A valiant performance from another young VFL Sydney Swans side was not enough to secure a win over Frankston Dolphins in Round 12, suffering a 6.8 (44) to 9.18 (72) defeat at Avalon Airport Oval on Sunday evening.
It was a brutally-absorbing affair that saw both sides go head-to-head in some fierce contests from start to finish, with Ryan Clarke (34 disposals, one goal) and Colin O'Riordan (34 disposals and 11 marks) leading from the front with starring performances respectively.
Lewis Taylor also continued his impressive form with 30 possessions and a goal, while Dylan Stephens was also amongst the best with 34 disposals of his own.
It was another hard-fought effort from the Swans who boasted just eight AFL listed players, with the rest of the squad made up of players from the NAB League for the second consecutive week.
While it was a disappointing result which saw the Bloods kick just one major in the second half, O'Riordan lauded the efforts of a youthful red and white outfit that continued to fight until the final whistle.
"It's obviously a disappointing result but I feel like we worked really hard right from the start, particularly some of the young players who came in. They can be proud of their efforts," he said.
"I felt like we had control of the game at stages but just some minor lapses in the second-half really cost us.
"if there is anything that we can take away from that performance is that we didn't give up, so that is something we can take into the rest of the season and hopefully build on that for next week."
The opening term saw the Swans kick two goals through Clarke and Taylor, with neither side unable to make a significant breakthrough for a majority of the first quarter.
Frankston took a slender lead into first break, before Hayden McLean made his presence known with two goals in quick succession. Clarke's ball-winning abilities came to the fore, although also applied plenty of pressure around the contest and eventually finished with seven tackles.
Things heated up when both sides trying to dominate the contest physically, but it was Frankston who held the advantage at the main break with a 12-point lead.
Back-to-back goals in the final term from Frankston seemed enough to take an unassailable lead, although a goal to Logan Paul ensured the Bloods would finish on a positive note.
VFL SWANS 2.2 5.5. 5.6 6.8 (44)
FRANKSTON 3.6 6.11 7.16 9.18 (72)
