As it happened AFL 2023 round 11: ‘We are really going to go places from here’: Warner fires Swans to win over Blues as Cripps, Hollands and Newman all injured

Swans coach John Longmire spoke to the media post game.

The Adam Goodes statue, Dreamtime round, you’re undermanned, what does that win mean for you guys tonight? You were challenged and got the job done.

The day started fantastic, to be able to stand there and watch Goodesy’s statue get unveiled, it was amazing to see that. – sculpture, sorry. To see that, to have a lot of our Indigenous players here to watch that, be part of that. Then have some lunch and then be a part of what they were up to this afternoon, just observing it, was fantastic. I was really lucky to experience that. To come over to the game and to win there, I think we had probably seven or eight of our best players, certainly key position players, out. It was fantastic to dig deep. In the last quarter, put the foot down and go on with it.

You said you were missing key players in important areas, especially in defence. Up against two Coleman Medallists. What was your approach heading into this?

A team defence approach. A few times, Foxy was probably giving away maybe 15-20cm. We wanted to make sure it was a team approach, it wasn’t just you play on you and Benny Matthews was clear on that, our defensive coach, during the week. It helps with some inaccurate kicking at times. They did a great job. That last quarter, Nick had probably six intercept marks and kept on flying for his marks and so the balance between defending when we needed to but also attacking was pretty good.

Nick has had different roles recently, when you’ve had the outs with the McCartin brothers and Dane Rampe. What did it mean to unleash him to be the attacking halfback?

He has been playing on some talls. We had the two McCartins and Rampe out against a forward line like that, when you’ve got big boys in the front half that are as good at their craft as there is going around. Needed a system to get it done. They were very good. Nick was – the longer the game went, the better he went. A few of the younger boys, Chad, really important, Parkesy, keeps cracking in playing at a consistent level, Chad is able to do that now, the Nick lifted, the ability to do that with the next generation is important.

How much hope does that give you for the back end of the season and hopefully people start coming back?

It is important. We did some good things with a couple of games and got rolled at the very last minute. You don’t get that feeling you get in the rooms after the game. Last week, let’s not kid ourselves, we had some things go our way but we also played the last 10-15 minutes to win. We played with great urgency. We did it with a majority of the game tonight. Just to come off and feel good about yourselves, it is an important reinforcement. It is good. The boys feel good, they feel pumped up about it.

Look around, still a fair bit of talent and particularly key position talents sitting on the sidelines. It is good to be able to prove you can do it without them.

Be great to get them back. I’m not sure what happens after the bye. We play on the Thursday night. It is not a true two-week break. I’m not sure who we get back. It puts us in a good spot but we have to hopefully get those boys back and keep being competitive in the second half of the year. Haven’t had the start we wanted to, we have to put the foot down.