“I genuinely worry”: Mooney’s concerns for Sydney heading into 2025 season

Triple-premiership forward Cameron Mooney is worried for Sydney after their second heavy Grand Final defeat in three years.

The Swans went down in the 2024 decider against Brisbane by 60 points, just two years after being thrashed by Geelong in the 2022 Grand Final by 81 points.

Mooney, who was on the receiving end of a Grand Final defeat to Hawthorn in 2008 by 26 points, thinks that much of how teams respond the following year is based on how well they competed on the last day of September.

“It depends on the loss, the 2008 loss for us was okay,” Mooney told SEN Breakfast.

“We were probably the better team, but we got beaten by a great team on the day, so that one hurts, but you get the fire in the belly thinking, ‘How dare they, we’re better than them’.

“But when you get absolutely smashed, what can you say?

“Talking to some Port Adelaide people and I know talking to Ken Hinkley when he went over there well after 2007 (when they lost to Geelong by 119 points), he said they were still feeling it from that game.

“Now with Sydney having it twice in a row, I genuinely worry for the Swans.”

While Mooney thinks that Sydney’s strength as a club and their overall squad is good enough to rebound from finishing second in 2024, he pondered what the defeat will do to their psyche as critics will have every right to describe them as a home and away team.

“I hope they can pick themselves up, they're too good of a club and too good of a list to fall away badly,” Mooney said.

“But you’ve got to worry about the psyche of being in two massive Grand Final losses, horrific losses.

“You don't want to be a home and away team, and right now they're going to be looked at as a home and away team.

“They’re very good in home and away but come finals, particularly come Grand Finals, they just can't show up.”

Sydney begins their 2025 campaign with an Opening Round clash against Hawthorn at the SCG on Friday, March 7.