Roast RND8: Bombed by the Swans

[Yoda_]

I wouldn't sack the board but would purge the football department including recruitment and fitness. Hate blaming the coach but its clear this club has been badly coached for years.

Our development coaches have been horrendous for 2 decades as well

 

[SydneyBomber]

Is it bad that all I was really watching for after half time was to see if someone would fly the flag and level Parker?

I hear you, Parker should have walked off to celebrate the win with his nose smeared all over his face

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Is it bad that all I was really watching for after half time was to see if someone would fly the flag and level Parker?

Players barely had the effort to lay a tackle. I very much doubt someone would go beyond and level someone.

 

[Zach Package]

Love playing the Swans because they embody everything that we aren’t and always provide a good yardstick.

Game was a bit of a shitfest both ways, Swans are simply way fitter and have more forward half match winners.

5 goals, 10 goals, margin completely irrelevant given we’re essentially just measuring how many times we can turn over a goal scoring opportunity and for that to become an immediate goal going in the other direction.

We have some seriously talented young players but nothing even resembling on field leadership to stiffen us up.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Really disgusting performance. The lack of ability to take body contact and the inability to cover the ground was widely on display.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Players barely had the effort to lay a tackle. I very much doubt someone would go beyond and level someone.

I was really hoping Devon Smith would magically appear on the field and try, but alas.

 

[Bombermania]

Our development coaches have been horrendous for 2 decades as well

There's a lengthy list of good promising young players that within a few years are reduced to a shadow of their former selves.

 

[Hamez]

Already been mentioned but we had 30 tackles. They had 63 more possessions. Mills had 13 himself.

 

[MiguelM]

We missed Smith from last week.

For sure.

If Smith had decent knees and could bring that every week would be great.

We had zero crumbers tonight.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Already been mentioned but we had 30 tackles. They had 63 more possessions. Mills had 13 himself.

Makes sense

We havent been any good since 2003.

 

[windyhill]

The 150 is going swimmingly.

 

[MiguelM]

Waterman as the sub is like having a Hilux as you spare car for Bathurst.

 

[DapperDon]

Already been mentioned but we had 30 tackles. They had 63 more possessions. Mills had 13 himself.

It's all good, the club will make a statement and drop Francis and bring in Waterman next week.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Fish rots at the head.

Massive, sweeping changes need to be made.

The board needs to be wiped clean.
The coaching team needs to be reassessed.
The playing list needs an overhaul.

We’re in for much more pain, but it needs to be done.

Disgusting, insipid, genuinely one of the lowest points in my 30 years as a fan of this once great club.

I’m not going to say that something is broken; it’s all broken.

We’ve already begun that 20 months ago. Still need to purge Dodoro though.

Coach needs to grow some balls and drop every player not following defensive instruction. Probably can’t do them all at once but I’d start with midfielders.

 

[Milanista28]

This is worse than our 2018 start that got Neeld sacked, we should sack 2 people I reckon.

 

[wallis23]

It was pathetic and stopped watching in the 3rd q,
up there with R1 as worst effort for the year

 

[VelvetSledge]

We’ve already begun that 20 months ago. Still need to purge Dodoro though.

Coach needs to grow some balls and drop every player not following defensive instruction. Probably can’t do them all at once but I’d start with midfielders.

Dodoro needs the arse, and the board needs the arse.

Xavier has been great for the business side of the club, but it's time to do what the club is meant to do. Win games of footy.
He's a yes man who's only ever tried to smooth things over with the powers that be because of a total crock of shit that happened 10 years ago, and I've always had the feeling he's aiming for a job at AFL house, using us as a stepping stone.

The board only caters to those who have Essendon history (see Sean Wellman's appointment), and isn't willing to embrace change or actually try to shift things around.

We need an EXTERNAL review. If Paul Brasher wants to actually do something with his tenure as the boss, then he needs to get off his arse and make some calls.

Ron Gauci would be number one on my list. Get him in, get him to deliver a report on what he finds, and ****** ACT ON IT.

 

[Yoda_]

No natural small forward was on full display again tonight. Fast becoming as important a hole to fill as a bigger midfielder we clearly lack.

(yes, I am aware we have Tex, Davey twins coming so not a wide sail needing to be cast, just needing one to stand up and become a pressure small fwd).

 

[Nicholas61]

Kelly coming in from the side and taking a big mark whilst kneeing Ridley in the head sums us up as a club.

 

[CBombers17]

Sydney really did as they pleased in second gear. We had preseason intensity. I don't reckon guys like Kennedy and Frankin will have played a softer AFL side than us tonight - maybe wins over the start-ups in their early years...maybe.

 

[biglaycock]

Do you disagree or do you see an element of truth to it? Yeah, I’m obviously exaggerating the situation seeing as Parish, Ridley, Merrett and the like have grown nicely as players but even then the players who have seemingly developed well are lacking that something extra that gives you an edge. Sydney develop players to commit to the end-game or the pinnacle of their profession.

Your original comment was 100% right, The 3 you mentioned are very good players but we had a fair crack at ****ing 2 of them up first.

Parish we sat on a forward flank for 2-3 years.

Ridley we attempted to turn into a wingman early on.

Merrett we haven’t really played with other than the couple of game experiment as a half back.

Time to settle players in the positions they showed enough talent in as juniors to make the big league.

Francis to HB for the remainder of the year, if no improvement move him on

Stewart back forward (even though defence hasn’t been a total bust for him)

Langford as a high roaming HF

Durham and Martin on a wing each

McGrath to defence

 

[Mikevk123]

Least tackles in a game since the 18th team came into the comp. Bar 2020.

 

[fairbump_playon]

They're like an absentee father. If you don't ever get your hopes up, then they can't let you down

But if you listen quietly there’s always a longing inside

 

[Blind Turn]

Not disagreeing. It's all far too close to home on existing evidence. They mostly come in with some sort of x-factor (Parish excepted) and we seem to systematically erase it. Or, we nurture the x-factor but they can't build the tank/headspace/round out their game enough to actually do it at AFL level. Whichever.

Exactly! And my greatest concern is that those that are in a position to be stewards of our club’s history and legacy don’t seem to have been able to re-energise this part of our football department. It’s all superficial bullshit that favours optics over substance. Sydney were a laughing stock in the early nineties coming off a superficial culture based on Edelstein, the Swannettes, and Capper speccies. But they knuckled down and got a city behind them on the back of a no-frills football ethic to go with the big-money purchase of Plugger. Plugger gave them a big ticket attraction and they had plenty of AFL support but behind the scenes they were building a rock solid Bloods culture. Barrassi was probably the beginning of the change. He didn’t have the cattle but he brought a winners mentality. We really should be looking at Clarko if Rutten fails to lift us out of the mire this year. I’m not giving up on Rutten yet but he hasn’t got long to prove he’s got the players on board. Not when a coach like Clarko is available. I have more blame aimed at those above him who’ve let the club drift into mediocrity.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Dodoro needs the arse, and the board needs the arse.

Xavier has been great for the business side of the club, but it's time to do what the club is meant to do. Win games of footy.
He's a yes man who's only ever tried to smooth things over with the powers that be because of a total crock of shit that happened 10 years ago, and I've always had the feeling he's aiming for a job at AFL house, using us as a stepping stone.

The board only caters to those who have Essendon history (see Sean Wellman's appointment), and isn't willing to embrace change or actually try to shift things around.

We need an EXTERNAL review. If Paul Brasher wants to actually do something with his tenure as the boss, then he needs to get off his arse and make some calls.

Ron Gauci would be number one on my list. Get him in, get him to deliver a report on what he finds, and ****** ACT ON IT.

Yeah I’ve got no problem with any of that. A review done properly without prejudice can only help.

I also think it needs to be with the understanding a list overhaul and new game plan direction was recently put in place. While that can be reviewed it has to be done understanding in all reality it’s in it’s infancy.

In terms of our history and culture, I’d almost like us to not neglect our previous champions, but also not read into that too much. Our success in the past prior to AFL was built off a lot of money and advantages. The rest was Sheedy who ran everything well. We have never been successful in the modern age in any way that suggests we’ve ever learnt to operate successfully as an AFL club. From that perspective I don’t how much our champions can help.