Sydney captain Callum Mills has given an insight into how the Swans reviewed the heartbreaking Elimination Final loss to the Giants last year.
The Swans were one of the stories of 2021, their meteoric rise from bottom four to spend the majority of the year around the top four an incredible success in a year many expected little from the club.
Coming up against the Giants in Tasmania in their first final, Sydney were behind for much of the clash but clawed their way back in the final term, cutting the margin back to just seven points with nine minutes to play.
The Swans had the ball locked in their forward half in the dying minutes but could only manage six behinds in a frantic scramble to finish.
Mills, who was recently appointed to the Swans’ captaincy along with Luke Parker and Dane Rampe, did not play in the clash due to an achilles injury but gave details when asked if the club reviewed the clash on SEN Breakfast.
“Yeah we have, and we’ve spoken about it, a bit more about the feel of it,” Mills began.
“As much as the vision it’s also important to talk about what you felt out there and what other teams saw of you out there and the way you want to take the next step.
“The big thing to come out of that was you’ve got to be tough and you’ve got to win contested ball, that’s what finals are made of and things go to the next level and a lot of our playing group haven’t experienced finals before.
“The best part of it was everyone was bitterly disappointed, no one was happy to be there, we really missed an opportunity we believed and we’re going to do what we can to rectify it and make sure we’re winning finals.”
He also added that review wasn’t only designed to call out players but provide clarity on structures in big moments.
“I think there are two sides of it, there are definitely individual moments where you talk about and you expect more of your teammates, and you do call it out,” Mills continued.
“But the other part is there is a bit more of a structural side of it, when you talk contested ball everyone thinks you’ve just got to put your head over it and win a ball, but there’s actually a lot more to it.
“Loose ball gets are (also) considered contested ball, so it’s your shape around the contest, it’s not just one person winning it, it’s, ‘Hey, we need you to be in that position to allow someone to get over to the ball and allow support for the player to go 100% and get the loose ball', if that makes sense.”
Surging from 16th to 6th in a single year, the Swans will now have to defy the trend of teams dropping back after a rapid rise up the ladder.
Mills is confident Sydney can continue their upward trend, suggesting the club knows how it can improve.
“As cliché as this sounds, it’s completely different to what it was last year,” he said.
“Last year we came in with zero expectations, I’m pretty sure every captain last year didn’t vote us to make finals, things have sort of changed and there’s a bit more expectation on us to take the next step.
“We’re pretty adamant on our contested ball and we also want to strengthen the stuff that we’re really good at which is our ball movement and things like that and I think if we can do that while developing and getting players to take the next step the results will take care of themselves.
“There is a big journey ahead and it’s a big step to take, but the best part is everyone’s willing and been working really hard this pre-season to get that to happen.”
The Swans will play GWS in round one of the 2022 season.