With the AFL ladder packed and teams all the way from fourth to 13th fighting for a spot in the finals, eighth-placed Sydney aren’t looking any more than a quarter ahead at a time.
The Swans continued to surge into finals contention with their 67-point victory against Gold Coast but will face a real test against local rivals Greater Western Sydney in the derby, at Spotless Stadium, on Saturday.
Sydney started the season with six straight losses but have a new lease on life after five consecutive victories.
Flanked by Swans captain Josh Kennedy on Monday, coach John Longmire said the competition has been “mentally challenging” no matter what a team’s place on the ladder, and that was even the case for second-placed GWS.
“Obviously the slow start means that we don’t really have much room for error so we’ve got to keep going,” Longmire said.
“There’s just no respite and you need to be able to show your resilience for the whole year.”
Longmire said the Swans cannot afford to start slow as they did against the Suns because it opens doors for quality teams, such as the Giants, to score heavily.
“It’s really tough, you’re living quarter to quarter,” he said.
“That’s all teams, not just us, but … the momentum swings in games are so extreme at different times that you need to make sure that you absolutely live in the moment.”
Kennedy has his own to-do list, hoping to return after a late scratching on Saturday due to tightness in his quad, while also edging closer to his 200th game, which he’ll likely reach against his former club Hawthorn, at the MCG on July 28.
But the skipper’s perspective remains in line with Longmire’s.
“We’ll be focusing on this week and, as everyone’s mentioned, there’s a lot on the line each week so we can’t look further than that,” Kennedy said.
“I think that’s probably what we learnt from early on in the season, certainly not looking too far ahead.”
Swannies
Guest
Could be a prelude to the Grand Final
Sydney Steve
Guest
Agreed that the swannies should come in confident. However GWS has absolutely dished it out to us recently and they seem to match up quite well on us. So it will be a real test. If Greene comes back i think its a 50-50. I also agree that the swans are a better team this year, a number of players have elevated their games - lloyd, heeney, paps (can play midfield now), jones, sam reid amongst some very handy new additions - newman, malican, florent etc. A looong way to go (particularly in this season) but anything is possible
Asd
Guest
A close 1 I would say but who knows the weather may well play a part
Sydneygirl
Guest
GWS always seem to play a bash and crash type of football against Sydney. Be good to see Kennedy back but an even contribution from all players is what is needed for us to win. Should be a good game. Go Sydney.
Wayne
Guest
A red and white hot go :0)
Jewels
Roar Rookie
Brilliant that our magnificent captain (hopefully) brings up his 200 where it all began for him, at the MCG against his old club. After a shaky start he has become the strong captain we all knew he would be, lifts when he needs to and most importantly, brings his team mates along with him. Deserving of the Norm Smith last year, was the best player on the field by a country mile, but I'm glad he didn't win it as it would have been a hollow win. I love that my team, after losing those first six games, didn't sit back and work on a high draft pick, instead they have chosen to fight the season out and if it all goes pear shaped from here, that's life, they gave it a red hot go! Go Swans!
Roger of Sydney
Guest
This is the first time in a couple of years that the Swans should be confident over GWS. The Swans are mean at the ball and GWS seem to have lost their shine a bit his year. If Rohan can hold down the full forward position and buddy does three of four, they will be tough to beat. Should have won the GF last year but we are a better team this year. Injuries will decide where the Swans finish more than opponents.