Sydney coach John Longmire will urge his players to “live in the moment” and forget about the pain from their last grand final appearance as they prepare to return to the AFL’s biggest stage.
The Swans outclassed Port Adelaide by 36 points on Friday night to book a spot in next weekend’s decider at the MCG, and will face either Geelong or the Brisbane Lions.
John Longmire and Isaac Heeney celebrate Sydney’s win.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
If it’s Geelong, it will be a rematch of the 2022 grand final in which the Swans were blown off the park, losing to the Cats by 81 points on a disastrous day in which the selection of an injured Sam Reid backfired badly on Longmire, and the bigger-bodied Cats bullied his players around the ball.
All but five of the players from that match are still on Sydney’s list, but Longmire suggested it would be counter-productive for any of them to spend too much time stewing on the horrors of two years ago in an attempt to leverage it for motivation.
Instead, in typical straight-laced, borderline boring Longmire style, he wants them to put their shoulder to the wheel and lose themselves in the work they have to do for the next seven days.
“You live in the moment,” he said.
Isaac Heeney and Dane Rampe of the Swans are chaired off the field.Credit: Getty Images
“We talked about that this week: just concentrate on what’s in front of us. That’s what we did tonight. I think it worked pretty well and we’ll maintain that focus. Preparation is what we can control and that’s what we do. We get to work, and enjoy the experience of working hard.
“It’s a good thing to have in front of you. That’s what you want to be, is be a part of grand final week. You get the balance of what the week’s about, and understanding what that is and knowing you’ve still got to do your job.
“Our training, I thought, over the last two weeks was excellent. We trained at a really high standard, really sharp, really hard, prepared ourselves to play well. That’s what we’ll be concentrating on this week, is enjoy the preparation part. Our training, our meetings, our reviews – all of those things we did well over the last two weeks. We need to apply that methodology coming up to this week.”
Longmire will be facing some difficult selection calls, with his experience around picking Reid two years ago likely to stick in the back of his mind as he contemplates the dilemmas in front of him. They start with his captain Callum Mills, who trained strongly on the morning of the match and will be seeking to prove his fitness after suffering a hamstring injury at training last week.
Forward Logan McDonald rolled his ankle on Friday night but played out the match; the early indications are that he should be OK; however, the real test will be how he pulls up.
There is a small possibility Dane Rampe could face a suspension for a high hit on Port Adelaide star Zak Butters in the first quarter, but since he wasn’t concussed, a fine is anticipated to be the likely punishment – if there is any at all.
Then there’s the hard luck story of Taylor Adams, who sought a trade to the Swans in the summer after being left out of Collingwood’s grand final side last year due to injury. He was dropped ahead of Sydney’s qualifying final win over the Giants and, barring injury to another midfielder, is likely to be on the outer again – a situation Longmire can relate to, having missed North Melbourne’s 1996 and 1998 grand finals.
“I’ve been there as a player a couple of times, both with injury and non-selection, so absolutely you do [feel for him], but his attitude’s been terrific,” Longmire said of Adams.
“He was out on the ground tonight and soaking in the moments. We’re not sure what happens this week, and so just keep working and see how the week progresses.”
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