SYDNEY Swans coach John Longmire would be "splitting hairs" if he was to criticise his side after going down in a pulsating contest to Adelaide.

The previously top-placed Swans lost by 10 points on Saturday night and, rather than lament any errors, Longmire said his side simply came out on the wrong end of a "ripping" contest.

"It was a ripping, pressure game of football from both teams and that's probably the thing that comes out of it,'' the Swans coach said.

WATCH: John Longmire's full post-match press conference

"It was two teams going absolutely flat out.

"We won two quarters, they won two quarters and they won the last quarter by a bit more than us.

"You probably need to go into splitting hairs in (terms of) some of the things we didn't get right...

"It was a fierce game of footy with two pretty handy teams going pretty hard at it, flat out, for four quarters.

"Full credit to them. They were too good for us in the end and they deserved to win." 

Five talking points: Adelaide v Sydney Swans 

The Swans were clearly the better side in the first quarter but led by only two points at the first change. 

They were on the wrong end of some line-ball decisions but also failed to make the most of their chances going forward.

Longmire conceded the Swans' inability to make the most of their early ascendancy probably hurt them in the wash-up, but he believed his young players would be better for playing in the cauldron-like atmosphere of Adelaide Oval.

"You look at the inside 50 count in the first quarter, we were well on top,'' Longmire said.

"We probably need to kick a couple a bit easier than we did in the first quarter, a couple of easier goals, if there is such a thing in AFL footy…

"We'll go back at it and look at it and be disappointed in what we didn't do.

"But if we'd won we'd be looking at some of the things we did really well, so you've got to be very careful of that and balance it out."

Longmire refused to comment on a controversial goal review decision that saw a Harry Cunningham goal overturned after being deemed to have hit the post. 

But he was full of praise for young star Isaac Heeney (four goals) and said it was arguably the second-year forward's best game for the club.

"He played a couple of good games last year but it was a pretty clean performance,'' Longmire said.

"I thought (2015 No.3 pick) Callum (Mills) was pretty good as well."