NOT FOR the first time, Charlie Curnow ran rampant in the first quarter last week.

But, not for the first time, Charlie Curnow struggled afterwards.

In last Thursday night's defeat to Hawthorn, as Sydney surged into an early lead, it was Curnow – the club's new recruit – who looked as though he would crack the contest open.

Curnow had two goals from three scoring shots in the first quarter and looked the danger man, only to be held to just one handball for the entire second half and not a single touch in the entire final quarter.

But, while some teething issues have rightfully been expected of Curnow since his move to the Swans, the flickering impact late in games is something the two-time Coleman Medal winner has dealt with for 12 months now.

Since the start of 2025, Curnow has kicked 18 goals from 34 scoring shots in the first quarter of games. But, in every other quarter combined, he has kicked just 19 goals from only 35 scoring shots.

His 18 first-quarter goals and 34 first-quarter shots are comparatively quite good. Against the top three in last year's Coleman count, Ben King has 25 goals from 37 shots, Jack Gunston has 17 from 28, while Jeremy Cameron has 17 from 26 shots.

But the rest is cause for concern. While Curnow's kicked 19 goals from 35 shots afterwards, Cameron has 74 goals from 112 shots in that time, Gunston has 69 goals from 101, and King has 62 goals from 74 attempts.

On Thursday night, it was Tom Barrass who was moved to Curnow after quarter-time. His own offensive impact proved critical to the end result. The defender finished with 15 disposals, six marks, 11 intercepts and 10 spoils.

"It was difficult for Charlie because he couldn't move him [Barrass] and he couldn't shift him in those one-on-ones," Kane Cornes said on AFL.com.au's First Up on Friday night.

"One story is Barrass and one story is Curnow, who went missing for one handball in the second half.

"He's got to present up. You've got to understand who you're playing on. Josh Battle, yes, take him deep. But when it's Barrass, take him to the wings. Present up at the footy, get him out of his comfort zone. Curnow just didn't play a smart game."

Part of Curnow's late struggles can be put down to meshing with his new teammates, in a forward line consisting of fellow marking targets like Joel Amartey and Logan McDonald. Indeed, that was evident last Thursday night.

"Four marks from 58 inside 50s. For me, it's the way in which the forward line are not really moving and presenting a whole lot for the kicker," Kate McCarthy said on AFL.com.au's The Round So Far on Saturday evening.

"There is so much pointing going on inside this forward line and no one moving. If you're not moving, it allows the likes of James Sicily and Josh Weddle to watch the cues of the kicker, drop off and come back.

"Yes, a lot of times we talk about the ball movement. But you have to move. You have to disrupt the defence. If you look down the other end and you see Jack Gunston and what he's doing, he does it from sheer workrate and movement.

"I guarantee you, the likes of Mabior Chol, Mitch Lewis … they love playing with Jack Gunston, because he draws players out of the area. Whether he's going to get used or not, he goes hard and he runs at the leg. It moves the defence and makes it so hard to stop."

But, whether it's down to form, fitness or something else, there's no doubting that Curnow's struggles late in games are becoming a pattern. It will certainly be an issue that Swans coach Dean Cox will want to be eradicated.