Sydney coach Dean Cox looks at the ladder and knows a finals berth is mathematically impossible, but he won't let the Swans give up on ending their season on a high.
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See subscription optionsThe tenth-placed Swans had to beat cross-city rivals GWS to keep their slim post-season hopes alive and looked primed to do so when they built a 35-point lead before the main break.
But the Giants stormed away with a sensational third-quarter performance to set up a 44-point win.
The visitors had slotted six straight goals in the opening half despite losing key forward Hayden McLean (concussion) early.
In the second, they kicked just one through Justin McInerney and notched a total of eight points.
Sydney's usual stars struggled to fire against the relentless pressure of the Orange Tsunami.
After a best-on-ground performance against North Melbourne, Sydney superstar Isaac Heeney was kept to just 22 disposals and two clearances.
While Errol Gulden had 32 touches, Chad Warner had just 19.
Swans livewire Tom Papley, on return from a hamstring injury, kicked just one goal in the opening half and was kept to three touches in the second.
"We played the footy we did in the first half with the same team (as in the second half)," Cox said.
"The disappointing part was the second half and the way we played, but we need to make sure we fight this year out as well as we possibly can.
"We understand that it's probably mathematically impossible to make the finals, but we're going to have a throw at the stumps as long as we possibly can."
Sydney sit tenth (9-10) ahead of the weekend's clashes, eight points behind Gold Coast (11-6).
The Western Bulldogs (11-8) are also on 44 points but sit eighth on percentage, while Fremantle are seventh on 48 points.
With just four rounds left, Sydney will need a miracle to make finals.
Sydney play a struggling Essendon (SCG) outfit first, before Brisbane (Gabba), Geelong (SCG) and West Coast (Optus Stadium).
Cox also expects Joel Hamling to miss out on game time after the defender suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter.
"One thing we need to do is to make sure that we can build as much as we possibly can towards the back end for pre-season and for next year," Cox said.
"And every time I say to a player, every time you represent this football club in that jumper, you have to fight as hard as you possibly can to win games of footy."
Australian Associated Press
