Preview Sydney vs Essendon, Friday 7.40pm AEST @ Marvel Stadium

[Swan4Life]

He's completely right. If we can't find another way to play through the corridor then we're stuffed.

We need to start switching the ball more often and with more urgency. Kicking long down the line to a congested area should be the absolute last resort.

It probably is a last resort, but if the opponent is shutting down the short to medium corridor kicks then you take what they give you - which is usually a long kick down the line to a marking contest.

You know when a guy like Gulden is hesitant to go corridor / inboard then it is tough sledding. Although in Gulden's case, Frontbum simply towelled him up.

 

[Bloods86]

You keep saying 13-3, which is true I guess, but we were also 13-1 two weeks before that. Isn’t that the better reference point when talking about our dominance earlier in the season?

I think I caused that. There was a discussion about backing in the midfield that had gotten us to 13-1, and whether the return of Mills/Parker had affected us negatively.

I pointed out that we had the same mids/team against Freo and the Saints, and so, we were at 13-3 before we got Mills, Parker back. And before other personnel changes due to injuries e.g. Jmac, Papley, Rampe, Melican.

We'd gone in unchanged against Freo, with Cunningham the only regular player as an out against the Saints.

So our dominant team got us to 13-3, if we want a more accurate reference point.

Though Parker and Mills haven't really helped us in the period since either, Parker's North cameo and his Pies game aside.

 

[Nuggetz]

Luke Hodge was interesting on SEN today.

Points he made:

- Sydney’s season average for attack through the corridor is 58%. In the Pies game it was down to 29% …. even lower if you take out Q4. The Port and Dogs games showed a similar trend.

- We don’t have any real contested marking power. When forced to go long around the boundary, we usually turn it over.

- In Hodge’s view, our 3 tall forwards are just serviceable & we can’t win a flag if opponents are successful in shutting down the corridor (Warner, Heeney, Gulden). Forcing us to go wide and bomb long is the key to beating us.

Nothing we probably didn’t already know - but Hodge was pretty blunt about it.

Will be interesting to watch this week - as Essendon will clog the corridor & we need to find a way to counter it.

Basically he's saying our Plan B which is kicking long along the boundary is shit. I agree, it's obvious because the ball isn't stopped when it hits the ground. It's been coming back regularly. We need to win the ground ball or create a stoppage.

Tbh we should double down in the corridor usage, if we turn it over it might as well be playing to our strengths.

 

[Nuggetz]

We've just had some top level form with the final quarter, I wouldn't be resting anyone this week so we can build on that form. I think we've missed the boat on resting players, maybe Grundy in the final round?

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Guess which club is copping all the flak in the media today?

Hint: it ain't Carlton.

Once again, we are coming up against the "club in crisis".

 

[Bloods86]

We've just had some top level form with the final quarter, I wouldn't be resting anyone this week so we can build on that form. I think we've missed the boat on resting players, maybe Grundy in the final round?

This is the round to rest anyone, send them to reserves to get touch back. Away game, you don't have players heading into week 1 of finals effectively missing 2 games.

Crows might shut up shop after the showdown, but they are playing the season out at the moment, and probably pose a bigger threat than the current Bombers.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Guess which club is copping all the flak in the media today?

Hint: it ain't Carlton.

Once again, we are coming up against the "club in crisis".

Huh in what context?

 

[Nuggetz]

This is the round to rest anyone, send them to reserves to get touch back. Away game, you don't have players heading into week 1 of finals effectively missing 2 games.

Crows might shut up shop after the showdown, but they are playing the season out at the moment, and probably pose a bigger threat than the current Bombers.

Form is more important than rest right now. We've finally got some form in the last quarter, I hope we continue to build on it, so I don't really want anyone rested apart from Grundy. I don't think it's an issue if Grundy misses this week or next since he's pretty much solely carried the ruck all season.

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

He's completely right. If we can't find another way to play through the corridor then we're stuffed.

We need to start switching the ball more often and with more urgency. Kicking long down the line to a congested area should be the absolute last resort.

As long as Blakey isn’t the one switch kicking it

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

How many bookies go broke ? Not many. They hire maths savants and scrutineer every form line before putting up a market. The ultimate purveyors of probability.

They have spoken. We are favourites for a reason.

They also kept us as second favourites after a 112 point drubbing.
They know what some of us know, that when it matters most the swans will go faster for longer.

Yours in speed, JHWF.

Your first paragraph is quite correct but it is in no way proof of your second paragraph.

 

[sataris]

The bookies dont go broke because they take into account how much ppl have put on a particular bet and decrease/increase odds accordingly

Wouldnt take bookies as any indication theyre just there to make $$$

Correct.

Bookies set odds so that they win, no matter what actually happens, the result is irrelevant to them.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

So Hodge thinks if Sydney's best players are shut down they wont win.

Cool beans Hodge.


Apparently if you shut down Neale, Dunkley, Ashcroft and co the Lions play better.

I don’t think he was being as Captain Obvious as that.

The point was not so much that shutting down Heeney, Warner and Gulden is the way to beat the Swans, it’s that teams have found a way to do it.

 

[ShireSwan]

Can someone explain why the hell Longmire won't play Hamling? Experienced player, can play forward and back and has put together a really solid VFL season.

Horse being Horse. Running players into the ground, not using depth, or form in reserves as a gauge of who deserves a chance. Hamling won't get a shot unless we have two injuries to either the 3 KPFs or 3 KPDs.

The time to try him was 3 weeks ago...give him two games, and/or the guy he replaced two games to kick a bag in reserves & remember how to do it. Now we have to hope Amartey & McDonald can turn their form around. Seems unlikely, though it is possible. Their form is not helped by our mids getting continually pantsed out of the centre. In our run of wins we relied on total midfield domination to make up for our ordinary level of KPF...with Adams and Mills both sucking big time, Grundy worn down, that's not going to happen again this year. I'm expecting 2 and out come finals if we keep playing the same out of form players as Horse is likely to do.

 

[SSwans2011]

Guess which club is copping all the flak in the media today?

Hint: it ain't Carlton.

Once again, we are coming up against the "club in crisis".

Hey, at least we're no longer the club in crisis

 

[Wheresbuddy]

Bombers will be up for a massive one. Bad loss to GC and now Heppell's retirement. We better be on quard

 

[Bloods86]

Bombers will be up for a massive one. Bad loss to GC and now Heppell's retirement. We better be on quard

You'd think finals would have been the biggest possible motivator last week, but they still coughed up a win.

 

[Neverwas]

It's worth noting a couple of things regarding this game and next week's.

This week will likely be the last reserves game of the season. It would be miraculous if they made the finals.This means that unless players are selected next week to play in the seniors , reserves will miss 2 games and match fitness before the finals. It is not ideal if any of them are required for senior selection.

So winning this week gives us the opportunity to finally snag top place and then play the important reserve players in the last senior home and away games and retain/gain match fitness and senior experience for the first final.

Having said that, there are at least a couple of players who look to me like they could do with a couple of weeks off. Grundy was pantsed by Cameron in the Pies game. Half the time, he looks like he is playing from memory. Blakey, too, looks like he needs a mental break. I could throw in Florent, McCartin, Adams, and Fox into that mix as well, and possibly McLean and Amartey.

To put it simply, this would be a really good game to win.

 

[Bloods86]

It's worth noting a couple of things regarding this game and next week's.

This week will likely be the last reserves game of the season. It would be miraculous if they made the finals.This means that unless players are selected next week to play in the seniors , reserves will miss 2 games and match fitness before the finals. It is not ideal if any of them are required for senior selection.

So winning this week gives us the opportunity to finally snag top place and then play the important reserve players in the last senior home and away games and retain/gain match fitness and senior experience for the first final.

Having said that, there are at least a couple of players who look to me like they could do with a couple of weeks off. Grundy was pantsed by Cameron in the Pies game. Half the time, he looks like he is playing from memory. Blakey, too, looks like he needs a mental break. I could throw in Florent, McCartin, Adams, and Fox into that mix as well, and possibly McLean and Amartey.

To put it simply, this would be a really good game to win.

Why would we want to go into finals with senior players having missed 2 weeks in a row, then potentially followed by another week off?

This week is the one where you manage anyone who needs it.

Next week you want everyone playing in week 1 of finals, in the team. Barring injuries.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Huh in what context?

The club that cops all the SEN / Melbourne media brickbats during the week almost inevitably comes out firing on the weekend.

Essendon are being pilloried. Carlton are getting sympathy due to injuries.

Its rare that a team gets pulled apart in the press & doesn't respond.

 

[Bloods86]

The club that cops all the SEN / Melbourne media brickbats during the week almost inevitably comes out firing on the weekend.

Essendon are being pilloried. Carlton are getting sympathy due to injuries.

Its rare that a team gets pulled apart in the press & doesn't respond.

They were copping plenty of heat during a 2-6 run a little while back. The 2 wins weren't exactly convincing either.

I hope they do come out firing so we get tested and prevail. But I don't know if they will.

If they bring Heppell back in, bonus for us.

 

[Voula]

Marvel has not been a happy hunting ground for us lately... most of our strangest games have been there. Worst ground for us imo.

We used to play so well there. It was like a second home ground. Not sure what happened the last couple of years.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Our crap 1st quarters are due to opposition pressure. Our game plan doesn’t cope with pressure.

We then roll over the top of teams as they tire, pressure drops & the corridor opens up.

However - in finals, the pressure is up for longer. Which is a problem for us.

Q1 this week will be interesting - as Horse needs to find a Plan B before finals.

If he can’t, I don’t see us winning in September.

 

[DeathlyAccurate]

People scared of Essendon. Bloody hell.

Not saying we can’t lose but, if we do, it’ll be because we don’t have our heads screwed on and not because of some media inspired mythical force.

Swans by 18.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Millky95]

People scared of Essendon. Bloody hell.

Not saying we can’t lose but, if we do, it’ll be because we don’t have our heads screwed on and not because of some media inspired mythical force.

Swans by 18.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Less scared of Essendon more scared of if we don't bother applying ourselves

 

[BloodySwan]

Basically he's saying our Plan B which is kicking long along the boundary is shit. I agree, it's obvious because the ball isn't stopped when it hits the ground. It's been coming back regularly. We need to win the ground ball or create a stoppage.

Tbh we should double down in the corridor usage, if we turn it over it might as well be playing to our strengths.

We were hand balling a lot against the Pies, I felt this was an attempt to break through the congestion rather than kicking it long. I didn't hate it, but it didn't always pay off