SYDNEY Swans coach John Longmire made the stunning admission that his side "couldn't go with them" after watching Greater Western Sydney storm all over his heavily-fancied club on Saturday.
The Giants were expected to improve markedly this season, but were still given a 44.5-point start by some bookmakers and little chance of causing a boilover against a premiership favourite.
The script seemed to be unfolding as it has in the previous four Sydney derbies, with the Swans taking an early lead and managing to maintain it for most the opening three quarters.
But the Giants turned a 24-point deficit in the second term into just a three-point margin at the final break and then slammed through six goals without reply in the final quarter.
Longmire felt his side should have been able to enjoy a bigger lead than its seven-point edge at half-time, having kicked 1.6 to the Giants' three goals straight for the second term.
"We didn't take our chances when we had heaps of inside 50s and heaps of the ball in the second quarter," he said.
"I think we kicked one-goal-six in the second quarter and they only had about seven inside 50s for that quarter, but kicked three straight.
"Then they really lifted after half-time and we couldn’t go with them."
It is a disappointing start to the year for the Swans, who have been tipped almost universally in the pre-season to sit alongside Fremantle and Hawthorn in flag calculations.
They now need to pick up the pieces to take on Collingwood in a fortnight, another team that opened 2014 with a defeat, humbled by the Dockers on Friday night.
In contrast, the re-tooled Giants surpassed all expectations by taking their first win of the year so quickly, but their display came as no surprise to Longmire.
"They didn't surprise me at all," he said.
"You look at how their list is constructed, they've got extreme talent all over the park, they've got quality senior players and they're well coached.
"So it didn't surprise me."
Tom Mitchell, Josh Kennedy, Jarrad McVeigh and Luke Parker showed some decent touch at times for the Swans and Ben McGlynn kicked two goals.
But Longmire was struggling for positives shortly after the final whistle.
"I'd need to sit back and watch it in the cool light of day," he said.
"There's always positives to come out of any game. There obviously wouldn't be too many come out of tonight, looking at the obvious.
"We'll have to see what happens tomorrow."
There was at least one brief moment of humour during Longmire's otherwise sombre press conference.
A focused man who is only ever interested in the developments surrounding his Swans side, he was asked if he thought GWS' upset win could be good for the game in general.
"No," he said, actually letting out a brief laugh.
"It's probably not a great time to ask that."
