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The Sydney Swans have been playing poorly over the last few weeks. Actually, when compared to their high standards, they have been playing bad for most of the year.
Why have they been playing so badly?
One of their biggest problems has been their forward efficiency. It was particularly bad against West Coast and Hawthorn over the last two weeks. If they had been more efficient then there would have been quite the possibility of coming back, because they would have given their opposition less time with the ball – as well as applying scoreboard pressure.
There are a number of reasons why they have been so poor up front. One of the big issues has been their inability to move the ball forward quickly. This was something they did in 2012 quite effectively and also in 2014. It allowed themselves the scope to be a bit unpredictable.
By moving the ball slower, they have allowed the opposition to flood their forwards and therefore not been able to kick a decent score as the ball is cleared.
Another problem and resulting in their inefficient forward line has been injuries, particularly to Ben McGlynn and Craig Bird. These two have been great for the Swans over the years as they are quick and read the play well. They crumb well as well as putting forward pressure on opposition defenders. Try as he might, Lance Franklin can’t tackle the four men in the forward 50 who have been allowed to flood back.
He needs some quick backup.
Injuries throughout the season have hurt the Swans but not as nearly as much as Ben McGlynn and Craig Bird. Those who have come in haven’t been able to cover the gaps the Swans have had because they have played poorly.
Sydney is also being affected by the style of play they have been trying to use which does not work for their personnel.
Harry Cunningham, Lewis Jetta and Gary Rohan are the speedy youngsters the Swans have been able to make use of this season. Unfortunately, they have been trying to move the ball methodically down the line, which does not suit these players.
They haven’t been able to use their speed going forward due to this different style of play.
Who knows why they have tried this, but it hasn’t worked and John Longmire and co. need to make some changes if they want to have any chance of winning another premiership.
The Swans have also had some poor performers on the park. Lewis Jetta has been tried down back but it has to stop. The truth is, while he has a good kick, he doesn’t understand the backline well enough to adapt quickly.
This has resulted in turnovers as well as slow play and it has been costing the Swans on the scoreboard.
Another is Sam Reid. He has been tried all over the ground. He is young and still developing despite Swans fans wanting more out of him. Strangely enough he has seemed to play best in the midfield, where he has been able to apply some tackling pressure on his opponents.
I’d play him off the wing/half forward flank area and see how he goes. He needs to stay in the middle of the ground.
The Swans’ defensive line has suffered from the same problems that the team’s forward line has. It isn’t reacting quick enough and as a result the other team overwhelms them as they lose numbers forward.
The Swans need to rectify these problems if they want to have shot at the flag this year, or in the coming few years.
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