The Swans may have just cost themselves a top four shot. John Longmire must be fuming.
As Jason Johannisen’s kick sailed through the big sticks with less than five seconds to run on the clock, Longmire must have been feeling a sense of deja vu. Back in Round 8, the Swans sensationally lost after the siren to the Tigers at the MCG, on the back of a brilliant kick from Sam Lloyd.
These close losses are becoming a concern, and may prove the difference in the Swans’ pursuit for a top-four position.
Much like Round 8, the Swans were unable to shut down the opposition streaming forward and holes were created in their defence. As much as Caleb Daniel’s vision was remarkable, the Swans still allowed a hole around 40 metres from goal.
Round 4 is another example of the Swans inability to close out games, squandering an opportunity to defeat Adelaide away from home, losing the match by only ten points. In this game, the Swans had a launching pad, gaining a lead in the last quarter, before conceding the last two goals of the game.
With the competition so even and every game like a mini final, this loss would have cut Longmire deep.
The Swans need to find more composure late in games. Dean Towers in Round 8 decided against using the short option to Lance Franklin with under a minute to go, instead choosing to kicking the ball long to a 50/50 contest, which ended in the hands of the Tigers defence.
An inability to lock the ball inside their attacking 50 proved costly against the Tigers, a game they should have won if not for errant goal kicking and a lack of defensive prowess. However against the Dogs the Swans were exposed on a structural level and were unable to tighten their defence and maintain possession of the ball.
Their star power exceeds that of most clubs, with the likes of Dan Hanneberry, Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker, Lance Franklin, Kieran Jack and Tom Mitchell continuously setting the benchmark for the competition
So why do the Swans keep squandering match-winning leads late in games?
The Swans face a tricky run home, facing the Cats at Simmonds Stadium, the Hawks at home, North Melbourne in Tasmania and a couple of danger games against Fremantle in Perth and St Kilda in Melbourne.
The Swans are simply too good not to finish in the top four, but sometimes football simply does not work like that. The team may have shot themselves in the foot.
Kurt Tippett is already proving to be a massive loss and the club’s medical staff need to work around the clock to ensure he becomes fit and the penultimate stage of the season.
Longmire needs to bring out the drawing board, analyse what has gone wrong in three costly losses and seek to rectify them before the most even finals series in recent memory.
The signs are indicating the coveted finals spot is in serious danger now.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Everything is just working for Sydney right now, sitting on top of the ladder, one game and a whopping 27% clear of their nearest rival.
Bayley Fritsch should become an even more important player from a structural perspective, given key forward Jacob van Rooyen will be unavailable due to concussion.
Tom Hawkins returns to familiar surroundings of Geelong - but is it the tonic he needs to regain some of his confidence back after a goalless four games.
Jeremy Finlayson should be a welcome addition to the Port Adelaide forward line after kicking four goals in the SANFL last week.
Last, year in the second showdown, Adelaide destroyed Port by 47 points with a staggering 20 marks inside 50 with Tex Walker the main star.
There’s no disputing that Cam Guthrie will be important against Melbourne, given Patrick Dangerfield is set to miss due to injury.
