Daily Telegraph wrote:Under-fire Swans' backs against the Walls again
May 30, 2005
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story ... id=3202038
CHANNEL 10 commentator and all-Australian selector Robert Walls did not mince his words during Saturday night's AFL telecast into Sydney, Melbourne and around Australia of the Sydney Swans' defeat by St Kilda.
Walls has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Swans' game plan but took it a step further, urging Paul Roos and his coaching staff to change their thinking.
"I think Paul Roos has to change the way he coaches this team because the way it is going, they are unattractive to watch," said Walls.
"I just hope the Sydney coaching staff have a good look at where they are at because it is not too late to change things around.
"They give their supporters very little to get excited about.
"You've got a market up there that you've got to look after and I think there'll be a turn-off factor with this.
"It's OK if you win more games than you lose if you are playing that sort of football, but they are not going to do that and certainly they are not going to get anywhere near winning a premiership playing that defensive, slow moving of the ball, congested, take it to the boundary line type of football.
"Maybe it is the pressure of coaching in the Sydney market – where they believe they have to be in the top six or eight to keep up the interest," Walls said.
He also went on to say that while it may not have been the place of the chief executive officer of the AFL to criticise the Swans style last month, he had no doubt that "Andrew Demetriou was right".
There was a perception in football and in media circles that TV commentators toned down their criticism of the Swans around the time of their loss to Melbourne because of a concern for the impressionable Sydney market.
NSW was the only state in Australia where the AFL's TV ratings dropped last year.
Walls is a friend of Roos and his criticism is not personal. But it has been asked whether Walls, who is Roos former coach, would be as critical of a Leigh Matthews, Mick Malthouse or Kevin Sheedy?
The answer is probably yes.
The great thing about Walls is his honesty. His job as a commentator is to call it how he sees it. And in his opinion, he believes the way Sydney are playing is detrimental to the game and the Sydney market.
Many ardent Swans supporters don't like to hear Walls and Demetriou criticise their team but agree with much of what they say.
But what many critics and commentators of the Swans do not see is this team play every week.
The way the Swans played against St Kilda was not how they played against Essendon or Hawthorn.
And their game plan gets the most criticism on the weeks when the players do not implement it.
Any game plan that is not properly executed looks ordinary.
Before losing to St Kilda they defeated Essendon, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs by playing a more appealing brand of football.
Granted, you look better when you win and commentators reflect on the positive aspects of the performance.
But in those games – which did contain skill errors, goalkicking inaccuracy, low scoring and slow starts – the Swans did not go all-out defensive and appeared to be more attacking and direct.
So do the Swans pay certain opponents too much respect? Do they undervalue their own ability or do they simply not have the cattle?
Either way, one thing is certain, the Swans ugliness will be a talking point again this week.
I love my footy team but gee, I must even admit that watching the game the other night was very difficult. The commentary from Walls didn't help either as it was just constant attacks on the Swans. That said I feel he is right in what he's saying. What was annoying however was he sounded like he was enjoying it and would go silent when the Swans did something right or a terrible umpiring decision went against them. I hope Roos takes note, doubt it though based on his comments in the press today.
One thing is certain, the people of NSW are not liking the Swans gameplan with TV ratings down. The most worrying part for me as a Swans fan is I don't think Roos has any other game plan. We certainly wont be winning a premiership in 2005 with the current game plan. The premiership drought continues.
Sadest part is, if Roos gets us to scrape into the finals, he will be congratulated for another successful season.
