The key themes Dean Cox must build on to lift the Swans back to contention
The next seven weeks will define Dean Cox’s first year in charge of the Swans. And while finals are still a possibility, it might be even more important to set Sydney up for a 2026 flag charge.
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The next seven weeks for Dean Cox could be the most crucial yet for the new Swans coach, as he attempts to both mastermind an unlikely run for the top eight and set the Bloods up for a fresh crack in 2026.
This season hasn’t gone to plan for Cox, with injury and disappointing results leaving them languishing in the bottom half of the ladder and far away from their minor premiership heights of 2024.
However, on the weekend he managed to do something John Longmire didn’t last year – beat the struggling Tigers. Richmond were far from the thorn in the side they’ve proven to be against some sides this year, and although they’re yet to do it against a top side, the Swans showed enough signs that a corner might have been turned.
There’s now a chance for Cox to create a blueprint that keeps their current season alive, especially with important players returning and renewed vigour. Five of their next seven games are in Sydney, giving them a chance to generate some winning momentum at home.
But even if finals are a bridge too far after their 5-8 start, just like Geelong in 2023 and Collingwood in 2024, they can find some key themes to focus on from the Richmond win to ensure their dip out of the top eight only lasts for 12 months.
‘CUNNING’ DEFENCE
Cox promised an emphasis on defence, and for the most part, he’s had his first-choice defence this year to try and do so.
Dane Rampe and Nick Blakey have played every game, Tom McCartin has eventually settled back as a key defender following a foray up forward, Lewis Melican has had an impact when he’s on the field, while the move of Sam Wicks to the backline has been a success.
However, two crucial inclusions against Richmond look to have turned the tide. Firstly, the return of skipper Callum Mills to the halfback line provided them with more structure and experience. It helped them get the ball out of their defensive 50 quickly and limited the repeat entries.
Arguably, even more critical was the return of Harry Cunningham for his first game of the season. The composure the 31-year-old showed on the ball also highlighted an area that had been desperately missing. His calm and efficient ball use became infectious, and it made the rest of his teammates less nervous.
Rampe and Cunningham might both be on the other side of 30, but it’s clear they’re both in Sydney’s best defence right now. With Matt Roberts to return and Riley Bice growing into his debut AFL season, if the Swans can find another key defender to lock down their structure, their backline’s future prospects remain bright.
FREEING UP THE LIZARD
The combined impact of Mills and Cunningham also allowed Blakey to push further up the ground and have his best game of 2025 by far.
The brilliance of Blakey is that he can play as a tall defender. He reads the game well, can create a contest against key forwards and is strong overhead when required.
However, he’s at his best when he’s using his speed off halfback, getting the ball inside 50 and generating score involvements. And that’s what we saw against Richmond. He finished with a game-high 34 disposals and 916 metres gained, earning a perfect 10 coaches’ votes as the clear best-on-ground.
The key for Cox is creating a structure around Blakey that can let him off the leash. With Melican, McCartin and Rampe all dependable at providing height down back, plus the steady hands of Cunningham, Wicks and Roberts as smaller, reliable defenders, then it could turn into a winning formula.
And once teams have to dedicate more time to stopping Blakey, the Swans can then use their other strong runners out of defence like Wicks and Bice to create different attacking options.
But it starts with Blakey, and against the Tigers, it was a sign that the pieces were finally in place around him to allow him to flourish.
INSIDE-50 ENTRIES
Sydney’s attack was improved against the Tigers, but it has no option other than to get back to its free-flowing best following the bye.
Despite having 61 inside 50 entries last Saturday, the Swans still only kicked 11 goals. They took 12 marks inside 50, which was well up on their season average of 9.3, but too many times they didn’t kick to the advantage of their leading forwards.
Hayden McLean had one of his best games and looked far more confident when the ball was coming in his direction. It was telling that after Chad Warner’s goal in the third quarter, Isaac Heeney went straight to McLean to celebrate his effort in creating it, another sign of what the Swans value about McLean’s presence at creating a contest.
McLean will be boosted by Joel Amartey’s return from suspension against Port Adelaide. They’ve only played in the same team on three occasions this season – the first two of those matches were wins against Fremantle and North Melbourne, while the third saw Amartey subbed out of the game at half time against Collingwood.
Aaron Francis is slowly becoming another forward option in Logan McDonald’s absence, while Will Hayward has proven in recent years that he is at his most damaging when there are other tall options around him.
The Swans’ scoring power has dramatically dropped off in 2025, but they have been without three of their top four goal kickers from last season for much of the year – Amartey, McDonald and Tom Papley.
But as their forward line slowly finds confidence again, the next task is then giving them the silver service they require – and that’s where the cavalry comes in. Errol Gulden, who is one of the best inside 50 kicks in the competition and led the Swans for score involvements last year, should return in the next fortnight. Papley is also on the verge of a comeback, which suddenly makes their forward line more dangerous.
PRESSURE AND DRIVE
The intensity that the Swans brought to the MCG last weekend made them look like a completely different team.
They finished with 20 tackles inside 50 for the match, more than double their season average, while James Rowbottom finished the game with 14 tackles, twice as many as any other player on the ground.
It’s one of the biggest areas that Cox has lamented this season: a lack of effort and drive around the contest. And so, he has to reward the players who are doing their bit to help drive the standard.
That starts with a player like Angus Sheldrick, who had seven tackles and 10 contested possessions against Richmond. The youngster is growing into his midfield role and deserves the rest of the season there, in a similar way to how Rowbottom benefited from his formative years in 2019 and 2020, even though the Swans finished outside of the top eight.
Braeden Campbell is another whose pressure has been at a consistently high level this season as he looks to make his mark on the forward line.
ON-FIELD STRUCTURE
Cox never wanted to blame injuries, but it was noticeable how suddenly the Swans looked completely less frenetic with some of their most experienced stars back against Richmond.
With everyone playing their roles, they could control the game rather than chase it. Mills led from the back and around the stoppage, and rather than push the envelope, they played the match on their terms.
It was telling that they finished the match with 127 marks, well up from their season average of 83.8. It was one of only two times this season they had taken more than 100 marks in a game. They kept possession, waited for the right opportunities to get the ball forward, and even when it didn’t work, there was no panic because they were set up in transition.
While the likes of McDonald and McLean were always unlikely to play in the opening games of the year, Cox had completed a pre-season believing most of his stars would be available. The likes of Gulden, Mills, Cunningham, Papley, Taylor Adams and Robbie Fox all suffered injuries just before, or in the first few weeks of the 2025 campaign.
The Swans have had to change things on the fly this year, and they haven’t always worked. But over the next three months, they can create a system that, even if they don’t get to showcase it in finals this season, will have the competition on notice in 2026.
Originally published as The key themes Dean Cox must build on to lift the Swans back to contention
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