It was a nail-biter at the SCG as the Hawks pinched victory in the dying seconds to come away with the four premiership points.
Having become known in 2017 for their second half fadeouts, the playing group for remaining competitive until the final siren in an effort that pleased Vice Captain Liam Shiels.
“To put a four quarter performance together like that is pleasing,” said Shiels post-match.
“We were in a similar position last week at half time but weren’t able to capitalise, so it feels really good that we were able to get the job done, particularly against such a formidable side.”
Sydney also struggled to find form early in the season, however with three wins in a row, Shiels was well aware of the damage the Swans could inflict.
“Sydney’s probably the best contested ball side in the competition, so we knew we had to match in that area.
“We did until half time then we dropped off a little bit, but we were able to get them on the outside and rack up a lot of uncontested marks.”
Sydney won the contested ball count 150-131, however it was the uncontested ball that proved the difference, as the Hawks finished with 78 more disposals than their competitors.
Shiels himself was pivotal, collecting 31 touches (11 contested) and laying a team-high 10 tackles – in trademark ‘Pup’ fashion.
