Very important game for the Tigers, can just about shut out the Falcons with victory here. Defeat will make it a very nerve wracking last round for them.
Swans are capable of making it very difficult for them if they bring their best game.
We are just about the form team of the competition at the moment with 7 wins out of our last 9 but have not won at Claremont since 2013
I’m crossing everything praying for a SD win Mike.If your boys do win I think a few kegs should be sent your way from the Joondy office.!!
Rather than the result, I am more interested tomorrow to see how some of the young men go in the context of next year against quality - albeit in a slump - opposition. Elhers and Humphries have impressed over the last few weeks, while Lynch (how lucky we are that he walked back into the club), Pina (hope he’s back) and Reidy that are a little older are also showing maturity. These guys and others will form a good core in future years.
Ehlers has really improved last 2-3 weeks and Humphries looks a good prospect.
I can’t work it out but Germs dropped again, coach doesn’t rate him so something needs to be sorted for next year, not having a ruckman the first few games has cost us a finals spot
[quote=“Success Hill post=230242 userid=1006”]Rather than the result, I am more interested tomorrow to see how some of the young men go in the context of next year against quality - albeit in a slum - opposition. Elhers and Humphries have impressed over the last few weeks, while Lynch (how lucky we are that he walked back into the club), Pina (hope he’s back) and Reidy that are a little older are also showing maturity. These guys and other will form a good core in future years.
Good point SH and the week after against Peel will also be an excellent work out for these guys as well with the Dockers players in their team. Sam Fisher is playing ressies again this week and they may be trying to qualify him for the finals.
The reserves need a bit of a boost as they have fallen away somewhat in the last few weeks and lost their position on top of the ladder.
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A tough ask of Swan Districts this week.
Out of the previous 13 matches between these two clubs held at the football oval in the suburb of Claremont, Swans have only won 2 of those games in that time. Claremont might be winning this match by 30 points.
Without any doubt playing Glass-McKasker in the ruck early on cost us dearly! Not only did not playing a genuine ruck hinder our mids it robbed us of GM down back and his move back there saw a more steady and balanced line up so seeing him named back in the ruck has the mind boggled, especially with our season done and Germs available, it weakens both areas of the ground.
So yes, must find a genuine ruckman for next year.
[quote=“Danger post=230259 userid=2084”]Without any doubt playing Glass-McKasker in the ruck early on cost us dearly! Not only did not playing a genuine ruck hinder our mids it robbed us of GM down back and his move back there saw a more steady and balanced line up so seeing him named back in the ruck has the mind boggled, especially with our season done and Germs available, it weakens both areas of the ground.
So yes, must find a genuine ruckman for next year.
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Germs is dropped? Surely must be for disciplinary reasons? He has dominated the ruck against us both times. That’s insane if he is just dropped on form.
Today confirms just how far off it we really are and when we don’t lock down a game, make it a slog and lessen the impact of the oppo we simply can’t compete with the better teams. Claremont far bigger, stronger and better and until we lift standards to match then we will rely on the dog fight, scrap and negate mentality that has been at the club far too long.
Poor decision to drop Germs and play Ireland ruck, Ireland would struggle to punch out of a wet paper bag. Bright selection didn’t make sense when Humphries and Ehlers had been going well and show much more promise.
All in all another poor performance in a disappointing season and with a lot of uncertainty around the playing list there is big questions on where this strategic plan is actually heading.
Couldnt agree more Danger. The club appears quite content to accept mediocrity year after year despite what the strategic plan says. Meanwhile the Sharks and the Royals have built their lists to the extent that they are now premiership contenders and Swans are still playing the same type of footy they were 3 years ago.
Today they were completely outclassed by a finals team at a ground they havent won at for 10 years. They dropped their only recognised ruckman to add another bewildering selection decision to the many made this year. If I could see some hope of a change in game plan or a style of play I would have some optimism. Defensive game plans might win you 8 or 9 games but it is not a formula for sustained success, particularly when Swans skills are not very good.
2024 will be the same script unless there is a radical change of philosophy at the club. They need someone outside the nice comfy club bubble to come in and start telling a few home truths ( a la toddy in the late 70s)
Really interesting posts guys, thanks. Amazing as it seems, many coaches over the years have not rated a decent ruck to their peril. Even Brownie failed to support Michael properly at South for years.
Obviously disappointing, but Swans did at least play out the game. However, not playing a ruckman was ludicrous. Who is on the selection committee? Some might say that Glass in the ruck in the last quarter did result in drive out of the middle, but it is a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Germs, though not my favourite was a better option, and if we are not careful, he will also take the journey home like Morris down the Forrest Highway.
Claremont complete outfoxed Swans, and it is these ‘smarts’ - difficult to define - that Swans must also develop. Claremont had the three umpires wrapped around their fingers for the entire match yesterday, and Swans must also learn the limits of how far one can push the umpires’ patience or gullibility before giving away free-kicks. Yesterday Claremont pushed, scragged and took players to the ground at leisure and we didn’t, knocking us off our game - we have to adapt better to the adjudicators’ abilities whether incompetent or sound.
Germs was listed as out for the League due to soreness but played Reserves, one must assume our selectors must not have thought he was fit enough to play against the mobile Eastland & big bodied Gowdie.
But with Doc Blakely out for the season injured it did leave us deficient in the ruck.
SH Claremont have received 304 Free Kicks (the most in the WAFL by some way) and only given away 253 despite their regular antagonistic tactics off the ball. Now you could say the umpires fall for it all of the time but surely their coaching staff should be also letting them know this is their regular tactic and not to get “sucked in” by that shite week after week???!!!
Furthermore it is time Swans as a club stand up to this nonsense!
The club is very fond of 5 year plans so here are the results from the past 5 years
Wins:35 Losses:46. Winning percentage 43%
Average points for: 66 Average points against: 71
One final (2021)
Not the worst record in the world but nowhere near the best teams in the competition. That is the crux of a game plan that has not significantly changed in the past five years. Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
The club needs to have an internal attitude and cultural rethink rather than whinging about umpiring, over physical opponents or the bad luck in losing close games. They are just excuses.
Well said Mike.
I’ve seen most games this year and have no idea what is our game plan is, any team that is more efficient and well drilled beats us easily and we rely on effort to win our games.
Our coaching staff don’t rate ruckmen or tall forwards, our game plan gives our forwards no chance.
And as hard as Jesse Turner tries I have no idea why as a wingman he is allowed to run all over the ground chasing kicks when Claremont, East Perth and East freo in our recent losses kick out to his wing every time to a free player, dumb coaching
[quote=“Beasley Hutton post=230296 userid=847”]Germs was listed as out for the League due to soreness but played Reserves, one must assume our selectors must not have thought he was fit enough to play against the mobile Eastland & big bodied Gowdie.
But with Doc Blakely out for the season injured it did leave us deficient in the ruck.
SH Claremont have received 304 Free Kicks (the most in the WAFL by some way) and only given away 253 despite their regular antagonistic tactics off the ball. Now you could say the umpires fall for it all of the time but surely their coaching staff should be also letting them know this is their regular tactic and not to get “sucked in” by that shite week after week???!!!
Furthermore it is time Swans as a club stand up to this nonsense!
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I didn’t necessarily consider the umpiring poor yesterday BH, but I thought Swans’ performance just showed our inability to adapt to the conditions. Mike, we all dancing to the same tune, and cultural change from the top down is necessary before we can even consider mixing it with the likes of C and not repeating what we saw yesterday.
All Swans people are sick to death with our plight of being in this constant realm of at best 5th to last position on the ladder!
In the last 33 seasons we have won just 1 Premiership (by 1 point) and only played in one other GF (2008) with a team made up of once in a generation teenagers most who went on to long successful AFL careers.
The last time we finished on top of the ladder was 1984 (40 seasons ago) and the last time we won the Rodriguez Shield was 1980 (I was a pre schooler).
I could list a myriad of reasons/excuses for that poor record above eg zones, financial, poor decisions on and off field, poor football etc but the above are actual factual stats!
Yes our playing style at times has me shaking my head, our skill level even worse at times, our decision making ditto.
We can blame all of the coaches and footy staff but at the end of the day I think we have a squad that should be doing better than 7th and an 8-9 record.
Although I was somewhat shocked at Pruyn’s appointment as coach I want to see him succeed in the role as a Swans man.
Our best football is very good but it is only fleeting and not consistent enough hence our position.
Some questions that finally need addressing from my view though are-
Does our playing squad believe in themselves enough?
Are they desperate and ruthless enough at all of the key moments in games?
Do we have the on field leaders vocally driving the team to be set up properly to not allow easy opposition transitions as happens far too often in games?
Until we see progress in these areas we will forever be a middle of the road to bottom side and I sometimes feel we are happy to exist in that realm?
For me, enough is enough, the time is now (2024) to FINALLY get serious about being a top side in this WAFL competition (not in 5 years or a decade or any other pie in the sky plan) otherwise we are all just wasting our time!
BH: good post as always mate – a few points I would add:
no premiership coach appointed since 1977
the only other club to have failed to finish top of the league is Perth
one of three clubs to have finished with only one win in a season
On another note it’s very poor that over the course of the season we have not had one update to members or on the website from the coach, football manager or football director.
[quote=“MarkOlsen post=230314 userid=906”]On another note it’s very poor that over the course of the season we have not had one update to members or on the website from the coach, football manager or football director.
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I would love and attend a regular members forum where we could hear from the coaches before, during and a review after the season, to see where things went right, what went wrong, how we will fix those problems etc?
At least keeping us members who fork out their hard earned every year informed and up to date with the on field matters of OUR TEAM!