The Swans are back in the green at their home ground, the SCG. After several close losses – 10 points to Adelaide and 2 points to North, the Swans followed up their terrific away win against the Hawks with a flogging of the Dockers. Fremantle were terrific in the first quarter, brilliantly lead by Fyfe and Neale, with Sinclair and Sandilands having almost no impact at ... Continue Reading »
At the ground all I could think was ‘what a bizarre game of footy’. It was tight, tough and at times torrid. Both teams gave their all and, in the end, it took something special from two of the younger players to see the Swans across the line. Ronke was ridiculously good. That was one of the best individual performances I’ve ever seen, booting ... Continue Reading »
We’re not going to win many games at the SCG if we play three quarters like that. It isn’t as if North Melbourne are a great team – they’re not. But when you are gifting the ball to them, turning it over furiously every chance you get, you’re going to get punished. I would genuinely worry if we had to back up ... Continue Reading »
Time to sit back, take a deep, deep breath, and reminisce, enjoy, and let it sink in. I’m not sure that’s the result I was expecting. I was always hopeful, but I was realistic – it was going to be hard to beat the Cats at their fortress. But these Swans, they showed they can really football, and do it very, very well. I ... Continue Reading »
It's not all doom and gloom. Well, let's look at the first half in isolation, or the first quarter rather - 4.9 (33). It was madness. They had 5 behinds in the first five minutes and the lads couldn't even get their hands on it. The trend continued throughout the first half, Parker, Hannebery, Kennedy, Heeney and co all well down on their usual ... Continue Reading »
The Swans staved off a rampaging young Bulldogs team, with ducking McLean at his ducking best, Bontompelli protected by the umpires, and Matt Stevic. Turnovers in the first half didn't help, playing dreadful football for the first 40 minutes, but they got down and dirty, and ground their way back into the match. An unanswered 6-goal run was the difference in the end, with Towers ... Continue Reading »
That was a cracking way to get back on the winners sheet. Not so much the way we let them back into the match in the last quarter, but easily the 3 and half quarters up until that point. Sam Reid kicks that goal in the last, it's all over red rover. But perhaps it wouldn't have provided Buddy his platform to do what he ... Continue Reading »
Well, that wasn't great viewing. First half looked pretty good and really should have been a lot further than 14 points in front. Then Port decided to throw Charlie Dixon in the ruck and all hell broke loose, the defence turned into a sieve and the once assured possession of the Swans looked like a wet soap in a communal bathroom. You can't expect to ... Continue Reading »
What a way to kick off the season with a win, not only against one-time arch nemesis the Eagles, but at their shiny, spectacular new stadium. After a bitter battle with Fremantle to host the first game rights, they dug in like a tick and held on grimly, but the Swans shook them in the end. Superstar forward Lance Franklin booted 8, while Parker was ... Continue Reading »
Right to it then. These ratings are brought to you stat-less, from our observations at the game and nothing more. B: Nick Smith, Heath Grundy, Callum Mills HB: Jarrad McVeigh, Dane Rampe, Zak Jones C: Isaac Heeney, Josh P. Kennedy, Jake Lloyd HF: Gary Rohan, Lance Franklin, Tom Papley F: Kieren Jack, Callum Sinclair, Sam Reid FOL: Sam Naismith, Dan Hannebery, Luke Parker I/C: ... Continue Reading »
What a way to keep the run going, winning 15 from 17 and setting up a semi-final show down with Geelong. A competitive first quarter was put firmly in the rearview mirror as the Swans rampaged in the second quarter, belting the hapless Bombers off the park. If ever was a final with the result all but guaranteed in the 2nd quarter this was it. ... Continue Reading »
The Swans NEAFL team on Saturday put the Suns' reserve team to the sword, with an emphatic 68-point victory that threatened to well and truly blow out. A superb first-half was the difference between the two teams, with the Swans extending the lead to an even 100-points before the final break. With the game well and truly won, the Swans put the cue in the ... Continue Reading »
Image courtesy of Phil Hillyard There aren't many games these days when players single-handedly outscore their opponents. The last time Franklin went big, he kicked 13 goals against North Melbourne in his second last season for Hawthorn, with Anthony Hudson's famous catch-cry "thirteen! thirteen!" still ringing the ears of football fans. His 10 goal haul against Carlton was his 2nd biggest in his stellar career, ... Continue Reading »
Salty Crows, it tastes delicious after a match like that, kicking up a fuss over a debatable 50 metre penalty, although one could argue that the umpires were blatantly cheating for more than 3 quarters of the match. What a way to win the game. It's hard not to love this club, even when they stink it up, playing games like this. The sort of ... Continue Reading »
Another superb game from Luke Parker, ably assisted by sensational Franklin and a standout performance from stand-in skipper Rampe, lead the way for the Swans in their 104 point demolition effort of the hapless Dockers, or shall we call them, the Shockers. It was the biggest win for the Swans over the Dockers, eclipsing their 90 point win last season, with Fremantle narrowly avoiding their ... Continue Reading »
