Highlights: Swans swoop into top four with win over Saints

You still weren't that brilliant when you beat us. But I maintain your last quarter in that game was some of the best examples of absorbing pressure I've ever seen.

All teams aim for the top four - it doesn't matter how they get there, getting there is the important part. It's a long season, and Fremantle have probably taken the foot off the pedal since half-way through the season. But, that's the advantage of having a great start to the season. The real action starts in the finals, but you don't want to spend too much energy towards the end of the home and away season. Remember Essendon in 2001? Spent too much energy playing catch up games, and they were cooked by the Grand Final. I think both Fremantle and Sydney are positioned well for the finals. We'll completely forget about their big losses to Hawthorn, if they both get into the Grand Final.

Turned out okay because of the lacklustre game. Let's say Sydney matched Hawthorn's intensity like a grand finalist is supposed to. If that is the output Cyril had when they had a walk in the park, how would his lack of match practice have held up in an actual competitive game? This is all irrelevant because McGlynn is not Cyril Rioli. And it's not that I don't rate McGlynn, because he's a gun. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Heeney's fine, Rohan was brilliant in last year's finals, Buddy should only get better, we need Tippett for the ruck, Goodes is in good form and has finals experience, and Cunningham has had more game time this year than McGlynn. There's just no room for him unfortunately. I don't know at what point we went from completely lacking weapons to having too many. Oh wait, yes I do. It was when our midfielders got their s*** together and realized they could score goals and alleviate some of the pressure too.

Hee, Heee Heeeee! They looked a lot better than Freo at "the point in the year" when they played Freo didn't they? Chortle, chortle...

9 touches is a major possession game for Cyril.

Kurt Tippett won't forget at least 2 of those 9 incredible touches! He's a game changer.

Don, in the last two weeks we've looked better than Fremantle has at any point this year. So don't preach about discounting a team when it's precisely what you're doing. And can I ask, if Freo have struggled to get their best side on the park this year (as have Sydney), why then is Ross Lyon considering throwing it all out of whack in the last round by sitting players out? Sydney have just won back-to-back games by 89 and 97 points. Yes it was against poor opposition both times, but it says a lot about where our form is at as a team right now. Next week we have Gold Coast, and if we maintain this level, we'd be going into the Fremantle game in top form, with a team that's almost entirely settled. Compare that with Freo, who just had two consecutive losses, a win over Melbourne, and then you're going to finish by intentionally sitting some of your best players out. I know what Fremantle's best can look like, and it's brilliant. But it's been missing since round eight. I think you may beat us if we meet in that qualifying final, but I'm saying before you take such confidence into a game, look at the two teams and where they're at form-wise.

Come on, don't be silly, of course he didn't do that. But he did have some deft touches, set up a few goals. The whole team won the game for Hawthorn, but what I thought was a totally crazy decision by Clarkson, turned out OK.

Oh yes, Cyril won that game by 63 points. With his nine touches and zero goals.

What all the "I'm not convinced.." brigade are not aware of is that Freo have finally been able to re-unite McPharlin, Dawson and Johnson in what was already the AFL's best defence. Buddy has no answer to LukeyMac and Tippett has no teeth against Dawson in defence and Sandi in the ruck. With McVeigh and Jack lost in yesteryear, it is basically Hannebery and Kennedy against the best midfield in the AFL. By the end of the season, Freo will also have reunited Pav with Walters and Ballas. That frees Mayne and the midfield to do what they do best. Add that to Fyfe reuniting with a full midfield....

Don, I think any team would be rather foolish to discount any team in the top 8. Freeo have earned the respect from the rest of the competition. My point is the Swans have blown a lot of opportunities not through ability but through not trying. I think that has passed so should be a good game but as I am sure the Swans know what their up against it will be interesting to see if Freeo think the same Good luck, I like the West Teams.

Roger, you seem to have forgotten what Freo can do...and does do...and has done this year. Good luck.

Don't forget that Hawthorn brought in Cyril RIoli into last year's Grand Final, after having missed eight games. I thought that was a silly mistake, but it turned out to be a masterstroke.

Sydney have always looked like they were cruising this year, and then cruising moved into not trying, then not trying turned in to forgot how to turn up and play. That has passed, they are 90% back to where they need to be an have got plenty of skill to burn. kennedy is the key to the Swans, he feeds Hannebury and then the ball comes. A classic example to what Michael said about Buddy, Goodes runs inside 50 , clear shot at goal and passes to Buddy with the ball going out. Buddy would be great if fit , he looked no where like fit and we have the personnel to do the work now. Swans should account for Freeo, most commentators have forgotten what the Swans can do and they were in the grand final last year.

We're better without him, but doesn't mean he's not crucial. How does that not make sense to you? Are Hawthorn better without Buddy? Maybe. But they'd still have him in their team every week if they could. As for McGlynn, my point is that Longmire has made his bed by keeping him out for an extra week over Rohan, Heeney, Cunningham etc, so to bring in an injured player whose lacked game-time throughout the season in September is just plain dumb. He's executed his plan to bring in Franklin, which is fine, but he's got to stick with it and try and get this squad that's been practically flawless the last two weeks ready for finals. I don't want to be seeing James Rose, McGlynn, Bird etc making appearances this close to the end of the year. Without McGlynn we still have enough firepower to trouble your side.

So you "honestly" believe you are better without Buddy so you recommend they "keep Buddy in and leave McGlynn out"? Hmmm!

Hard to know where it all sits at the moment. West Coast battered by Adelaide today, Hawthorn losing last week to Port Adelaide, and only having to play Brisbane and Carlton to finish off the home away season. Fremantle losing two in a row, beating Melbourne today, and the Swans now winning three in a row against lower teams. I agree that the Swans can match it with the best in the competition, but what should we look for in the finals? I did think that Hawthorn and West Coast (in that order) were a cut above Fremantle and Sydney, but West Coast looked very ordinary today. Sydney were very slick today, but it was only St Kilda (who, mind you, drew with Geelong, who just a few weeks ago smashed Sydney). Richmond have beaten three of the top four teams, but will (more than likely) sit outside the top four. On present form, it looks like it will be Fremantle v Sydney, West Coast v Hawthorn, Richmond v North, Bulldogs v Adelaide in the first week of the finals. Sydney probably have a better chance against Fremantle (than if they'd played West Coast or Hawthorn), but anything could happen – it could be a repeat of the 2013 Preliminary Final, where the Dockers absolutely thrashed the Swans with their intensity. You'd normally expect Hawthorn to defeat West Coast, but the Perth location could be a clincher for the Eagles (although Hawthorn did defeat the Eagles in Perth a few weeks ago by 14 points). Richmond have a 'Sydney 2005' feel about them, but haven't made it to the top four. For me, it's looking like a Fremantle v Hawthorn grand final. That of course, depends on whether results go according to plan, and for most of this season, things haven't gone to plan.

Once again, this game won't go anywhere in telling us how Sydney will go in September. But it says a lot about where they're currently at. They look like they're playing to win, and have done so since the Geelong loss. That's all I wanted to see for all of this season, because it was miserable watching them play so lifelessly and unenthusiastic. We are honestly better without Buddy. Our forward line has been functioning better than any point this season the last two weeks, and coincidentally, both games had little to do with Franklin. Heeney is a gun and would have cruised to the rising star if it weren't for his injuries. Tippett looks to be in good shape, and our midfield is actually utilising it's speed and two-way running, qualities that have been absent or too rare for most of the season. I think we need to leave the team as is. Keep McGlynn out, and keep Buddy in, but on the basis that we don't over-rely on him. He was at his best last season when he didn't have the ball delivered to him every five minutes but instead won his own possessions through his arthleticism. Surely the coaching staff can see we're more dangerous when he's not the focal point? As for our form, we're in with a shot. If we continue to play like we have the last few weeks, who knows. I'm not saying we'd beat Hawthorn or West Coast or Fremantle, but they wouldn't have the easy, lazy wins they had throughout the season, that's for sure. Our best is still the (equal) best. I've said it all year and I maintain it. They only need to realize and remember how good they actually are.