John Longmire said the Sydney Swans need to respond to the challenge this weekend against the Western Bulldogs.
The Swans coach said his side will need to show more intensity than they showed in the team’s recent losses to Richmond and St Kilda.
“The (loss to) Adelaide was because we got off to a poor start but then outscored them 13 goals to 10 after quarter time, but the two other losses that we’ve had in Melbourne have been really about contested possession and really about the fact we haven’t responded well when challenged in that second quarter,” he said.
“That’s our challenge to do that this week.”
Longmire said he is expecting a fiercely contested battle against the Dogs, who he spruiked as an up-and-coming side this season.
“They are a competitive group and I’m sure they’ll be competitive on the weekend,” he said.
“Over the last month they’re the number one contested ball team in the competition, and they’ve been open about how they made it a real focus on their pre-season and they’ve certainly responded to that.
“It’s not only their senior players who are doing the job in the middle, but also their younger players in Liberatore and Wallis who have also responded well.”
Despite the team’s poor showing last weekend, Longmire said he is confident that the Swans have what it takes to respond to the challenge this week.
“It’s just a mindset,” he said.
“We’ve been challenged many times this season and we’ve responded really well, whether it was Hawthorn, Port Adelaide over there or North Melbourne here (at the SCG).
“We’ve been able to show composure, not only hardness, but it’s important to show composure as well and we’ve done it pretty well in general.”
The coach added that a win this weekend will put the club a strong position ahead of the upcoming bye in round 12.
“It’s an important game for us against a team that’s really strong in the contest, which the Bulldogs have been over the last month,” he said.
“It’s a critical game for us to make sure that we bounce back.
“There are still two games to go before that break and to be really competitive here on the weekend is our number one priority at the moment to make sure we give a good account of ourselves against a team that’s on the rise.”
