1 hour ago, praha said:

Went to the SCG for the first time ever this year... such a fake crowd. I reckon 50% of the crowd were freebies tickets and "it" girls/marketing babes who get their Insta snap and then spend the rest of the game chatting and refilling bubblies. Definitely the Hollywood Lakers of the AFL.

The crowds in Brisbane and Sydney even sound different. My thoughts are that it's a much newer, female and family oriented crowd and less male dominated than elsewhere, where the culture is more tribal and male.

So why were the swans so terrible?  I will accept drank their own bath water, no good on the MCG or what?

6 minutes ago, BoBo said:

Unironically yes! I reckon the Big O got a lot of new fans today. Best sort of guy to have at a club. Seems legitimately selfless

Significant contrast to Callum Mills's endothermic carry-on around his hammy in the last few days. Capping off a 12-month leadership master-class.

32 minutes ago, Sir Windsor said:

Lions going to get a massive leg up with another Ashcroft. Seriously flawed system allowing them to build an a-grade midfield while playing finals. They will be contending for the next 10 years. 

Coleman to return next year, Wilmont, Fletcher another year fitter. [censored]

And about 15* coming back from ACLs…

*estimated without looking- I know it’s a lot

39 minutes ago, Sir Windsor said:

Lions going to get a massive leg up with another Ashcroft. Seriously flawed system allowing them to build an a-grade midfield while playing finals.

The father-son rule is a lottery that all clubs have a ticket in.  There's nothing flawed about it.

24 minutes ago, Fritta and Turner said:

So why were the swans so terrible?  I will accept drank their own bath water, no good on the MCG or what?

4 wins in 17 finals at the G since their 2005 flag.

Edited September 28, 20241 yr by Watson11
Added 2005

19 minutes ago, Fritta and Turner said:

So why were the swans so terrible?  I will accept drank their own bath water, no good on the MCG or what?

Injuries, had not played at the MCG since April, arrogance, outcoached and lack of desire on the day.

Swanny-wobbles are real!

22 minutes ago, Fritta and Turner said:

So why were the swans so terrible?  I will accept drank their own bath water, no good on the MCG or what?

I thought that they were 2 lockdown backs, and 2 quality forwards short this year. When sides had midfield dominance against them, they showed up big problems. 
Brisbane’s forwards are very good. 

 

1 hour ago, praha said:

....Fages?

Tomato tamato!😜

I'm very surprised the Swans didn't win given they had both Grundy and Jordon playing. There's no doubt in my mind if we had Grundy and Jordon this year we would have won the flag.

Ashcroft becomes the youngest player to win the Norm Smith and the quickest to remove the Norm Smith from around his neck

This Swans squad needs to be completely dismantled, and the parts sold off. To embarrass yourselves so profoundly for the second time on the big stage…why would you even want to risk it happening again? 

Amazing performance and season from the Lions. Came back from a shocking start, had one of the most incredible finals runs ever and dominated the GF. Sydney just didn't turn up, got bashed in the midfield and just weren't up to the fight. Brisbane were awesome and it does show how important it is to punish the opposition when you have control of the game. Within ten minutes in the late second quarter they killed the game and crushed the Swans spirits.

Does anyone see the irony that only 2 teams have won the premiership outside of the top 4 but they both beat the Sydney Swans who were the favorites.

8 minutes ago, Mel Bourne said:

This Swans squad needs to be completely dismantled, and the parts sold off. To embarrass yourselves so profoundly for the second time on the big stage…why would you even want to risk it happening again? 

There's actually an interesting debate to be had in this.

Can the core of this group actually get to another GF and get it done? Or are they so deeply scarred they may never do it?

Rampe and Lloyd are now 0-4 in Grand Finals, Parker's 1-4. Papley and Heeney are 0-3. Almost all of the rest (everyone else bar Jordon, McDonald, Amartey and Roberts) are now 0-2.

They've just come off a largely dominant H&A season, finished 1st, two home finals, against a 5th placed interstate side who had travelled three weeks in a row, and they couldn't do it. Can they get themselves going again?

Can Longmire?

Or do they need a harder reset?

3 minutes ago, durango said:

Does anyone see the irony that only 2 teams have won the premiership outside of the top 4 but they both beat the Sydney Swans who were the favorites.

They also both had Josh Dunkley, who was eligible to be a father-son pick up for Sydney but they passed on him.

1 hour ago, Sir Windsor said:

Lions going to get a massive leg up with another Ashcroft. Seriously flawed system allowing them to build an a-grade midfield while playing finals. They will be contending for the next 10 years. 

Coleman to return next year, Wilmont, Fletcher another year fitter. [censored]

Lions are premiers. 
Add from injury Coleman, McCarthy, Gardiner and Doedee. 
Add 2 x top youngsters in Levi Ashcroft (rated likely #1) & Sam Marshall.  

23 minutes ago, greenwaves said:

Ashcroft becomes the youngest player to win the Norm Smith and the quickest to remove the Norm Smith from around his neck

Wayne Harmes was younger when he won it in 1979, although it was still the VFL then.

I don't think Harmes removed his medal from around his neck for at least a couple of days.  

Equalisation?

Something I'm finidng bizarre in this moment is that in the H&A season there was only a three win difference between our finish in 14th and the eventual premiers.

And I don't see any club announcing itself as a super standout for next season, either.

This would be a great time for Australian football if not for the ignominious shadow politics, shambolic and lopsided draft and trade system, dysfunctional and reactive instructions to umpires, manipulation of the tribunal, terrible boys club commentary and a 'game day experience' developed by a committee of unaware ADHD cases.

2 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Lions are premiers. 
Add from injury Coleman, McCarthy, Gardiner and Doedee. 
Add 2 x top youngsters in Levi Ashcroft (rated likely #1) & Sam Marshall.  

This is all true.

But they also had the easiest fixture of all finalists (they played just one of their six double-up games against an eventual finalist, in GWS) which is unlikely to happen again next year.

Despite the above injuries, they also had 11 players play every game this year, including Zorko, McCluggage, Dunkley, Cameron and Daniher. That's also unlikely to happen again next year.

There's talk Daniher might retire, after a career-best season, and Hipwood still plays plenty of shockers.

They were also 44 points down to GWS with 8 minutes to go in the third and if the umpire had paid a push in the back to Sam Taylor late, they might have lost the SF with questions being asked about whether Fagan can get it done.

It's a fine line in the current competition and with the last four premiers all failing to win a final the following year, three of whom didn't even make the finals, there are no guarantees for Brisbane next year at all.

Just now, Little Goffy said:

Something I'm finidng bizarre in this moment is that in the H&A season there was only a three win difference between our finish in 14th and the eventual premiers.

And I don't see any club announcing itself as a super standout for next season, either.

This would be a great time for Australian football if not for the ignominious shadow politics, shambolic and lopsided draft and trade system, dysfunctional and reactive instructions to umpires, manipulation of the tribunal, terrible boys club commentary and a 'game day experience' developed by a committee of unaware ADHD cases.

Three wins...and a draw...and 24.4%.

15 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

There's actually an interesting debate to be had in this.

Can the core of this group actually get to another GF and get it done? Or are they so deeply scarred they may never do it?

Rampe and Lloyd are now 0-4 in Grand Finals, Parker's 1-4. Papley and Heeney are 0-3. Almost all of the rest (everyone else bar Jordon, McDonald, Amartey and Roberts) are now 0-2.

They've just come off a largely dominant H&A season, finished 1st, two home finals, against a 5th placed interstate side who had travelled three weeks in a row, and they couldn't do it. Can they get themselves going again?

Can Longmire?

Or do they need a harder reset?

I’m not saying it’s impossible, but for the Swans to redeem themselves it now requires an astonishing feat of self-belief. If they were to even make another GF with this squad, the game-day nerves would be paralysing. If their losses were close (or even just “competitive”), it would be a totally different story. 

Edited September 28, 20241 yr by Mel Bourne

28 minutes ago, Mel Bourne said:

This Swans squad needs to be completely dismantled, and the parts sold off. To embarrass yourselves so profoundly for the second time on the big stage…why would you even want to risk it happening again? 

I’m trying to think where to start. What do you do if all of your star players [censored] the bed at the same time? 
 

Heeney was in the form of his life and really should’ve dominated, but just didn’t impact at all. Without looking at any stats, I can’t name a single swans player that really stood up and executed.