Newly appointed Sydney Swans coach Dean Cox has disclosed that he compelled the team to revisit their 2024 grand final defeat on the very first day of their pre-season training.
The Swans suffered a crushing 60-point loss to Brisbane, marking their fourth grand final defeat since 2014 and their second in the last two years.
However, Cox, who succeeded 2012 premiership coach John Longmire following last year’s disappointment, asserted that it was essential to confront the painful reality straightaway.
“We had to watch the 2024 grand final,” Cox shared during an interview with SEN radio on Tuesday.
“On our initial day of pre-season, most of the senior players returned in early December, so we postponed the programme by a day.”
Dean Cox has been an assistant at Sydney since 2017. AFL Photos via Getty Images
“For us, it was important to review it. We sat down and discussed what transpired, identifying as both a playing and coaching group what went amiss, where we ought to focus moving forward, and then everything started to roll from there.”
The task was anything but straightforward for the Swans, who had previously endured an 81-point defeat to Geelong in the 2022 grand final.
“It was a challenging day for the players to reflect on that match and witness their performance,” Cox acknowledged.
Isaac Heeney of the Swans sits on the MCG turf after their 2024 grand final loss to Brisbane. Getty
“From that point onwards, it was about gaining insights from every experience possible. We had a bitter pill to swallow on grand final day, and it’s crucial we learn from it.”
Surprisingly, the review session took an extensive seven hours, with the analysis of the first minute of the match alone consuming an hour.
“We divided into two separate rooms, wanting to observe it from various angles and discuss what the players were feeling as we pinpointed what was occurring,” Cox explained.
John Longmire post grand final loss. Getty
“The review lasted the entire day, stretching over seven and a half hours.
“Additionally, we spent over an hour just dissecting the first minute of the game.”
Yet, that defeat is now firmly in the past.
“To the players’ credit, they engaged wholeheartedly in the review, keen to address it promptly and draw lessons from it,” he added.
“They were eager to wrap it up.
“Once that day concluded, we moved forward, and we’re now ready for 2025.”
The Swans are set to kick off their 2025 season against Hawthorn at the SCG on March 7 in the Opening Round.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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