough to get another quality young player and then Blakey as well as S.S. Bleeder suggests here.

I have had a bit of a look at the ladder and about as far as we could possibly fall is probably 13th. There's no way that Freo will move ahead of us I wouldn't think but it's possible that the others above them could. That should hopefully have us picking at around pick 6 although I'm concerned that some priority picks may ruin all of this! Knightmare on Big Footy has Blakey sitting at 7 in his power rankings so if he could last past there we could be a real shot at adding some more real young talent at this upcoming draft! Bring on 2019 I say! Lol.

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**CureTheSane** · 30th July 2018, 02:12 AM

Originally Posted by 09183305

Tats & shaved head & often surly. But that doesn’t make him a thug

Aggressive is one thing. Guys like Dermie for much of his career was aggressive, but was generally in control. John McEnroe may have seemed to cross the line, but if you read his autobiographies, the impression is that he was nearly always in control & used his outbursts to advantage.

Uncontrolled aggression can be a liability. Some very gifted footballers simply can’t control themselves when they lose it. Rhys-Jones, BBBH. To a lesser degree, Plugger, Williams.

Barry Hall & Plugger are two of the nicest guys when not fired up (well, Barry might recently have shown some bad judgement)

The difference between Hall, Lockett, DR-J & Diesel and Zac Jones is that the first 4 were champions who’s aggression was typically provoked - constantly. Zac Just seems to get angry

I don't think he's a thug.
But the reasons I gave is why others will see him that way, rightly or wrongly.

I regularly get profiled for drugs at airports because I have long hair.
No biggie, just the way society is.

**AnnieH** · 30th July 2018, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by CureTheSane

I don't think he's a thug.
But the reasons I gave is why others will see him that way, rightly or wrongly.

I regularly get profiled for drugs at airports because I have long hair.
No biggie, just the way society is.

I get profiled because I'm Lebanese... I'm sure of it. I only fly maybe once or twice a year, and they always pull me aside.
Grrrrrrrr.

Anyhews, Jones is the only one with a bit of mongrel in him on the team. We need that. He's the only one that can be guaranteed a tribunal visit at least once a year. I told him at the beginning of the year, god help him if he gets reported!! Hope he walks past me this week.

When the swans stop playing the man and start playing the ball, we'll be in with a chance. I think that's all it's boiling down to.
(Oh, and the injuries, inexperience, age and other niggling worries we have around the ground.)

I've resigned to having September off.
It'll do the team (and my wallet) the world of good.

**ScottH** · 30th July 2018, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by CureTheSane

Swans by 62

So Close!!!

**ScottH** · 30th July 2018, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by CureTheSane

I don't think he's a thug.
But the reasons I gave is why others will see him that way, rightly or wrongly.

I regularly get profiled for drugs at airports because I have long hair.
No biggie, just the way society is.

Originally Posted by AnnieH

I get profiled because I'm Lebanese... I'm sure of it. I only fly maybe once or twice a year, and they always pull me aside.
Grrrrrrrr.

Anyhews, Jones is the only one with a bit of mongrel in him on the team. We need that. He's the only one that can be guaranteed a tribunal visit at least once a year. I told him at the beginning of the year, god help him if he gets reported!! Hope he walks past me this week.

When the swans stop playing the man and start playing the ball, we'll be in with a chance. I think that's all it's boiling down to.
(Oh, and the injuries, inexperience, age and other niggling worries we have around the ground.)

I've resigned to having September off.
It'll do the team (and my wallet) the world of good.

I too get pulled aside regularly. My wife blames my very old (30YO) day pack. They deny that.

We need to:
a) learn to stick a @@@@ing tackle.
b) handball in front of a running player, not behind them.
c) lead to the player with the ball. We were so stagnant of Friday (Thus causing Newman and Aliir to be get nailed while trying to take a kick)
d) Then kick to the targets advantage, rather than to the target.
e) As above, play the ball not the man. Happened far too often as well.
f) Rampe needs to take the umpires out for a coffee and apologise for previous joke. He seems to have a target on his back.

**Kafka's Ghost** · 30th July 2018, 09:38 AM

Also agree 1000% regarding the 2016 GF. Watch the little video the #FreekickHawthorn people made. It’s just ridiculous what happened that day. Hannebery’s knee injury happened right in front of us, early in the last quarter. It took out a significant player for almost 25% of the game, and we didn’t even get the free kick. To this day I wonder if it was done purposely. The effect of that game on the club, psychologically and physically, over these last two years cannot be overestimated. By the way, with 7 minutes to play, there was a kick in it.

**Kafka's Ghost** · 30th July 2018, 09:52 AM

I went to Essendon-Sydney in 2011, when Adam Goodes missed a shot after the siren. My sister who was with me turned and said “at least we’ll get out of the ground alive now”. The Essendon fans are pretty feral.