‘You can’t drink your own bathwater’: Why Swans won’t swallow minor premiership plaudits
Star midfielder Chad Warner will return for the Sydney Swans’ final regular game of the season against Adelaide on Saturday at the SCG as the club looks to build on back-to-back wins against Collingwood and Essendon ahead of the finals.
With a September play-off campaign around the corner, coach John Longmire has resisted the urge to rest several frontline players, with only defender Tom McCartin being managed.
The Swans are set to seal their first minor premiership since 2016, when they went on to lose the grand final against the Western Bulldogs.
Veteran ruckman Brodie Grundy will play a large role in nullifying Adelaide’s Reilly O’Brien, who leads the AFL in hitouts. Will Hayward has been dealing with a sore knee recently but trained well enough to face the Crows.
Joel Amartey, who will play his 50th game for the Swans, kicked a career-high nine goals against the Crows in round 14. Since then, the key forward has scored just six goals in eight games, including two against Essendon last Friday in Melbourne.
The minor premiership is a formality for the Swans this weekend: even if they lose against Adelaide, second-placed Port would still need to beat Fremantle by 204 points on Sunday. The record AFL/VFL winning margin is 190 points, set in 1979 by Fitzroy against Melbourne.
Joel Amartey of the Swans celebrates his 9th goal against Adelaide Crows and the Sydney Swans.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Amartey says the minor premiership will be fitting recognition for the Swans’ superiority over the regular season, but is all too aware that the hard work starts in September.
“You give yourself a little pat on the back, but you can’t drink your own bathwater,” Amartey said. “But you’ve got to take the little wins when you get them, and back to that confidence piece, it just gives that back and keeps the vibe up [ahead of the finals].”
The Swans will play at the SCG in the first week of the finals and, should they win, they will remain in Sydney for a preliminary final on September 20 or 21.
The Swans have comfortably recorded their highest average SCG home crowd this season, with the figure of 38,374 dwarfing the next highest, 33,425 in 2016.
The Swans have enjoyed their highest ever crowds at the SCGCredit: via Getty Images
Amartey acknowledges the role the near-capacity SCG crowds have played in the Swans’ season and is not ready to give up home advantage just yet.
“Home crowds and home ground advantages are a big thing,” Amartey said. “Playing in front of the Swans fans here I think is the biggest advantage we can have and staying at home would be nice and not having to travel as much, it’s always a little bit of reward on top. I think the home crowd advantage and the atmosphere that we build at the SCG is unmatched.”
Since debuting in 2020 in a 32-point loss against Brisbane in Cairns, Amartey has struggled to adjust to the physical and mental rigours of AFL, suffering from niggling injuries and loss of form.
Amartey worked closely with Lance Franklin on and off the field before his retirement last season and takes two learnings from the champion full forward’s decorated career.
“The competitiveness and the confidence are the two big things,” Amartey said. “I wasn’t the most confident player on the field, I’m a talkative guy, but on the field, especially earlier in your career, you feel a bit a little bit out of place.
“Then just seeing the man like that with the confidence he has, the competitiveness he has each week, I think I drew from those (things), and it’s hopefully going to hold me in good stead for the rest of my career.”
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