Opening Comments
• There was no strong wind toward Canning Highway – it was pushing toward Marmion Street.
• An acknowledgement of my favourite player. Absolute kudos to a lad with no obvious standout skills and who has gone from being given the poison chalice of being appointed captain of the reserves to being a guaranteed startup and essential player. Manned up on Oskar Smartt (did someone smudge his birth certificate?) who has some physical strength, presumably helped by having been on an AFL list. Did not let him have his own way, including perfecting a beautiful run-down tackle on him.
• Thought Mr JM had become a Buddhist. Was quickly disabused of that thought.
• I have asked this question before, but, is Caleb Ernst from a football background?
Game
1st
Swans with strong breeze. Started well. There was close checking by both sides. Skills rapidly fell away. Had no leading forward. Bombed to forward line (cf other comment that chipped and not willing to do long kicks). Smith and Ireland were easily interfered out of the contest and the game was bogged down when the ball hit the ground. East got space to have shots on goal. Got a couple of goals with a tricky breeze from the eastern from pocket. Swans first (and only) goal from a good passage starting at the back flank, but East immediately responded straight from centre bounce. To me Swans got a lot of frees and result could have been worse. No obvious sign of the going backwards stuff. Doc rucked, but I thought he played ressies. Didn’t see him after the 1st.
East 4.4
Swans 1.2
2nd
East started with good use of the ball and strength. Became a dour affair. At one stage a complete lack of movement forward of play caused Ernst to go backwards, resulting in a turnover. East got it to the goal square and Howard gained possession but somehow managed to give East possession, giving them a goal on the siren. On the up side, apart from that and one other time, still no obvious sign of the going backwards stuff.
East 7.5
Swans 3.9
3rd
Opened with the going backwards crap, which gave Easts set shots on goal. East got their 1st goal from unattended player in the forward line and more goals from Swans’ skill errors. Miller bobbed up. Maybe a late starter after also playing ressies.
East 12.9
Swans 4.13
4th
Nothing much to talk about – 30 minutes of junk time.
East 12.14
Swans 8.15
Takeaways
Have heard/read Kholmann in a moon boot.
Murdoch didn’t gain any advantage from his height - inverse consequence of weight? Impey showed promise as a ruck. Also took some marks and used the ball well. Swans didn’t have any ascendency in the ruck and Benning is no world beater as a ruckman. See he was placed in East’s best players by someone.
I had noted that Steed had some good stats as a colt. He impressed.
Chalcraft II also impressed.
McLachlan his usual tenacious self, including some great entanglements with Mr Freeze.
Spent a lot of time trying to work out who was who in both sides so not sure, but think that it was Rigoni who also played well.
Whilst it was refreshing not to see too much of the backwards stuff, still two major concerns:
-
Skill lapses.
-
No idea where goals will come from.
Also in the mix (and this is no pop at Doc, whose commitment, tenacity and workarounds of being undersized cannot be faulted) is whether we now have/may soon have, a ruckman who can take it up to the likes of Scott Jones and whoever Fremantle have gifted to Mandurah.
Don’t be fooled by the number of scoring shots – Swans were well and truly beaten. I assume that it was the same against Subiaco.
This week – two dads to have a blinder and the red legs by 10.
