{"id":806332,"date":"2026-07-17T15:18:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/806332\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T15:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:18:12","slug":"afl-2026-sydney-swans-forward-issues-in-loss-to-adelaide-crows-dean-cox-press-conference-latest-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/806332\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL 2026: Sydney Swans forward issues in loss to Adelaide Crows, Dean Cox press conference, latest news"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sydney\u2019s key-forward mix has been questioned by two legendary forwards after Adelaide stymied the Swans on Friday night<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The hosts won three more inside-50s than the Crows but managed a score-per-inside-50 rate of just 36 per cent – their fifth-worst result under Dean Cox – in the 16-point loss. <\/p>\n

Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sporting Charlie Curnow, Logan McDonald and Hayden McLean – who combined for a measly one goal – Sydney totalled just four marks inside 50 on a wet SCG. <\/p>\n

And while conditions weren\u2019t ideal, up the other end, Adelaide\u2019s dominant duo of Riley Thilthorpe and Darcy Fogarty teamed up for six goals and 10 marks without Taylor Walker. <\/p>\n

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Cox, probed on Curnow\u2019s quiet night, hinted that it was incumbent on others as much as it was Curnow to deliver. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was one of a few that we need to try and make sure we \u2026 and to Charlie\u2019s credit, he\u2019s been as consistent as anyone,\u201d Cox told reporters. <\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying on some really good defenders, they got enormous heat on the ball, so the flow to be able to get really good looks wasn\u2019t at the level. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe has those nights. So, I know one thing – he\u2019ll get to work as quickly as he possibly can and want to play as well as he can next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joel Amartey is likely another two months away with his Achilles injury. <\/p>\n

MORE COVERAGE:<\/p>\n

FULL 3-2-1: Crows survive Sydney surge to boost top-four hopes as nervous MRO verdict awaits star<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018HATED FOOTY\u2019: How a Pies favourite son became arch enemy\u2019s unlikely saviour<\/a><\/p>\n

RD 19 TEAMS: All-Aus star dropped as Bombers swing axe; sad scene as veteran\u2019s return bid dashed<\/a><\/p>\n

During Fox Footy\u2019s post-game analysis, Geelong champion Tom Hawkins questioned whether Sydney\u2019s current forward combination was at the requisite level. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if they\u2019ve found the right mix in McDonald, Curnow and McLean,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll granted that it\u2019s probably not the best night for key forwards, but as Dean Cox said, down the other end of the ground, the others were able to kick straight. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey wanted dry conditions – I think that\u2019s going to be a challenge if they get wet weather over the finals series \u2026 <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d be disappointed tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holmes to Undergo Surgery | 00:30<\/p>\n

Triple Richmond premiership star Jack Riewoldt, meanwhile, called for the Swans to \u201cchange their mix\u201d, going into the business end of the year. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve got to move some magnets around,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe floated Isaac Heeney potentially playing more time forward pre-game \u2026 I think Heeney has to roll forward. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d stick with McLean – I think he\u2019s the one who gives you a better look in the ruck, as a second ruck behind Brodie Grundy. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut at the moment, they need to find a running mate for Charlie Curnow \u2026 it\u2019s a real worry there. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey miss (Justin) McInerney in the middle – that would allow them to pull the Heeney trigger, I think, with a bit more confidence with their midfield. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey have to change something up there, because it can\u2019t just be the Curnow and Papley show every week; they need some running mates with them \u2026 you need to get better output from your key forwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

The loss to the Crows was the Swans\u2019 fourth loss from six games against top-six opponents, as they prepare to face more questioning of their premiership credentials. <\/p>\n

Asked specifically about his team\u2019s recent inability to handle the opposition\u2019s heat, Cox said: \u201cWe\u2019ve got work to do. (That\u2019s) as simple as I can be with that. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll of us have to do it, and we need to do it pretty quickly. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re under no illusion that it\u2019s an area we need to work on, and we\u2019ll get to work on that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sydney\u2019s key-forward mix has been questioned by two legendary forwards after Adelaide stymied the Swans on Friday night.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":806333,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-806332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/806333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}