Sydney Swans backline leading mid-season revival with simple ‘play your role’ mentality

THE “play your role” mentality saw the New England Patriots win two of the last three Super Bowls and it’s helped turn Sydney’s season around, writes David King.

Dane Rampe spoils Jayden Hunt. Picture: Michael Klein

“DO your job”.

The simplicity of the NFL’s New England Patriots mantra has taken them to victory in two of the past three Superbowls.

The Sydney Swans defensive unit has the same philosophy. John Longmire’s back six plays the complete one-on-one game.

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They are the Sydney Shadows, always located between the corridor and their direct opponents and constantly physically aggressive before the ball arrives. They release to assist a teammate without hesitation, without fear of failure and it’s evident they have a unity you cannot manufacture.

The Swans always maintain the integrity of their six defenders playing strictly as defenders. There’s no freewheeling Jason Johannisen or Nathan Wilson types, because the Swans prefer organisation behind the play to defend.

Their role is to win possession or diffuse any opposition scoring threat ... or simply do their job.

Sydney veteran Heath Grundy. Picture: Michael Klein

Round 18 Rising Star nominee Lewis Melican.

The Shadows then distribute the ball to the midfielders to apply the damage. It is role play at its purest. The more things change, the more they stay the same as the Swans have played a similar brand for years — and why not?

John Longmire’s methods don’t involve trickery or gimmicks and defence will be the singular reason why they can hold the premiership cup aloft again in 2017. Since Round 7 the Swans have conceded a miserly 68 points a game, well below the AFL average of 88 points.

The Shadows are elite one-one-one performers. Heath Grundy, Lewis Melican and Callum Mills attack all marking contests as if they were the target, hence their intercept numbers and one-on-one winning percentage.

Dane Rampe and Nick Smith prefer to diffuse the aerial contest and maul their often taller opponents at ground level after a spoil.

They complement each other and allow Longmire match-up flexibility regarding whether he puts an aggressive or diffusive opponent on an opposition forward.

The whole Sydney team bludgeons its opponents into submission. Watch the body checking as the Hawks midfielders try to get goal-side or their forwards attempt to lead or reset into the forward 50. Often they will be put to ground in the lead-up, with the ball still 50m away. Teams simply cannot run against with freedom against the Swans.

Nick Smith and Callum Mills get acquainted with Tom Lynch.

It becomes soul-destroying and often teams simply give up and cease their proactive workrate. Forearms into chests, jumper tugs, hip checking, wrist grabbing — they’ll subject their opponents to their complete repertoire and it’s the envy of the rest of the competition. Sydney plays for keeps.

The Swans total team defensive method is basic but ruthless for 120 minutes every week. It’s as it has been for years and ultimately it denies any speed to opposition ball movement.

Since Round 12 the Swans have been the most difficult team to move the ball against. No surprise there.

The Swans midfielders appear awesome but they are only an average clearance team and, at best, a poor centre bounce clearance unit. Is the 2017 version of Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dan Hannebery really scaring opposition outfits?

As “big boy month” arrives it would be an opportune time to stand tall but what this core group does better than other units is defend full length of the ground.

The Swans midfielders push deep into the defensive 50m arc to assist as well as locating and denying their immediate opponents. No alibis. No excuses. They do their job.

Nick Smith is one of the AFL’s most underrated players.

The Sydney forward line historically is the tale of one man, Lance Franklin, but Gary Rohan, Tom Papley and a midfielder resting in the forward half have started to have an impact on the scoreboard.

Buddy has lost his radar in the past five weeks, kicking only 14 goals from 35 shots, but the Swans forward line has been the competition’s best at converting inside forward 50 opportunities into a scores — but ranked only No. 9 at achieving a goal. That inaccuracy hasn’t hurt them to date, but it soon might.

Hawthorn has beaten the Swans regularly in the recent past and it’s always done the same way — via control through uncontested marks.

Last time the Swans smashed Hawthorn at contested possessions and clearances but the coaching genius of Alastair Clarkson orchestrated a counter-attack method that committed the Swans to defend for long periods, which they failed to do.

Who knows what will happen on the MCG scoreboard tonight, but I can guarantee this much: The Sydney Shadows won’t give a centimetre. They’ll always be there. They’ll be between the corridor and their direct opponents, checking their run but ready to support teammates in trouble.

Sydney by 12 points.