Here is my match report DW. Other Swans fans please add your observations
Nice day at Shark Park, reasonable crowd I thought but a bit thin over on the outer side.
From Swans point of view I think the summary would be that they did what was needed to win without ever really hitting great heights. For much of the game East Fremantle had the ball on a string and when Swans had possession EF harassed and tackled very well.
The possession count was still very much in the Sharks favour at the end of the game even though Swans won the last quarter. The problem for EF was that they butchered quite a number of clear cut chances when they were on top , by poor kicking to targets and fumbling under pressure. Understandable from the young blokes but some of the experienced guys did it too.
It was an ugly game overall. I had to laugh in the 2nd quarter when the ball was bounced in virtually the same spot in the Sharks forward line about 5 or 6 times and the game threated to turn into a rugby match.
There was a breeze blowing down to the Canning Highway end which was worth a couple of goals and it freshened during the afternoon.
The first quarter was a bit of an arm wrestle. Early on it looked like Swans were linking up quite well and Warwick Wilson put through the first goal. From early in the game you could sense that the Sharks were up for the fight and that this was not going to be a pushover for Swans. Freddie was prominent early and I also noticed Jesse Turner a lot. Tony Notte was his usual dependable self. He is such a talented defender, one of the best marking players in the WAFL. Gault kicked Swans other goal from a set shot and was doing a lot of good work around the ground. Crowley was doing his best to stir up the EF players and supporters and got into a few tangles with Eardley I think and gave away a couple of 50 metre penalties. I thought in general Swans were a bit undisciplined in the first quarter and I had the feeling that they were slightly distracted by some of the physical stuff. The Sharks eventually got reward for their effort and it was only 1 point in favour of Swans at quarter time.
The breeze seemed to get a bit stronger in the 2nd quarter and Swans quickly set about using the wind advantage. Some good kicking into the forward 50. Cary kicked a couple of goals, one from a mile out and the ball was camped in Swans forward line for the first 12 minutes of the quarter. Blight and Ellard were prominent during this period and were both pretty consistent over the whole match.
At about the 12 minute mark, Swans led by 26 points and with another 15 -20 minutes left with the breeze I was anticipating an 8 goal advantage at half time, the way things were going. Then the whole momentum of the match changed. Firstly EF locked the ball in their forward line for 5- 6 minutes without scoring, where all those bounce downs took place. Then finally the Sharks broke the wall and kicked 3 in a hurry to go in only 10 points behind at half time. Hard to tell whether East Fremantle lifted or Swans eased off (probably a combination), but I was worried at half time because we seemed to be giving the opposition a sniff and the new blood in the home side appeared to be inspiring the experienced players.
The third quarter for Swans was all about minimising the damage into the breeze. EF started with a quick goal to get back to within a kick and their objective would have been to try and get 3 goals in front at three quarter time. This didn’t happen for a few reasons. The Sharks were a little hap hazard with their delivery into the forward 50, which played into the hands of experienced guys like Notte, Ames and Ugle who repelled attacks regularly and played the boundary line quite a lot. Then when EF finally got their noses in front, Swans went straight back into attack and we got a precious goal against the run of play thanks to a 50 metre penalty which put Noble in the goal square. We then had a good patch but missed 3 gettable goals. In particular I remember one where Ellard tried to kick around a corner when a simple drop punt might have gone through. The Sharks were missing at the other end as well though and Swans hung on to a one point lead at 3 quarter time.
If you just looked at the scoreboard you would be forgiven for thinking that Swans cruised home on the breeze with a 5 goal to one last quarter. The reality was that the Sharks were still very much in the game up till about the 15 minute mark, when it was still only a goal and a half the difference. A number of EF attacks were thwarted by some crunch defensive marks by Notte and Ames. They were contested and in the hot spot around 30 metres from their defensive goal. If they had not been taken, EF could have crumbed a few goals which would have made things pretty tight. Finally goals from Blight, Cary and Stewart helped us relax and enjoy the last 10 minutes but I think the scoreboard flattered us to some extent.
For Swans I thought Warwick Wilson did a lot of good hard stuff, he has really improved this year. Jesse Turner was prominent throughout, a fantastic tackle count for him , Ellard was a tough consistent player over 4 quarters, Notte and Ugle were great in defence as well as the champ Ames. Great he could have a win to celebrate his 250th. Freddie played his best game of the season. Crowley got 26 touches and a goal, just needs to keep his mind on the footy and forget the niggling. Cary played well but I think Ricky can sometimes be guilty of turning his back on better options down the ground when he takes a mark in the forward 50, 3 goals 4 today. Blight was good too, fingers crossed he can stay fit. Rogers recovered well from a poor first quarter. Banfield does a lot of pressuring of the ball carrier which often locks the ball into Swans forward line and would please the coaching staff no doubt.
Sharks can take a lot from todays game. They seem to have a number of promising young players who will take a while to learn the ropes but I think they are not far away from their first victory.
Swans would be very happy to be sitting at 4 -0 but it now gets a lot tougher with 3 games to come against finals contenders West Perth, Claremont and Subiaco.
