- Robbie Fox has revealed what went wrong at Sydney Swans
- Swans star says his teammates weren’t ready for battle
- Brisbane Lions defeated Sydney to win the grand final
Robbie Fox admits Sydney faced an uphill battle after the Brisbane Lions upset them in the first half of their AFL final defeat.
Will Hayward got the Swans going with the first major at the MCG before the Lions scored seven goals to one in the second term to cruise to a 60-point win.
Sydney looked to be looking for a challenge in the second half, as they have done repeatedly this season, but they were disjointed across the board.
Under the Brisbane heat, the Swans gave away 62 turnovers to 53 and kicked just nine majors from 49 inside-50 entries.
By comparison, the Lions scored 18 goals from 51 inside-50 entries.
Losing their clutch hero Isaac Heeney to an ankle injury in the third term only weakened their resolve.
Swans Utility Fox, one of the few shining lights in John Longmire’s team, admits the game was lost before the final siren sounded.
Robbie Fox has revealed what exactly went wrong for the Sydney Swans in the grand final
For the second time in three seasons, the Swans were absolutely defeated in the big game
Fox finished with 21 touches, one goal and two turnovers, while midfielder James Rowbottom fought desperately in Heeney’s absence with 18 disposals and 10 turnovers.
“It was physical to begin with. They came for the fight and we weren’t up for it,” Fox said.
‘Then it has become a mental game and you just have to be one or two percent off.
‘It’s just disappointing that after the second quarter we hardly show up anymore.
‘It’s funny to say that we had a great feeling before the match. Everyone was calm and collected.”
Their defeat comes two years after their 81-point grand final against Geelong.
It is also the club’s fourth defeat in a decider since the 2012 premiership, leaving Longmire with a 1-4 record on the last Saturday of September.
Fox says he knew the Swans were ready to win the flag after dominating the regular season, claiming the minor premiership only added to their devastation.
“We’ve had such a good year to put ourselves in this position and then it’s just the icing on the cake,” Fox said.
‘This time we were more into it.
“To put ourselves in such a good position, finish at the top, have a week off and come back here, it hurts not to show up again.”
After learning how to regroup after their brutal upset of the Cats two years ago, Fox says the team will look to bottle the positives from their season.
Fox admitted his teammates were not ready for battle when challenged by Brisbane
“I talked to Isaac after the game, he was really devastated, but I thought, ‘You had such a great year, you helped get this team here,’” Fox said.
‘During the finals series we worked a lot with (sports psychologist) Emma Murray and we felt like one match wouldn’t define us.
“This was four weeks ago and we just had this mentality.
“We would like to win a grand final but it won’t define us.
‘Not this year, but hopefully in the coming years.’