My apologies for the lack of a preview this week.
After a few days of being pretty much pummelled by some sort of horrible viral thing, I’m finally back to good health. Not before time either, and in time for the first ever Swans vs. Gold Coast Suns clash.
I’ll try to make this a preview and review rolled into one:
This was always going to be an interesting game, but for different reasons than is the norm. The Suns have the nucleus of a very good football team and I think a lot of the criticism levelled at them, particularly early on in the season, was both unfair and unwarranted. I mean, what did folks expect? That this team, almost entirely made up of kids, was going to come out and compete for wins from the opening bounce?
That was an unrealistic expectation, but I like what the Suns have shown thus far this season. A couple of surprising wins, albeit against inferior opposition, have helped the kids develop. There’s obviously a HUGE jump in talent and pressure between the VFL and the AFL, and the Suns players have had to learn on the fly, against very good teams, teams who’ve been together for a long time, and have had the chance to gel as a unit against other teams more talent laden than the Suns have faced in the last few years. They’ve proven what we all knew: it’s very tough coming into this league cold and challenging immediately.
Mark my words, in a few years the Suns will be up there, competing for a premiership, and, perhaps, winning one – or more. They have gun players like Garry Ablett, still the premier midfielder in football, and Campbell Brown, both with premiership experience, whose leadership qualities are steering the young kids around them in the right direction. It won’t be long before these first-season hardships turn the Suns team into serious contenders. You take your lumps and learn your lessons. The Gold Coast football club have definitely done that.
But onto tonight’s game at Metricon Stadium, the flash-looking home of the Suns at Carrara on the Gold Coast, a battle of the two most inaccurate teams currently going around in the AFL. The Swans got Shane Mumford back with a new tackling style to boot. They got Kieran Jack back, too, and everyone was talking about the midfield battle, with Gary Ablett, whose numbers against the Swans have been prolific every year – a little too prolific if you’re a red and white fan – facing up against the more blue-collar group led by Jude Bolton.
The game didn’t even start for Jude Bolton, who did a knee in the pre-game warm-up and was replaced by Luke Parker, who had a positive impact on the game. Sam Reid looked fantastic, and it was a pleasant surprise to see our recruit from the West Coast Eagles, Matt Spangher, making his presence known up forward, down back and across the midfield. He seemed to have the Sherrin on a twin at times.
Goal kicking was still an issue for mine, with some bad misses at times when a major would really have capitalised on some of the regulation mistakes that the Suns were making. I buy the fact that the ground was dewy, but still, guys like Adam Goodes on the tear forty out and not even close to being touched should be putting the Sherrin between the big sticks. A one goal third term was far from impressive.
Still, it was nice to see fifteen goals up on the board and a even seventy-point victory at the end of the day. Also nice to see Sam Reid following up his strong marks with some good, solid kicking. He is really becoming a focal point up forward, to the delight of all of us who miss the hulking, intimidating forward target that we haven’t seen since Daniel Bradshaw’s abortive run early last season, and Barry Hall before him.
Losing Gary Ablett in the second quarter didn’t help the Gold Coast one bit. That young football team relies on his veteran leadership, and it seemed like the midfield especially fell apart in his absence. The Suns’ decline was somewhat, helped in that direction by some ferocious tackling by the Swans in the engine room. A few players who needed to have a rebound performance after a poor game last week, like Josh Kennedy. Nice to see Mumford back doing his usual thing.
I thought the run and carry from the backline was impressive this week, as good as it’s been in a few weeks. Perhaps it was a product of the inexperienced opposition, but there was noticeably less of the urgent, ill-advised handball under pressure that never fails to aggravate me. There was little chaotic stuff inside their own 50m arc, which was a nice departure from the norm.
After a few days of being pretty much pummelled by some sort of horrible viral thing, I’m finally back to good health. Not before time either, and in time for the first ever Swans vs. Gold Coast Suns clash.
I’ll try to make this a preview and review rolled into one:
This was always going to be an interesting game, but for different reasons than is the norm. The Suns have the nucleus of a very good football team and I think a lot of the criticism levelled at them, particularly early on in the season, was both unfair and unwarranted. I mean, what did folks expect? That this team, almost entirely made up of kids, was going to come out and compete for wins from the opening bounce?
That was an unrealistic expectation, but I like what the Suns have shown thus far this season. A couple of surprising wins, albeit against inferior opposition, have helped the kids develop. There’s obviously a HUGE jump in talent and pressure between the VFL and the AFL, and the Suns players have had to learn on the fly, against very good teams, teams who’ve been together for a long time, and have had the chance to gel as a unit against other teams more talent laden than the Suns have faced in the last few years. They’ve proven what we all knew: it’s very tough coming into this league cold and challenging immediately.
Mark my words, in a few years the Suns will be up there, competing for a premiership, and, perhaps, winning one – or more. They have gun players like Garry Ablett, still the premier midfielder in football, and Campbell Brown, both with premiership experience, whose leadership qualities are steering the young kids around them in the right direction. It won’t be long before these first-season hardships turn the Suns team into serious contenders. You take your lumps and learn your lessons. The Gold Coast football club have definitely done that.
But onto tonight’s game at Metricon Stadium, the flash-looking home of the Suns at Carrara on the Gold Coast, a battle of the two most inaccurate teams currently going around in the AFL. The Swans got Shane Mumford back with a new tackling style to boot. They got Kieran Jack back, too, and everyone was talking about the midfield battle, with Gary Ablett, whose numbers against the Swans have been prolific every year – a little too prolific if you’re a red and white fan – facing up against the more blue-collar group led by Jude Bolton.
The game didn’t even start for Jude Bolton, who did a knee in the pre-game warm-up and was replaced by Luke Parker, who had a positive impact on the game. Sam Reid looked fantastic, and it was a pleasant surprise to see our recruit from the West Coast Eagles, Matt Spangher, making his presence known up forward, down back and across the midfield. He seemed to have the Sherrin on a twin at times.
Goal kicking was still an issue for mine, with some bad misses at times when a major would really have capitalised on some of the regulation mistakes that the Suns were making. I buy the fact that the ground was dewy, but still, guys like Adam Goodes on the tear forty out and not even close to being touched should be putting the Sherrin between the big sticks. A one goal third term was far from impressive.
Still, it was nice to see fifteen goals up on the board and a even seventy-point victory at the end of the day. Also nice to see Sam Reid following up his strong marks with some good, solid kicking. He is really becoming a focal point up forward, to the delight of all of us who miss the hulking, intimidating forward target that we haven’t seen since Daniel Bradshaw’s abortive run early last season, and Barry Hall before him.
Losing Gary Ablett in the second quarter didn’t help the Gold Coast one bit. That young football team relies on his veteran leadership, and it seemed like the midfield especially fell apart in his absence. The Suns’ decline was somewhat, helped in that direction by some ferocious tackling by the Swans in the engine room. A few players who needed to have a rebound performance after a poor game last week, like Josh Kennedy. Nice to see Mumford back doing his usual thing.
I thought the run and carry from the backline was impressive this week, as good as it’s been in a few weeks. Perhaps it was a product of the inexperienced opposition, but there was noticeably less of the urgent, ill-advised handball under pressure that never fails to aggravate me. There was little chaotic stuff inside their own 50m arc, which was a nice departure from the norm.
It wasn't the most polished victory the Swans have ever constructed, but they fly home to Sydney with the win, and having put in a markedly improved performance on last week’s stinker vs. Adelaide.
Next week: Fremantle (1.10pm; SCG) as the stretch run to September football begins.
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