- Robbie Fox has revealed what went wrong with the Sydney Swans
- Swans star says team-mates were unprepared for fight
- Brisbane Lions crush Sydney to win Grand Final
Robbie Fox admits Sydney faced an uphill battle after being rocked by the Brisbane Lions in the first half of their AFL grand final defeat.
Will Hayward sparked the Swans with the first major at the MCG before the Lions racked up seven goals to one in the second period to cruise to a 60-point victory.
Sydney looked to mount a challenge in the second half, as they have done repeatedly this season, but were disjointed across the lines.
In the Brisbane heat, the Swans lost 62 to 53 and managed just nine big 49 innings within 50.
By comparison, the Lions scored 18 goals in 51 inside-50 innings.
Losing his defining hero, Isaac Heeney, to an ankle injury in the third term only weakened his resolve.
Swans utility Fox, one of the few bright lights in John Longmire’s team, admits the game was already lost between ears before the final siren sounded.
Robbie Fox has revealed what exactly went wrong for the Sydney Swans in the Grand Final
For the second time in three seasons, the Swans were absolutely destroyed in the big game.
Fox finished with 21 touches, one goal and two clearances, while midfielder James Rowbottom struggled desperately in Heeney’s absence with 18 disposals and 10 clearances.
“To begin with, it was physical. “They came to fight and we were not up to it,” Fox said.
“Then it became a mental game and you only had to lose one or two percent.
“It’s just disappointing not to show up after the second quarter.
‘It’s funny to say that we had a great feeling before the game. “Everyone was calm and collected.”
Their defeat comes two years after their 81-point grand final thrashing of Geelong.
It is also the club’s fourth loss in a decider since the 2012 premiership, leaving Longmire with a 1-4 record on the last Saturday in September.
Fox says knowing the Swans were set to win the flag after dominating the regular season to claim the minor premiership only compounds his devastation.
“We had such a good year to put ourselves in this position and then it’s that icing on the cake,” Fox said.
“This time we were a little more into it.
“To put ourselves in such a good position, finish first, have the week off and come back here, it hurts just not to show up again.”
Having learned to regroup after the Cats’ brutal beating two years ago, Fox says the team will try to bottle up the positives from its season.
Fox admitted his teammates were not ready for the fight when challenged by Brisbane
“I talked to Isaac after the game, he was very devastated, but I told him, ‘You’ve had an incredible year, you helped this team get here,'” Fox said.
‘Throughout the final series, we worked a lot with (sports psychologist) Emma Murray and we thought that one match would not define us.
‘This was four weeks ago and we had this mentality.
‘We would like to win a grand final, but that will not define us.
“It wasn’t this year, but I hope it will be in the years to come.”
