Former Sydney Swan, Ted Richards, has declared the team has no excuse for its pitiful start to the 2017 campaign.
The Swans are languishing at the bottom of the ladder, becoming the first team in history to start the season 0-6 after playing in the previous year’s Grand Final.
Richards, who played 228 games for Sydney, says blaming the poor start to this season on last year’s Grand Final loss is an easy out.
“That would be a scapegoat, at this stage of the year to say that you’re going to pass the buck and put it all on the Grand Final loss” Richards told SEN’s The Run Home.
“The reality is, current form, injuries, blokes giving disappointing contests and performances has been the issue. That’s what John Longmire will be speaking about. They can’t shy away from it and say it was something that occurred in October 2016.
“Most people gave the Swans a lot of credit early and said the first one or two games might have been an aberration, but six weeks in, there is no excuse.”
One of the most puzzling aspects of Sydney’s abysmal start has been the form of their established stars, including Kieren Jack, Luke Parker and Dan Hannebery. It was recently revealed Jack has been battling a hip issue, and Richards reckons he isn’t the only one dealing with body complaints.
“I’m not involved in the club anymore but I think some guys might be playing injured,” Richards said.
“When you’re not able to get up and train and you’re down on form, it’s a bit of a vicious cycle because you can’t get your form back when you can’t train. The good players aren’t playing well, which is important for every team.”
The omission of Aliir Aliir in the senior side has also turned heads, and Richards thinks he is yet another player who has dealt with soreness.
“Unfortunately for Aliir, I think he was injured all preseason and I couldn’t believe how quickly he got back into the senior team,” Richards said.
“I thought he was going along ok but I’ve heard it was more about the defensive side of his game. His attacking side and ability to rebound was as good as ever, but I think they wanted him to tighten up that defensive side.”
The Swans will search for their first win of 2017 this Sunday against Brisbane at the SCG.