Autopsy Sydney Legacy in Grand Finals continues 10 goal loss to the Lions

[sherb]

I've taken this loss very hard, which is eye opening for me as I'm ostensibly a Blues supporter first and foremost. It's a mixture of anger, denial, frustration, bewilderment....the list of emotions goes on and on.

I guess it shows how ingrained the Swans are in my life, after all for the past 40 years they have been something to me the Blues have never been - my local AFL club. (I've never lived in Melbourne).

Regardless of the reason, I think I need to review my relationship with the game, I'm getting too old to let things I can't control - like AFL Grand Final results - affect me with this.

Finally, I'm grateful to be able to interact on the Swans board, with the good grace of the people here, to help me try to deal with this. So thank you all, it has helped....as much as it is possible to help me at present that is.

 

[sherb]

some interesting reading here from a neutral observer. So, Hipwood's freak goal, like Langford's 10 years ago, was the difference between winning and losing for the Swans? Oh well, I guess the 10-10+ goal margin in the two GF's wasn't relevant, just those two arsey goals lol.

Ah, no. Way to miss the point - which is actually that freakish goals like that can indicate that it's just not going to be your day.

 

[TheGoatBaron]

I've taken this loss very hard, which is eye opening for me as I'm ostensibly a Blues supporter first and foremost. It's a mixture of anger, denial, frustration, bewilderment....the list of emotions goes on and on.

I guess it shows how ingrained the Swans are in my life, after all for the past 40 years they have been something to me the Blues have never been - my local AFL club. (I've never lived in Melbourne).

Regardless of the reason, I think I need to review my relationship with the game, I'm getting too old to let things I can't control - like AFL Grand Final results - affect me with this.

Finally, I'm grateful to be able to interact on the Swans board, with the good grace of the people here, to help me try to deal with this. So thank you all, it has helped....as much as it is possible to help me at present that is.

You’re one of the good neutrals. Always have been mate. You’re always welcomed here

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

I've taken this loss very hard, which is eye opening for me as I'm ostensibly a Blues supporter first and foremost. It's a mixture of anger, denial, frustration, bewilderment....the list of emotions goes on and on.

I guess it shows how ingrained the Swans are in my life, after all for the past 40 years they have been something to me the Blues have never been - my local AFL club. (I've never lived in Melbourne).

Regardless of the reason, I think I need to review my relationship with the game, I'm getting too old to let things I can't control - like AFL Grand Final results - affect me with this.

Finally, I'm grateful to be able to interact on the Swans board, with the good grace of the people here, to help me try to deal with this. So thank you all, it has helped....as much as it is possible to help me at present that is.

This has been by far the most devastating GF loss of the last 5 the margin at HT was even greater than in 2022.

There is no justifying that performance none your boys showed more fight after being 65-0.

 

[sherb]

You’re one of the good neutrals. Always have been mate. You’re always welcomed here

Thank you, that's very kind.

 

[TasSixer]

Every damn social feed I check I get reminded about yesterday. This sucks

 

[Upstart Swan]

Ah, no. Way to miss the point - which is actually that freakish goals like that can indicate that it's just not going to be your day.

How Hawthorny of him though. Read through 40 pages of another board's thread, come across a vaguely negative comment about a Hawthorn player, then have a massive melt!

 

[TheGoatBaron]

Every damn social feed I check I get reminded about yesterday. This sucks

It’s hard to avoid thats for show when you’re online

 

[Dangas]

Every damn social feed I check I get reminded about yesterday. This sucks

It will linger sadly.

 

[swanssince2002]

Every damn social feed I check I get reminded about yesterday. This sucks

To be honest its deserved. And we will be the ones that cop it lol

 

[Troystenvic]

I'm over it now. Saw it coming for most of the year. Horse needs to go as sad as it is. I can't ever trust a Swans team led by him. He coaches next year and I'll watch from afar. No point winning games to just not show up for the GF.

The mentally weakest team in the league. Can't cope with any pressure at all.

Just another game my fluvking arse

 

[TasSixer]

To be honest its deserved. And we will be the ones that cop it lol

I more so mean seeing stuff about Brisbane being so happy. I'm envious.

 

[SeanM]

It was uncompetitive, how does it happen?

On all lines also , no winners

Just can’t seem to fathom it

Funnily enough I think they will do a review and come to the same conclusions as to why we struggled in the 2022 GF and 2023 season.

*It will be losing the midfield contest and not having enough inside midfield depth when Heeney/Warner/Rowbottom were having a down game. (which we tried to fix by recruiting Adams and Grundy)

*It will also be lack of forward half pressure because we lacked quicker pressure players . We had 3 talls (with Logan our most mobile tall injured), Parker, Fox playing forward early, Jordan who is worrying about Zorko and then quicker players Papley and Hayward who may not have been 100%.

* Defenders making mistakes and losing contests because they were under pressure. Blakey/Rampe in 2024. McCartin making mistakes early in 2022.

 

[Jack2Jack]

Still all very frustrating. Not sure what changes happen in 25 to allow redemption, we just had our chance and failed dismally.
Literally everything you could have wanted was thrown at our feet - weak year, healthy list all season, comfortably top of the ladder all year, played a non vic team in the GF, played a non top 4 team in the GF, not only that played a non top 4 team who'd had 2 extremely tough finals leading in, missing their no. 1 ruck, in the GF.

Everything went our way, that won't happen again. Other teams will improve and we're not bringing much in, probably more quality going out than in.
A lot had career years, so not a huge lot of personnel improvement to come, maybe marginal improvements, where a few slight improvers will be offset by a few who slightly regress.
There's really only maybe 2-3 (Roberts, McDonald, Campbell) who are still in that age bracket where they're young enough to still have that significant jump in them (although for the latter 2 - year 5 coming up, which is delivery time, when excuses go and the glimpses won't be enough anymore). Maybe a kid yet to be drafted or outside the team could explode to be a big difference maker, big ask.

Outside of that, the playing group will seriously need to toughen up a bit mentally and physically and the coaches need to seriously evolve the tactics, if we're planning on doing anything next year it's mentally and tactically that are the only places where the significant improvement can come from, imo. Can't stand still in these 2 spaces or we're ****ed, even if a McDonald or someone exploded into a star in one offseason.

 

[WillowSF]

A few random thoughts…First and foremost, the players bear responsibility. (Particularly the stars like Papley, Heeney etc.) They weren’t collectively locked in. Brisbane has been very good but certainly beatable if your guys were 8/10th’s of their best.

I will say Longmire & the match day coaches didn’t do enough in the 2nd quarter when things started to go sideways. Where’s Plan B to minimize Brisbane scoreboard pressure when they have the momentum? If you go into Half Time let’s say 28 points down without having yet fired a shot, there’s still some belief.

Lastly, I know this is unlikely to happen, but if the AFL wants to be a true national competition, the grand final should be hosted by different cities each year like the NFL. Keeping it in only Melbourne is a relic from the VFL days.