Starting the season with two losses, there were some who were ready to start writing the 2025 epitaph for the Sydney Swans, and they were ready to do it joyously.
I can remember one comment I read, in particular – “I don’t care who is in the Grand Final this year, I’m just happy it won’t be Sydney.”
I wouldn’t be so sure about that, bud.
The problem that surfaced in 2024, and continued to rear its ugly head, was that the Swans could not play four quarters of good, hard footy. It plagued them in the back half of 2024, and cost them their momentum as they headed toward finals. They’d play powerful bursts of good footy, and at times, it was enough to get them over the line, but in terms of complete games, they were few and far between. It was something the team failed to address, and coming into 2025, it was something I really wanted to see from them. I didn’t think they’d get back to deep in the finals without it.
I saw it in this game, and though their critics will state that it was “only against North Melbourne”, there is a such a thing at AFL level as establishing good habits, and putting together four-quarter performances is one of the most important habits to embed in a team.
The Kangaroos managed a couple of late goals to add a small element of respectability to the score line, but the second half was a ten-goals-to-three blitz, built on hard work, pressure, and being a class above.
In short, it was a mauling.
Plenty to get through in this one. Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Big Questions.
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