Autopsy Sydney Legacy in Grand Finals continues 10 goal loss to the Lions

[hairy biker]

Isaac Heeney responds to brutal question after coach’s ‘confronting’ day

‘Absolutely not.’

7news.com.au

AFL superstar Isaac Heeney has opened up on the toll of Sydney’s grand final humiliation, and admitted that watching it again — under new coach Dean Cox’s orders — was a painful and “confronting” experience.

“It was tough. I’ve never probably (felt) the impact of a loss like I did in that grand final. I rode it pretty hard, and it took a bit of a toll.

“So it was nice to come in (and watch it and) it was pretty confronting but, at the same time, it was something we needed to do..."
“We went in and had a full day of meetings and arguably the best day of meetings I’ve ever had,” he said.
“It was a pretty special day, a vulnerable day, and one that we’ve got some key learnings out of.

“We’ll make sure we go into to next season, ready and raring (to go) and we can learn from that, and hopefully it never happens again.”

First step, but clearly as he mentions a number of times a confronting, vulnerable experience, as it needed to be.

Proof will be in the pudding, but a good sign of leadership from Cox and it clearly wasn't a box ticking exercise.

Can't fault Cox to date.

 

[Tomorrow]

Well isacc it simply was the worse performance by any swans team ever
.....u let yourselves down and many others and it has left a deep scar....so be vulnerable but dont listen to all the pats on the back and marketing spin... just do...

 

[Kiama Chris]

Isaac Heeney responds to brutal question after coach’s ‘confronting’ day

‘Absolutely not.’

7news.com.au

First step, but clearly as he mentions a number of times a confronting, vulnerable experience, as it needed to be.

Proof will be in the pudding, but a good sign of leadership from Cox and it clearly wasn't a box ticking exercise.

Can't fault Cox to date.

Confronting indeed and yet Heeney was one player who had a very genuine reason to play poorly having carried the team on his back quite a lot during the season.
There are a few others who had far more reason to feel confronted.

 

[GoTheSwannies]

LONG POST INCOMING

Reading some of the discussion about how fans have become spoilt by our club's success, I think there is probably an element of truth to that. But I also wonder if our club's success has made the club itself, and many within it, spoilt as well?

I think there's a certain amount of fortitude a team needs to have to win a flag. I think about Richmond in 2016, being pummelled by the media for their poor performances. I think about Melbourne and their decade-plus in the wilderness as a cellar dweller. I think about Brisbane's culture being under attack from all angles earlier this year due to the whole Las Vegas debacle. Those are hardships that force teams to look inwards and and ask hard questions, to draw lines in the sand, but that can also lead to a galvanised playing group. They're humbled, they're weathering a storm together, it's them against the entire footy world, etc. In each of these cases, flags followed.

Hardships can produce a level of fortitude and buy-in, organically, that talking points on a white board or one-on-one sessions with a sports psychologist simply can't.

We had that fortitude in 2005 & 2012, because both were on the back of prior hardships. In 2005, we were on a 72-year premiership drought. In 2012, more than half the side (13) were either rival clubs' discards, or players taken in the fourth round of the draft or later, individuals who clearly did not have things handed to them on a silver platter in their football journey.

By contrast, what hardships have this current team faced? They've all been part of a very successful club now, even if none have experienced the ultimate prize in footy. They're out of the media spotlight, so they don't even get scrutinised that much when they do have poor performances. And they would all know they're at a club that is strong and stable and will give them a red hot chance of playing finals every year. I can't help but wonder if this has created a culture of spoils & comfort. They have it so good and don't they know it. Especially if the increasing number of stories about some of our boys acting like peacocks off the field is any indication.

But I also believe this is why we struggle in grand finals. It's the one day of the year where all prior success and privilege and privacy mean nothing. The only thing that matters is whether you put up or shut up for the three hours you're out on the field, in front of the millions of people watching. You need to be able to call upon your fortitude on such occasions, not your comfort in how good you have it as an athlete. Take the match up between the Lions & the Swans, for example. Which team was going to have more fortitude - the team that was the talk of the footy world for their culture crisis but had managed to rally together and rebound to a GF? Or the team that mostly avoided media scrutiny and attention all year, other than to be talked up for how great they are?

This is not to say that I want us to have some culture crisis at our club, or to have to endure a decade of mediocrity, or only play guys who have come from the rookie draft or were discarded from another club. I just think we need to stop leaning into our success over the years and thinking that it means anything, or has any bearing on the present. We need to stop thinking that because we are outside of the footy bubble that we are above it. And we need to take our shortcomings, such as our GF beltings now, and use them to galvanise the playing group, instead of shying away from them or dismissing them as one-offs in otherwise-great eras of success.

Long story short - we need to get our heads out of our arses and embrace the uncomfortable parts of footy.

Hardships can produce a level of fortitude and buy-in, organically, that talking points on a white board or one-on-one sessions with a sports psychologist simply can't.

triggered!!

In all seriousness, good post, and I think there's definitely some truth in what you said.

 

[GoTheSwannies]

That mongrel punt article was spot on. A lot of those points were discussed on here in the lead up to finals, and it essentially pointed to Horse's refusal to adjust his game plan.

For me, the fork in the road of our season was Mill's return to the team. He was underdone, and came straight into a team that was performing well.

Rather than using the 4 game buffer as an opportunity to adjust our forward set up, he burnt the opportunity by bringing Mill's straight back into the team without a run in the 2's and it backfired in spectacular fashion. The form slump followed and we pretty much limped into finals with no form whatsoever.

Ultimately, the end result was on Horse. He was meant to be steering the ship, but ran us off course. Partly due to being inflexible, and then when he found himself backed in a corner, the ghosts of his past mistakes came back to haunt him and he made a few irrational decisions.

There's a lot of talk about the team potentially being psychologically damaged after 2 big GF losses in 3 years. But Horse absolutely was, so his retirement was 100% the right move, and perhaps a year too late (with the benefit of hindsight).

 

[bedford]

Well isacc it simply was the worse performance by any swans team ever
.....u let yourselves down and many others and it has left a deep scar....so be vulnerable but dont listen to all the pats on the back and marketing spin... just do...

I've seen many worse

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

Leaving all the players’ lack of effort aside and the putrid coaching, maybe just maybe we overperformed with the list we had and making the GF was the pinnacle for this list.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Leaving all the players’ lack of effort aside and the putrid coaching, maybe just maybe we overperformed with the list we had and making the GF was the pinnacle for this list.

If we’d only made 1 GF, I’d consider your theory possible.

But 2 GFs in 3 years show this is a talented list that just simply choked (twice). You don’t “fluke” your way to 2 GF.

As others have said, Horse needs to shoulder some of the blame for the choking.

 

[caesar88]

Leaving all the players’ lack of effort aside and the putrid coaching, maybe just maybe we overperformed with the list we had and making the GF was the pinnacle for this list.

That is the interesting thing. The fan base seems to be in two minds as to the list we have.

One minute you will read that this is the best and most talented list we've ever had, they just choke in grand finals, Horse's coaching didn't help, etc.

And the next you can read that we were basically carried by Isaac Heeney and to a lesser extent Gulden and Warner every week.

If the latter is true, then it is no bloody wonder we can't win a flag. Three players a premiership team does not make.

I personally believe it is the former. I think this is a very strong list and easily more than just three players. But it's a list that needs to be coached according to its weaknesses, not its strengths. By the end I feel Horse had gone all in on its strengths and it ended up being our weaknesses that killed us.

 

[Kiama Chris]

That is the interesting thing. The fan base seems to be in two minds as to the list we have.

One minute you will read that this is the best and most talented list we've ever had, they just choke in grand finals, Horse's coaching didn't help, etc.

And the next you can read that we were basically carried by Isaac Heeney and to a lesser extent Gulden and Warner every week.

If the latter is true, then it is no bloody wonder we can't win a flag. Three players a premiership team does not make.

I personally believe it is the former. I think this is a very strong list and easily more than just three players. But it's a list that needs to be coached according to its weaknesses, not its strengths. By the end I feel Horse had gone all in on its strengths and it ended up being our weaknesses that killed us.

I'm still fascinated by the switch that occurred around the first GWS game. We kept winning but our pressure dropped off and we relied more and more on short bursts from the few. It was also during this period that Horse seems to think he started to doubt himself.
It's all guesswork of course but my feeling is that Horse kind of took his hand off the tiller (eg letting Grundy wear himself out) and not DRIVING what had got them to 8-1 in great shape. They may have only dropped off 5% but that's enough. When they got to the GF Horse didn't believe in himself or them. My guess.

 

[The King!]

I'll never understand all the zoning off in defence to start the grand final, Blakey stopping for a free is burnt into my mind.

The annoying part for me is guys who we rightly consider club greats just dish up rubbish on grand final day.


Seeing lions fans enjoying premiership stuff for xmas presents reminds you again.

At least we lost to to a class group and classy fans, but yuck it stings

 

[SeanM]

Brisbane played high risk football to chase down leads the previous weeks. It left them open at times but they were not punished for it. And we had just scored a lot of goals off turnover against Port Adelaide due to their poor disposal.

I wonder if we had tactically set up to have numbers in certain areas thinking we could punish Brisbane on turnover.

 

[WillHayward]

Why does Rampe wait until the GF to start getting repeatedly out-marked by blokes that are barely 6ft?

Suddenly Ah Cee and Lohman look like Gary Ablett Snr and Dustin Martin.

Selection probably wouldn't have mattered that much. Our players would have still folded immediately.

Rampe forgot how to make body contact and defend but still miraculously remembered to thank the Murdoch clan and News Itd after the game in his speech.

That really got my goat.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

We are to grand finals what Mitch Marsh is to test cricket.

 

[Punts]

Rampe is a fantastic speaker and been a fantastic player

He brought up the Neale and him holding the cup last year and that must have mentally broke him again

Putrid on the field in big games

His time has past and it’s telling in his performances

 

[The King!]

Rampe is a fantastic speaker and been a fantastic player

He brought up the Neale and him holding the cup last year and that must have mentally broke him again

Putrid on the field in big games

His time has past and it’s telling in his performances

2023 had some worrying moments (understandably), he is well past his best, but no one forces him out either, as much as it sounds awful I kind of wish 2024 was his last and we hadn’t signed the 2 years, think we also need to move on, I know most will disagree

 

[Superstar swan]

I’m still as angry as I was grand final day.

Miles ahead all year

Didn’t leave Sydney for finals

Bruise free game in the prelim

Non vic opponent who has a worse record at the g than us

They’re number 1 ruck out

And we still got humiliated. You will never ever get a better shot at a flag than that and we absolutely ****ing blew it

 

[The King!]

I’m still as angry as I was grand final day.

Miles ahead all year

Didn’t leave Sydney for finals

Bruise free game in the prelim

Non vic opponent who has a worse record at the g than us

They’re number 1 ruck out

And we still got humiliated. You will never ever get a better shot at a flag than that and we absolutely ****ing blew it

Yep we were non competitive, Brisbane were fantastic, if anything they let us off a bigger flogging, maybe it got too easy and they got bored. Take zero away from them, but did we even make them work or earn it, they bullied us and dominated us mentally

 

[WillHayward]

Neale had a broken foot and still humiliated us

Besides players who went into the game injured, not a single Brisbane player would have had a bruise or a graze or anything from that game.

Any sign of a maroon jumper and all of our lads jumped out of the way to avoid body contact.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

I’m still as angry as I was grand final day.

Miles ahead all year

Didn’t leave Sydney for finals

Bruise free game in the prelim

Non vic opponent who has a worse record at the g than us

They’re number 1 ruck out

And we still got humiliated. You will never ever get a better shot at a flag than that and we absolutely ****ing blew it

They were somehow fresher than us while playing a extra 2 games without break.

No other explanation we must be content with 5 flags in our history

 

[Madswan88]

Let’s move on people 2025 incoming and we can’t keep bleeding about this years Grand final I know it hurt I have been to 3 losing grand finals in a row as a lot of you guys have but let’s get behind the club for 2025. If we make the grand final and get smashed again then I will join you in complaining for months

 

[The King!]

lol people can move on and not come back to the thread if they want

 

[Kiama Chris]

lol people can move on and not come back to the thread if they want

I keep hoping someone will say something new. Nope. I shall take your advice.