The Demons’ four-goal barrage midway through the last quarter had onlookers at Princess Park ushering in cries of ‘not again’ following the Swans’ recent Goulburn Valley League heartbreaks.
However, the hosts dug the boots in and refused to let another game slip through their fingers.
Eventually, Jedd Wright’s side hung on to an 18.14 (122) to 16.10 (106) win and showed their leader there’s currently no shortage of grit and guts at the Swannery.
“At the end of the day, our effort was there — especially in that last quarter when they were really pushing and got within four or five points,” he said.
“The boys could’ve rolled over and let it slip away, but their effort in the last quarter was fantastic.
“The game ebbed and flowed a lot; we had moments where we really could’ve broken the game open but to Shepp United’s credit they really fought back and beat us on the inside.
“In the end it was just a bit of a slog fest and fortunately we came out on the right side of it.”
A routine first quarter gave no indication of what was to come in the next exchange.
Defensive duty — and caution — was thrown to the wind as the Swans came out and kicked 9.4 to United’s 7.4 in the second quarter alone, turning a run-of-the-mill fixture into a supercharged goal-fest.
After half-time, both teams settled proceedings and found their pace, but the Swans still held a healthy lead which United needed to make headway into — and fast.
The late stir almost triggered a Swans capitulation. However, cool heads prevailed and Wright’s outfit was able to bank its second victory of the year.
Wright paid credit to the opposition in the wake of a true ‘game for the fans’, noting the Demons’ 11th ladder placing doesn’t accurately depict what a force they are.
“I thought they were fantastic, especially around the contest,” he said.
“(Sheldon) Bogdan was really good in tight and then their runners on the outside sort ofd cut us up at times.
“They’ll certainly win a few games this year, that’s for sure.”
Joeve Cooper, Jamie Macmillan and Mark Kovacevic stole the headlines for the Swans while Will McCartney, Sam McInenny and Ed Adams starred for the losing side.
Ahead of a tough run of games for the Swans, where they meet Shepparton, Echuca and Kyabram, Wright did not shirk the waiting challenge and instead placed faith in his group.
“We’re really confident our best footy’s good enough,” he said.
“At the moment it just feels like we play to the standard of whoever we’re playing, so if it’s Echuca or Shepp, we’ll play to that standard.
“I’ll fully back us in that our best footy is good enough to pinch both of those if everything goes well.”
