Make no mistake, the Sydney Swans season is most definitely on the ropes. Their 43-point shock loss to the Richmond Tigers has opened the door for so many teams to possibly sneak into the eight. Fans of North Melbourne, Fremantle and Melbourne, among others, are thanking the Tigers for their demolition job of the Swans that now leaves the red-and-whites in real danger of watching from the sidelines in September.
It's hard to win an AFL premiership when you can't win football games at the MCG. The Swans have not done that. They haven't won a contest in 4 years at the Home of Football. As close as they've come to a win was the draw vs. Melbourne earlier this year. The last time they came from behind to win a game at the great venue was the 2005 preliminary final vs. St Kilda. That amazing night feels a long time ago, after this afternoon's football game.
Today's loss, typically at the MCG in a lackluster performance that has become surprisingly the norm rather the exception for the Swans in 2011, basically ends our hopes of playing a home elimination final. Three wins from the last eight games seems almost unfathomable after we watched our team come so close to beating Collingwood in June. So much has changed. The team that took to the field that night and played hard, inspired football that really had the Pies worried is sadly MIA.
Today's loss also probably ends our chances of playing finals full stop, with games against St Kilda (ANZ Stadium) before the Death March down to Skilled Stadium to play Geelong. That match-up really scares me. The red-and-whites could get mauled down there, especially if they play like they did this afternoon. By the time the Swans take to the SCG to play Brisbane in the last game of the regular season, their finals fate may well be sealed.
It was frustrating to watch this afternoon, as it has been frustrating to watch so many times this year. Basic skill errors abounded, execution has been poor, and the goal-kicking, for both teams, was horrible. Of course, goal kicking has been horrible for the Swans for weeks. A 2.9 final quarter vs. Essendon last Saturday condemned the team to a loss then. A similar effort in front of the sticks this week has resulted in an upset loss to a Richmond outfit not nearly as talented as the Swans are, a game that should have been won. But so many this year have been games that should have been won, yet the Swans, a team boasting a solid list, have found a way to lose against opponents far inferior and much less skilled.
The video montage of a visibly frustrated and at times angry John Longmire at the beginning of the fourth quarter summed it all up. The Swans played with no heart, showed no spirit or grit, none of what made them a good football team, and a good football team to follow for so long. Even when they were down, there was always the fight, a struggle, some toughness, never capitulation. Today, for the first time in a long time, I saw a team who fell flat, capitulated late, and let the Tigers run out victors. There was also a horrible lack of composure under pressure, a very uncharacteristic trait for this football club.
For the most part, the Swans looked uninspired in their forward fifty - Sam Reid perhaps the only exception there - and always scrambling in the defensive zone. There are many who could take the blame for this loss, for not putting in the effort required to win a football game: Richards, Grundy, Jetta. The list could go on. John Longmire might have to wield the axe this week at selection time. Maybe it's time that Longmire wielded the axe? Something needs to be done to shake things up a little.
Perhaps the final word should be left to Swans coach, John Longmire. "You'd probably go a long way to see us put in a poorer performance at a crucial time than what we did today."
Congratulations to the Tigers, who deserved their win today. Commiserations for the Swans' season. We didn't deserve a win today. It's St Kilda next week at ANZ Stadium, with a 1.10pm bounce.
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