SYDNEY coach Dean Cox says the first three rounds have proven the Swans are good enough to beat anyone when they play at their best, even if it took until a thriller on Sunday for the new coach to get his maiden win.
The Swans were gritty against Fremantle in a tense armwrestle at Optus Stadium, winning by three points after key forward Joel Amarey slotted a late goal to help the team avoid a 0-3 start.
DOCKERS v SWANS Full match coverage and stats
Cox said he would have loved a win to start the season instead of early losses to Hawthorn and Brisbane, but the team's football was stacking up as the beaten 2024 grand finalists head into a bye.
"I think it's proven that when we play our best, we're good enough to beat anyone," Cox said on Sunday night.
"We've still got areas that we need to continually work on, and there's going to be things that'll take time.
"(But) we get a bye now. We get a chance to reset and we also get a chance to look at our game and how's that stacking up.
"You get three weeks in to go, 'Are we doing things right? Do we need to change anything?' And we've got a bit of time to do it, so that's also good."
Cox said he was proud of how the Swans had handled an off-season of change, and Sunday's win in WA – where he played a 290-game career with West Coast – would always be special.
"For them to experience and to play in a really hostile environment away from home, and to rally the way they did after the start, was very pleasing," the coach said.
"They're the great wins that you see as a football club, (but) my process wouldn't have changed if we were 0-3 or if we win our first game.
"I'm just rapt for the players that they get to experience the win, their first one of the season, going into a bye, but knowing there's still a lot of work to be done."
Cox paid tribute to star midfielder Chad Warner, who lifted in the final term with 10 disposals to finish with 26 and 10 inside 50s.
The 24-year-old grabbed his jumper passionately at the end of the game amid conjecture around where he will play in 2025, and celebrated with Cox, who has a strong relationship with the onballer.
"I thought his impact in the last quarter was profound," Cox said.
"He's a passionate person. He's passionate about the footy club. I want to make sure that Chad plays his best footy for this football club, and he enjoys his time while he's here.
"You want to keep your best players, and Chad's one of those. So that's a process we continually work through."
A disappointed Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said the Dockers had not made the most of their opportunities after kicking four goals in the second half from 31 inside 50s.
He said the team had not executed in crucial moments and used the ball in a way that left them exposed defensively.
"Players need to understand that the little things are the big things in those moments, and all our phases link into each other," he said.
"We need to be better at closing out games than what we showed.
"We need to make sure that in those moments, while we would like to score, we need to make sure we're not left vulnerable behind the ball.
"We weren't good enough in those moments."
Longmuir said defender Brandon Walker had suffered a dislocated shoulder, repeating an injury that troubled him over the pre-season.
He said the team would not rush dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe back for next Sunday's Western Derby if he wasn't ready after the midfielder completed a full WAFL game this weekend, despite needing his experience.
"It's a balance between that and making sure his body is resilient and can handle a full game of AFL and not just one game of AFL, but continue to handle the rest of the year," Longmuir said.
"So we'll work that out during the week. We'll see how he pulled up in the WAFL and see how he feels as well.
"We want to make sure when he comes in his fitness is up to the level and he's at a level where he can pull up well after each game, but also making sure he's confident in his footy as well.
"We won't rush him."
