The Sydney Swans walked into a harsh reality check on Thursday night at the Gabba, suffering a 43-point defeat to the Brisbane Lions. While much of the post-match analysis has focused on Brisbane's statement as back-to-back premiers, the loss has placed a glaring spotlight on Sydney's premiership credentials.
Losses Against Top-Six Teams
It may only be Sydney's third loss of the season, but each defeat has come against a team in the top six: Hawthorn, Geelong, and now Brisbane. The Swans have yet to face ladder-leader Fremantle or last year's minor premiers Adelaide, both of whom are also in the top six. With those games looming, the pattern is concerning.
Scratch a little deeper, and Sydney's form over the past month has been alarming. They narrowly held on against 15th-placed Port Adelaide before the bye, scraped past 12th-placed St Kilda at the SCG, lost by 27 points to Geelong, and were fortunate to beat an injury-ravaged Collingwood in another thriller at the SCG. Red flags have been waving, and at the Gabba, the Swans were completely exposed.
Brisbane Dominates Despite Key Returns
Despite a brilliant performance from midfielder Chad Warner and the return of superstar Errol Gulden, the Lions made a mockery of Sydney's second-place standing. Sydney's forward line looked second-rate outside of star recruit Charlie Curnow. Key forward Joel Amartey managed only three touches from 68 per cent time on ground before departing with an Achilles injury. Small forwards Malcolm Rosas and Caiden Cleary each had seven touches without goals, while Logan McDonald also had seven touches and just one mark for a single goal. Ruckman Peter Ladhams, brought into the side for the game, is unlikely to retain his spot.
After the humbling defeat, Sydney coach Dean Cox warned his side cannot rely on a single tactic, as Brisbane easily nullified the Swans' handball game that had been so effective earlier in the season.
Cox's Assessment
“It didn’t help (that they shut down the handball game), but Brisbane were cleaner, tougher, hungrier — plain and simple,” Cox said of his side's sloppy ball movement. “You can’t just rely on one phase of your game to get going. We gave up eight shots from our kick-ins ... 20 shots from turnover, too many.”
Cox was critical of his side's workrate, with Warner a lone soldier at times, racking up four goals, 28 disposals, and eight clearances. “Some of the stuff he did around clearance ... he’d been a little inconsistent earlier in the year around centre bounce,” Cox said. “So to take the game forward ... he worked extremely hard.”
Cox also praised Curnow (three goals, 13 disposals) as he urged a response ahead of next week's clash with the Western Bulldogs. “He competed ... we didn’t have enough of them that wanted to go to the line for long enough,” the coach said. “(But) the next one’s important; that’s all I can get to, straight to the Bulldogs.”
Bulldogs Win Also Questionable
While the Swans defeated the Bulldogs earlier this season, that win also carries a question mark. In that game at Marvel Stadium, the Bulldogs were without key ruck Tim English, had lost superstar Sam Darcy for the season, were missing veteran midfielder Tom Liberatore, defenders Rory Lobb and James O’Donnell, and Aaron Naughton was stretchered off with a neck injury.
“Our sole intention is to get back to playing the footy we need to as quickly as we possibly can,” Cox said. But that may be easier said than done in the coming weeks. The Swans will make finals, but unless things change, it is hard to see them taking home silverware.
Cox said Gulden (18 touches, six tackles) would benefit from about 100 minutes of action in his return from shoulder surgery. There was also relief for Tom McCartin, who has a long history of concussions, after he was cleared after leaving the field in the second half.
