'Stare it in the face': Cox's first big call as coach

Sydney are confident they have exorcised their demons after undergoing a "tough" review of their AFL grand final flop.

Some two months on from their 60-point hammering from Brisbane, new Swans coach Dean Cox officially began his tenure with a day-long review of their September nightmare.

Sydney, after dominating the 2024 season to win the minor premiership, were bullied into submission by a forceful Brisbane outfit that went on a seven-goal romp to build a 46-point lead at halftime.

While some clubs have shunned or struggled to rewatch a heartbreaking grand-final loss, Cox postponed the Swans' first official pre-season training to dedicate a meticulous pulling apart of their performance.

"That was our last performance," Cox said.

"To be able to ... stare it in the face, to learn from it - that's the only way you can go forward. That's why we had to do it.

"We moved our training session to today, actually, on the field because we needed to address it.

"It was brave for them. It was tough to go back and watch, but they were open to it. They wanted to do it, so did myself and us as a football club."

Securing Chad Warner's signature remains high on Cox's agenda, with the star midfielder coming out of contract at the end of 2025.

The West Australian-born midfielder is already being courted by Perth clubs.

Warner reportedly played golf with West Coast chief executive Don Pyke and offsider Kieren Jack in the off-season, but Eagles legend Cox refused to let his feathers be ruffled.

"We take it at face value," Cox said.

"He's certainly known Don and Kieren from his time here. 'Pykey' coached here for a long period of time.

"For us ... it's about trying to create a football club that Chad wants to be a part of, going forward."