TOPIC:

Not all doom and gloom after all.

Most people put Swans as one of the bottom two contenders. Seems they took it to EP's AFL list with young players.

Hopefully some of the stronger clubs can flog them, and I'm sure Swans can do over Peel next week.

thing is mike, sides seem to raise their game when they can fly under the radar....everyone expects them to get hammered......big test for SD young side is that they have set a bench mark now, which all n sundry will be expecting them to achieve....that's where the pressure of expectation sets in......can SD repeat that effort week in week out?.....against lesser teams....I hope they can for your passionate lot of fans.....time will tell eh...still plenty of time for doom and gloom just yet.....only round 1 for you boys....fair few left still to play!....EF nosed dived pretty quick.....whilst WP and SF haven't yet left the runway.....Perth and Subi flying pretty high at present....whilst EP are doing what a private jet does best.....Cl been a bit slow to ascend, getting there.....whilst Peel haven't left the bloody hangar yet!

As Percy Johnson said this morning on 91.3, Swans were the better side on the day and it was obvious being there, Harding said in the paper it was the best footy we had played in his time at the club, and even ferral East Perth Eagles fans said at 3QT that we were the better side playing with much more spirit than them, so I pointed out that what the alignment does to ya, and he agreed. It also shows what a farce it is that the better side on the day by far can lose due to their 16 AFL players. This comp will be dead in 5 years in this keeps up

mikeh wrote: East Perth deserved to win today as they were the better team on the day so well done to them
However reflecting on the game, I felt Swans got a lot more positives out of it than their opponents. Swans were the better team for 3 quarters in that they had a lot more pace than their opposition who were reliant on their big blokes pulling down marks in their forward line. In general East Perth seemed to be a bit lumbering and top heavy for most of the day and this may be a problem for them when they come up against teams with a pacy midfield. I think the rain definitely came to the rescue of the home team in the last term as the game slowed down and became more physical and that's where the bigger AFL bodies came to the fore.

Another factor that I had not considered is that the non alignment teams have one advantage over EP and Peel because for example Swans train together as a group twice a week whereas the AFL players would train with their parent clubs and have little contact with the East Perth WAFL players during the week. This showed out a lot in the first three quarters as their team work appeared a little disjointed and Swans were all over them as far as desire was concerned until the rain slowed everyone down.

Overall I was rapt at the commitment and passion that the Swans boys demonstrated today. They put their bodies on the line for the club and the supporters all gave them a deserved rousing ovation as they came off the ground. I was quite surprised at the lack of noise coming from the East Perth supporters, it just didn't seem the same as it has been in previous years, I wonder if deep down most of the fans are in denial and hurting because they are still wearing blue and black gear but they know that they are now beholden to a team wearing blue and gold and all their achievements this year will be viewed through the lens of this unfair advantage that they and Peel have over the rest of the competition.

The better side on the day lost mate

Master G wrote: It was a amazing effort by the Swanies and I could been any prouder how they didnt take a backwards step , keep this up and we will be ok.

For sure mate, normally after a loss I have the blues for a few days but I woke up Sunday and today with a spring in my step as I am taking it as a win! Was a great effort

Interesting results from the NEAFL where reserves sides run rife:

Southport 12.16.88 def Gold Coast Suns 9.4.58

NT Thunder 14.11.95 def GWS Giants 9.15.69

Sydney Swans 12.17.89 def Brisbane Lions 4.11.35


Good to see two non aligned clubs have a win. I'm confident Swans, and other teams in the WAFL can do the same.

MikeXU1 wrote: Interesting results from the NEAFL where reserves sides run rife:

Southport 12.16.88 def Gold Coast Suns 9.4.58

NT Thunder 14.11.95 def GWS Giants 9.15.69

Sydney Swans 12.17.89 def Brisbane Lions 4.11.35


Good to see two non aligned clubs have a win. I'm confident Swans, and other teams in the WAFL can do the same.

Mike there is a massive gap between the WCE & Freo playing depth quality to GWS, GC, Bris & even Sydney!
And then of course the 2 AFL Reserves teams in WA get topped up by the likes of Smith, Johnson, Wulff, Jones, Garlett, Hawksley et al

You'll smash Peel. They have no depth in the reserves to replace the injuries they got in round one and the players they will lose Fremantle this week. 8 goals plus.

.....the question is which youngsters will tire first.....SD or Peels?

Please, nobody use the word fans anymore. We are supporters,not fans.

Fair call?