SYDNEY Swans coach Paul Roos has praised the gutsy effort of his players against Fremantle, especially their work rate in a tense last term.
Roos said ruckman Shane Mumford was exceptional against the Fremantle ruck department, finishing with 30 hit-outs, five clearances, 22 possessions and a goal.
The ever-improving big man gave the Swans a 40-28 advantage in clearances, and his nine possessions in the final quarter were crucial, as the Swans kicked the last two goals of the game to win by nine points.
“Shane Mumford’s last quarter was just exceptional,” Roos said.
“You need inspiration to come from your players out on the field - the coaches really can’t do much; the runner can’t do much.
“I thought in the last quarter we saw some super efforts. Shawy’s (Rhyce Shaw's) effort on [Stephen] Hill the whole game, (Brett) Kirk on (Nick) Suban…but Shane Mumford, his ability to cover the ground in the last quarter really carried the side across the line.
“I thought some of the clearances in the last quarter were really important. There were some really critical clearances.”
Roos says the side will need the same attitude and effort in the next two weeks, when they face the Western Bulldogs at home, and Brisbane at the Gabba.
He said the win over Fremantle may have guaranteed the Swans a finals berth, depending on other results tomorrow, but they couldn't let up.
The Swans overcame injuries to Ben McGlynn and fellow small forward Jarred Moore to win their second consecutive match and close the gap on the fifth-placed Fremantle, with the courageous win giving the side a realistic shot at earning a home final.
“We’ve just got to try and be as competitive as we have been today in the next couple of weeks,” Roos said after the match.
“We’ve beaten two pretty good sides in Hawthorn and Fremantle (and) three weeks ago we played pretty ordinary against Melbourne.
“Clearly we’re playing better, but we need all our players playing well to win games of footy, we can’t have any passengers.
“If we get that, we’re competitive, but we’ve still got to win another game perhaps, depending on the results of the weekend [to make the finals].”
Roos said Saturday’s win, the Swans’ third in its last eight road trips, was important in the context of their season as they look to build momentum on the eve of the finals.
McGlynn, who booted three goals and was close to best on ground before he got injured, sustained a facial fracture when he collided with Fremantle ruckman Zac Clarke halfway through the third term, and Roos was not confident he would be available to face the Dogs.
The Swans were also forced to play most of the final quarter two men down, with Jarred Moore shaken and taken from the ground on a stretcher after he copped a knock to the head in a marking contest.
Roos said it was important that Moore had been able to come back on and make a contribution.
