the hypnotoad
Norm Smith Medallist
- Mar 7, 2021
- 5,587
- 12,862
- AFL Club
- Sydney
Some will say the intent and effort was good, signs were good and think we can turn it around, thats fine, I get it, i would like to be there
Just think the rot has set in, maybe i need a lie down and my face slapped
there's something obviously wrong ...
my theory starts at the grand final, but is more to do with what happened at geelong a few weeks back
they demoralised us in the gf but it really seemed like we started the new season fresh and ready, psychologically, to put that disaster well behind us
things were a bit streaky but we were going ok
then we came into the geelong game, and the mccartin injuries, and other problems, meant we were well down not just on personnel but on structure
and we got smashed again
it seems that defeat took us back to gf day (like going back to square one for a lot of the young blokes in particular)
and psychologically the damage may have been worse ...
i think some demons also took hold in the port loss, and that problem manifested itself late against the giants, when we had the game won and really seemed to panic in the last 5-10 minutes, unsure how to put the game away
those two defeats have left our ladder position worse than it should be, but very much indicate the mental fragility in the side at the moment
but we really have not looked the same since the geelong embarrassment (although i admit i'm not able to watch games in full, due to commitments, so i may be missing the very worst bits, and some of the few highlights)
structurally we look lost
and against collingwood we played with a timidity i've not seen for several years, and certainly not in this young side
when we threw caution to the wind in the second term we looked threatening and took control but as soon as they hit back in the third term we flinched again and played scared ... they played with assurance and confidence, we played like we were just hoping to avoid trouble
gulden and warner still seem to be playing with that carefree approach, but they need a lot more help
i think criticism of mcdonald is way off the mark and from what i saw blakey has been at least trying to tough it out against bigger bodies
heeney seems spooked in front of goal, although i thought he competed well enough upfield early on sunday
campbell is another who seems to still be improving, and far from our worst ... ladhams the same
i note a few gave parker points but i'm not sure he's going that well, and franklin ... geez, i don't want to write him off but he's really struggling to make any impact (although as usual yesterday he got nothing from the umpires, when a couple of calls early, a couple of goals, might have given him and the team a lift they sorely needed)
but overall, right now we look mentally and structurally broken, and who knows what that means for the rest of this season
the bright side, for me, is that this might be the sort of season geelong had in 2006, when so much was expected of them but they missed the finals and it almost cost thompson the coaching job
maybe this is a season that turns the heat up on longmire but also delivers some cold reality to the young playing group, and we have to be patient and wait til beyond this season to see the benefits and see the team deliver on the potential it clearly possesses
i still maintain my faith that this is potentially the best swans team since the club moved to sydney