A dejected Chad Warner after the final siren on Saturday.Credit:Getty
In the few periods during the second quarter where they were able to match the Cats in general play,the 21-year-old was leading the charge but had little in the way of support in the midfield,a department in which the Swans were blown away from the outset.
“I just felt like I tried as hard as I could,which I guess is annoying in itself as well – knowing that you’ve done everything,and they still pump you by 80 points,” Warner said.
“I can’t explain how you feel after that loss. It’s just disappointment,really. We probably could have done a lot more,and that’s probably the annoying part.
“Horse[coach John Longmire] was just saying we’ve had a great year,and he’s proud of us in that fact,but we left a lot out there,I reckon. As hard as it sounds,we probably let a few people down,let the club down and our supporters and at the end of the day,ourselves as well.”
When the time eventually comes that Sydney can look past the horror of Saturday’s game and reflect on their season,the emergence of Warner as one of the AFL’s premier on-ballers will be seen as a major highlight.
After injury restricted him to just 13 appearances last year,this season he played every game except for their opening round win over the Giants and was consistently one of their best players. He would be one of the leading contenders to take out the Bob Skilton medal as the Swans’ club champion on Thursday night.