How many times did the Swan’s players give the ball to Essendon via silly disrupted handpasses and poor kicks? I counted at least 25 times and it could have been more. It is hard to understand what drives them to over possess the ball and get too cute? It became an Essendon policy to disrupt the chains of possession and apply maximum pressure around the ball. The game turned into a hard contest, which was good for the Swans to be challenged in such a manner. It was frustrating to watch but Sydney will be better for the contest going into next week against North Melbourne. The Sydney Swans Bomber contest proved to be a real contest.
Swans Defeat Essendon At The MCG
I don’t reckon the MCG thing is any sort of real hoodoo for the Swans. It is a shame that they don’t play there more often but the competition has never been really equitable. It is an expanded VFL in reality and favours Melbourne based sides. AFL teams are only as good as they are on the day and Geelong and Brisbane were much better than the Swans on those GF days in 2022 and 2024. There are still doubts about the absolute competitiveness of the Sydney Swans in 2026, but it won’t be down to the ground. The Sydney Swans Bomber contest showed Essendon at their best this season.
“SYDNEY has locked in 2nd place on the AFL ladder with a solid 36-point win over Essendon at the MCG.
The Swans dominated from the start and, despite some resistance from the Bombers, easily won 17.10 (112) to 11.10 (76) in the Sunday twilight game at the MCG.”
Sydney Swans Show Some Fighting Spirit Against Dons
It was great to see Riley Bice tackling hard on multiple occasions against the Bombers – about time! The entire team needs to lift in regard to effective tackling and applying physical pressure around the ball. They have to cover for the absence of James Rowbottom and they should be tackling more anyway. Sydney players can run all day but can they also tackle hard for 4 quarters? Essendon had the higher pressure rating for large swathes of the match on Sunday at the MCG. In my opinion, there are too may greyhound types in the Sydney side and not enough grunt players. More inside mongrel please and less outside runners. The balance is not right to win hard finals.
Swans Forward Line Success
Logan McDonald was really good all game against Essendon. He is becoming a real target up forward. Tom Papley looks to be off his tucker of late??? We can, perhaps, forgive Papley’s poor tackling if he is kicking goals and dazzling up forward but not if he is not. Charlie Curnow looks to be a lock for the top AFL goal kicking award in 2026. Great effort first up at his new club.
Alleged Sexual Assault Involving Sydney Swans In Melbourne
As we go to publish this blog news has broken about Sydney Swans players allegedly involved in a sexual assault in Melbourne. The AFL Swans team were staying overnight at the Pullman Hotel in Melbourne, because of the Sydney airport curfew making it impossible to fly back that night. This may well be the stopover that the club comes to deeply regret if it is proven that a Swans player has a case to answer. To say that this is out of character for the squeaky clean Sydney AFL club is an understatement. The Victoria police are investigating the complaint. Stay tuned for further information pertaining to this shocking development.
Pre-Game Hugging Concerns
“Concerning video footage has confirmed what I suspected. Sydney Swans players are hugging and embracing each other prior to running out on the field. Now, I am all for public displays of affection at the appropriate times. Getting all lovey dovey just before an AFL match is not that time. It sends the wrong message to the players themselves. This is not some love fest, this is a battle of wills and a physical contest of the top order. This is not the time for soft stuff. This is the wrong time for such touchy feely stuff. Hey Sydney, stop hugging and start contesting like you mean it.”
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of The Stoic Golfer; The AI Heresy; What Price Life?; America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump; and other titles. NOW AVAILABLE AT APPLE BOOKS & GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS. Google Play Books AUDIOBOOK
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The Stoic Golfer: Finding Inner Peace & Focus On The Fairway PDF
The Stoic Golfer: Finding Inner Peace & Focus On The Fairway PDF