‘Poking the bear’: How building internal pressure sparked the Swans’ rise up the AFLW ladder

Swans’ AFLW coach Scott Gowans says a ‘mad moment’ of his helped poke the bear and bring out the best in his players, which has led to a finals berth.

Chloe Molloy of the Swans runs out onto the ground during the round 10 AFLW match between Fremantle Dockers and Sydney Swans at Fremantle Oval, on November 05, 2023, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by James Worsfold/AFL Photos/Getty Images)

Before a ball had been bounced this season, Sydney AFLW coach Scott Gowans stoked a fire for his team.

Ahead of the Swans round one clash against the Giants, he boldly claimed the club was in a better position for success than its cross-town rivals. Without a win to their name, the comments appeared to be premature.

But as the Swans continued to rack up win after win, Gowans’ prediction quickly came true. And as his side prepares for the first final in their history, not even he could have guessed his tongue-in-cheek remarks would become so accurate.

“I respect the Giants, I really do,” Gowans said. “It was more to poke the bear and getting the girls to feel the pressure which is what I wanted to do.

Scott Gowans talks to his players. Picture: Getty Images

“I love the fact that we’ve played under pressure since that game. If you’re going to be good, you’ve got to learn to cope with pressure. That was my mad moment [to instigate it].”

The Swans have been clear in their messaging that they plan to do whatever it takes for their women’s team to be successful. And a key facet of that has been the way they’ve played on the field.

They have built their surge up the ladder on an uncompromising brand of footy that hinges on their attack. Regardless of who they come up against, they want to play with a fast tempo, and that’s exactly what Gowans expects this week against the Suns.

“Gold Coast are a sensational side,” he said. “You look through who they’ve beaten, we’ve beaten and lost to similar sides with similar margins … I think it’s going to go either way.

“Even if we were playing Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane or North, I’d still have the same mindset and freedom with the way we play. We wouldn’t be putting numbers behind the ball, we’d play our way and see where we are.

“I hope we get the opportunity to play one of them [next weekend].”

There has been some criticism that the ease of Sydney’s draw has contributed to their position in the top eight.

The Swans ended up playing each of the bottom eight teams on the ladder this season. However, Gowans felt it was far too simple to boil down success to the fixtures.

Gowans celebrates making the AFLW finals. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“I get a bit prickly with that,” he said. “When the draw came out, we were fixtured to play four top-eight sides, and we’ve beaten some of them.

“We’ve also played four inaugural teams that have had eight seasons to get better. We’re in our second one. When you finish on the bottom with 38 per cent, every team you play is a hard team, there’s no easy draw.”

The excitement is palpable at Swans HQ about what the team has achieved this season.

While internally the pressure is already off after exceeding expectations in 2023, it won’t stop the belief in the group that they can make a finals run.

That feeling extends across the whole club, with men’s coach John Longmire one of the first to congratulate Gowans after returning from Perth.

“I haven’t had one scheduled meeting with John, but we’ve talked numerous times and have a chat about footy most weeks,” Gowans said.

“And that’s unusual from talking to other clubs. This place, this whole facility, it’s genuine. It creates a great culture.

“The supporter base is amazing. I love the fact they’ve followed us this year. From what I hear, we’re going to have a big contingent on the Gold Coast which is great. Bring it on.”

Originally published as ‘Poking the bear’: How building internal pressure sparked the Swans’ rise up the AFLW ladder