Sydney will enjoy a couple days rest before ramping up for finals, using the much needed bye-round to heal a few of their stars ahead of their push for premiership glory.
The five-goal win over Adelaide at the SCG was a convincing finish to the season for Sydney, securing the minor premiership and getting a much needed contribution from from key forwards Logan McDonald and Joel Amartey.
Many questioned the call to name stars Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner with their nagging injury concerns, and even with Heeney's late withdrawal, coach John Longmire maintains a belief to keep continuity with his players.
LATE CHANGE | Isaac Heeney replaced by Robbie Fox (substitute).
First bounce from 7:40pm. pic.twitter.com/4LMAL2IFy7
— Sydney Swans (@sydneyswans) August 24, 2024
"He's got a bit of a stiff ankle that he manages all the time," Longmire shared post-match
"The start of the week... my original thoughts were to play him about 80 minutes and play him majority forward.
"You've got to be mindful of trying to get the balance right, you can't rest everyone on mass like some people were suggesting. That just doesn't work with the bye next week."
"You need to keep some game-time with your players. He's had a big workload, but he's also fit and he trains so hard."
"(But we were) trying to keep him out of the action and he couldn't help but be in the action, so we made a call to pull him out. He should be fine."
Chad Warner however, did take the field following a brief absence with a calf concern.
The All-Australian candidate finished the season strong with 22 disposal and a goal in the win, Longmire emphasising the benefit of the club's approach to fitness management.
"You've got to let your players play... he was very keen to play (last week) but we gave him the week off. I think it was a good thing for him. It allowed him an extra week to get over things and he came out fresh as a daisy," the Swans coach noted.
Injured troops Tom Papley (ankle) and Justin McInerney (knee) are critical cogs for their future prospects, and should return to the side come September in a pleasant surprise for Swans fans.
"We'll see how they go, they've still got a couple of weeks."
"They've done various levels of training, McInerney's done a fair bit actually. Paps (Papley) has done a bit and he's due to ramp it up this week."
"We're hopeful that they'll be available for that first week (of finals)."
The Swans could still meet any of Port Adelaide, Geelong or GWS in that home qualifier, with all three Sunday matches in Round 24 having significant top eight ramifications ahead of September.