In this week’s Game Plan, midfield coach Leigh Tudor takes us through the differences in style between the fifth placed Hawks and the sixth-placed Swans.

WHEN we look back to last week, it was a real Jekyl l and Hyde performance by our boys.

In the first half against Port Adelaide we were not at the standard we like.

We didn’t need the stats to confirm it, as we could see it with our own eyes from the coaches’ box, but at half time we rolled out a few figures to make sure the players understood exactly where they were going wrong.

One clear indicator of our below par first half was the stat for uncontested possessions. In the first two quarters last Saturday night, Port Adelaide had 119 uncontested possessions, and we had 91.

That told us that we were letting Port get far too much easy ball and that our players weren’t finding their man quickly enough. We were winning the contested ball but if we didn’t use it properly the Port players were out in space and free.

Port were taking risks, spreading forward from stoppages really quickly, because if we had used it well they would have been caught out.

So after half time the players responded to the message and we turned things around significantly - we won the uncontested possessions count 128 to 79 in the second half of the game.

We started to use the ball better and outnumbered Port at the stoppages and the contest. We had numbers around the contest, worked well together and had some really good ball movement where the opposition didn’t touch it, which resulted in us kicking eight goals from stoppages compared to Port’s two.

When people think of the Swans they think of us as a strong contested ball team, and that’s certainly true, but there has to be a balance.

It certainly makes it easier to use the ball well if you’re not always under pressure when you win it, so we need to find ways to win some easier, uncontested ball.

From last week we learnt that when we win the contested ball, we need to be cleaner and use the ball well to take it all the way through to the forward line, which we did better in the second half.

And when we do turn it over, players need to find their direct opponent quick smart.
In that context, this Sunday’s game is a real challenge because at the moment Hawthorn are the best uncontested ball winners in the competition.

It makes for a real game of opposites this Sunday between us and the Hawks.

For Hawthorn so far this season, 64% of their ball has been gathered in an uncontested situation, and 36% has been won in a contest. That’s the highest uncontested ball percentage in the AFL.

They are also number one for uncontested marks and short kicks as they share it around with each other.

At the Swans we play a different style. Only 52% of our possession is won in an uncontested situation, while 48% is contested - the highest in the AFL.

Hawthorn have changed their style this year. They used to mark the ball, wheel and go, with a lot of left footers who would kick long. Now they have slowed up their game and chip it around till they see an opening and move it quickly forward.

So on Sunday we need to make sure we play to our strengths, which is winning the contested ball, but then keep the ball and score - and if there is a turnover we have to man-up quickly.

Cyril Rioli is a big inclusion for them and it will be interesting to see if he plays in the midfield after his recent hamstring problems. And then we’ll also be interested to see how much time Jarryd Roughead spends in the ruck.

We were really pleased with Lewis Roberts-Thomson’s first game back last weekend. In the ruck he was really competitive and the midfielders really liked having him in there. His second efforts were good and he was dangerous when he went forward -  he took a contested mark and kicked a goal so he did everything we wanted him to do.