Lessons learned: Swans find a way, again, while Port show us something
Heroic second-half performances from their superstar leaders spurred Sydney to a third win on the trot as they overcame a 20-point deficit to topple a gallant Port Adelaide outfit at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
Chad Warner and Isaac Heeney shone as the game went on, but it was a particularly brilliant piece of ruckwork from Brodie Grundy that sealed the deal on this one as the Swans held on in the dying seconds to win 13.12 (90) to 14.9 (93).
Thrillers like this are always fun (unless you’re a fan of the losing side, I guess), but not always are they so enlightening. Oftentimes, you can watch a game come down to the wire, and not learn much about either team at all, kind of like earlier this afternoon when North beat West Coast and we as a footy public seemed all the poorer for having watched that slop.
This was not the case tonight. We were given plenty to sink our teeth into, in a game that provided more food for thought than I initially anticipated.
Prior to reviewing a game, I always like to consider the level of footy I’ll be watching, and if I’m being honest, I came into this one a little apprehensive. I did not hold much hope for Port Adelaide, and I expected a fairly comfortable Swans win (despite our resident Mongrel writer Swans fans doing their best to make me aware of the threat the Power posed to them).
How wrong I was.
Instead, Port Adelaide put on a rather willing (if not overly composed) display of footy, showing us they’ve got plenty to work with, especially early on.
Jumping out of the blocks, the Power led by as much as 20 points late in the second term, and looked the better team for much of the contest.
Their clearance dominance at stoppages around the ground, led by superstar Zak Butters, was a serious leg up and they were finding a way to penetrate a Swans defence clearly feeling the absence of injured star Tom McCartin.
A half time “rev up” from coach Dean Cox did give the Swans the fire they needed to wrestle the game back to their terms in the second half, though, flexing their way back into the contest and eventually dashing out to a 15-point lead in the final term.
The game looked done with about eight minutes left, but Port had one last push in them. Mustering some spirit, the Power scored through Mitch Georgiades and Jason Horne-Francis to bring it within striking distance, and a late one to Jordon Sweet with less than a minute left put the four points within reach.
But, as mentioned earlier, Brodie Grundy was able to force the ball wide with some smart ruck craft at the final stoppage, giving Chad Warner space to run onto the ball and kill the game for a Swans win.
Now, you know it’s a good game when your intro goes about five times longer than you expected (and honestly, I could easily have doubled it), but that’s enough dilly-dallying, let’s crack into some of those enlightening points I alluded to earlier.
A true team game early, but the superstars stepped up late
Naturally, when watching a game and taking notes for a review, I find myself leaning a lot more towards the individuals rather than the team.
It’s just easier considering their stats are staring you right in the face, and who doesn’t love to talk about the best players standing above their peers?
But that simply wasn’t the case for most of tonight’s game.
Tonight’s first half felt like a real 23 v 23 battle, with each coach’s game plan eager to put the other’s to the test.
Plenty has been made about Sydney’s forward handball game this year, and it was on display again, but I was just as impressed with Port Adelaide’s ability to switch the ball across half back with long raking kicks, and get on the move to the far side.
It was a game plan that was giving their small forwards a chance with one-on-one matchups ahead of the ball, and the likes of Joe Richards (23 disposals, one goal) and Joe Berry (17 disposals, one goal) were getting involved.
The back-and-forth, cat-and-mouse style game made for an intriguing watch, but, as is often the case, the superstars decided this one in the end.
Chad Warner’s final quarter, in particular, was excellent. He collected 10 disposals, three clearances and booted an important goal in the term to will his side over the line.
Isaac Heeney was the other. At half time, Heeney was the 31st rated player on the ground, but by three quarter time, he was up to 14th.
In these sorts of close results, luck is often the deciding factor. Maybe you get a nice whistle from the umpires, or a ball bounces your way unexpectedly. It’s fair to say most teams that win a game by less than a goal have luck on their side.
Tonight, Sydney had Heeney and Warner on their side.
In the end, the Swans stars were able to show more composure than their Port counterparts, and while the Power didn’t lack for valiant effort, the side that fumbled less won the game.
Port have something to work with
I’ll put my hand up here and say it: I have no idea what the Port Adelaide Power are in 2026 or what they may be beyond.
I look at them and see a team filled with players who wouldn’t get a game at many other clubs, and if you look at their list simply on paper, it is painstakingly uninspiring.
But that’s only if you look at it on paper. It’s a bit of a different beast when you see it in action.
This is my way of saying I’ve misjudged the Power. Not gravely, I’m not saying I’ve done a Robert Walls and picked a team for the spoon who will end up winning the flag, but I am saying the Power have more going on than I gave them credit for.
To put it simply, I like the way they play.
Tonight the home side seemed to know their limitations against their more talented opponents, and they made smart decisions to make up for it.
They largely avoided (or attempted to avoid) kicking the ball in Nick Blakey’s vicinity (though he still found plenty of it), which allowed them to handily win the inside 50m count, and they worked hard to get Butters and Jason Horne-Francis involved at stoppages.
Ollie Wines played the best game I’ve seen him play for some time, and more importantly, lesser lights like Richards, Berry and Jase Burgoyne gave strong efforts across the four quarters.
I guess the person I’m really praising here is Josh Carr. The head coach has had his critics in his early days at the helm, but I reckon he’s got his boys playing fairly smart footy, and when you’re the lesser talented side, smart is your best bet.
I like a coach that can do more with less, and so far Josh Carr’s “uninspiring” Port Adelaide list has come within a kick of beating Hawthorn, Adelaide, the Bulldogs and now Sydney. Oh, and they rolled the Cats by five goals.
All of those sides are currently ensconced in the top eight, and while they’ve also had some horror losses, I think that’s enough evidence to say Josh Carr is getting the most out of this team.
An unexpectedly epic ruck battle
Brodie Grundy and Jordon Sweet. Not exactly two peas from the same pod, are they?
The former is an all-time great ruckman, with multiple All-Australian blazers and a couple of Copeland trophies to his name.
The latter is, well, Jordon Sweet. He’s not bad, but no one really ever says he’s good either.
Well, he was pretty bloody good tonight. In fact, while Grundy’s savvy last-second play may have won Sydney the game, I reckon Sweet won their duel tonight.
It was not a duel I had circled heading in, but it was certainly one I thoroughly enjoyed.
Grundy ended the game with 26 disposals, 22 hitouts, and nine clearances, but for mine it was Sweet who took the chocolates (fitting, right?), with 17 disposals, 35 hitouts, nine clearances and two goals (one of them in the dying seconds to give his team a chance).
Perhaps more importantly, he took four marks while restricting Grundy to just the one.
All in all, the Power ruck was a handful for his more acclaimed opponent.
They may be at different ends of the conversation when we discuss the best rucks in the league, but tonight, Jordon Sweet gave as good as he got.
Where are the Swans at, really?
I’ve made a game of stirring up my aforementioned Swans-supporting Mongrel colleagues in our group chat, lately.
As a Freo fan myself, we’ve gone back and forth over recent months about whose side has the true claim to being the best in the competition right now, and it’s fair to say I enjoy throwing a grenade their way from time to time.
I’ve coined their side the “No-defence Swans” over recent weeks on the back of some big scores they’ve conceded, I enjoy cheapshotting Charlie Curnow at every turn, and I like to keep them posted on the fact they haven’t beaten a good team in some time.
In fact, my favourite way to rile up Disco Monagle is to rank the Swans third on my “teams I don’t want to face in September” list (behind Geelong and Hawthorn, naturally).
But for all the laughs and barbs, the Swans do just keep winning.
They’ve picked up three on the trot after losing to Geelong a month ago, and they’re comfortably headed towards a top-two finish or perhaps even a minor premiership.
If picking up the four points is what truly matters, and it is, then they deserve more credit than I’ve been giving them in the group chat.
But still, something holds me back on the Swans. I just can’t fully get on board with their credentials.
Over the past fortnight they’ve been extremely fortunate to squeak by with wins against St. Kilda and Port Adelaide, a pair of teams we don’t expect to be challenging for finals.
A six-point victory over Collingwood at the SCG felt good at the time, but some of the shine has come off now.
Really, looking at their 2026 fixture in totality, their best wins are against Brisbane (all the way back in Round 1), and Melbourne.
I mean, they’re clearly a bloody good team, and I suppose getting Errol Gulden back might put a sock in my mouth… but, as everyone seems to say about my own Fremantle Dockers, I’d like to see more…
Alright, I’ve gone a bit long on the above, so here’s some quick hitters to finish off:
- I thought Joel Hamling did a bloody good job against Mitch Georgiades. The Port forward kicked two goals and did still get five shots up, but Hamling is a fine fill-in for McCartin and will do the job while he makes his way back from concussion.
- Joe Berry will want his time again. Was gifted a 50m penalty late in the fourth but rushed himself on the shot and sprayed it. Otherwise, the 2024 first round pick is coming along well.
- Best game I’ve seen from Swans skipper Callum Mills in some time, as he amassed 29 disposals, six marks and five tackles.
- Malcolm Rosas has been a good get so far, but he’d want to be getting more than two touches if he’s going to blast Nick Blakey for a missed kick…
- Xavier Bamert looked fine on debut with 11 touches and a goal, but he’ll need to remember “move it on” is not quite the same as “play on”
- Zak Butters finished with 27 touches and a goal, but honestly, I always thought the Power looked more threatening when Jason Horne-Francis had the footy.
Alright, I’m outta here. Seeya!
