The Sydney Swans are still in the hunt for the finals after hanging on for a 11.12 (78) to 11.10 (76) win over the Western Bulldogs.
The Dogs entered the game needing a win which would have helped their top four chances and would have pushed them to fifth on the ladder but the loss has brought them back to the pack and potentially out of the top eight by the end of the round.
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Just six points separate Essendon in fifth down to the Tigers in 13th, although there are still eight more games for the weekend.
Sydney players mobbed John Longmire on the boundary line after play in recognition of his 300th game as an AFL coach, but the biggest gift to the coach was the jump from 15th to 11th on the AFL ladder, with dreams of a miracle finals berth still alive.
However, after a season where the Swans stunned many by finishing third and then making the grand final, the Swans are at risk of being an also-ran in 2023.
With six matches left in the season, the Swans are at the wrong end of the logjam.
At 7-9-1 after 17 matches, the Swans have had far from the season they’d have liked after a grand final run in 2022 and two-time premiership winner David King gave the Sydney-siders a reality check before the match.
Former two-time All-Australia Leigh Montagna said the Swans had “played some really good football” heading into the match but just hadn’t been able to sustain their consistency throughout the game.
But Kangaroos legend David King was not so kind.
“Let’s be honest, this midfield has failed like no other Swans midfield has in a decade,” King said.
“They aren’t tough enough, they aren’t honest enough, they aren’t consistent enough.”
They were comments that made his co-host uncomfortable but King wasn’t done.
“They’ve failed in big games and they win in a different way, they win in ball movement, not necessarily contest,” King said.
“It hurt them in the big game last year in the grand final — they got mauled for 20 minutes and the game was over. Every big occasion they’ve had this season they’ve failed.”
Hawks legend Jason Dunstall said King was “a brave man to question the honesty of a group of Sydney players.”
King continued: “The facts are there, you can’t argue the facts. If you look at the numbers without the West Coast Eagles game where they kicked 31 goals, they’re just an ordinary football team.”
Dunstall: “You can be ordinary and still honest.”
King: “Well I’d like to see it. That’s the truth, that’s the reality. That’s what John (coach Longmire) would be saying behind closed doors. He doesn’t have to say it to us. You just have to look at the ladder to see how far they’ve fallen.”
Swans ace Tom Papley kicked four goals including two in the final quarter as the hosts roared home in a final term where the lead changed five times.
Similarly, Buddy Franklin had the Swans fans on their feet, adding another moment to his endless highlights reel on Thursday night.
On the stroke of halftime Franklin took a one-handed mark as easy as if he were catching a tennis ball thrown from a few yards, yet another example of his incredible skill for a big man.
Franklin then piloted through the goal after the halftime siren had sounded to give Sydney their first lead of the match.
While it’s obvious Franklin is still very capable of the big moment, he did miss a couple of key shots on goal in the final quarter.
However, it didn’t cost the Swans too dearly as the side hung on for the important win.
Sydney’s uplifting win in front of 26,221 fans came despite the dominance of Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli, who finished with 31 disposals and two goals.
Aaron Naughton also kicked three for the Bulldogs but they let a dominant first quarter go to waste.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan had put the Bulldogs in front with five minutes left, but that lead only lasted a minute as Papley capitalised on a Swans full-field surge.
With Ben Horne, NCA Newswire