‘What you work for’: Swans bask in the satisfaction of another grand final opportunity

Thanks so much for joining us this evening as Sydney won their way into the AFL grand final.

We will be back on Saturday afternoon with our live blog for the Geelong v Brisbane preliminary final.

Please join us then, bye for now.

Swans coach John Longmire spoke to the media post game.

John, through to another grand final, must be feeling good after that result?

Absolutely. A great spot to be in, it is what you work for. What you started training way back last year and before that really, after the last game last year when you go into preparation mode. Staff and players and you work really from our last game right through. Players have come back terrific and we give ourselves an opportunity next week. I thought we executed today as good as we could have. Our method was really good, strong in the contest, and concentrated on our process. Lived in the moment, got the job done.

John Longmire, Senior Coach of the Swans and Isaac Heeney of the Swans celebrate.Credit: Getty Images

Your side had a lot of things they had to push through in this match?

Not everything is going to go your way. I’ve said about it, you have to find different ways at different times. Whether that is finding ways to win or getting back on top of clearance. Clearly, we were well beaten out of the centre, our free kicks at clearance were a big issue. Those type of things were putting us on the back foot at times. We were able to work through that and our defenders played well and were able to turn the tide of it. That is good because things aren’t going to go your way at this time of year, you are going to be up against it at different times of the game with different times of the game with different things. Sometimes they change and you have to adapt and problem solve. To do that on the run. Our players do that well.

Any stress of today after dominating every quarter?

Yes. You just live in that space. I thought it was just that we used really strong method tonight. We had an even performance and were able to offensively, defensively, play a really strong method. I thought that was important.

Only the fifth time this year you have one every quarter. Was that your most complete performance of the year?

I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion just yet, I’m not worried about that, to be honest. I just thought we played good method. It is not about saying where it rates in the year. The best way to get the job done is to be hard at the contest and get your method right. If we get those right, things take care of themselves.

There is a bit of post game chat about a collision between Dane Rampe and Zak Butters during tonight’s match.

Butters was able to play on and, at the time, the commentators felt it was less likely to be cited by the match review panel.

Dane Rampe could attract MRP scrutiny for this incident.Credit: Fox Footy

But the grand final microscope will go onto every tiny story this week, so perhaps Rampe will face a nervous 24 hours until the MRP reveals any charges from this game.

Swans coach John Longmire said he didn’t see the incident when he was asked about it post game.

Swans coach John Longmire refused to be drawn on whether he would make an early call on whether injured skipper Callum Mills could play in the grand final.

Mills went down with a hamstring injury earlier in the finals and Longmire said it was too early to say much about Logan McDonald (ankle) or Mills beyond revealing he trained today and the Swans will wait until later in the week to make a decision on him.

“He trained today and did quite a bit,” Longmire said.

Longmire didn’t have an update for McDonald who was subbed out in the second half with an ankle injury.

“He is OK, just seeing the doctors when I left,” Longmire said.

“He seemed OK in himself so see how his ankle pulls up.”

Swans coach Ken Hinkley spoke to the media post game.

Ken, is it a case of better team winning tonight?

I think simply, yes. Unfortunately. They deserved to win, they deserve to play next week, they were the best team. Tonight they made us pay off turnover. It was a game of efficiency, they were to clean when we they had their chances and we were very much the opposite. We didn’t have enough weapons to cause them problems in the front half.

Willem Drew of the Power in action.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

So many goals from turnover in that first are in particular.

We gave them great looks, to me looks, against the Sydney Swans team were dominant when they are running like that. They are a high-quality term, we accept they were the best team in the competition and finished on top of the ladder for a reason. We knew we would have to be absolutely at our best. We just went.

How final line between that playing through the corridor, playing away but also helplessly giving them those opportunities?

We made the adjustments with the way we were using the ball at certain times. We know the challenges of playing here in Sydney on a quick deck. Some of those turnovers happened early in the first half, when the game was won and lost, they happen. They look like a really polished team with different phases in the way they controlled the ball, took a lot of marks.

What do you say to your group and it is raw for the group and will for you?

Right now, it is really disappointing because we came here with optimism around qualifying for a grand final. We know how hard that is to do, we more than any know how hard it is to get through that final step. It is disappointing. I thought as a club, we stuck together pretty well through the whole year and gave ourselves a chance again right to this point of the season. I understand that the story will be that we failed to get there. I think we had a decent crack at it.

This is your fourth attempt at a preliminary final, will you be changing the approach?

They are quite spaced out, the preliminary finals, and this team had 11 different players than our last team. So many things that are different that you do whether that be personnel or style of football you play. There are lots of things we prepared, did a lot of things different through the last four to six weeks of the season to make sure we gave ourselves a different look and feel to get to this game and then try and execute a game that could win.

Zak Butters spoke to Channel Seven post-match.

You had so much early dominance from clearance around stoppage but couldn’t capitalise and turn it into scores?

It felt like our contest and stoppage game was good early. We got a fair few entries and played forward half football which is normally a strength of hours. The turnover ball and attack when they win in our accurate and converted. That normally stings about the other way. Credited them for the way they moved the ball and played.

Zak Butters of the Power is tackled by Braeden Campbell of the Swans.Credit: Getty Images

How proud of you are the resilience of this group? So many ups and downs, front page, back page, the good the bad and the ugly, but no doubt a lot of pride with this group and what you achieve this you?

Most definitely. In a rollercoaster, that is footy and life in a way. We kept sticking in there and showing up. That we have a genuine crack tonight, needed to tighten up a few things about that and be more consistent. That is something we’ll look at over the off-season. Proud of the club, the whole club, not just the players.

Has Ken addressed the group yet and if so, what did he have to say?

Ken is emotional and flat, he rides a rollercoaster as much as anyone. He said it is time to be a bit emotional and let feelings happen. Over the next few days we will look back and said we should also be proud. It wasn’t a great season when you want to be on the last day in September, to be in the last day in September, to be in the grand final and win it. We didn’t get that I felt like we had a good crack at it.

They say that preliminary finals are for the true believers and the biggest fans of a football club.

Only a select few can access grand final tickets or find the money to travel to Melbourne to the big game but a home preliminary final is made for the diehards.

Those fans were certainly packed into the SCG tonight.

Check out these Swans fans post game.

Swans fans celebrate winning the AFL preliminary final.Credit: Getty Images

A Swans fan celebrates the win.Credit: Getty Images

Swans fans cheer home their side.Credit: Getty Images

Sydney fans celebrate after the siren.Credit: Getty Images

Swans star Tom Papley has no concerns about being ready for next Saturday’s AFL grand final despite having a troublesome ankle issue.

Papley admitted his ankle was sore but he would be fine to run out on the MCG.

Tom Papley celebrates a goal.Credit: Getty Images

“Yes but I’ll be right though, don’t worry,” Papley told Seven.

Papley will be chasing a premiership in his third grand final.

“It’s good to be back there again, been there twice before and hope it is third time lucky,” Papley said.

Swans star Chad Warner approves of his club’s “back to basics” approach tonight.

“Tonight we just worried about our run and the contested ball and that was about it,” Warner told Fox Footy.

“Sometimes we go into games and just overcomplicate it a bit, with too much information.

“We just had a few clear points and it worked tonight.”

Chad Warner celebrates a goal.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images