https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/af...s/news-story/8edb61df4a396e3de0370b93fb0b7e27
If there was any doubt about Sydney’s premiership chances, John Longmire’s side delivered a warning for the rest of the competition on the eve of the finals getting underway.
What’s more, Sydney’s 27-point victory over Collingwood has put them in the “box seat” to snare a vital top two position.
Should they, as expected, beat St Kilda, who are mathematically a chance of scraping into the finals, next weekend they will seal the double chance. With Melbourne and Brisbane, who have fractionally lower percentages, meeting at the Gabba it’s likely the Swans will then pass the winner and claim second.
It means the Swans could set up camp at the SCG all the way up until a Grand Final at the MCG.
St Kilda great Leigh Montagna said Sydney’s pressure had elevated their game, and highlighted the advantage of snaring a top two finish.
“I must admit I’ve been a bit slow to come to the party with Sydney,” Montagna said on First Crack.
“We’ve known about their offence and their ability to score off turnover. We’ve sort of always raved about their defence, particularly with the (Paddy and Tom) McCartins, but what I’ve been impressed with is they’re continually improving their contestable pressure game.
“At the start of the year it was inconsistent, and we touched upon it in games and even in quarters, but the last six or eight weeks their contestable and pressure numbers have been through the roof, which is now elevating them.
“They are in the box seat, absolutely, to get that home qualifying final, avoid Geelong, and stay in Sydney all the way through to the grand final. It’s hard to win in Sydney.”
It’s an extraordinary turnaround for the Swans.
It was only in 2019 the Swans finished 15th on the ladder. They lost 1048 caps of experience due to retirements of Jarrad McVeigh, Kieran Jack, Heath Grundy and Nick Smith.
A year later the Swans finished 16th.
But the rise and rise of the Swans has come quickly and been sped up by John Longmire, according to David King.
“Mine is the Book of John, John Longmire,” King said.
“He’s done a wonderful job with the Sydney Swans — and right now, they’re a force to be reckoned with.
“We’ve been talking about them coming to fruition over the last couple of seasons, but I look at their team today and they’re averaging 110 games of experience. That’s pretty solid, that’s ranked seventh in the AFL this round. The top four: Geelong, Richmond, Brisbane, Melbourne, so they’re ahead of time. Geelong averaged 145 games - that’s an extra season-and-a-half per player. I think the Swans have come ahead of time to this position.
“We always said that 2023 was their big opportunity, but the way they are playing now, it’s hard not to fall in love with what they do in terms of how they deny the opposition, what they do with the ball, they’ve got matchwinners all over the park, and these young players are taking giant strides.
“We’ve been a fan of them for a while, I didn’t think they would be as far down the track as what they are right now.”
John Longmire has the Swans on track to snare a top two finish in the AFL just two years after finishing 16th. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Despite making a small comeback in the second quarter, Collingwood never looked like threatening the Swans on Sunday, whose 11 match winning streak came to an end.
“I thought the coaching performance today was an absolute masterclass. He disarmed Collingwood today,” King said of Longmire.
“What I liked today was John Longmire’s ability to turn Collingwood’s strength into a weakness.
“It happens time and time again across the course of the game, from where Collingwood wants to get numbers to where the football is. Once it’s a live ball, they will swarm, they’ll overinvest at the football, so they’ll come in around the football. The Swans held their width, so they were never beaten on the outside, they weren’t able to get their game going because even if they won the ball Collingwood they were confronted with immediate, frontal pressure, and when they didn’t win the ball, the Swans flicked it to the outside and had their fun on the outside.
“They (the Swans) controlled the game with uncontested marks when they needed to but more immediately they got it on the scoreboard and totally disarmed their big weapons.”
Isaac Heeney is carried off the field after victory to celebrate his 150th game at the Sydney Cricket Ground on August 14, 2022. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
King highlighted the brilliance of Isaac Heeney, who celebrated his 150th match in style, in showcasing everything right with the Swans.
The 26-year-old’s run and touch for Buddy Franklin to kick a matchsealing goal was sublime.
“Isaac Heeney is a player we always talk about, but we’re drawn to the stars... the Swans scored 22 times and he was involved in 10 of them,” King said.
“He’s clearly a dominate force in that forward line... I just think it’s an awesome bit of vision to show that the stars, they don’t just let expect the ball to be delivered to them, or wait for the game to come to them, they go and make the play.
“He’s a super talent, this guy, he’s a Norm Smith Medallist type of player. That hybrid forward that kicks goal. He’s not quite outside of that, but they’ve probably got two or three players like that.”
If there was any doubt about Sydney’s premiership chances, John Longmire’s side delivered a warning for the rest of the competition on the eve of the finals getting underway.
What’s more, Sydney’s 27-point victory over Collingwood has put them in the “box seat” to snare a vital top two position.
Should they, as expected, beat St Kilda, who are mathematically a chance of scraping into the finals, next weekend they will seal the double chance. With Melbourne and Brisbane, who have fractionally lower percentages, meeting at the Gabba it’s likely the Swans will then pass the winner and claim second.
It means the Swans could set up camp at the SCG all the way up until a Grand Final at the MCG.
St Kilda great Leigh Montagna said Sydney’s pressure had elevated their game, and highlighted the advantage of snaring a top two finish.
“I must admit I’ve been a bit slow to come to the party with Sydney,” Montagna said on First Crack.
“We’ve known about their offence and their ability to score off turnover. We’ve sort of always raved about their defence, particularly with the (Paddy and Tom) McCartins, but what I’ve been impressed with is they’re continually improving their contestable pressure game.
“At the start of the year it was inconsistent, and we touched upon it in games and even in quarters, but the last six or eight weeks their contestable and pressure numbers have been through the roof, which is now elevating them.
“They are in the box seat, absolutely, to get that home qualifying final, avoid Geelong, and stay in Sydney all the way through to the grand final. It’s hard to win in Sydney.”
It’s an extraordinary turnaround for the Swans.
It was only in 2019 the Swans finished 15th on the ladder. They lost 1048 caps of experience due to retirements of Jarrad McVeigh, Kieran Jack, Heath Grundy and Nick Smith.
A year later the Swans finished 16th.
But the rise and rise of the Swans has come quickly and been sped up by John Longmire, according to David King.
“Mine is the Book of John, John Longmire,” King said.
“He’s done a wonderful job with the Sydney Swans — and right now, they’re a force to be reckoned with.
“We’ve been talking about them coming to fruition over the last couple of seasons, but I look at their team today and they’re averaging 110 games of experience. That’s pretty solid, that’s ranked seventh in the AFL this round. The top four: Geelong, Richmond, Brisbane, Melbourne, so they’re ahead of time. Geelong averaged 145 games - that’s an extra season-and-a-half per player. I think the Swans have come ahead of time to this position.
“We always said that 2023 was their big opportunity, but the way they are playing now, it’s hard not to fall in love with what they do in terms of how they deny the opposition, what they do with the ball, they’ve got matchwinners all over the park, and these young players are taking giant strides.
“We’ve been a fan of them for a while, I didn’t think they would be as far down the track as what they are right now.”
John Longmire has the Swans on track to snare a top two finish in the AFL just two years after finishing 16th. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Despite making a small comeback in the second quarter, Collingwood never looked like threatening the Swans on Sunday, whose 11 match winning streak came to an end.
“I thought the coaching performance today was an absolute masterclass. He disarmed Collingwood today,” King said of Longmire.
“What I liked today was John Longmire’s ability to turn Collingwood’s strength into a weakness.
“It happens time and time again across the course of the game, from where Collingwood wants to get numbers to where the football is. Once it’s a live ball, they will swarm, they’ll overinvest at the football, so they’ll come in around the football. The Swans held their width, so they were never beaten on the outside, they weren’t able to get their game going because even if they won the ball Collingwood they were confronted with immediate, frontal pressure, and when they didn’t win the ball, the Swans flicked it to the outside and had their fun on the outside.
“They (the Swans) controlled the game with uncontested marks when they needed to but more immediately they got it on the scoreboard and totally disarmed their big weapons.”
Isaac Heeney is carried off the field after victory to celebrate his 150th game at the Sydney Cricket Ground on August 14, 2022. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
King highlighted the brilliance of Isaac Heeney, who celebrated his 150th match in style, in showcasing everything right with the Swans.
The 26-year-old’s run and touch for Buddy Franklin to kick a matchsealing goal was sublime.
“Isaac Heeney is a player we always talk about, but we’re drawn to the stars... the Swans scored 22 times and he was involved in 10 of them,” King said.
“He’s clearly a dominate force in that forward line... I just think it’s an awesome bit of vision to show that the stars, they don’t just let expect the ball to be delivered to them, or wait for the game to come to them, they go and make the play.
“He’s a super talent, this guy, he’s a Norm Smith Medallist type of player. That hybrid forward that kicks goal. He’s not quite outside of that, but they’ve probably got two or three players like that.”
