AFL round 1: Lachlan McKirdy analyses Brisbane Lions’ victory over Sydney Swans

This isn’t how Dean Cox’s first season in charge of Sydney was supposed to go. At 0-2, writes LACHLAN MCKIRDY, the new Swans coach must be tearing his hair out as he deals with a mounting injury crisis.

The Swans might never have had a better chance to claim their grand final day revenge.

Last year’s 60-point drubbing at the MCG would have been fresh in their minds, given it was only two competition games ago.

Brisbane arrived at the SCG on Saturday afternoon as favourites, Chris Fagan’s side still sporting their premiership glow.

And although it might have been one of the ugliest games of footy we’ll see all year, it was the Lions who started their title defence with a win and consigned the Swans to back-to-back defeats.

Dane Rampe flies for a mark above Callum Ah Chee. Picture: Phil Hillyard

With a week of extra footy in the bank, it was clear from the early exchanges that the Swans had got the tactical jump on Chris Fagan’s side.

Joel Hamling’s club debut immediately gave the hosts more structure in defence. He and Lewis Melican were able to combine to have more of a physical presence, but that also freed up Nick Blakey to roam free as he picked up 10 disposals in the first term.

The Swans’ defensive set-up that they had worked on all summer earned a massive early tick as they won the uncontested marks 23-10 in the first term and generated plenty of intercept possessions.

Will Ashcroft prepares to handball. Picture: Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Tom Hanily enjoys his first goal as a Swan.

Simple dropped marks from the likes of Blakey and Chad Warner continued to put Sydney under pressure as Brisbane reduced the margin to less than a kick. For the majority of the game, the Swans were the dominant team, but the scoreboard didn’t back up their ascendancy.

Some of their proven stars tried to will them over the line. James Rowbottom produced several big smothers, while a trademark Chad Warner goal out of the middle brought the crowd to their feet.

But the nerves from the Swans were evident. Many in the competition believe that last September’s defeat will continue to linger like a bad smell, and their second-half showing didn’t do anything to stop that rhetoric.

Tagger James Jordon tormented Brisbane’s dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale.

When Brisbane kicked the first three goals of the second half to retake the lead, you could have heard a pin drop around the SCG.

There was a brief respite when Tom Hanily snapped truly to kick his first goal in the AFL. But Dean Cox would have already been ripping his hair out in just his second game in charge.

The Swans won the inside 50 count 16-14 in the third term. However, the Lions kicked six goals to two and held a 10-point lead into the final quarter.

It was an incredibly messy game filled with errors, but the poor decision-making from the Swans going forward was inexcusable. There were several occasions where players either sprayed it wide going for glory, or didn’t give Tom McCartin or Joel Amartey a chance to compete in the air.

Jaspa Fletcher gets tangled with Justin McInerney.

Goals to Dayne Zorko and Josh Dunkley looked to have sealed it for the Lions. But this Swans side tried to show some fight.

Chad Warner and Isaac Heeney kicked important goals late in the final term to give their team some fight. But despite throwing everything at the Lions in the dying minutes, they couldn’t find a way over the line.

On paper, taking on the reigning premiers in just his second game in charge was always going to be a tough ask. But if Cox was disappointed last week against Hawthorn, he’d be lost for words walking away from the SCG on Saturday afternoon knowing they should have beaten the Lions.

Brisbane came into the game with Charlie Cameron as a late omission. Kai Lohmann left the ground early with a serious ankle injury, while Lachie Neale was completely nullified after a brilliant tagging job from James Jordon.

It’s clear the Swans are down on troops. They had 15 players from their squad unavailable for the Lions clash, including superstars like Errol Gulden and Callum Mills.

But make no mistake, that wasn’t the problem on Saturday afternoon. They had the running; they had the legs, and for most of the game, they had all the momentum. But this Sydney team appears to lack a killer instinct and looks nowhere near the side that won 10 straight matches in 2024 and claimed last year’s minor premiership.