Sydney coach John Longmire has conceded his side "didn't have many winners" during the club's 60-point grand final loss to Brisbane.
The Swans coughed up seven goals in the second term to see the game heavily swing in favour of the Lions, who held a 46-point advantage at the main break - the fifth biggest half-time margin in a V/AFL grand final ever.
Longmire's star-studded engine room ensemble failed to fire at the level that helped them claim the minor premiership and advance to the season decider in style as Brisbane's onballers were often able to break from the contest and set up chances on goal throughout the triumphant afternoon.
Reflecting on the performance in the aftermath of his fourth grand final defeat as coach, Longmire said his side's ball use and defensive efforts in the middle of the ground played a significant role in the heavy loss.
"I don't think we used our run enough from the start, we didn't seem to move to the level we have been moving at," the Swans coach said.
"We didn't use it well enough and we blasted it away a bit too much. We didn't use our numbers around the footy and then blasted it. We were beaten at ground level and they were able to get it back and go back through us a bit too easy. We didn't put enough pressure around the ball.
"We needed more from everybody, we needed more from across the board. There's no question about that.
"They were able to score too easily, it made it difficult for us to be able to defend."
Sydney's tall forward trio of Joel Amartey, Hayden McLean and Logan McDonald were kept to a combined 15 disposals, eight marks and zero goals for the game, with McDonald only featuring in the first half due to an ankle concern that cut his game short.
Longmire didn't want to blame his three key forwards, noting the difficulty of the job they faced due to inefficiencies in the midfield, stating the Swans failed to find players to perform their roles across the field.
"That's one of the areas, Longmire said when asked about the forward line's lacking impact.
"I think we got beaten in the midfield today, which is one of our strengths. We've had an enormous amount of good footy we've played this year.
"We didn't have many winners today in front of the ball or at the source, that made it difficult for all of us but particularly the blokes in front of the ball."
The loss for Longmire and the Swans has the club continuing its chase for a first AFL premiership since 2012 - a flag Sydney won under Longmire in his second year at the helm.
The New South Wales side has lost four grand finals since, with defeats coming against Hawthorn (2014), the Western Bulldogs (2016), Geelong (2022) and now Brisbane.
