A blistering start, with fierce and unrelenting pressure and an impressive physical approach to Sunday's clash with the Brisbane Lions, is the kind of football the Swans have been searching for all season, coach John Longmire said.
The Swans attacked and battered the visitors from the outset, signalling their intentions before the first bounce, and then piled on the damage on the scoreboard as the visitors struggled to find an answer, before cruising to a 54 point win.
Mitch Robinson, often the barometer for the Brisbane Lions, was bombarded from the get go, twice leaving the field for treatment, with every Swan in his vicinity having a crack. Callum Sinclair was polite enough in his 50th AFL game, to sit Robinson on his backside behind the ball when he cruised past.
Lance Franklin's eight goals were a highlight of the Swans' first win of the season, but their aggressive play at the ball, and fierce attack on the man with, and occasionally without the ball, that set up the win, with scuffles frequently breaking out across the ground, throughout the game.
The AFL coffers are set to be replenished, with Callum Mills setting off one of many fracas during the match, with a clip on his opponent in a marking contest. In weeks past, the Swans haven't got stuck in, but against the Lions it was something entirely different; the players piled in from across the ground.
"Our leaders were really keen to make an impact (when they went) at the ball, and when the opposition got the ball, and in neutral situations, it was about making sure we had a fierce edge on us," Longmire said post-match.
"We've spoken about it over a number of weeks but we actually went out and delivered it.
"I thought the players were fantastic, they really set themselves and have been really disappointed with their performances, but they were really able to set the tone early.
"A lot of our senior players have copped some criticism and they were really good, they're a pretty proud bunch and it was important, we had to start somewhere."
Young gun Isaac Heeney took his angry pills in the morning leading up to the game, and was one of the Swans' best on field, with 22 possessions and a goal, but more importantly, his seven clearances and five tackles were more impactful.
Isaac Heeney used his rugby background to lay several crunching tackles on the unsuspecting Lions, and after missing the first four rounds, looks to be close to his best.
"Isaac was important from the first bounce, and he's come back in really good condition considering he was really sick there for quite a while, and didn't get out of bed for nearly two or three weeks," Longmire said.
"He was really strong and hard, he's playing for keeps, and that’s the way he plays.
"That why we like him, that’s the way he goes about it and he has a ruthless attitude about him."
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