SHELL-SHOCKED Sydney Swans coach John Longmire barely knew where to start when asked what went wrong for the Swans in Saturday's Grand Final.
They were slaughtered 300-163 in uncontested possessions, beaten in contested possessions and out-tackled in a 63-point loss to Hawthorn that no one - least of all Longmire - saw coming.
But worst of all was the hardness, or more specifically the lack of it, from a Swans team that prides itself on going harder for longer than everyone else.
"If you're hard at the ball and you're hard at the man with the ball and you're effective with your tackles and you're working up and down the ground then composure tends to look after itself," said Longmire.
"It wasn't good.
"But there weren't many aspects of our game that were good."
Having tallied 110 tackles in their Grand Final win over the Hawks in 2012, Longmire's men laid just 57 tackles this time around.
The seeds of the Swans' demise were sown in the first quarter when they registered just seven tackles to Hawthorn's 22.
"I'm just so disappointed we didn't give ourselves a chance," Longmire said. "We missed tackles, and we were on the back foot from the first bounce.
"We didn't apply the sort of pressure that we hoped to apply early, and we couldn't get it back.
"We didn't play the sort of football we wanted to. We didn't pressure the opposition when they had the ball."
The Swans were thrashed in the midfield, and they finished the game with 144 fewer disposals than the Hawks.
The margin when it came to contested possessions was just 10, yet Hawthorn had 137 more uncontested possessions, which illustrates the way that Alastair Clarkson's team won the ball in close and then ran the Swans off their legs.
"We couldn't get our hands on it," Longmire said. "When we got our hands on it, we coughed it up and the opposition got it.
"We were not able to wrest the momentum back at any stage. It was such a disappointing effort.
"They were physical at the ball. I'm not sure that upset us, but we didn't play as we as we could have in the contest ball situation.
"They were playing finals football and we didn't match them in that area and couldn't get back on top after we got off to that poor start, both in the contest but also when the ball was out in space.
"I was always hoping that we would get the momentum back on our terms, but to Hawthorn's credit they just kept the foot down.
"They didn't slow up. When we got a goal they'd answer back and then some, and that's what good teams do.
"They're probably a bit beyond a good team now. They're a great team. Anyone who wins back-to-back premierships has got to be known as a great football team.
"They're a fantastic football club. Well coached. A great club on and off the field and with terrific players."
Longmire refused to comment on whether champion forward Adam Goodes would play on next season.
But the coach was adamant that his team could mount another premiership challenge.
"We let ourselves down today and we need to get them back on track," Longmire said.
"We'll come to work, when the players have had their break, and we'll roll the sleeves up and we'll go again.
"And we'll talk about what we're going to do, but I'm a big believer in actually doing it, and we need to make sure that we come prepared to get better again."
Grand thrashings: Biggest margins in VFL/AFL Grand Finals
| Margin | Score | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 119 | Geelong 24.19 (163) d Port Adelaide 8.6 (44) | 2007 |
| 96 | Hawthorn 22.20 (152) d Melbourne 6.20 (56) | 1988 |
| 83 | Hawthorn 20.20 (140) d Essendon 8.9 (57) | 1983 |
| 81 | Richmond 23.21 (159) d Collingwood 9.24 (78) | 1980 |
| 80 | West Coast 20.23 (143) d Geelong 8.15 (63) | 1994 |
| 78 | Essendon 26.14 (170) d Hawthorn 14.8 (92) | 1985 |
| 73 | Essendon 18.17 (125) d Carlton 6.16 (52) | 1949 |
| 73 | Melbourne 17.19 (121) d Collingwood 6.12 (48) | 1956 |
| 63 | Essendon 22.18 (150) d Melbourne 13.9 (87) | 1946 |
| 63 | Hawthorn 21.11 (137) d Sydney Swans 11.8 (74) | 2014 |
