Sydney have set the benchmark for applying pressure on AFL opponents, but it went missing at the start of their 37-point loss to Hawthorn on Saturday night.
That and poor ball use are the main concerns for coach John Longmire ahead of next weekend’s clash with Fremantle at the SCG.
Given the Dockers’ fanatical workrate under coach Ross Lyon, they are two problems the Swans will have to fix in a hurry.
Sydney never recovered from a poor start, where the Hawks kicked the first four goals and had a 40-point lead at halftime in the grand final rematch.
“To let a team like Hawthorn get away the way they did, it put us behind the eight ball a bit,” Longmire said.
“Our ball use in general wasn’t great compared to theirs – they were able to use the ball pretty well, particularly from the back half.
“We didn’t put enough pressure on them when we needed to and they were able to get a few too many uncontested marks.
“When it was our turn – and we had a few turns with it – we didn’t really use it as well or as efficiently going forward as we should have.”
Swans defender Heath Grundy also conceded that Hawthorn had plenty of motivation to hit them hard, given last September’s upset grand final loss.
“Definitely – they’d be silly not to after last year,” Grundy said.
“Any team would and to their credit, they did it.
“They brought the pressure … that we didn’t match in the first quarter.”
One highlight from the game was star utility Adam Goodes, who made a big difference when he went into the midfield.
Goodes was prominent in the last term when Sydney reduced the margin to four goals and briefly gave Hawthorn a scare.
Longmire noted they needed the two-time Brownlow Medallist in the midfield and up forward at the same time.
“Goodesy, when he went in there (midfield), was fantastic,” Longmire said.
“He was running really strongly – it’s probably the best I’ve seen him run and join in for a couple of years in our midfield mix.
“Because of the circumstances … and we were chasing our tails a bit, he was able go in there and give us some real life and run in that midfield group.”
