The AFL world was in shock after the Sydney Swans’ abysmal effort against Port Adelaide on Saturday night.
Port Adelaide stunned the AFL’s ladder leaders to the tune of 112 points, a result that had experts scratching their heads and coach John Longmire fuming.
The loss is the biggest in Longmire’s 13-year tenure as coach and it has come on the back of a stunning form slump.
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At one point this year they were the raging flag favourites. Now that seems like a distant memory with the team winning just one match out of their past six.
The commentators were stunned as the game unfolded, at one point calling the star-studded Swans “witches hates”.
Fox Sports commentator Anthony Hudson said it was an “atrocity if you’re a Sydney fan”.
And AFL great Dermott Brereton was shocked.
“This is disturbing …,” Brereton said.
“It’s not just a mulligan going on here.
“They have lost five out of their last six and this is an absolute whopping.”
Swans great and Seven commentator Jude Bolton was furious.
“Any danger of the Swans showing some backbone?” he said on X (formerly Twitter).
“One way traffic. Port continuing to absolutely smoke them!
“This is insipid. These types of games leave scars.”
Sydney now lead the competition by just four points.
Asked if he was bewildered by the performance put in by a team who won 10 games in a row this season, Longmire said: “That’d be one word to describe it.
“We played so poorly tonight in the contest. So poorly. That’s it.”
Rubbing more salt into the wound, the Swans have also lost eight straight matches against the Power.
Port young gun Mitch Georgiades and Willie Rioli both kicked four goals, while Willem Drew kept Swans ball magnet Chad Warner to just 19 touches.
Drew also led the game with 32 disposals, well supported by Ollie Wines, Zak Butter and Jason Horne-Francis.
The hosts, eager to celebrate defender Aliir Aliir’s 150th match in style (a former Swan), brutally overpowered Sydney from the first bounce with seven goals to none to build an early 45-point lead.
Such was their dominance that Sydney, trailing 20 inside-50s to five, recorded a forward-half kicking efficiency of zero per cent in the opening quarter.
It is the fourth match since 1997 that the Swans have been held to fewer than 10 points at half-time.
In the end, Port cruised home with nine goals to four across the second half.
Sydney return home to host 11th-placed Collingwood at the SCG, while Port Adelaide travel to the MCG to play Melbourne.
Their third consecutive win leaves Ken Hinkley’s charges a chance to finish second on the ladder should results fall their way on Sunday.
“I’ll remember it. That’s what I will do. I’ll remember the game,” Hinkley said.
“I’ll remember it easily because you just don’t normally do that sort of stuff in 400 times that I’ve turned up to the footy.
“As I keep saying all the time, just wait til the end, see what happens.”
– With AAP