Sydney is playing like a bottom-four team, and it’s not Lance Franklin’s fault
LANCE Franklin is barely training because of a heel injury but he is the least of Sydney’s problems. The Swans are playing like a bottom-four team and the stats are damning.
Sydney
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SYDNEY is playing a brand of football reflective of a bottom-four club.
The Swans tumbled from fourth to ninth on the ladder after their 43-point loss to Essendon last Friday night, but they were in free fall well before that.
These results do not come as a total surprise.
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Their top-four ladder position flattered them going into Round 19 as they were a shell of the side we have grown to admire in recent years due to their consistent honesty and ruthlessness.
The Swans were dramatically exposed for all their current frailties against Essendon and it is highly unlikely that they can recover and see September action.
Think of everything we have come to respect and admire about the Richmond Football Club in the past 18 months.
The first thing that springs to mind is their ability to move the ball quickly and then lock the ball in their front half of the ground through relentless pressure.
There is no secret to how the Tigers break teams in the last quarter of matches. The dam wall cannot withstand the Tiger barrage of repeat forward-50 entries and brutal tackling.
Sydney is the opposite of that.
If you think it’s overly dramatic to rate them as a bottom-four side, the statistics are damning.
In the past five weeks, Sydney has conceded the most inside-50s in the competition, created the fewest forward-half turnovers and had the ball live in their defensive half for a whopping 15-and-a-half minutes more than its opposition.
Forget about Dane Rampe and Nick Smith trying to create some run and carry off half-back, they are too busy gasping for air waiting for the next hand grenade to come their way in the form of a Sherrin.
As good as Aliir Aliir has been taking countless intercept marks, he’s getting plenty of opportunities when his team concedes more inside-50s than any other club.
In fairness, Aliir has been their shining light in recent weeks, but it got too much even for him last Friday night as Essendon piled on four goals and eight behinds to Sydney’s one point in the last quarter.
Even Gold Coast, which hadn’t won a game for 11 weeks, was able to dominate the territory battle against Sydney and kicked 11 goals to two after quarter-time.
The Swans have lost four of their past five games and will be underdogs in their games against Collingwood, Melbourne, GWS and Hawthorn.
Just like Sydney, Collingwood has been decimated by injuries this season, but it remains a strong chance of having finals success because of the brand of football it plays.
Very much like Richmond, the Pies will overwhelm the opposition with pressure and, if you have that, you will always remain competitive.
Pressure is what this proud Sydney group has lost. The Swans have lost their competitive edge.
Lance Franklin has been discussed a lot after being held goalless by Gold Coast’s Rory Thompson and then beaten by Essendon’s Michael Hurley last weekend.
Buddy may not be training much because of his heel injury, but he is the least of the Swans’ problems.
Their midfield is a mess due to a lack of depth and the way they are being beaten at the contest and on the spread.
Essendon had 72 inside-50s to Sydney’s 39 last weekend, so what chance did Buddy or the rest of his forward teammates have?
Dan Hannebery and Kieran Jack are banged up, Josh Kennedy is soldiering on but playing sore, while Luke Parker and Isaac Heeney are down on form because they are lacking support and being asked to fill two roles as midfielders and forwards.
Sydney has been renowned for winning the arm-wrestle when a match is up for grabs. We have seen it for years, particularly at the SCG where they wear down teams.
In 2018, opposition teams believe they can go to the SCG and win. The Swans have lost five of their past nine at the SCG because they are being overpowered by deeper midfields. The Swans are no longer the tough, uncompromising midfield group they once were.
Once again, they are ranked in the bottom four for contested and uncontested ball in the midfield during this five-week period.
Saturday night is do or die for the Swans and another loss could squash the likelihood of champions Jarrad McVeigh, Heath Grundy and Kieran Jack playing on next year as the Swans look to start regenerating the list if this downward spiral were to continue.
In boxing parlance, Sydney is on the canvas with a standing eight count being called by the referee.
If they do not bring their absolute best, Collingwood looks set to land the knockout blow.
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