Record-breaking Swans thump Eagles to boost finals bid

Martin Pegan | June 24, 2023

John Longmire unleashed a Sydney outfit that was “in the moment” but the Swans coach says he wasn’t bothered about the records that tumbled in a 171-point AFL thrashing of a hapless West Coast at the SCG.

The Swans piled on their second-highest score ever, and greatest since 1987, in the 31.19 (205) to 5.4 (34) triumph over an Eagles side that suffered their heaviest defeat in club history on Saturday.

The final margin equalled the Swans’ biggest in club history and is the equal-fourth highest ever in the AFL/VFL, but Longmire did not push his players to set new benchmarks even when several were within reach in the final term.

“In those times, you probably as a coach, you step back and let the players go. I didn’t have much of an involvement,” Longmire said.

“They were in the moment and they knew what they had to do. So, I think, step out of their way.”

It took the Swans (6-8) just 26 seconds to boot their first goal through Chad Warner in an early sign of what was to come.

The Swans finished with 9.4 to 1.0 at the first change in their highest opening term score since 1997 and equal-third best ever, then topped that in the third term with 11.5 to 0.2.

The rampant Swans had winners all over the ground, starting with Errol Gulden (32 disposals, three goals), Chad Warner (33, two), Angus Sheldrick (29, one) and co-captain Luke Parker (28, two) around the stoppages.

The Swans had 12 goalkickers with nine of those finishing with multiple majors, as Isaac Heeney filled his boots with 5.4 and promising tall forwards Logan McDonald and Joel Amartey both kicked four.

Hayden McLean booted the goal that took the Swans past a double ton as they became the first team to reach the milestone since 2011.

The Eagles’ (1-13) have now been defeated by more than 100 points four times this season but this was their most humiliating as the slick Swans fine-tuned for what looms as a late season surge toward the top eight.

Captain Luke Shuey (28 disposals) battled hard around the ball along with Tim Kelly (27, one goal), while Oscar Allen and Jack Darling were shining lights in the Eagles forward line with two goals each.

The undermanned Eagles were again hit hard by injury with Jack Williams ruled out with an ankle injury before halftime, while Sam Petrevski-Seton was heavily restricted for much of the contest.

Key defender Tom Barrass also spent time in the changerooms being assessed in his return game after being sidelined with a hip complaint.

“I’m pretty embarrassed about today,” Eagles coach Adam Simpson said.

“We tried lots of things, but none of them worked.

“From start to finish, we were on the back foot and we couldn’t gain any type of ascendancy at all.

“In the end, we got what we deserved.”