After earning their spot in the grand final with Saturday evening's tense one-point win over Collingwood, the Swans have pointed towards high internal expectations for their deep run in finals.
The Swans' grand final appearance comes just years after a semi-rebuild, with many pundits doubting that success would come so quickly for John Longmire's men.
Despite that external chatter, Longmire is confident that the Swans are only going to get better with their brigade of young stars.
โWe had high expectations internally,โ Longmire told media post-game.
โWe want to give these blokes a crack at playing finals every year. Thatโs our role, as the footy department, is to give the players a crack at the finals every year and give your supporters some hope. Weโre pretty determined to do that.
โTheyโre a good group. Theyโve got some experience there, and some terrific young blokes that I really enjoy working with. Terrific staff ... you get the right people in the right positions, and it gives you an opportunity.
โWe have an opportunity this week. But weโve got to make the right decisions on game day and get ourselves ready to go.
โI think we can get better."
Sydney's victory sees them win through to their first ever grand final appearance against the Cats, though the club may face a selection dilemma with Sam Reid suffering an injury in Saturday's victory.
The AFL grand final will be held on Saturday, September 24, set to begin at 2:30pm AEST.
