Cats and Swans coaches each left to rue finals blow

Chris Scott and John Longmire have been each left to lament their groups dropping two crucial factors within the finals race after the Cats drew with the Swans on the SCG.

The Cats misplaced a one-point lead when Isaac Heeney snapped a behind with 30 seconds remaining, however the Swans had simply as a lot cause to really feel like victory had been snatched from their grasp.

The hosts dominated a lot of the competition, significantly within the first half, however have been unable to make the Cats pay on the scoreboard as a foul case of the yips took maintain on Friday evening.

The Swans had 32 photographs to the Cats’ 22, however solely managed a wasteful 6.18 to 7.12 as final 12 months’s grand finalists completed degree on 54 factors.

“It appears like two factors is best than none. And none might be what we deserve for big components of it,” Cats coach Scott mentioned.

“Having mentioned that, we have been the workforce in entrance late within the sport.

“It is easy to suppose it is not your evening. However I used to be happy with the way in which our guys hung in. I am assuming they (the Swans) could be fairly flat.”

Whereas the outcome and two factors earned pushes the Cats (7-7-1) into the highest eight with a lot of spherical 16 nonetheless to play out, the reigning premiers missed a chance to climb as excessive as fifth.

However the Swans (6-8-1) may pay a heavier worth for his or her inaccuracy with their finals hopes now teetering on the sting after a mid-season hunch.

“The disappointing factor to come back out of tonight is we did not get final reward for effort,” Swans coach Longmire mentioned.

“It may have been worse, we may have been sitting right here with out two factors.”

The Swans will hope so as to add spearhead Lance Franklin to their misfiring ahead line after they face a must-win conflict with Richmond on Thursday evening.

Key defender Tom McCartin can even be urgent for a recall after a second hit out within the VFL, however Longmire refused to look too far forward as he looked for positives from the draw.

“That first half we performed some actually good footy and we simply did not hit the scoreboard,” Longmire mentioned.

“Then we obtained eight factors down and fought again, so it is a unusual one, you do not know methods to really feel after video games like that.”

The Cats can be sweating on the evaluate of a Brad Shut deal with on Aaron Francis within the opening time period when he wrapped up the Swans defender’s arms and took him to floor.

Francis’ head hit the turf on the way in which down and he took a while to get to his ft, however he performed out the match and Longmire revealed that the first-year Swan appeared high quality within the rooms post-game.

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