Autopsy Brave Swans fall 9 points short

[Eagles_712]

I know i am a neutral supporter, but the game plan seemed a bit weird. A lot of just bombing it instead of being patient and chipping it around.

Warner and Parker seem to be big culprits of this

 

[Kapers]

I know i am a neutral supporter, but the game plan seemed a bit weird. A lot of just bombing it instead of being patient and chipping it around.

Warner and Parker seem to be big culprits of this

Can't disagree, was terrible to watch as a swans supporter.

 

[S120]

I took a few days to calm down my frustration after watching that game on Saturday. When I look at things with a little less emotion (because I had a lot of it after watching that loss), I do think this could be the growing pains of a bunch of youngish guys who have drunk their own bathwater a little and will learn how to be more consistent across a game. It's so frustrating, bordering on angering, seeing a side with so much ability allow bottom 8 sides to do what they please for huge stretches of the game. I've never seen a Swans side this inconsistent during games. It makes for a strange season in which we rarely get absolutely thumped at the end of the game on the scoreboard but we go enormous stretches of games being basically unable to stop the other side from doing as they please. From memory, we've played about 4 full-four-quarter games this year (WCE, Geelong, Essendon first time, St.Kilda) which is bizarre to think that we're still sitting at 3 games over a 50-50 split of our games and in the 8.

I think ultimately a lot of it falls on our midfield currently. The way the Bombers midfield was walking out of the middle untouched time after time suggests to me that our midfield isn't made of tough enough stuff yet to play 4 full quarters week in and week out. I think that will change as Warner, Rowbottom, Gulden, McInerney etc. get older but it's frustrating as hell right now to watch.

We should have won that game with the amount of dominance we had in the 3rd and first half of the last. To let it slide from there indicates to me that this bunch is still learning the basics of how to be a genuinely good team. You can't rest on your laurels as often as this side do if you want to make the top 4 and compete for a flag. I think over time they'll sort it out but f*** me is it insanity-inducing to watch it right now.

 

[Punts]

It was like the 2nd against the blues

Just opposition mids just walking it out

It’s embarrassing

Port showed were we are IMO

Not about this dynasty call

 

[Eagles_712]

Can't disagree, was terrible to watch as a swans supporter.

It was odd. It like you guys allowed Essendon to get momentum. Against the saints you pretty didn't allow them to touch the ball at times.

 

[caesar88]

Reputation matters IMO. We aren't a scary prospect to opposition teams at all. We've now lost to 4 of the bottom 10 and very nearly 5 with that awful North win. Any bottom 10 side coming up against us would likely borrow that adage Parker used a few years ago: "Why not us?"

We've become that team everyone is using to try out their very best efforts against to get results.

 

[Jewelsbon]

It's tongue in cheek bedders, no-one could call that effort brave.

Yeah I got the tongue in cheek bit, but two days on I'm with Bedders, should be pathetic Swans.

 

[J_Moore]

This team reminds me of Roos final years

Lol when we were a kick from a prelim with a completely regenerated list that would win a flag 2 seasons later?

 

[J_Moore]

Someone on here said the game felt like it should’ve been an underwhelming 4 goal win, and lo and behold.

 

[SM]

Lol when we were a kick from a prelim with a completely regenerated list that would win a flag 2 seasons later?

Easy to forget that year (especially for me being over in London at the time!) - I guess he's more thinking that 07-09 era. But still not sure I'd agree with the comparison.

 

[SM]

View attachment 1439353

Someone on here said the game felt like it should’ve been an underwhelming 4 goal win, and lo and behold.

Yeah I almost brought up expected score the other day in reference to the post Round 2 discussion but didn't think it was worth the heartache.

I think post-Round 2 the same point was made: the result sometimes masks the issues or positives in a game. After that Cats win everyone rubbished the notion we 'should' have lost the game and that there were any issues in our style of play. Fast forward to the weekend just gone, and suggesting to people that we 'should' have won it would be rubbished as people think it was an awful, timid, pathetic performance.

 

[Wolfgang West]

It was like the 2nd against the blues

Just opposition mids just walking it out

It’s embarrassing

Port showed were we are IMO

Not about this dynasty call

Midfield are a disgrace. Might be old school but opposition walk it out once and goal ok that’s not happening again, happens again it’s ****ing arm across on their toes and dig in. No not ****ing us. We stand a ****ing NBA centre wingspan off our man and let me tell you that is a lot of latitude. Selfish undisciplined shit.

 

[J_Moore]

Easy to forget that year (especially for me being over in London at the time!) - I guess he's more thinking that 07-09 era. But still not sure I'd agree with the comparison.

Yeah 07-08 we were clearly an old list that need turning over.

‘09 we did that (particularly in the trade period). And then 2010 was just a huge surprise.

Honestly, last year reminded me a but of 2010. New gameplan taking shape, lots of exciting young players.

Maybe a better analogy for this season would be 2011, where it feels like the young guys haven’t quite taken the next step from their early promise.

 

[Jewelsbon]

Yeah 07-08 we were clearly an old list that need turning over.

‘09 we did that (particularly in the trade period). And then 2010 was just a huge surprise.

Honestly, last year reminded me a but of 2010. New gameplan taking shape, lots of exciting young players.

Maybe a better analogy for this season would be 2011, where it feels like the young guys haven’t quite taken the next step from their early promise.

I could live with that analogy, 2012 was a pretty good year from memory

 

[SM]

Yeah 07-08 we were clearly an old list that need turning over.

‘09 we did that (particularly in the trade period). And then 2010 was just a huge surprise.

Honestly, last year reminded me a but of 2010. New gameplan taking shape, lots of exciting young players.

Maybe a better analogy for this season would be 2011, where it feels like the young guys haven’t quite taken the next step from their early promise.

And then we all know what happened in 2012..

It's why I think some of the hyperbole around what we should have expected this year is a little overblown. You can never have set expectations with a young group, all you can measure them on is progress and we've had a few players really improve this year. Some haven't, and that's where the focus and work needs to be this off season.

 

[Deccas]

View attachment 1439353

Someone on here said the game felt like it should’ve been an underwhelming 4 goal win, and lo and behold.

Surprising the X score would have us only with 1 more goal given how many bad misses there were

 

[Deccas]

I'm finally getting to watch. Only seen the first quarter and a bit and blakey has had some good moments but has a really bad kick leaving 50 and a bad miss kicking into 50. I'd say net negative but he has done good stuff not many other players can do. I'm frustrated with him though.

Rowbottom has been poor. Fumble city and missing players in space and making bad decisions. Ried Franklin and P Mccartin good.

 

[SM]

Surprising the X score would have us only with 1 more goal given how many bad misses there were

I think the bigger take away is just how freakishly accurate the Bombers were! Just saps your momentum when they kick those.

 

[J_Moore]

blakey has had some good moments but has a really bad kick leaving 50 and a bad miss kicking into 50. I'd say net negative but he has done good stuff not many other players can do. I'm frustrated with him though.

He needs to get those dinky kicks he pulls at the last minute (while at a full sprint) out of his game. For every one of lands and looks like a legend, he turns over 3 or 4.

 

[Deccas]

At the end of the second quarter.

Stephens caught defending too much, a couple of small contributions but he's small and not a good defender.

Rowbottom still very poor. Getting pulled to the ball and leaving his man in the centre square and giving up a good entry (turned into a goal) not seeing a handpass to Lloyd and bombing out of defense (marked by Wright and turned into a goal). Really disappointing.

Papley missing so many gettable shots. Very frustrating. Forwards need to make the most of thier opportunity.

Draper is smashing Hickey in the centre square and it's really costing us.

McInerney barely sighted to half time slowly working into it in the back end of the second quarter.

McDonald a miss but had 1 moment. Need a lot more involvement than we got in the half.

Warner good, Parker good too. Mills neat but not seen enough.

Reid and Franklin still looking good. Marking around the ground and neutralising contests.

 

[Deccas]

I dunno, it's a big part of his game when he plays well. A dinky kick out of 50 and then receiving from that player, running through the corridor and then getting another dinky kick into the 50 is his best pattern and he pulls it off a few times a game.

He just makes bad mistakes at a really high rate. I think it's just experience but it drives me nuts.

He needs to get those dinky kicks he pulls at the last minute (while at a full sprint) out of his game. For every one of lands and looks like a legend, he turns over 3 or 4.

 

[SM]

Rowie seems to get caught in tackles way too often. Was a really poor game from him.

 

[Deccas]

Rowie seems to get caught in tackles way too often. Was a really poor game from him.

Caught in tackles and not seeing options when in possession.

All this "defensive mid" talk tosh too, he got caught ball watching and leaves his man in the contest a lot too.

 

[Deccas]

3rd quarter. Buddy making poor decisions on the ball. Bit of an almost quarter but if he played well we'd be up a goal or two rather than down.

As a team we defendes the ground badly and gave up a lot of frees to let them bypass the centre and get straight inside 50.

Papley continuing his return from injury form of fumbling and missing despite getting into good spots. Think hes gonna hit good form sooner or later. Good signs but probably cost us the game with innacuracy today.

Rowbottom finally stringing a good possession or two together.

Warner is our best player. Fox has been good.

If we want to play heeney as a marking forward (he's very good at it) he needs to practice set shots.


Really painful quarter to watch. Poor entries and bad misses from what we did well. 2 goals 7 behinds is very bad from a dominant quarter.

 

[Deccas]

Don't wanna talk about the last quarter. Beaten in the centre square real bad. Awful.


Based on the board I would have thought Stephens had a mare. He was fine, could have got more of it but none of our wingers have picked up heaps of possessions regularly. We accumulate possessions elsewhere. Thought he was fine without being notable.

We lost because Draper got on runs in the centre square and because papley and buddy and heeney were wasteful forward of centre and a few lesser lights didn't get involved enough. No player deserves to be singled out and dropped it was a poor team performance. Absolutely need another good clearance midfielder.