Dean Cox's Sydney Swans lose long-time aura in 10 weeks: ‘Witches hats'

7NEWS

13-05-2025

Serious questions are being asked about Dean Cox's Sydney Swans after another loss on Saturday that saw last year's grand finalist slump to 14th on the ladder.
It's a nightmare season for the first-year coach who was has been missing important stars and role players, but also failing to get his team to play competitive football for four quarters during games.
In the game against Essendon, Sydney stormed home at Marvel Stadium but, like the recent game at the SCG against Port Adelaide, they couldn't get their nose in front when the final siren sounded.
In the game against Gold Coast, it was a different story, with the Swans starting hot, but then allowing the Suns to run over the top of them, coughing up a 29-point lead and losing by 38 points.
Speaking on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters, AFL legend Nick Riewoldt said it was 'too simple' to just look at Sydney's missing personnel and say that's why they're underperforming.
'We know they've been decimated by injuries but, I mean, so have a lot of teams,' Riewoldt said, and pointed to Collingwood who just defeated Fremantle without several key players.
The Agenda Setters host Craig Hutchison also compared last year's stats to this year's, and said Sydney's 'decline on the numbers is stark'.
Last year Sydney was first for 'points for', this year they are 14th. Last year they were third from 'points from clearances', now they are 15th, last year they were first for 'points from forward half intercept', now they 18th, last year they were second for 'score per inside forward 50', now they are 18th.
Sydney also had Errol Gulden (injured), Chad Warner and Isaac Heeney dominating the 'score involvements' table last year, whereas this year Warner is the only Swans player in the top 10 of that key stat.
Another key part of the Swans' game last year was hanging tough for four quarters. In fact, in a game against Essendon last years, Sydney forward Tom Papley famously had a dig at the Bombers after the game, saying: 'We love footy being tough but you gotta do it four quarters.'
That swag and four-quarter heart is now nowhere to be seen this year.
'So it's fallen apart at the moment for Dean Cox in the post John Longmire era,' Riewoldt said.
'And you wonder whether the deviation from what they stood for a long time means ... Sydney were always hard to play against, but they've lost that aura now in 10 weeks (under Cox).'
Riewoldt showed vision of Essendon — who are also dealing with significant injuries — running the ball from one end of the ground to the other against Sydney.
'As long as I've been involved in football, you go right back to the Paul Roos days, Sydney sides have always been hard to play on.
'That's almost kind of gone hand in hand with the Bloods culture. But this is just 'witches hat' stuff against the side that, you know, they want to possess the footy ....
'But if you're not prepared to bring the work boots, apply pressure and have some sort of defensive system behind the football, then you're going to get punished, and that's exactly what happened.'
Essendon were also plus-110 in uncontested possession on Saturday.
It is equal the second biggest differential against a Sydney team since 2006.
Kane Cornes said part of the problem was due to Sydney's list, which had high-end talent but dropped away sharply.
'I think it's a warning for other clubs,' Cornes said.
'When you pay your top end too much of the salary cap, and then some of those get injured, you are left with not much.'
'You're left with (Joel) Hamling, you're left with (Aaron) Francis, you're left with (Caiden) Cleary, Corey Warner, and (Ben) Paton who couldn't get a game for the Saints.
'(That's) because all of your salary cap is in those six players.'
The top-end talent Cornes is referring to are Nick Blakey, Gulden, Chad Warner, Heeney, Papley and Callum Mills.
Cox also refuses to give midfielder Angus Sheldrick a good run, despite the fact he racks up bigger numbers in a quarter (he's been either subbed on or subbed out in every game he's played this season) than other strugglers who are seemingly being gifted games each week.
'If you took out Geelong's four out their six highest paid players, they'd be able to cover the situation better, because they don't commit to so much of the cap,' Cornes said.