Sydney 14.10 (94) Geelong 20.13 (133)
HAVING come away from an ugly battering at the hands of Geelong, facing up to the winter swell at Clovelly beach just 12 hours later might have seemed a comparatively tame challenge for Sydney.
But like Geelong, the waves picked up menacingly just as the players were about to dip their toes in, thrashing the shoreline and daring them to step forward. It wasn't unlike the proposition put forward by Mark Thompson's men, a task that predictably proved full of suicidal rips and raging tides.
The players stood together outside the surf club, unusually muted. The laughter, spirit and belief that has remained on public show in recent times - despite the loss of form - appeared all at sea.
Their original optimism was not misguided, though. Had the Swans toppled Geelong, they'd have kept fourth and their premiership hopes alive. Now, the 39-point loss has trashed their ladder position and much of their aspirations for 2008. But, in truth, it was a reality check long overdue.
Defender Paul Bevan admitted yesterday that the players had no idea of what had gone wrong, and that the season was now in danger of slipping away completely. "We've tried to address a few things and it just hasn't worked. I really don't know," Bevan said. "We just hope we can get on top of it soon because if we lose games, we're a chance of not making the finals at all.
"If we continue playing like this we're going to be in a little bit of trouble."
The Swans are not the only top-eight team to drop form in the second half of the season. The competition's second- and third-placed teams, Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs, have lost their mojo in recent times and the cluster of teams in the lower reaches of the eight hardly inspire confidence.
Be that as it may, the opportunity has been there for the Swans to make a lasting impression this season despite their ageing playing group. Coach Paul Roos confessed after the match that with the way the competition was structured in terms of salary caps and drafts, you could only stay top of the pile for so long. He was right, but having looked so good mid-season, he has every right to feel like there was something to be made of 2008.
For Bevan, the match against the Cats marked something of a learning curve. Given the task against All-Australian forward Steve Johnson, he toiled admirably amid the onslaught, which had its nucleus in the midfield. But the elusive Johnson still found a way to wriggle free, grabbing two goals and 15 touches as he played his part in the multi-pronged Geelong attack. While enjoying the battle, Bevan ultimately felt frustrated at allowing his opponent the fraction of space he needed to have an impact.
"I went into the game and watched a bit of the tape on Johnson. I knew he was a quality player and was All-Australian, so it's always good playing on those kinds of players," Bevan said. "He kicked two on me so I was a bit flat about that. He only needs a couple of minutes to do his stuff and he can hurt you.
"I knew that going into the game I'd have to be switched on the whole time, but I turned it over a few times and that sort of killed me. But you learn things from players like that."
If the Swans can win their remaining two games, they remain an outside chance of re-capturing fourth spot, but Adelaide and North Melbourne have emerged from nowhere.
Next Saturday night, the Swans take on Collingwood at Telstra Dome, but with their horrible record against the Magpies still weighing heavily on the players' minds, it's a mighty assignment. So mighty that it has taken the players' focus off the double chance, which previously seemed inevitable.
"We're just worried about the Collingwood game and not too much about the top four … We're not playing great footy at the moment, so you can't really think about the top four," Bevan said.