Both Gary Lyon and Tim Watson unloaded on the Swans today on SEN, calling into question the player's and coaches resolve to win the game.
The Swans seventh loss of the season leaves them languishing in the bottom four, after their inability to play accountable football in the first half against the Hawks, lead to their down fall on Friday night.
It was ostensibly an exercise of "keep things off" for the Hawks, as they comprehensively smashed the Swans in uncontested possessions and uncontested marks, after toppling the Swans by a goal.
Lyon suggested the scoreline flattered the Swans, who've now slumped to 15th on the ladder.
“Don’t let John Longmire and the Swans players off the hook lightly,” Lyon said on SEN.
“They refused to play accountable football. Hawthorn had 100 more uncontested possessions and 69 more uncontested marks.
“You cop that at quarter time, you get them in and say, ‘boys, how obvious is this.’ So you adjust. They didn’t adjust.
“The ability to identify the problem and address it, Sydney didn’t do that.”
After impressive back-to-back wins at Etihad, the Swans were primed to win only their second home and away game at the SCG for season 2017, with a plethora of Hawks players missing through injury.
Yet it seemed the pressure of the occasion affected the Swans, as they struggled throughout the first half, with only Franklins' magic keeping the Swans within touching distance.
Even as the Swans took the lead early in the last quarter, a series of mistakes ultimately lead to their downfall, combined with the loss of two players before half time.
Despite the herculean comeback effort, the Swans once again lost to a goal with a minute left.
Essendon premiership player Tim Watson told the SEN the Swans' failings all came down to attitude, and to be honest, it's pretty hard to argue against that.
“In the end, this game is played above the shoulders,” Watson said.
“It puts the onus back on the players to produce under those circumstances. Sometimes you buy into fatigue, sometimes you don’t.
“It is a herculean effort to say we have our backs up against the wall, let’s see what we can produce.”
It certainly was a massive effort for the Swans to fight back and take the lead, and while it was fantastic to watch, it was simply a case of too little too late.
The Swans had their chances to win the game, but starting the 2nd half down two players and almost three goals was always going to be an extremely difficult proposition.
It may be worthwhile watching Footy Classified on Channel 7 tonight to see what the panel says. No doubt Lyon will be keen to stick the fork in again.
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