Autopsy The Massacre at the SCG

[Wheresbuddy]

For me McCartin in for Melican is obvious. Francis has made progress but can't catch. Fox is a better player and defender so he's in for me.

Otherwise I'd keep team the same. Hayward can be sub.

And no way in the world Sheldrick is anywhere other than in the 22 and on ball. Now is the time to get games into the kid whilst his confidence is up. He has been excellent the last 2 weeks.

 

[Bloods86]

Does Hayward come straight back in? Will they give T McCartin another week in the VFL?

McCartin was good vs better oppo, no way he isn't in.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

A little over 31k at the game today. Well done crew Not bad for a 15th vs 18th outing.

It’s a great timeslot for Sydney. Families can attend. Young people don’t miss a night out. Less traffic. Not as cold. Less dew to make the game a scrap.

Even on TV, commentators not as obnoxious and not playing to neutral morons in Melbourne / become entertainers instead of commentators.

Easier for Swans to go under the radar when we start on the up and up.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Armatey isn't playing great footy

Amartey.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

Buddy has a great burst in the first 15 minutes of games. Unfortunately his output deteriorates from there

Which is surprising unless he is carrying an injury / severely underdone. Endurance is one thing an older player shouldn’t lose, if anything it should get better.

 

[Bloods86]

Which is surprising unless he is carrying an injury / severely underdone. Endurance is one thing an older player shouldn’t lose, if anything it should get better.

If they get a full pre season in. He did last year, not this year.

 

[Bloods86]

For me McCartin in for Melican is obvious. Francis has made progress but can't catch. Fox is a better player and defender so he's in for me.

Otherwise I'd keep team the same. Hayward can be sub.

And no way in the world Sheldrick is anywhere other than in the 22 and on ball. Now is the time to get games into the kid whilst his confidence is up. He has been excellent the last 2 weeks.

I'd accept McCartin in for Melican, if Fox came in for Francis. But that's stiff on Melican.

Fox the ideal candidate for Rohan. McCartin best candidate for Hawkins.

 

[The King!]

Amartey.

ahh heck sorry

 

[MC Bad Genius]

Hickey looked the most uninjured he’s looked all year. Moving very freely.

I don't want to jinx it, but I noticed he looked a bit sore (ankle maybe?) when he was standing on the mark in maybe the third quarter. Probably nothing, maybe a slight roll at worst.

Swans goggles off, I find yesterday’s result as baffling as the fact that all three GF rematches in history have been beltings.

Here’s two teams pretty close at the bottom of the ladder. True, WC have been awful but we’ve been pretty ordinary, and a lot of teams WC have played have been very good.

Both teams made GFs in recent years but on paper we’d surely be the ones with the monkey on our back. WC won an absolute heart-stopper (and I was very happy for them, given who their opponent’s president was back then.) You’d think that would have earned them the sort of self-belief that would sustain them for a decade.

But NO-ONE has delivered a thrashing like that this year, and in fact there’s only been four others like it in the history of the comp, and one of them was 1919, when bedford , Grand Uncle Horace and I were down at the docks welcoming the boys back from Palestine.

Here’s a theory that hit me overnight.

It turns out that we’re not actually that good.

West Coast have turned a corner.

But not in the usual sense of the phrase.

St Kilda are going to beat them by even more next week.

And better teams will beat them by even more in subsequent weeks.

Yesterday was not something that will stand in the record books for more than a few weeks. It was merely a harbinger. Everyone’s saying let’s wait and see how we go next week, but maybe we need to wait and see how WC go next week. They may get even worse yet.

Anyway, that’s the theory.

However, I prefer to believe it was an anomaly, but also the confidence boost we desperately needed, and that things are really going to gel for us for the rest of the year and on into 2024.

Not sure about the theory as a whole, but if they put in that level of effort for the rest of the season, there will absolutely be some more beltings coming their way. I was embarrassed as a Swans fan watching that - can't imagine what it was like for Eagles fans.

Yep no Cameron and danger

If can’t beat them geez we have issues with them

They've been up and down this year, but you are selling more than a few VERY good footballers short there.

One of the very few times I would say that we actually got some home ground advantage from the umps.

Most of what should have been paid were to us.

Umpires should be secondary to the game and they were tonight, that’s when they do their best work.

Whining about umpires is always a fool's errand, but in games like last night, they might as well leave the field and let the players umpire themselves.

It's terrible if yuy have young kids and don't live in Sydney. I got to only see a quarter and a bit

Getting your kids to watch the game with you is the dream. My older one came with me last night, but neither of them have any interest when I try to put it on at home.

Geelong won't just watch us stop and make decisions like the Eagles did unfortunately

I've never seen someone stop with the ball and stand still in the last line of defence like Warner was able to in the last quarter.

Will beat the cats if the front half stands up

I think it will be won in the midfield more than our forward line. As deplorable as the WC defenders were, we would rack up an easy win against any side with the complete lack of pressure their midfield dished up.

When I read terms like "witches hats" and "training run" I feel that does a considerable disservice to the effort the swans put in last night.

You can only play the team in front of you. However the intensity at the contest, the tackling and the overall pressure was elite last night.

Yes and no. It's definitely great to see the Swans bring that level of pressure for the whole game, but it's pretty easy to have a good defensive game against players that just aren't there. What was crazy to me was how little effort they put in from the first bounce. There's no excuse for how much room a player like Gulden had in the first quarter and the complete disinterest in WC players even contemplating chasing after him as he ran himself into space.

And when Parker was against the boundary for a shot at goal and just stepped to his left so that he could calmly slot it through. All under no pressure. I'd never seen that before.

That can only happen when a side is completely and utterly cooked. It took me a moment to realise the umpire wasn't lining him up and it was actually play on.

29-3 inside 50 marks

TWENTY NINE unfathomable defensive effort from the Eagles backline.

Like I said above, when the opposition is just strolling it out of the centre square, even the greatest back six in the competition would struggle to stop any marks from being taken.

 

[kickthething]

I would do this...

Out:Francis, Clarke
In: McCartin, Fox
Sub: Stephens (could slot in anywhere between HF and HB)

Sheldrick was over 70% TOG. Hayward sent to the 2s to get some form. Clarke isn't that suitable as a sub since he only as 1 role in the senior team, which he hadn't been performing that well (and was one of 3 Swans not to lay a tackle yesterday).

I felt Francis overshadowed Melican yesterday.

 

[ErrolisGoldun]

I felt Francis overshadowed Melican yesterday.

One of them will need to be dropped for Tom McCartin, I am really unsure who that should be, probably Francis but would be stiff.

 

[Bloods86]

I felt Francis overshadowed Melican yesterday.

I haven't taken much from yesterday. Against actual opposition the two weeks prior, Melican was better.

 

[Superstar swan]

I'd like to see Parker spend more time forward and sheldrick to get his midfield rotations

 

[The King!]

I haven't taken much from yesterday. Against actual opposition the two weeks prior, Melican was better.

Still prefer Fox over Mellican and Francis.

Especially with Mccartin back and no Cameron

 

[Punts]

Still prefer Fox over Mellican and Francis.

Especially with Mccartin back and no Cameron

 

[Superstar swan]

Still prefer Fox over Mellican and Francis.

Especially with Mccartin back and no Cameron

Francis and melican both need to be break glass in case of emergancy only.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

My only negative from an amazing Watch is Francis dropping every mark he attempts.

Similar to my old whipping boy Sinclair with those flat hands that bounces the ball forward.

It’s an issue under pressure footy.

Would love to see that technique fixed and he’d be a great asset.

Thought Fox was composed when he finally came on and added some great link up work. Like to see him return next week even though Cameron is out.

Shout out to Hickey thought he was great early setting the tone.

Francis has a fair bit to fix up, but his underlying potential and height is there. He plays much taller than most of our defenders, including McCartin. I reckon that is why he is in over Fox.

 

[Millky95]

I'd like to see Parker spend more time forward and sheldrick to get his midfield rotations

One of Parker's goals came from him being in the goal square at a centre bounce. I actually really liked that

Francis has a fair bit to fix up, but his underlying potential and height is there. He plays much taller than most of our defenders, including McCartin. I reckon that is why he is in over Fox.

If Francis took half the marks he drops when he has the chance, he'd be first picked defender every week. Just needs to tidy that up and he'll fit in nicely.

 

[Millky95]

Also without looking at stats I always feel like Clarke offers more defensively than Hayward in the forward line. If Hayward doesn't mark it, it comes out really easily

 

[Tedeski]

What's the point in being a supporter...

To be part of the Vic fix!

 

[Tedeski]

give Mccartin another run for fitness

Yes. Exactly this..................for a run of 4 weeks or until the player he is to replace does something wrong.

 

[Bloods86]

Still prefer Fox over Mellican and Francis.

Especially with Mccartin back and no Cameron

I do too, if it came down to Fox playing as the 3rd KPD. Especially since the Cats aren't going to be that tall.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Also without looking at stats I always feel like Clarke offers more defensively than Hayward in the forward line. If Hayward doesn't mark it, it comes out really easily

No tackles from Clarkey. Had a great first Q as he was found with good passes and managed to slot two goals.

As a defensive forward who would he play on next week? He is not tall or strong enough to play on Stewart. I would not mind a Mills-Stewart match up.

 

[Tedeski]

Some posters saying that Dangerfield will be out. Reckon he will play. He put up his hand to play against Melbourne but was overruled. I hope our boys do the right thing by Danger and check that he has fully overcome his rib injury. Nothing against the rules please guys. Sick of those 50's we've copped all year.

I'm sure Gaz Rohan will do that for us.

 

[Wheresbuddy]

I'd accept McCartin in for Melican, if Fox came in for Francis. But that's stiff on Melican.

Fox the ideal candidate for Rohan. McCartin best candidate for Hawkins.

Melican has been very effective as a lock down defender (I accept that it would've been unlikely for Arnold or others to do this role in better). Francis has been good at neutralising the aerial threat (just be great if he could catch). This has freed up the others (including Rampe) to focus on rebound.

McCartin can do what Melican does and takes more possessions. He just is a better player in that role. Fox is better one on one than Francis, has better hands and we can compensate for his shorter stature through McCartin and Blakey.