Sydney Swans coach John Longmire believes his side will get great confidence out of their hard-fought six-point win over Carlton at the SCG on Saturday.
The Swans have lost three games by single figures this season to Richmond, the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn, and many have questioned their ability to close out games under pressure, but the home side's ability to hold off the surging Blues in a tense final quarter was telling.
Longmire was particularly pleased with the Swans' performance given they fielded nine players with fewer than 30 games of experience: Isaac Heeney, Dean Towers, Callum Mills, George Hewett, Tom Papley, Aliir Aliir, Sam Naismith, Xavier Richards and debutant Jordan Foote.
"When you look at the makeup of our team, those blokes are getting untold experiences," Longmire said post-match.
"You can talk about it, you can even rehearse it, you can do a lot of things, but there's nothing like living something.
"They've been able to live those experiences and hopefully that will hold them in good stead."
The Blues surprisingly led by eight points at half-time with Heeney and fellow forward Gary Rohan almost passengers in the opening two terms, but the pair sprung to life after the main break
Heeney had 10 possessions and four inside 50s in the third quarter, while Rohan laid five tackles and set up Lance Franklin's fourth goal – and the Swans' fourth unanswered for the term – when he crunched Blue Sam Kerridge, then drove the ball long to his superstar forward.
"They're learning about themselves, particularly Isaac (Heeney), but the energy they were able to give the team in the third quarter was enormous," Longmire said.
"They came out and were ferocious at the ball and the contest and that really rubbed off on their teammates.
"Ultimately it's about them learning about what they can do and how they can impact (the game).
"Sometimes you can get a bit technical about the game and look at 'why aren't I getting a kick' but sometimes it's not about that.
"It's about imposing yourself on a contest and imposing your will, and you learn that over a period of time."
Veterans Ted Richards and Ben McGlynn were serviceable in the NEAFL after being dropped this week, with Xavier Richards replacing his older brother in the team as a tall option alongside Franklin.
Longmire said it's up to the experienced duo to fight their way back into his side.
"We'll play our best team and that's what we did this week," he said.
"Regardless of the birth certificates, we wanted to play the players that were in form and playing well.
"That's what we'll continue to do."
