After a 41 point upset win over cross-town rivals GWS, Longmire believes his side showcased some of their best football for the year, attributing the win to his side’s ability to put their game plan into practice.
Whilst often showing these positives signs throughout the course of the season, Longmire noted that being able to sustain this intensity and effort throughout the match was key in securing the win over the Giants.
“We’re not going to win every contest, going up against last year’s premiers with several young blokes - the most pleasing thing was the majority of the time we got it right,” Longmire said.
“Everyone played a really strong role, whether it was in defense or offense, we kept it going for 4 quarters."
With youth on their side, Longmire praised the Swan’s work rate and consistent pressure to lock the ball in their forward half.
“Our pressure up the ground was really important,” Longmire said.
“We like to play both sides of the ball, and we got our contested ball right.”
When asked whether he knew his players had the ability to produce a solid performance such as tonight’s display, Longmire explained the importance of learning each week what his young squad is capable of, and the importance of picking up a win in the process.
“Our guys have been training quite well,” Longmire said.
"You just gotta keep stepping forward, sometimes you take two steps forward and one step back - but as long as you keep moving forward you learn a lot about some players…and when it works it makes (the players) feel good.
Longmire pointed out a key performance from young gun Nick Blakey, showcasing his versatility playing in the midfield throughout the match.
“In the back end of last year we put him up on the wing…so we think he can do that. We put him in the middle in the reserves scrimmage on the Gold Coast last to give him a go, introduce him slowly to the inside mid role,” Longmire said.
"Nick’s first half was fantastic, he’s something different in there. He’s tall, quick and he’s a beautiful kick, and he was able to push forward and kick a couple of goals."
The strong leadership of his senior players was also lauded by the senior coach, calling out the diligence of Luke Parker and Dane Rampe in leading from the front.
"Luke and Dane in particularly carry a reasonable load with their leadership, and the way Luke sets the tone for the younger blokes is fantastic. Everyone jumped on board tonight which was fantastic,” Longmire said.
"If we work hard and get it right, you can really enjoy senior footy, but you need to work hard and we’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s good to get a win during that period of learning."
