AFTER four consecutive losses, Sydney coach Scott Gowans was a happy man on the weekend following Sydney’s comprehensive victory against Carlton. In a battle of two finals hopefuls, the Swans snapped their month-long losing streak to get back on the winner’s list after starting the season 4-0.

Against the impressive Blues who we 6-2 heading into the match, the Swans piled on eight goals to two in the first half to put the game to bed early. It was a far closer encounter after half-time with the Swans winning it by just one point, but the 8.5 to 2.3 start meant Sydney came away with the 11.10 (76) to 5.7 (37) triumph.

“We played four quarters today which was really important, that was the focus for the day,” Gowans said post-match. “Two very similar game styles as well. “Carlton are a very good football team and we got it on our terms early and that put them on the back foot.

“I thought our ability just to maintain that pressure and momentum was really important today after a really frustrating month. “But whether we win or lose it doesn’t change, we’re still a very young, developing side and we’re going to have our ups and downs, and today we had an up. “That’s just the way that footy is, but when the game’s on our terms we feel like we can compete with most sides.”

Despite kicking into the breeze in the first term, the Swans piled on four goals to one to shell shock the Blues, while then repeating the dose in the second quarter with the breeze to essentially end the contest by the main break. At half-time, Sydney lead the clearances by a whopping 14.

“The mids went to work today and we adjusted a few things, but to be honest with you it comes down to executing what we want to do,” Gowans said. “We’ve got a great belief in our game style and our game plan and the players executed it superbly today.”

Ruck Ally Morphett might have lost the hitout battle (12 in total), but she was far more influential with the ones she did win, and finished with 25 disposals, three marks, three tackles, and a massive eight clearances and 10 inside 50s.

“She’s such an influence and I thought her hands today were very good and just her ability to put the ball to an advantage was fantastic,” Gowans said.

“We did a bit of work with her this week and we felt like she was winning the hitouts but maybe not putting it to the advantage, and last week against North they really read the ball well and it was highlighted a few of our stoppages and centre bounces. “So it was a really important for the mids and I thought they came through really well.”

Most impressively, Gowans praised his side for being able to execute the gameplan well and adjust when needed, even after Carlton looked to quell the Swans’ Plan A.

“They’re a young group and when they execute it, it works really well, and when they don’t, it doesn’t,” he said. “I think it’s a bit of a feather in our cap that Carlton tried a few things against us to take that away, and instead of in the past few weeks where we’ve felt like when teams took our game away we just didn’t have the ability to compose and then go again.

“We always just tried to whack them back with a punch so we really trained hard during the week just holding composure and it’s okay to go slow at times and just get the field setup. “Once you’ve got the field setup then off we go.”

Sydney is now just 0.2 per cent outside the top eight, chasing the eighth placed Eagles for that coveted spot, though with four teams – including Carlton – on 24 points, the Swans remain a good chance for finals. A tough clash against Melbourne awaits, before taking on West Coast and then Essendon in the remaining fortnight.