It was a kick at the death that sealed victory over the Western Bulldogs on Saturday and the Swans are well aware of another stern challenge that awaits in the Adelaide Crows.
The Swans will meet the Crows at the SCG on Friday night as they look to clinch three wins on the trot and coach John Longmire said they would be hard to beat.
“We know Adelaide are an absolute gun, quality football team,” Longmire said.
“From the grand final and season they had last year to the football they played against Richmond a couple of weeks ago was A-grade.”
The Crows are the reigning minor premiers and secured a grand final berth in straight sets through commanding wins over GWS and Geelong.
Skipper Taylor Walker, Tom Lynch, Josh Jenkins and Eddie Betts are the pillars of a formidable forward line and the Crows’ front-half strength was on show in 2017.
They were on song in a 36-point win over Richmond earlier this season and backed it up with a 49-point victory over St Kilda.
The Crows then lost to the Magpies last Friday but Longmire said it pointed to the tightness of the competition.
“We say every year that it only continues to get closer and closer,” Longmire said.
“In the Dogs game there was a point in it with 30 seconds to go and it just highlights what’s happening across the competition. There were a couple of one-sided games on the weekend but generally across the competition it’s pretty tough.
“It will be really tough again this week. We play a quality team back here at the SCG, hopefully in front of a big crowd and we look forward to that.”