Concerning video footage has confirmed what I suspected. Sydney Swans players are hugging and embracing each other prior to running out on the field. Now, I am all for public displays of affection at the appropriate times. Getting all lovey dovey just before an AFL match is not that time. It sends the wrong message to the players themselves. This is not some love fest, this is a battle of wills and a physical contest of the top order. This is not the time for soft stuff. This is the wrong time for such touchy feely stuff. Hey Sydney, stop hugging and start contesting like you mean it.
No More Hugs Before A Game Swannies
Recent results are evidence of this. The Swans are not hard enough for long enough. They lack the mongrel spirit to get the job done against the most contested sides in the AFL. It is time to piss off this misguided cuddling and find some inner toughness. Embraces are for after the battle and not before. Simon Goodwin take your love boat ideas and put them away for another time. These blokes are bonded anyway, without such ancient Greek displays between warriors. Look each other in the eye and swear allegiance to the cause, but don’t get all soft before the game.
These Sydney Swans Don’t Play Like Bloods
Hey Sydney, I don’t want to see another pre-match embrace prior to running down the race. Find your own inner strength and play like a banshee running wild on the plains. Hunt in packs and tackle like you fucking mean it. If I see another half arsed, armsy tackle going high and being broken by an opponent I will cry. I can’t call you the Bloods because you don’t deserve that name. You don’t play like the Bloods. Hey Sydney, stop hugging and start contesting like you mean it.
Misapplied Love Therapy At The Wrong Time
Group therapy can be transforming for individuals and teams. But there is a time and place for group therapy and physical displays of affection. Hugging can be a healing experience. Doing such stuff right before the fight of your life is not a great idea. It is sending the wrong kind of message to the players. Embracing and hugging is about slowing things down. AFL is the opposite. AFL is fast and furious. Cuddling is not. This is a misapplication of therapy. This is dumb. I come from a group therapy background. I did a lot of transformational groups over the journey. My advice is embrace each other post-game. Express your love and admiration after the contest. Timing is everything in life and football. Young footballers are impressionable and the wrong kind of therapy can be harmful, even if meant for all the best of reasons. Ditch the love stuff before the contest! Do it before its damage cruels this season.

The Swan’s Defence A Leaking Love Boat
“The Sydney Swan’s defence is a leaky boat. These defenders just don’t defend enough when it matters. Tom McCartin standing off when his player is free, resulting in goals to Adelaide. Too many Sydney defenders guarding space when they need to be on a man. AFL has forgotten what a defence is really about, as there are too many attacking players who just cannot defend. Riley Bice has zero defensive skills and he is not alone in this regard back there. The only man on man defender in the Swans backline is Will Edwards and he is a rookie. Will Edwards struggles to take a mark when it really matters. You are not going to win a premiership with this leaky boat and winning finals look beyond this team right now.”
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Sirens may sing but Swannies must resist the allure of the pre-game hug!!!!