Swans coach John Longmire says the club won’t dwell on Logan McDonald’s second potential missed game-winning set shot after the Swans dropped consecutive games for the first time in 2024.
McDonald in Sunday’s two-point loss to St Kilda had another opportunity to win the game for Sydney in the late stages.
The young key forward marked directly in front of goal around 50m out with a minute and a half remaining in the fourth term in a chance to make amends for last week’s after-the-siren miss against Fremantle.
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But the kick sailed left and went through for a behind as St Kilda held its nerve in the dying stages in a thrilling finish at Marvel Stadium.
Speaking post-match, Longmire said the 22-year old would take valuable learnings from such high-pressure moments.
“You can’t say much, those things happen in footy, that’s part of growing up,” the Swans coach said.
“Part of experience is dealing with those situations and working through them.
“In the end we thought he could’ve kicked it from there. Maybe the old adage, aim to the right when you’re that far out, because if you’re a right footer you’re going to pull it to the left-hand goalpost.
“That’s something we’ll work through.”
It came fresh off McDonald this week penning a four-year contract extension with the Swans until 2028, rejecting interest from several rival clubs.
Longmire said he wouldn’t put much emphasis on how he addresses McDonald’s late-game misses in instances where “experience teaches you a lot,” hoping he’ll be better prepared next time round.
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“You can make too big a deal about it too. You’ve just got to say: ‘Oh well, we’ve just got to keep working mate’,” Longmire noted.
“There’s a couple of technical things you can help with, but in the end it’s part of footy, you’ve got to get on with it.
“You have those opportunities, he went back and at least had a crack at it. There will be a day when it goes through and he’ll feel good about himself.”
The Swans fell to 13-3 on the season but remain two games and healthy percentage clear at the top of the ladder ahead of next week’s SCG clash with North Melbourne.
“We’ve had a pretty reasonable season, you’re going to go through a (down) patch, it’s hard to play at that level for a long time,” Longmire added.
“It will give us something to work on, there’s no question about that. We’ had such a good start, but now it’s about making sure you continue to do you know what works. “