The Sydney Swans have welcomed the fact they will start underdogs in their AFLW semifinal against minor premiers Adelaide.
Key points:
- The Swans defeated the Suns 9.4 (58) to 6.5 (41)
- Chloe Molloy kicked three goals in the Swans’ victory
- Swans coach Scott Gowans says his team has “nothing to lose”
The Crows will enter next weekend’s match as firm favourites, but the Swans’ upset win over Gold Coast in Saturday night’s elimination final will give them pause for thought.
The Swans triumphed 9.4 (58) to 6.5 (41) in Carrara, with Chloe Molloy kicking three goals for the victors.
It is a stunning transformation from a team that went winless in their debut season last year.
“All year I’ve been thinking to myself, ‘How would we go playing against a top-four side?’,” Swans coach Scott Gowans said.
“Now we get that opportunity, so we’ll know next week.
“Why not us? We just take the attitude we have nothing to lose. We genuinely believe we can compete. We’ll dive into Adelaide and see how we go.”
Like her coach, Swans co-captain Molloy was excited by what is possible against the Crows.
“We can do anything … the way we’ve evolved throughout the season,” she said.
“We never thought we’d be here and that’s the beauty of it.”
Molloy was outstanding against the Suns, prompting high praise from Gowans.
“I’ve always said she’s the best female footballer I’ve seen and I will stick by it,” Gowans said.
“She has the ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck … she has the football IQ to put herself behind the ball, in the middle or forward and then she’s very, very hard to tag.
“She doesn’t have to get 35 possessions to influence a game. If she gets 15 to 20, she’s usually going to be damaging.”
While the Swans were celebrating their Gold Coast trip, the win came at a cost.
Forward Bec Privitelli injured her left ankle in the first quarter and Gowans was pessimistic that she would recover in time for next weekend.
Meanwhile, the Crows will be looking to bounce back after the Lions got the the better of them in their qualifying final on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions booked a preliminary final berth with their 6.3 (39) to 5.7 (37) win at Norwood Oval.
AAP/ABC
Source: AFL NEWS ABC
