Our best football has been great, but very rare this year, and rarely for more than 2.5 quarters a game. And we have played some really bad footy during most games and had runs of goals kicked against us. And we have seen little of the gut running defensive smothering of other teams that kept us in many games over the past 3 years. With the exception of Viney who has been superb for most of this year, our midfield has lacked intensity and often lost contested possession count. All of this on display tonight versus the Dogs. 

But I don't feel like wrist-slashing. Both the Dogs and Swans have shown they can have up years, followed by a dip, and then reset and find a way to rise again. I reckon we can do the same.

Losing Gus permanently, then Trac has been a massive blow. Gawn, May and Lever have missed fair chunks. Petty, Oliver, Melksham all had a hugely interrupted pre-season. Blooded a heap of young talent, all of whom have shown glimpses of being AFL ready.

Sad that we see no finals this year.

14 minutes ago, Lexinator said:

As long as we beat those skunks in the last round, I don't give a [censored] about the rest of the games now 😤

Yep, that would make up for about half the season.

Gut the whole coaching department and overhaul the game plan.

Continue to get games into Howes, AMW, Tholstrup, Woey and then Jefferson next week.

2 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

All the way as far back as two weeks ago.

Hawthorn 20.13.133 def. Collingwood 9.13.67. Collingwood completely annihilated all game.

I mean, the Dogs a month ago lost to Port by 48, 27 scoring shots to 14, with a goalless first quarter.

Most sides this year have had a game where they've been flogged. Our problem is we've had five (Fremantle twice, West Coast, Collingwood, and tonight).

Yep. A team that generally has at least 9 players with 150 game of experience has been belted 5 times. Including by a Collingwood team missing a heap of their best and a terrible West Coast team.

WTF are these senior players doing?

12 minutes ago, adonski said:

Tholstrup was an interesting draft selection

Our demise is not due to this youngster.  Yes perhaps he’s not quite ready but given the 2023 draft group, JT thought he was the best option for a potential midfield role.  Throlstrup is more of a half forward who could go into midfield in bursts.  Like Cam Rayner, he will be a hot and cold type in my view.  

6 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Left early enough to miss all the dogs fans on the train. That’s a win yeah?

Not a real fan unless you stay in your seat until they shut the lights off.

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Gut the whole coaching department and overhaul the game plan.

Continue to get games into Howes, AMW, Tholstrup, Woey and then Jefferson next week.

I tend to agree, except I'd stick with Goodwin.

The young players aren't what's killing us right now so continue blooding them.

Season done. In hindsight it started nosediving the moment we lost to West Coast. Before that we had the great win over the Dogs, the business trip, and the Fritsch miracle against Geelong. Just goes to show how quickly it can turn to [censored].

Technically BT is right, we have three winnable games left and 13 wins could get you in. But I don’t see too much benefit in getting flogged in the finals, in fact it could be detrimental long term. 
 

Call me deluded but I reckon we’ll be good again  2025. May and Max should get their fitness back, Trac will be back, Clarry will almost certainly be back (you know what I mean), and we will have a good draft pick or two to go with Windsor and others who have showed plenty. 2026 and beyond is what worries me as I reckon May and Max will only go around again once more, and by then Trac and Clarry will be pushing 30. 

 

 

Edited August 2, 20241 yr by Bang Bang Bang

One of the issues we have isn't just with playing the kids, but playing them in an environment where they're not adequately supported. Losing Salem down back - he's been on of the leaders over the last couple of years - plus a down-on-form Viney and Oliver, and add to that the absence of on-field leaders like Petracca and Brayshaw, just leaves them too exposed. 

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Gut the whole coaching department and overhaul the game plan.

Continue to get games into Howes, AMW, Tholstrup, Woey and then Jefferson next week.

Midfield. McQualter.  Bust. Totally inept at centre clearance   

Forward line.  Stafford. Bust (for last 3 years). No structure or strategy.  
 

Tackling. Is there any coach or special coach. Our tackling has gone from top to the worst in the league.  Max Vineys jujitsu technique has Trac and JV7 as non competitive in tackling this year.  Bizarre !!

6 minutes ago, Little Richard said:

Harsh on Turner and Howes I think. Also incredibly early to be calling Kentfied a swing and miss, he's played what, 7 games at Casey? 

i've watched all of Kentfield's games. Has shown very little to date and today he hardly touched the ball. A very strange selection by recruiters. He seems slow, lacks mobility and does not impose himself. The only thing in his favour is that he is only 18.

3 minutes ago, bing181 said:

Critiques of Tholstrup are ridiculous. He's a first year player having a crack. It will come with a bit more experience and a calmer head.

Just to be clear- I’m not having a crack at the Kolt. I like him, puts himself about, not afraid to tackle has good attitude and seems to have a good kick. 
My point was that we gave up picks 27 & 35 to move from 14 to 11 when we may have got him with our original pick and if not we could have had Darcy Wilson. 
We have lots of holes to fill and not much draft capital to fill them. 
Just for a reference point we received picks 46 & a future second ( currently 38) for Grundy. A blind man can see that’s  poor trading. 

About what I expected,  21 extra shots they were fully up we were limp. 
but I saw some of our players trying so hard and getting frustrated and others who need to learn resilience. 
Other games I have been so down but not tonight, there is a future there, 

to win the flag you need luck with the ball and luck with injuries and players. Tonight we had neither. Umpiring and the bounce if the ball was not with us. 
play the long game for 2025,  Goodness himself needs help or needs to go. 
An early rest and shake up off field 

clean out the playing list  contracts or not.

the Dogs did play very well. Go Dee’s 

31 minutes ago, BAMF said:

Very disappointed. I pretty much wrote the season off after the final loses last year. I thought we might sneak into finals of we were lucky. 

Tonight was a real low. I went expecting a loss but hoping to see our young guys perform, but it was a [censored] show. No glimmer of hope there tonight. Felt like a 100 point loss, and it should have been.

Thanks for going.Seriously

6 minutes ago, rufus said:

Yep. A team that generally has at least 9 players with 150 game of experience has been belted 5 times. Including by a Collingwood team missing a heap of their best and a terrible West Coast team.

WTF are these senior players doing?

How many of those 9 are fully fit and firing? Langdon and ANB, perhaps Lever (but he's half the player without May) and Melksham, but that's about it.

 This is a familiar feeling. it was fun while it lasted. 

My post needs to be approved before posting? Is it cause I used the word [censored]?

Just now, bing181 said:

How many of those 9 are fully fit and firing? Langdon and ANB, perhaps Lever (but he's half the player without May) and Melksham, but that's about it.

Feels like excuses to me. We're great and consistent at that. If you go out there, you play with pride. Tonight, like a number of other games this year, should not be acceptable. Find a way to compete. You don't have to win, just don't be embarrassing. 

11 minutes ago, Little Richard said:

Not a real fan unless you stay in your seat until they shut the lights off.

Unfair

2 minutes ago, Colm said:

Just for a reference point we received picks 46 & a future second ( currently 38) for Grundy. A blind man can see that’s  poor trading. 

No it's not. Grundy had a huge contract, and with that in place there were always going to be very few takers, especially as he wanted to leave and we didn't want/need to keep him. We traded him for a second round pick, basically got that back.

Big picture.

Footscray have hit peak form at the right time of year. Sadly we are busted up and as someone said the Casey cupboard is bare. For those critical the backline after half time included Woewodin, Moniz-Wakefield, Howes and Turner. 2 first year players and 2 with a handfull of games against one of the best marking forward lines in the comp.

Rivers in the midfield has been great but it robs the backline of any strength or run. Clarry was tagged for 3 quarters by Libba and in the first half the coaching staff chose not to run with Bont, a big mistake.

Outclassed I was happy that we eventually cleaned up the clearance differential and had a go. The backline is faltering because for the third week in a row we leaked goals out the back to an unmarked player.

With Gus, Trac, Spargo, Salem and Windsor missing, Clarry underdone and Max on one leg to then lose May to suspected rib injury is a bridge too far. You can see we don't have the depth and it isn't going to improve. Anyone who watched the livestream today can see that.

I would rather we give some new faces a game ie Jeffo and Sestan as McAdam, Billings, Laurie, Hunter and Tomlinson are not going to take us forward. Not sure about Adams or Kynan but can see a role for Hore

 

So who are we going for in the finals? Either Sydney team is OK. 

Even if we made finals we wouldn't have done a lot.

Anyway luckily I've followed the melbourne storm to. They never let you down. So I guess I'll have a team to watch in september

13 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Midfield. McQualter.  Bust. Totally inept at centre clearance   

We lost centre clearance by 2. Considering who we had out there and who they had out there I'd just about take that as a win, on paper we should have been slaughtered.

(Also only lost stoppages by 2.)

We kicked accurately for goal.😃

Just now, bing181 said:

No it's not. Grundy had a huge contract, and with that in place there were always going to be very few takers, especially as he wanted to leave and we didn't want/need to keep him. We traded him for a second round pick, basically got that back.

Big picture.

Pies were paying a $300k of that contract and we traded him for much less than we paid to move up 3 draft spots. AA ruckman who’s a huge part of why Swans are top of the ladder. 
We have a 32 year old warrior in Max playing on one leg because we have zero back up rucks. 
 

Bigger picture.