'Unacceptable, embarrassing': Swans go soul searching
Sydney are set to receive some harsh home truths led by Dean Cox after an "embarrassing" 90-point loss to Adelaide left the coach questioning whether he's been doing enough at the helm.
The Swans were looking to bounce back from a dismal 53-point loss to Melbourne and mark 20 years since their historic 2005 premiership when they hosted the Crows at the SCG on Saturday.
Instead, they endured a horror show.
Kept to one goal in the opening half, Sydney conceded 12-straight majors on the way to a 21.5 (131) to 5.11 (41) loss.
Sydney's finals chances are slim, sitting in 14th (4-8) at the halfway mark.
Slamming the performance as "unacceptable and embarrassing", Cox cut a frustrated figure in his post-match assessment.
A reminder of the team-first ethos that netted the club's first premiership in 72 years, given at half-time with a lap of honour by the 2005 side, only compounded their woes.
"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," Cox said.
"That was far from it."
West Coast great Cox is no stranger to Sydney's Bloods ethos, with the six-time All-Australian ruck's last-gasp kick famously marked by Leo Barry in the final seconds of the low-scoring 2005 grand final.
But the first-year coach conceded he was left questioning if he had done enough.
"Yeah, maybe not," Cox said.
"That's where you've got to reflect on everything within the program, and it starts with me.
"We are going to fight our way through this.
"And there's going to be no easy way through it. I said to them (the players), expect some tough sessions. That'll happen."
The statistics sheet will suggest an even contest between the two sides, with Sydney winning clearances (+13), stoppage clearances (+13) and contested possessions (+11).
But Sydney crumbled under Adelaide's pressure, making uncharacteristic errors and giving away costly penalties with moments of ill-discipline.
"The impact that they (Adelaide) had with their contested ball was far superior than ours," Cox said.
"We'd fumble, get it to the next one, we might take it, then we'd handball or cough it up, then we'd go again.
"Whereas they were just a one-two punch, 'See you later, we're out of here'.
"Part of it comes to confidence when you are inconsistent, but the number one thing that brings consistency is, you spend time on your game.
"You know exactly when you finish the week and you start, I'm confident in my ability because I've done the work - that's the only way you build confidence.
"That's something that I've certainly got to drive harder and I'm going to."
Sydney will face 16th-placed Richmond before they head into their mid-season bye, while third-placed Adelaide play Brisbane.
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