Sydney Swans senior coach John Longmire speaks to the media ahead of the Swans Round 19 fixture against the Adelaide Crows on Saturday afternoon at the SCG.
Read all the key quotes from this afternoon's press conference (Monday, July 18, 2022) below.
On comparing our form to where we sat 12 months ago:
“I think we still have some challenges with our consistency, we’ve won three in a row once this year, we’ve been up and down during the course of games as well as week to week so we’re still striving for that consistency. We’ve moved on pretty quickly from last year, it’s about what we’re doing this year and making sure we’re still improving, and that consistency area is the area we need to keep focusing on.”
On whether the Swans have made some big improvements in the last few weeks:
“It was only three weeks ago that we lost against Essendon, and then we’ve come out the last two and played some pretty consistent footy. Fremantle got out of the blocks, and their pressure was enormous in that first quarter, they had a really good start. After quarter time we were okay as far as how we wanted to play the game, some good things came out of that but there’s always some improvement. We need to keep improving. The better teams in the competition are able to have that consistency and that’s what we’re aiming for.”
Was Swans performance against Fremantle a line in the sand moment:
“It’s what we’re aiming for, we’re aiming for that consistency but I’m not sure it’s that line in the sand moment. It’s a case of looking at the game and seeing what we did well. There’s still some areas in the game that we can improve upon, there always is. Over there against a quality team it was terrific to be able to come away with that win, but the reality is we get into it again today we’ve got Adelaide this week and we need to be consistent and so we move on pretty quickly.
On Josh Kennedy’s injury update and selection:
“He got through the reserves game on the weekend, he played about 85 minutes and I speaking to him this morning, he felt really good he pulled up really well and could have kept playing which is a good sign. What we do in selection I’m not sure about just yet, it’s a bit early in the week. The good thing is he certainly looks like he’s come out of that game and pulled up really well, which is a terrific sign for Josh and us.”
“Josh is such a quality person. We’ve had discussions all year about what the selection process looks like, I’ve got a terrific relationship with Josh. He’s all about team, he wants to be the best player he can be as they all do and as he’s done throughout a long period of time, but he also understands the evolution of the team and where his role sits in that in that process. He’s open to playing any role, he’s a wonderful person, wonderful leader. His leadership has actually evolved during this last 12 months at an even quicker pace, his thoughts about selflessness and wanting the team to be successful, of course he wants to be a part of that but he understands the bigger picture. He also wants to make sure he has a good crack at the end of this year and gives himself the best possible chance, and we need to make sure he’s fit and ready to go.”
“I’m sure he’ll contribute in the back half of the year for us, and the best thing is he’s come through his rehab so far in a good space.”
“We see him contributing to our team, whether it’s this week or in coming weeks. We think he’s still got some strong points to offer for our team certainly. His rehab work has been of the highest level, he’s a real professional, he’s been fantastic around the coaching group and helping out the players, and now he’s back into playing mode he’s got plenty to contribute this year. We’ll sit down with Josh and the medical conditioning staff and make sure he’s got the right program under his belt, and the best possible chance for him to play and not only play but play really well.”
On Logan McDonald making selection:
“The ideal plan is that we play our best 22 to win this week. It’s something we’re mindful of, is that we give our best possible chance to play against Adelaide and to play well. It was good to see him play well on the weekend in really tough conditions up in Queensland, wet heavy conditions and he was able to play well which is a great sign for him.”
On Joel Amartey shoulder:
“I think it’s okay, he pulled up well afterwards. The medical guys didn’t say anything today in our meeting, I believe he’ll be fine for this week.”
On Chad Warner’s form:
Chad’s been improving year on year, week on week. He’s only in very much the infancy of his AFL career, so very much at the start, but we’ve been really pleased at his application to work hard and willingness to keep on learning which he’s been terrific at. He’s got some natural explosiveness and power in his game that has been really important, but his ability to learn, and keep wanting to improve has been a real standout. He certainly played well on the weekend, his last few weeks have been really solid and we like to see that maintained or improved as he continues to play out the season for is.
On Adelaide:
“We’ll look at what we need to do this week against Adelaide. They’ve got some real pressure in their game at the moment, their tackling on the weekend, their pressure numbers in that game was off the charts. We’re aware what they can bring, they’re a real high pressure team, they’ve got some strong players all over the paddock and we’ll be looking at what they do.”
"If it’s a bit wet and slippery, Adelaide showed as well as Collingwood that they can play in those conditions and play well. We’re mindful of that and we’re mindful of playing them this week. It was a terrific win last week but our attention turns very quickly to this week and knowing what Adelaide can do, and their pressure skills are really high up there, we need to make sure we play well this week.
On how we gauge our whether we’ve had a successful season:
"We’ve still got five weeks to go. We have to win against Adelaide this week, that’s as closely as I’m looking at it. We’re still striving for that consistency, three weeks ago we lost against the Bombers and we had come off a good week the week before that. We’re still striving for that consistency and that’s what we’re after in the back end of the year.
"In the coaching caper and certainly what we’ve always done which has proved to be what we need to keep focusing on, is our week-by-week processes. I was taught very early in my playing under Dennis Pagan is to get the process right and focus on that. That’s what it’s about, the focus on day to day. If you keep focusing on day to day, and that’s what the players are mindful of, it tends to work out for itself."
On the speculation around Lance Franklin’s contract:
"Nothing surprises me these days.
"We spoke about going into the game, there’s a bit of noise outside but inside the footy club we’re just trying to win and that’s what we focused on last week and what we’ll focus on this week."
The Sydney Swans and Redkite will come together once again this year to mark Red Day at the Swans Round 19 fixture against the Adelaide Crows on Saturday July 23.
Our club is dedicated to helping our members, fans and the community and we are asking our footy family to stand with us and show children with cancer we’re on their team as we look to raise $50,000 for Redkite.
We encourage Swans fans to show their support to these children and their families and donate to Redkite and buy a virtual kite HERE.
