Rd 2 vs Geelong Cats @ SCG - Match Thread

[liz]

I thought Wicks had a better game than last week. Whether it will be enough to save his spot in the team is another question. Papley and McInerney will come back in when ready but not obvious who to leave out. Even young Campbell, who will be one of the last players picked at the moment, is starting to display a fine mix of attributes.

I reckon the greatest strength of the team we have at the moment is that no one player needs to star every week, or even dominate across a whole game, for the team to function well. Every player is capable of making a decent contribution, and the midfield group each brings something different to the mix.

Yesterday's game was far from perfect. Although it felt like we were the better team across the whole game (well, after the first couple of minutes), the Cats could have made the game a lot tighter with decent goal conversion. A lot of our players (and theirs too) slipped and skidded at inopportune times - I suppose the cumulative rain over more than a month has made the surface more slippery than we usually see it in game-time-dry conditions. There were some bad turnovers and sloppy frees. So to win the first two games comfortably against strong opposition, while watching a team being far from an efficient, well-oiled machine, bodes well for the quality of the footy they will hopefully produce as the season progresses.

[MattW]

By the way, do you reckon Chad’s an excitable young fella who’s pretty happy about his spot up to Bud

Oscar on Twitter: "“I @@@@ing kicked it to him” #Buddy1000… "

LOL.

[Bangalore Swans]

I thought Wicks had a better game than last week. Whether it will be enough to save his spot in the team is another question. Papley and McInerney will come back in when ready but not obvious who to leave out. Even young Campbell, who will be one of the last players picked at the moment, is starting to display a fine mix of attributes.

I reckon the greatest strength of the team we have at the moment is that no one player needs to star every week, or even dominate across a whole game, for the team to function well. Every player is capable of making a decent contribution, and the midfield group each brings something different to the mix.

Yesterday's game was far from perfect. Although it felt like we were the better team across the whole game (well, after the first couple of minutes), the Cats could have made the game a lot tighter with decent goal conversion. A lot of our players (and theirs too) slipped and skidded at inopportune times - I suppose the cumulative rain over more than a month has made the surface more slippery than we usually see it in game-time-dry conditions. There were some bad turnovers and sloppy frees. So to win the first two games comfortably against strong opposition, while watching a team being far from an efficient, well-oiled machine, bodes well for the quality of the footy they will hopefully produce as the season progresses.

I feel the Red and White mood is changing on Wicks.

Last season I suggested that Parker could play a small forward roll and Wicks be left out of the side and people were dismayed at that suggestion.

They told me about Wicks’s defensive running and that only he could play that position.

Now people seem quite happy with Parker and Papley being the 1st choice small forwards.

Why are people now in 2022 contemplating dropping Wicks and using Papley and Parker as small forwards when that idea was shot down in 2021.

[i'm-uninformed2]

He was the very model of a modern major "gut running on the wing that might not earn you a stat but will get a lot of love from the coaches and his teammate" general.

It was only the second time I've had a chance to see him live, he really does cover a lot of ground out there but I was most impressed with his footy IQ. I was watching him closely in the lead up to Isaac's first goal, he didn't touch the ball in the passage (at about 1:30 in the link below, you can't quite see it from that camera angle but we had a great view of it at the ground) but my reading of his role in the play was;

• Harry has the ball wide in the back half, Geelong are zoning off to eat up space- a Geelong player (I think Dylan's man) is covering an area about 30 metres from Harry along the wing that has Stephens and another Swan
• Dylan starts to move a little wider to create a bit more space between him and the other Swan- the Geelong player mirrors his movement to cover
• Harry kicks to Dane at HBF on the square, Stephens goes even wider and starts to move a little up the ground towards our forward half hugging the boundary line- the Geelong player starts to go with him
• Harry runs on for the handball receive from Dane, he can not only run into space (as the Geelong player has stayed with Dylan) but because Dylan has gone wide he can go along the edge of the square instead of wide, offering up more of the ground upfield for our forwards
• Isaac gets to a marking contest, gets a free and goes back and slots it

Only one play, and again you can't really see it in the footage but at the ground it was quite clear. He read the play and used the space perfectly, and was extremely disciplined. It's not just his athleticism, it's having the brain to know how to put to use- he was constantly moving through the game and either presenting as an option or creating space for his teammates to work in.

https://www.afl.com.au/video/726448/...=1648252800001

That’s awesome, and thanks so much.

So pleased to hear, as based on the glimpses we saw of him in season one, he looked special. And footy IQ is as big an asset as any athletic traits sometimes.

Out of interest, did you and the probably not-so-young-un-these-days, join the on ground festivities?

[Kafka's Ghost]

+1

So Happy Buddy go to kick his 1000th at SCG. Has synergy with Plugger's 1000th & goal kicking record, both also at the SCG. Futher enshrines SCG with great footy history/moments.

P.S. Tried to post this in the "Buddy 1000th" thread but for some reason it wouldn't allow me to do so.

Was going to write exactly the same thing. Just an awesome night at the footy, and a great moment in sport history.
The fact that the team comprehensively defeated a solid Geelong lineup, without playing perfect football, was icing on a very rich cake.


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[AB Swannie]

There are lots of types of ratings. Some use personal criteria. FWIW, these were the official AFL player ratings.

AFL Player Ratings on Twitter: "Round 2, 2022. Sydney Swans v Geelong Cats #AFLSwansCats… "

[aardvark]

I really liked Paddy Mc's game. If he remains injury free he has the potential to be a great defender and the bargain pick up of the century.

[Hotpotato]

To reach the magical milestone with 6 mins left and a big crowd all overjoyed (even the Cats fans) beyond belief , well it was simply euphoric and I was so pumped to be there.
It couldn’t possibly have been scripted any better …

The entire crowd was in a state of delirium …

I took a pic (of a couple) on the ground w their phone, the bloke being a bit introverted and reluctant… I got the prized pic eventually (the GF won the debate) .

Outside the ground after , they waited to find me amid 37,000 others to thank me, they did miraculously find me and he said he wanted to apologise for being an ‘arsehole’ ….

Forget Covid, hugs all round .

[SwanSand]

Great game leaving aside the obvious.
Florent was typical for me and has been for a while. There is a huge gap between his best and his worst and I am not sure why it is so. He should be the most influential player bar none now but he is not.
Chad had a great game and his decision making and his attack on the footy in the middle is great. He is doing a great role for us and has all the talent to get to the next level. He has been given the license to break lines and positions himself like that.
I reckon Dylan lacks the finesse and decision making that we need from him. He is still developing though and given his high endurance base he should get there.
Mills clearly the best player on the ground for what he did. Maybe not as eyecatching for some who just pay and want to watch the eyepopping linebreaking players but job done amazingly well.

[TheBloods]

Just watching on tv now , i see they brought Jmac in for the team song even though he didn 't play . Think that is telling of how popular he is in the playing group , not everyone would be brought in for that .

I have heard he is so loved by his team mates and impressed them all so much it is only a matter of time before he is in the leadership group . He is highly regarded within the club

[longmile]

Amazing that Parker, the star from last week, can have a quiet game and Heeney and Mills take over. We have an awesome team this year. Savour it

[stevoswan]

By the way, do you reckon Chad’s an excitable young fella who’s pretty happy about his spot up to Bud

Oscar on Twitter: "“I @@@@ing kicked it to him” #Buddy1000… "

That's so funny.