Perched at the mid-season break bye weeks, little seems clear about this year in the AFL .Eighteen per cent of all games have finished with a margin less than a goal — the highest proportion since 1950.
The Bloods are no strangers to success, having played in four of the last 12 grand finals and rarely missing finals.Code words and the long game The Swans are no slouches from the front half, ranking second for points from front-half turnovers, but the real strength of their game has been from scoring from deep.Their transition from defence is not necessarily coming from quick play, as the Swans don't play on and kick the ball especially rapidly. Some players consider and weigh up the options, especially deeper in defence, before they try to find targets in dangerous or unexpected spots.
While intercepting less frequently than last year thanks to fewer opponent entries, he has been more effective in 2024 in creating scores with his intercepts.A solid defender in the air with extreme closing speed, Blakey is mesmerising with ball in hand. Sydney's intercepting may not be conventionally eye-catching, lacking the abundant dramatic intercept marks taken by the league's gun tall defenders. There's no single anchor like Steven May or Sam Taylor dictating terms in the air and shaping games with big marks.
Since 2023, Sydney has struggled to keep its biggest primary defenders on the park as Paddy McCartin was forced to retire and Tom McCartin has missed chunks of footy. With few proven options behind them, Sydney has replaced their impact by hunting as a pack. Sydney in attack can therefore play the angles and try plenty of risky forward plays, swinging the ball laterally, biting off difficult kicks, running through tacklers.
Sydney has been particularly dominant in the second half. In games against Essendon, GWS, Carlton and the Bulldogs, they either went down early or were right in a close dogfight in the first half before asserting themselves.
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