Sydney coach Dean Cox slams ‘unacceptable, embarrassing’ 90-point loss to Adelaide

First-year coach Dean Cox has conceded part of Sydney’s problems might lie with his approach after last year’s grand finalists slumped to an “embarrassing” loss to Adelaide.

Dean Cox has slammed his side’s “unacceptable and embarrassing” loss to the Crows, conceding that he has to take more accountability and find ways to generate a response from his team.

The Swans were shambolic for much of the night, conceding 70 inside-50s as the Crows’ forward line ran riot in the 90-point victory.

And on a night where the club was celebrating the anniversary of their 2005 premiership, Cox was left seething that his players didn’t live up to their side of the bargain.

“It was unacceptable and embarrassing,” Cox said bluntly.

“I didn’t expect that on such a massive night for the footy club when you have a 20-year reunion.

“For a team that played desperate, uncompromising, ruthless football — and that was far from it. So, we need to strip it back and get to work, real quick.”

Sydney’s lack of consistency has been laid bare for all to see this season, with the past fortnight clearly a low point following disheartening losses to the Demons and now the Crows.

The lack of effort and pressure around the contest was particularly concerning for Cox, leaving him to question whether he is doing enough at training during the week to prepare his side for matches.

“We’ve said that all the way through the year, inconsistent weeks, games and fluctuated far too far from what we know works,” Cox said.

“That’s my responsibility. I take full responsibility for that, to get the players into a position where we compete hard for every minute of the game. Or if we can’t, for very, very short periods, we don’t.

“I think the chance to reflect and look at that individually and then also for everyone involved at the club about what part they can play to get us out as quickly as we can.

“We need to make sure that we’re doing as much as we possibly can, so come game day, the players are confident to execute. And that’s something that I’ve certainly got to drive harder, and I’m going to.

“Maybe I’m not (doing enough), and that’s where you’ve got to reflect on everything within the program. And it starts with me. So I’ll do that, and then I expect everyone to do that also.”

The frustrations also came to the fore again for the Swans as the ill-discipline that has crept into their game this season returned.

Multiple 50-metre penalties turned into Adelaide goals, while Crows defender Wayne Milera claimed on ABC Radio post-match that the Swans were “a bit of a rabble” by the way they were acting on the ground.

Cox admitted that at times, his players were letting their resentment get the better of them on the field. And although he didn’t completely put a line through the rest of the season, he acknowledged that there’s a certain element of future planning he now has to prepare for, with last year’s grand finalists unlikely to make a return to the top eight this season.

Justin McInerney sums up the mood after Sydney’s heavy loss to Adelaide.

“(Ill-discipline) is another metric of where we’re at, and we need to address that,” Cox said. “Probably by the sounds of it, we need to make a harder stance on that, which we will do … it’s a pattern we need to sort out.

“I think at times players do get frustrated, but it is coming in way too much. So, we need to make sure we speak about that, whether it’s individually or as a team.

“You’re always trying to fix current reality and look at the future at the same time. At times you need to look a little bit ahead, but we won’t take too much time off what we’ve got to fix right now.

“If they’re willing to do the work, they’ll be fine. One thing we need to do is make sure that that happens. So, I’ve got huge confidence in this playing group.”

Originally published as Sydney coach Dean Cox slams ‘unacceptable, embarrassing’ 90-point loss to Adelaide