Sydney coach John Longmire has pleaded with his players to keep their emotions in check after two were penalised for lashing out at the umpires in last week's loss to Melbourne.
Umpire dissent returned to the AFL agenda in round three when GWS veteran Stephen Coniglio questioned an on-field ruling in the dying minutes against Carlton and was pinged.
The free kick allowed the Blues to seal a 10-point win with a shot from point-blank range, reigniting debate as to whether the AFL polices umpire dissent too severely.
With one eye on the game's umpire shortage at grassroots level, the AFL announced last April it would begin cracking down on dissent and continues to maintain a tougher stance than rival football codes.
On Sunday, Swans players Will Hayward and Chad Warner's frustrations boiled over as Melbourne started faster at the MCG, both giving free kicks away for dissent in the first quarter.
Hayward's outburst marched the Demons upfield where Lachie Hunter parlayed the 50-metre penalty into a 15-point lead.
Hayward told Longmire he had been directing his frustrations at a rival player and not the umpire.
The coach sent a clear message to his players this week.
"It's too big a penalty, 50 metres is a big penalty so don't do it," he said.
"After a decision has been made, you've got to get on with it.
"We'll work on what we can control but as I said to Will, don't say it to the player. Just move on with it."
While Longmire said the AFL's stance was obvious 12 months on from its initial crackdown, he conceded dissent free kicks were costly if the umpire's initial decision was open to debate.
"The AFL have already come out and made it very, very clear that you can't say anything," he said.
"If it's right, if a decision's right, I understand it. If it's on the borderline, it's a big penalty."
The Swans host Port Adelaide at the SCG this Saturday and will be looking to overcome a poor recent record against the Power, who have won all of the sides' last six meetings.
Only nine members of Sydney's 44-man squad were on the books in 2016 when the Swans last beat Port Adelaide.
"We haven't been consistent for four quarters against them. That's our challenge," Longmire said.
"You have those things (slumps) against different teams at different times.
"People throw up different things - you can't do this and you can't do that and you've got a record like this - I don't really spend a lot of time in that space.
"You sort of look at the things you can control and focus on that.
"With this team, this group now, this week, that's the most important thing."
