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July 13, 2006
Nick Davis You Are A Fuckwit!!!
Now I'm not normally one to rip players like this, but I really think Nick Davis needs to have his head read after his outburst yesterday after being informed that he would be facing the Wagga Tigers this weekend in Wagga and not the West Coast in Perth.
Now I can understand his point that his form over the past few weeks hasn't been as bad as certain other player in the team (hello Ryan O'Keefe if your reading this), but if the coaching staff make a decision to drop you from the senior side based upon not only your form, BUT your fitness then you should cop the decision on the chin and go back to the ACTAFL for the required period and prove yourself (didn't take a hack like Ben Mathews long now did it?).
What you certainly don't do however is do what poor old Nick has done and run to the newspapers and have a crying fit to anybody who'll listen because not only will it make you un-popular with your teammates (when rumors already have you un-popular with most of them), but make your battle back to the seniors that much harder because the coaches will be that much more pissed off. Also you leave the clubs image in tatters at a time when it least needs it. So thats why I was pissed off to read today's paper and find little Nicky crying about being blamed for the lose against Adelaide.
"So it was a major surprise that I wasn't playing against West Coast. Someone had to cop the blame for the Adelaide loss and I guess it was me. Roosy was blaming the players after the match and he's obviously singled me out."
Boo, fucking hoo I say.
Roos gave the reason that Nick was unfit and that with the Swans playing at Subiaco it would be better to leave him out to gain fitness in the twos while giving the quick and much fitter Simon Phillips a chance to prove himself on the bigger ground - Que another sook from Nicky boy;
"The dimensions of Subiaco were one, but the last time I played in Perth in the finals I kicked three goals and played pretty well."
So this gets all over the morning papers and what do you expect happens when Roos and the rest of the team finds out about it back in Perth?? Yep they aren't best pleased and when questioned about the comments Roosy let fly on Nick.
"I think Nick and I will have a pretty good discussion next week," Roos said.
"He's reasonably fortunate I am standing here in WA as we speak. It is very un-Sydney like and it is certainly something that we pride ourselves on, having a team that plays for each other and thinks about the team first. I haven't spoken to Davis since I read his refreshing comments this morning, and I don't plan to speak to him until next week. But we don't look too kindly at players that think of themselves before the team."
So there you have it we now have Roosy the relaxed one, the reserved one, the one who didn't even responed to the AFL CEO's comments regarding his game play last year in one comment, called Nick Davis - un-Sydney like and think of himself first before the team and even stated that Nick was lucky he was on the different side of the country.
Even Barry Hall got in on the act
Swans captain Barry Hall said Davis should follow the example of Mathews. "Nick was in a similar situation, and it is probably how a player goes about it tells a little bit about his character," Hall said. "Benny went back to the reserves, had a really solid couple of weeks, and he's back into the side."
Nick has dug his own grave here and now he can only do two things:
1. Admit to the media he was wrong to make the comments, go back to the ACTAFL for the next few weeks work his arse off and get back to peak form and fitness. Then once back in the senior prove to the coaching staff and the rest of the team that he is a worthwhile member of this club by producing more efforts like we have seen from him on nights like the Geelong Final or even the match against Freo a fortnight ago.
or
2. Keep believing he was hard done by and never get the respect of the coaching staff and players back. Stay in the ACTAFL for the rest of the year and then find himself being traded away to a club against his will.
Your decision Nick
Posted by robbieando at 09:45 PM | Comments (4)
Paul Williams Pain is Simon Phillips Gain
Well with the forced retirement of Paul Williams though injury, the Swans have been able to put Willo on the long term injury list and elevate a rookie listed player to the senior list to take his place for the rest of the season. The lucky rookie is Simon Phillips.
But in a surprise twist not only has Phillips been lucky enough to get the call up to the senior list for the remaining 8 Rounds of the season (plus hopefully as many finals as we play) but he has been sent over to Perth this week with the rest of the team in view to making his senior debut against the Eagles
"We told him last night. We brought him into the room and told him he was elevated and that he was playing the Eagles. "He was reasonably shocked I would suggest."
He will most likely play in place of the lackluster Nick Davis who most likely will get the chop this week at the selection table and play a few weeks in the ACTAFL as a bit of a wake up call to not only him, but a few of the underperforming topliners like him (read, O'Keefe, Kirk, Jude Bolton, Barry, Jolly and Hall).
Back to Phillips he isn't really a midfielder and isn't really a Nick Davis type forward pocket (nor for that matter a Adam Schneider one either), but according to Roos the kid add's some much needed zip to the side and he plays alot like Aaron Davey of the Demons.
Simon has mainly been used as a small crumbing forward," Roos added."Though not in the same class, but in terms of how he plays, he is a little bit like Aaron Davey, (Andrew) Lovett and Stephen Milne, that type of really quick, hard-working, running sort of small forward.
"So that is generally the mould of player he is in and the role he has been playing in the seconds."
So if he turns anything like half the player Davey is, then we might be onto a keeper. Brave move, lets hope it works for this kids sake.
Posted by robbieando at 01:55 AM | Comments (1)
July 12, 2006
Paul Williams Retires With Immediate Effect
In a Sad Day for the Club Paul Williams has been forced into an early retirement due injury with immediate effect. He requires season ending shoulder surgery and having already made the call that he would retire at seasons end this therefore is the end of a 300 plus game career that he'll remembered for at two clubs for giving his all.
“Paul broke his clavicle (collarbone) and it never healed completely,” Swans doctor Nathan Gibbs said.“It was pinned when Paul first broke it and the pin actually broke and as a consequence the clavicle has refractured.
“To his credit Paul has continued to play but it has now reached the stage where there is no improvement and surgery is required.”
This has certainly come as a shock because it was only just over three weeks ago that he made his decision to call it a day at seasons end, so to play on the last three game with the injury much of taken alot out of him.
Swans coach Paul Roos said; “As I said a few weeks back Paul has been an outstanding servant to AFL and I really feel for him in that he won’t have the chance to been seen off the way he should be as a player.
He certainly will be missed.
PAUL WILLIAMS - FACT FILE
Age: 33
Drafted: Collingwood 1989 (Pick #70) from North Hobart
Debut: 1991 Collingwood – 2001 Sydney Swans
Games: 306 (189 Collingwood, 117 Sydney Swans)
Goals: 306
Honours: Sydney Swans Club Champion 2001, 2002, AFL All Australian 2003, Sydney Swans Premiership side 2005.
Posted by robbieando at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)
Yep That's Goin' Solve The Problems
The Swans are playing Shit football, so Roosy finally makes up his mind to rid the senior side of the non performing shit player and banish them to the ACTAFL. We all think "Joy, maybe this will turn the season around". Works for one week against Fremantle when Ben Mathews and Ted Richards get the axe and drop down a level. From all reports from those watching last Sunday both played shocking matches, including Mathews who had 7 clangers and his 2 attempted shots on goal resulted in him kicking into the man on the mark and kicking the other out on the full. Somehow he end he not only ends up in listed best players list in the paper, but this weekend he along with Ted Richard will be running on too Subiaco to face West Coast.
the Swans will welcome back Ben Mathews and Ted Richards who were both dropped and spent two weeks in the seconds.
It just pains me that two underperforming hack just have to run around in circles for two weeks, do nothing and STILL get a senior re-call, yet a player like Tim Schmidt gets 63 possessions in a reserves match and is still WAITING for his first senior match. The same goes for Josh Willoughby, Earl Shaw and Heath Grundy.
Is it just me or is this club (and Paul Roos) scared to try new things like new players????
Posted by robbieando at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2006
You've Just Seen The Premiers People
And it isn't us thats for sure going by today match, the Crows are far and away the best side in the competition today and will take over our Premiership crown without too much trouble come September. Us, well we are just shocking at the moment and to be frank a match report by me wouldn't sum up how bad we really were on Sunday. Error after error, mistake after mistake, turnover after turnover - this team has given up the goast and has finally decided that 2006 isn't going to be seen as the year where the Swans went Back to Back because we are a running joke at the moment. Too few are trying and to me thats a joke. Anyway here's the AFL's Official match report:
Swans fall to ladder-leadersSydney was unable to answer an onslaught from the Adelaide Crows on Sunday, going down by 39 points - 15.11 (101) to 8.14 (62) - in front of a sell-out crowd at the SCG. Adelaide, which has looked a class above the rest of the competition in recent weeks, was again in supreme touch after having to overcome a dogged Sydney outfit in the opening term. But once they found their feet, there was no stopping Neil Craig's men.
It was another even team performance from Adelaide, although Simon Goodwin (27 possessions), Mark Ricciuto (16 possessions and two goals), Trent Hentschel (three goals) and Graham Johncock were all outstanding. For the Swans, Michael O'Loughlin provided a target in attack all day, while Jarrad McVeigh and Luke Vogels provided some rays of light ahead of the Swans' tough road trip to the west next week.
From the opening bounce it was evident the Swans had come to play, and were determined to restrict the Crows' run off half-back which has been such a weapon in recent weeks. In a low-scoring but enthralling opening term, neither side could assert itself on the contest and gain any real supremacy. The Swans were playing it tight and in close early, and were rewarded in the sixth minute. In a sight to warm the heart of all home fans, Sydney's big guns all got a touch as Barry Hall found O'Loughlin, whose high ball found the sure hands of Ryan O'Keefe.
Hentschel answered O'Keefe's major mid-way through the opening term to get the Crows on the board, but O'Loughlin replied following a strong mark a minute later. Ricciuto, without kicking a goal in the first quarter, was looking dangerous for Adelaide, who despite not having many clear winners was right in the contest and trailed by just four points at the first break. It didn't take long for the Crows to take the lead in the second term. After a Swans chip on the wing failed to find the target, Adelaide pounced and from the resulting turnover Ricciuto kicked a long bomb from just outside 50.
Three goals in three minutes from the eight-minute mark further silenced the Sydney faithful, as the Crows running machine started to click into gear. Johncock cleared the pack and bounced one through from a long way out, and then Rhett Biglands showed his mobility from the ensuing centre bounce to dob one on the run from 45. When Goodwin did the same a minute later, the visitors had skipped out to a 19-point buffer and Sydney was in trouble. Johncock was awarded his second after a dubious soccer - which the home fans thought had already crossed the goal line - and it wasn't until time-on before the previously unsighted Nick Davis booted the Swans' first of the term.
But Adelaide hit back through Hentschel, who somehow managed to sneak through his second amid a host of defenders just nine seconds before the half-time siren. The Crows led 7.7 to 3.5 at the long change and the Swans needed to manufacture another of their famous SCG comebacks if they were to take the points. Sydney did manage to stem Adelaide's run in the third term and actually looked the better side in patches throughout, but converting was a problem. Jude Bolton had a moment he would prefer to forget, as Ricciuto swooped on the Swan's dropped chest mark 30 metres out from the Crows' goal to boot his team further ahead. McVeigh goaled at the 17-minute mark to lift Sydney and his major looked as though it might rally the reigning champs.
They seemed to have the momentum and could have edged inside a three-goal margin, but O'Loughlin's horror miss from 20m out in front might have killed off any sniff Paul Roos' men had of pinching a win. Matthew Bode goaled deep in time-on to make it a 28-point ballgame - and with Sydney having just four goals on the board at the last change - the fat lady began warming her tonsils. The two teams traded goals in the last quarter but the Crows were able to extend their margin, making it look easy at times while the inaccurate Swans have some work ahead of them if they are to force their way into the top four.
Next week Adelaide returns to AAMI Stadium for a meeting with Hawthorn while Sydney travels to the other side of the country for a Grand Final replay against West Coast on Saturday night.
SYDNEY: 2.2, 3.5, 4.10, 8.14 (62)
ADELAIDE: 1.4, 7.7, 9.8, 15.11 (101)
GOALS: McVeigh 2, O'Keefe, O'Loughlin, Davis, Buchanan, Williams, Goodes 1.
Best Swan On Ground: Adam Goodes.
Rising Star: Jarrad McVeigh
Posted by robbieando at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
July 08, 2006
Malceski Returns
After 5 weeks out due to a hamstring injury gained in the match against the Hawks in Round 9, rookie of the year stand out - Nick Malceski makes his long awaited return from said injury in the 2nds against Belconnen tomorrow.
As I'm sure many Swans fans will atest too this kid was a major reason for a early season 6 game winning streak and its been clear by the Swans play in the 4 matches without him that we aren't the same side. He'll most likely take 2 or 3 weeks to regard form and fitness in the twos before making his senior comeback against either the Tigers in Round 16 or Port Adelaide in Round 17.
Can't come soon enough.
Posted by robbieando at 06:29 PM | Comments (0)
July 07, 2006
No Changes for Weekend's Clash with Crows
Despite being named on Thursday night's extended 7 man interchange bench, Ben Mathews, Ted Richards and Paul Chambers all failed in their attempts to regain their spots in the senior side after a week in the reserves (if you call a match against the ACT under 21's which ended up with both side being mixed together to make it "competitive", a solid hit out to base a re-call to a senior side on).
So at least we know Roosy has his head screwed on in that regard, lets hope the 22 players who do take the field on Sunday, do the job and beat the Crows in what would be a major upset despite the home ground advantage, despite being last years premiers and despite being in the Top 6.
I doubt its going to happen people.
Posted by robbieando at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
July 03, 2006
Now THATS Confidence!!!
Seems I'm not the only one who thinks we are facing the fortnight from hell in the coming weeks when we face Adelaide at home followed by a nice old trip to Perth to visit the locals (who I'm sure will be pleased to see us after last September) and the match against West Coast. Michael O'Loughlin hasn't let last night's win go to his head and has come out with this series of quotes which I think sum up the next fortnight.
"I know if we show up like we did in those first three quarters we will get smacked."
and
"Adelaide and West Coast are the best teams in the competition at the moment. They've got some great players and we've got our work cut out for us."
and
"If we rock up and are not prepared to play Swans footy and Bloods footy we might as well stay home because we will lose."
Yep you heard right we might as well send out 18 training cones because somehow I don't think we'll show up to play. But hey that's just my feeling.
Posted by robbieando at 12:07 AM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2006
Lackluster Swans Beat Even Worse Freo
Good to get a win despite playing yet more weak football for three quarters and letting a side like Fremantle get close to us though poor play, poor kicking at goal and allowing Fremantle to play the game on their terms for most of the early part of the game. Better sides are going to rip us apart if we keep playing into their hands like we have over the past month of football and with West Coast and Adelaide coming up in the next fortnight we might as well kiss a spot in the top four if we don't come away with at least one win.
On to the players last night and it was great to see Magic continue on with his form from the week before and take out the BOG and turn back the clock in what was clearly a Magic vintage performance of 98 and 99. Nick Davis and Adam Schneider were the next best two with 7 goals between them and plenty of possession as well. Moving LRT into the ruck was a master stroke and turn the balance of the game on its head and Kennelly was the best of the defence once again with his darting runs out of defence.
All in all not much to write home about until the final quarter, but when we turn ourselves on, we looked ready to send a message to the rest of the competition. Barry Hall is hurting by being forced to play so close to goal, thus having 2 or 3 men drop back on him when we kick the ball to him (plus rumors of injury don't help) and Ryan O'Keefe is nothing of the playing he was last year and in my opinion should be looking at time in Canberra if he form doesn't improve his form.
Of the players brought in Luke Vogels MUST keep his spot and so should Jarred Moore. Sean Dempster and Paul Bevan in truth are keeping their spots warm for the returns of Nick Malceski and Jared Crouch from injury. Once we get those two back then we have a full side to take on the final two months of football.
Here is a proper match report for those who want one:
Swans shake feisty Freo Ben Broad Exclusive to afl.com.auA scintillating eight-minute burst at the start of the final term has allowed the Sydney Swans to shake off Fremantle and record their eighth win of the AFL season. There was nothing pretty about the Swans' 12.19 (91) to 9.4 (58) win, but a withering four-goal burst was enough to get the reigning premiers home by 33 points at the SCG on Saturday night.
Best for the winners were Adam Schneider, the lively Michael O'Loughlin, Paul Bevan went everywhere with Jeff Farmer and the surprising Lewis Roberts-Thomson whose effectiveness in the ruck was a revelation. Matthew Pavlich was his usual classy self for the Dockers while the rugged Troy Cook was solid and Shane Parker, with some help from his team-mates, did a great job on Barry Hall.
It took until the final term for the Swans to shake themselves clear of the Dockers after the visitors had led for nearly all of the first three quarters and held a one-point advantage at the final break. But the opening minutes of the final term was all one-way traffic. Three minutes in, Luke Vogels evaded a defender and booted truly to give his side the lead, and then a few minutes of Adam Schneider brilliance killed off the Dockers' hopes.
He ran in and kicked truly from 25m at the five-minute mark, then chipped beautifully into the square to find a running Jarrad McVeigh who goaled before slamming home another on the run from 45m to make the margin 25 points. It would prove too much for the visitors. Early in the contest Sydney's poor home record in 2006 had looked like it might continue. Sydney looked remarkably flat from the opening bounce, with the Dockers taking it right up to the reigning premiers.
Stung by criticism after their round 12 belting at the hands of Geelong, Fremantle made all the running early with Pavlich looking dangerous inside 50. Sydney's midfield struggled to get their hands on the ball despite Darren Jolly's supremacy at the stoppages, while Hall missed two relatively simple chances from set shots to make matters worse. At the other end, Ryan Murphy floated forward to boot the game's first while Pavlich's second - a brilliant snap from the pocket - stunned the home crowd when Freo opened up a 19-point lead.
Schneider finally kicked the Swans' first at the 22-minute mark, but at the first change it was the Dockers by 13 points. Fremantle skipper Peter Bell was showing no signs of the calf injury that had kept him sidelined, and his left foot snap five minutes into the second term restored his team's 19-point advantage. But the Swans started to lift mid-way through the quarter with Nic Fosdike giving them run and Nick Davis looking dangerous when isolated inside the forward arc. After O'Loughlin broke free to boot one from the top of the square at the 20-minute mark, the Swans were back within a kick. Docker Ryan Crowley replied two minutes later courtesy of a free kick, but Davis's second for the term again cut the deficit and Fremantle led 5.4 to 4.7 at the long break,
Sydney's usual ball magnets such as Jude Bolton and Brett Kirk were having quiet nights, while Fremantle's Shaun McManus and Paul Hasleby, who had been searching for form, were enjoying their night's work. Neither side could make the break they needed in the third term as scrappy football prevailed and possessions were at a premium. After the Dockers' defence made a meal of a marking contest at the top of the goalsquare - two men in purple flying with neither successfully clearing the ball - Sydney's McVeigh goaled to put his side in front 10 minutes in.
But three goals in five minutes to the Dockers had Sydney on the ropes. Pavlich dobbed his third from a free kick, then booted truly from 50 after finding himself on the end of a pass from Bell from the ensuing centre bounce. When Josh Carr marked Bevan's attempted clearance out of the Sydney defence and goaled at the 17-minute, Fremantle had steadied. But O'Loughlin, who had become the go-to man as Hall continually found himself swamped with Dockers, goaled from a tight angle to cut the deficit to the smallest possible margin at the final change.
Sydney coach Paul Roos admits he is concerned about the Swans' wasteful kicking after having 31 scoring shots to 13. "The inaccurate kicking we have seen in lots of games comes up and really hurts you," Roos said after the game. "At three-quarter time we had 21 scorings shots to 12 and were still one point behind and up until the 20-25 minute mark of the game we were still a chance to get beaten. "It is a concern definitely when you end up with 12 goals 19 because you know at some point it can hurt, but thankfully we came out of it with a good solid five goal win."
Fremantle coach Chris Connolly was disappointed his team had missed an opportunity to move alongside the Swans on the ladder, but was pleased with his players' endeavour. "It was the most intense we've been for probably a month," Connolly said. "I'm sure if we maintain that type of intensity and tidy up some other aspects of our game we'll win more games than we lose moving forward."
Next week the Dockers return to Subiaco to host Friday night football, a clash against the struggling Bombers, while Sydney hosts Adelaide at the SCG on Sunday.
SYDNEY: 1.3, 4.7, 6.15, 12.19 (91)
FREMANTLE: 3.4, 5.4, 8.4, 9.4 (58)
GOALS: Davis 4, Schneider 3, O'Loughlin, McVeigh 2, Vogels 1.
Best Swan On Ground: Michael O'Loughlin
Rising Star: Luke Vogels
Posted by robbieando at 08:26 PM | Comments (0)
The Run Is Over
It had to end some time but to be honest no one was expecting it to be this week and like this. Therefore a shoulder injury picked up late in the match against Collingwood, number 194 in a row since his debut against Collingwood in Round 7 of 1998 meant the long running streak of Jared Crouch is over and with it any hope his had of braking the All-Time AFL record held by Jim Stynes.
Still to play this many games in a row is amazing considering the amount of time he has taken injuries into games, (some requiring last minute jabs just to play) most famously last years Grand Final and of course his race against time to be fit to play Round One last year after braking his Collarbone in the International Rules Series against Ireland which failed to heal at first requiring a second op.
No doubt the rest will do him good and he'll be back and pissing off small forwards and Aker alike for years to come.
Posted by robbieando at 12:20 AM | Comments (0)