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I missed the Lady Luck part. Sorry, wasn't watching the Swans interchange. Were they down to 16 players or something? I saw one big swannie go down but apologies if I missed the other ones. Dont get the ABC coverage in the can bar.

The sinking feeling that most Swans fans have now is that it will take a massive turn around to prevent a rather tame end to the season in 2 weeks. How can we even consider that we are going to beat a team that so comprehensively thrashed us today?
I know it will be a new day and the score starts at zero again but I just cannot see how they can turn this around in such a short space of time. There are also injury and tribunal concerns for some key players. 2 weeks may not be enough for Ames to get over his hamstring and he would be a massive loss for a final.

If it all ends in 2 weeks as appears likely now, I hope people will reflect and put this season in a perspective of the pre season predictions of gloom and doom. Swans won 12 games and qualified for the finals, which nobody expected them to do given their player losses and lack of recruitment. They produced a wonderful brand of football in the first half of the season based on a belief that they were better than what their critics thought. They were exciting to watch and played fearless footy. Eventually though their inadequacies have been exposed by the opposition especially in the last 5 or 6 weeks. I am still proud of what they have achieved this year and if it is their Swansong in 2 weeks. I will be at ATOM stadium or Bassendean Oval to cheer them off and thank them for their wholehearted efforts in 2014.

Absolutely Mike - maybe the week's rest will be a good thing to rest some weary bones
Best thing Harding could do is get the lads away together even if it is by bus to the Subi v EF game next week
September stuff is a whole new ballgame seen it so many times over the years
Today the spirit was evident

It is all so interchangeable. Swans flogged the sharks at Basso and now the Sharks win at upandatom park or whatever the faark it's called. If Swannies win the semi then congrats to them as it's all about what you bring on the day. Second quarter Sharks looked like world beaters today but it means sweet fa if they come out over the next two weeks and play like they did against the puppies, although at the moment the pups are up there as the best team in the comp with the tigers. The oxygen thief eagles don't count.

Southerner wrote: Absolutely Mike - maybe the week's rest will be a good thing to rest some weary bones
Best thing Harding could do is get the lads away together even if it is by bus to the Subi v EF game next week
September stuff is a whole new ballgame seen it so many times over the years
Today the spirit was evident

too true southerner......still a few more twists and turns yet to come I reckon....funny old season......SD now playing like a lot of footy folk thought they would at the beginning of the season.....SF playing now how many people thought they would at the start of the season.....Hase resigns and now SF are firing on all cylinders in their remaining dead rubbers.....WP have never really got going after their flag win last year.....Subi looking the goods all year until a slight wobble of late.....CL started like Peel and finishing like the Cl of old......Perth once again unable to walk the talk....EF doing what they do best.....win a few on the trot then lose a few on the trot....and EP & Peel doing what all n sundry thought they would do this year.......strange old year this one!

Shark Tragic wrote: I missed the Lady Luck part. Sorry, wasn't watching the Swans interchange. Were they down to 16 players or something? I saw one big swannie go down but apologies if I missed the other ones. Dont get the ABC coverage in the can bar.

Bokehurst and Ames did not reappear after the first ten minutes of play and others played on with obvious injuries.

With our penchant for running teams into good form of late maybe Harding should organise an intraclub scratch match for next weekend!!

Somehow over the next few weeks Harding needs to recreate that anger and the 'us vs them' feeling that drove them to prove wrong the critics who were writing them off. The difference is of course that in March they were all fresh and fit. Now there are a number of tired and injured bodies in the team and you wonder if they have it in them to lift again.

mikeh wrote: Somehow over the next few weeks Harding needs to recreate that anger and the 'us vs them' feeling that drove them to prove wrong the critics who were writing them off. The difference is of course that in March they were all fresh and fit. Now there are a number of tired and injured bodies in the team and you wonder if they have it in them to lift again.

Mikeh what changes should we make for the game in two weeks' time? Perhaps bring a player in like Rudy Riddoch might provide some much needed drive into our forward line.

Notwithstanding the result on Saturday and in the context of the past few games, I don't think it is all doom and gloom. We have had a remarkably good season given the loss of players from last season and the forecast that we would finish last by all the experts. Perspective is what is needed now and a huge support for the boys in the semi-final. Looking forward we have some good prospects coming through the colts.

Also, given the loss of key players so early in the game on Saturday the boys never threw the towel in and I suspect that that fight will help us overcome East Freo in the semi-final.

swan42 wrote:

mikeh wrote: Somehow over the next few weeks Harding needs to recreate that anger and the 'us vs them' feeling that drove them to prove wrong the critics who were writing them off. The difference is of course that in March they were all fresh and fit. Now there are a number of tired and injured bodies in the team and you wonder if they have it in them to lift again.

Mikeh what changes should we make for the game in two weeks' time? Perhaps bring a player in like Rudy Riddoch might provide some much needed drive into our forward line.

Notwithstanding the result on Saturday and in the context of the past few games, I don't think it is all doom and gloom. We have had a remarkably good season given the loss of players from last season and the forecast that we would finish last by all the experts. Perspective is what is needed now and a huge support for the boys in the semi-final. Looking forward we have some good prospects coming through the colts.

Also, given the loss of key players so early in the game on Saturday the boys never threw the towel in and I suspect that that fight will help us overcome East Freo in the semi-final.

Totally agree Swan42, The players do have the ability to turn things around however it appears that their self belief has taken a real hit in the last 5 or 6 games and that is hard to switch on again when a team loses it. It may just take a good quarter so you never know.

As for team selection, there will probably be a few forced changes due to the injuries so I would imagine that Riddoch will be one of those coming in and Burnham and Jesse Manton would also have to come under strong consideration if Boekhursts injury doesn't allow him to play. If Ames is out you would have to look at Latch to replace him. Otherwise I think we will have to go with the guys who have played so well all year to get Swans into the finals