Sydney coach Dean Cox has delivered a huge spray as the Swans overcame a sluggish first half to post a crushing 67-point win over wooden spooners West Coast at Optus Stadium.
Saturday night’s match marked the first time Cox, a 290-game premiership champion of West Coast, had come up against his former club as a senior coach.
Dean Cox addresses the players.Credit: AFL Photos
He cut an angry figure with his team trailing 20-7 at quarter time, and the Swans still trailed by seven points at half-time in what was shaping as a huge boilover.
But a 13-goals-to-one second half from Sydney turned the contest on its head, with the 10th-placed Swans running out 18.10 (118) to 7.9 (51) winners to finish 2025 with a 12-11 record.
West Coast (1-22) end the season with just one win to their name for the first time in the club’s history.
Errol Gulden (36 disposals, two goals, 648 metres gained), Isaac Heeney (26 disposals, 10 clearances, one goal) and Tom Papley (27 disposals, three goals) led the way for Sydney, while Jack Buller kicked a career-high three majors.
For the Eagles, Tim Kelly continued his strong late-season form with 24 disposals and seven clearances, while emerging star Jobe Shanahan kicked three goals.
West Coast entered the season nursing the weakest list in the league, and they finished their campaign missing their five most important players – Harley Reid, Jeremy McGovern, Jake Waterman, Oscar Allen and Elliot Yeo – plus key defender Harry Edwards.
Eagles defender Reuben Ginbey was subbed out in the second quarter after injuring his right knee in what at first sight looked like a horrific injury.
The 20-year-old was left writhing in pain on the turf after his right leg cannoned into the head of teammate Matt Flynn as he somersaulted into an airborne contest.
Remarkably, Ginbey was able to return later in the term, but was clearly in pain and was soon subbed out.
West Coast started the game with a bang, kicking the opening three goals via Bailey Williams, Jamie Cripps and Shanahan on the back of intense pressure and high-class marking.
Eagles star Liam Ryan.Credit: Getty Images
Sydney were on track to be held goalless in the first quarter until Hayden McLean kicked a goal after the siren following a turnover from Liam Ryan.
Cox delivered an almighty spray to his group at quarter-time, and the Swans responded with the first two goals of the second term.
The Eagles refused to wilt, and by the 21-minute mark of the second term, they had won seven holding-the-ball free kicks for the match compared to Sydney’s none.
Shanahan and Flynn kicked goals to give West Coast a seven-point edge at half-time, but the third term was all one-way traffic as Sydney’s ball movement from defence cut West Coast to shreds in a six-goals-to-nil blitz.
The Swans delivered more pain in the final quarter to blow out the final margin beyond 10 goals.
AAP