‘We just got smashed’: Fremantle’s clearance dominance resigns Sydney Swans to third-straight home loss

Swans coach John Longmire was mystified as Fremantle dominated the midfield battle and firmly placed Sydney in the bottom-half of the table.

The Swans are without answers after a third-straight loss at home. Picture: Phil Hillyard

A demolition in the clearances unlike anything he’s seen before was the key reason for John Longmire as to how the Sydney Swans suffered a third loss at home in just eight weeks that leaves his team languishing in fourteenth place.

The Swans hopes of challenging for the flag after last year’s Grand Final appearance now look to have been completely extinguished by a Fremantle side that won at the SCG for the first time since 2011.

With the Swans key defensive stocks decimated and reigning best and fairest winner Callum Mills now out with a calf injury that saw him subbed from the game inside five minutes, Sydney resemble a side that will be lucky to just make the eight, never mind contend for the flag.

Longmire though is refusing to discuss a reassessment of his team’s goals.

“It’s never about where we want to be at the end and never has been,” he said.

“We’ve been lucky to be at the pointy end a few times but it’s never been about that. We just don’t do it. You don’t look at the bigger picture, it’s about making sure the here and now is looked after and that’s what we focus on.”

Sydney struggled to generate anything from the clearances. Picture: Phil Hillyard

He was more pointed however on how Fremantle were able to defeat his side on their own turf with Sean Darcy overwhelmingly dominant in the ruck and Caleb Serong obliterating the stoppages at his feet.

“Overall, we’re just not as fluent with or without the ball than we normally are and then we just got smashed in contested possessions.”

“Second and third quarter I don’t think I’ve seen figures like it. We just got smashed out of there and to win only two clearances for a half of footy puts everyone on the back foot,” Longmire said.

“His (Darcy) efficiency of hitting to a teammate was off the charts. We were tossing up whether to play (Tom) Hickey because he hadn’t had ideal preparation either, we played him off the back of experience and it’s hard against those two ruckmen. Darcy was pretty powerful.”

Without both McCartin brothers down back as well as Dane Rampe, Luke Jackson was able to produce his best game in Dockers colours with three goals and seven marks as he sparked Fremantle in the second quarter.

Luke Jackson is starting to look at home in Fremantle colours. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Along with Darcy, it was the most impressive showing from Fremantle’s ‘twin towers’ as a combination all season.

“I thought Sean was dominant in the ruck, it’s the best result out of clearance we’ve had all year,” Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said.

“And Luke (Jackson) was just feeling it down forward. They’re a bit undersized obviously. We picked the three key forwards to try and exploit that. Luke was a big part of that.”

While sterner tests will come for Jackson against more seasoned backlines, Longmuir says he’s never panicked over the form of his prized recruit.

“I knew it would click because of what I see during the week with him, he works his backside off at his forward craft. Watching vision, doing extras, so I knew the marks would start sticking.”

Along with his big men, midfielder Caleb Serong shone at the SCG with 33 disposals and ten score involvements in a continuation of a stunning season that his him well placed for an All-Australian blazer at this juncture.

Serong is in career-best form for the Dockers. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“It doesn’t surprise me because I see the way he goes about his work and the time and effort he puts into his game. He’s been our most consistent performer, he’s just maintained a high level of professionalism and a want to be his best self,” Longmuir added.

Serong’s performance was assisted by the absence of Mills inside five minutes for the Swans adding to a mounting injury list the Longmire concedes has affected his side’s fluency, dramatically.

“It’s been disjointed, we’ve had players in and out all season. We’re trying to get momentum going and we’re losing a couple every week. We need to get stability in the team which then gives players confidence to work off each other,” he said.

Originally published as ‘We just got smashed’: Fremantle’s clearance dominance resigns Sydney Swans to third-straight home loss