Rd 6 vs Hawthorn @ Launceston - Match Thread

[bloodspirit]

Skill levels down a bit at this stage but still pretty confident we finish much stronger than the Hawks

Good call, early in the match when we weren't looking good. I felt pretty confident all match after we arrested the run of the Hawks' five first goals except for a few moments in the third quarter where I started to think maybe we wouldn't get our act together. We have shown a lot of resilience last season and this and seem to run out games really well. Once we started out-playing the Hawks later in the first quarter I also thought we would reel them in. Just took a lot longer than expected and finally we came with a rush and got a scoreboard that did us justice.

Coaches' votes

10 Mills
6 Warner
5 Franklin
4 Ladhams
3 Parker
1 Gulden
1 O'Meara

Mills 5-5
Warner 4-2
Franklin 3-2
Ladhams 4-0
Parker 3-0
Gulden, JOM 1-0 each

I'm really curious about which coach gave 4 votes to Ladhams and which gave 3 votes to Parker.

[Faunac8]

Good call, early in the match when we weren't looking good. I felt pretty confident all match after we arrested the run of the Hawks' five first goals except for a few moments in the third quarter where I started to think maybe we wouldn't get our act together. We have shown a lot of resilience last season and this and seem to run out games really well. Once we started out-playing the Hawks later in the first quarter I also thought we would reel them in. Just took a lot longer than expected and finally we came with a rush and got a scoreboard that did us justice.

Thanks Bloodspirit it was straight after Koschitszke scored his second goal and some had already called the game but to me it never looked like we were going to be outclassed.
We were beating ourselves with silly errors and just needed a reset especially in the centre.
No way we would keep playing that badly and I didn’t think the Hawks could keep that initial effort up and that class would prevail.

[Ludwig]

It would not surprise me at all if only one of Harry , Jake or Dane was on our list next year. I think only Dane still has one more year on contract but may be wrong.
Jake and Harry are in-line for a decent contract offer from teams who would value not only their on field ability but also what they could offer off the field coming from a strong well run club that other clubs seem to rate.
With both being 29 next season the timing is right for them and their is some nice synergy with their careers both starting with the Swans in the same year.
If we did retain one I would lean toward Harry as a cheaper more physical option since I think we have a few running rebound defenders showing great potential which should cover Jake.
I think we are already seeing some transition , maybe not as fast as some might wish , in how the ball comes out of defence although we did seem to persevere with Jake yesterday.

Of course a premiership would possibly change things completely and would be a nice problem to have.

I agree that Harry, Lloyd and Rampe are not looking at their best, but they are not all that far off it. In part, it may be getting better coordinated in defence with newcomers Blakey, Campbell and Paddy. It may take a while to get them working together well.

I would be looking to keep Lloyd and Cunningham in our side for a few more seasons. I don't think it helps to continually unsettle the defence, but rather introduce new players gradually. Gould is the one I would like to see come into consideration this year. I feel we still have backups for smaller defenders with Fox and O'Riordan, both of whom can do a solid enough job. Corey Warner and Rankin sill are works in progress and not ready for the big time.

I wouldn't underestimate how the loss of Dawson has shaken up our defence. It was a big loss for a premiership push this year and may take a year to recover from.

[TheBloods]

How about the spray Rampe gave to Chad !

[Faunac8]

How about the spray Rampe gave to Chad !

It was well timed well deserved and I think pulled the Chad back into focus so was probably well received.
Definitely needed to happen.

[TheBloods]

It was well timed well deserved and I think pulled the Chad back into focus so was probably well received.
Definitely needed to happen.

Yes , I was not surprised Chad responded well to it and was happy it happened . The spray is a part of footy . If you saw and heard some of the things that happen out on the footy field or worse down in the bunkers at half time , you would all think im a fluffy kitten by comparison !

[O'Reilly Boy]

Thought I'd share my match day experience.

My wife and I were driving the Hume back from Melbourne. I didn't want to subject her to the radio/streaming commentary (and my mood if things got ugly), and the game was being recorded, so we just listened to some music and a couple of podcasts instead.

Stopped at Gundagai for petrol. Checked phone for the quarter time score. Damn.

Turned into Jugiong to pick up some Blood Orange and Gin marmalade (it's special). Saw the half time score. Bugger. Tried to think happy thoughts.

Pulled into a rest stop outside Goulburn for a comfort stop. Tuned in through the AFL app, just in time to hear that the Swans had just taken the lead. Before my lovely wife got back to the car, Rowbottom had missed from in front, but Florent had kicked another. She let me listen to the rest. A great way to experience the game. Caught up on the reply when I got home (after LegoMasters) and read through this thread before going to bed.

Footy is great.

[bloodspirit]

Yes , I was not surprised Chad responded well to it and was happy it happened . The spray is a part of footy . If you saw and heard some of the things that happen out on the footy field or worse down in the bunkers at half time , you would all think im a fluffy kitten by comparison !

TB, I do already think of you as a fluffy soul with a surly exterior! Keep up the gruff sentimentalism.

[Nico]

I watched the replay today.

I thought Lloyd and Rampe played good games. Rowbottom was good. He did 2 kicking turnovers in the last quarter but both times he was under extreme pressure, otherwise his pressure at the contest was excellent.

Logan McDonald will be a star. His work up and down the ground was very good and his desperate tackle on Mitchell to prevent a goal was a highlight. He just knows where to run and tackle and has very good vision when kicking.

Ben Ronke is a bonus. His front and centre work at marking contests was so good and his clean pick ups and ball control are elite. He sat off the contest by a couple of metres and was there to take the handball.

The combination of Mills and Warner playing between the arcs gives us quality options across the centre. Warner is becoming a ball magnet and apart from a couple of mistakes he just got better as the game went on.

I have noticed in most games that games seem to be played on one side of the ground. I went to the Sunday night game and Melbourne were very good at having players run to the fat side to break up the game. For us Jmac seems to be that player. I couldn't believe how much space he had on his own wide out.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Coaches' votes

10 Mills
6 Warner
5 Franklin
4 Ladhams
3 Parker
1 Gulden
1 O'Meara

Mills 5-5
Warner 4-2
Franklin 3-2
Ladhams 4-0
Parker 3-0
Gulden, JOM 1-0 each

Takes Mills to equal 3rd in the overall leaderboard

Andrew Brayshaw - 37
Patrick Cripps - 35
Callum Mills - 31
Clayton Oliver - 31
Christain Petracca - 28

Mills should have been given every vote available. It was truly one of the great games by a Swan in the past few years.

And FWIW, you can still get him at $17 on the Brownlow. I got him earlier at $500 at $25 (with a small side on my man JMac for fun), so am going to ride that horse all the way home this year. Giddy up!

But seriously, good to see some of the non-usual suspects like Ladhams, Warner and Gulden among the votes. As a couple of others have rightly observed, we're not just dependent on the usual suspects any more, and Heeney was a blip on the match.

[Bloods05]

I watched the replay today.

I thought Lloyd and Rampe played good games. Rowbottom was good. He did 2 kicking turnovers in the last quarter but both times he was under extreme pressure, otherwise his pressure at the contest was excellent.

Logan McDonald will be a star. His work up and down the ground was very good and his desperate tackle on Mitchell to prevent a goal was a highlight. He just knows where to run and tackle and has very good vision when kicking.

Ben Ronke is a bonus. His front and centre work at marking contests was so good and his clean pick ups and ball control are elite. He sat off the contest by a couple of metres and was there to take the handball.

The combination of Mills and Warner playing between the arcs gives us quality options across the centre. Warner is becoming a ball magnet and apart from a couple of mistakes he just got better as the game went on.

I have noticed in most games that games seem to be played on one side of the ground. I went to the Sunday night game and Melbourne were very good at having players run to the fat side to break up the game. For us Jmac seems to be that player. I couldn't believe how much space he had on his own wide out.

McDonald's field kicking is a revelation. It is as good as anyone else's on the list. Which makes his current goalkicking woes all the more frustrating.

[TheBloods]

Mills should have been given every vote available. It was truly one of the great games by a Swan in the past few years.

And FWIW, you can still get him at $17 on the Brownlow. I got him earlier at $500 at $25 (with a small side on my man JMac for fun), so am going to ride that horse all the way home this year. Giddy up!

But seriously, good to see some of the non-usual suspects like Ladhams, Warner and Gulden among the votes. As a couple of others have rightly observed, we're not just dependent on the usual suspects any more, and Heeney was a blip on the match.

Your man was fumbly yesterday . Great goal on the run though as usual