HEATH Grundy added another scalp to his growing collection on Friday night when the Swans defender comfortably out-pointed Essendon's Jake Carlisle.
Prior to the game at the SCG, Swans coach John Longmire challenged Grundy to keep tabs on Carlisle, who had been in scintillating form over the past fortnight.
In victories over Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs, Carlisle averaged a whopping 22.5 possessions, 15.5 marks, six goals and 164 AFL Fantasy points-per-game.
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But Grundy responded to his coach's call, getting in Carlisle's face virtually every time he went near the ball, and holding him to just 11 disposals, two marks, one goal and 53 Fantasy points.
Grundy's effort went a long way towards securing the Swans' 22-point victory and in the rooms afterwards, Longmire made a point of congratulating the defender on a job well done.
"(Longmire) just spoke to me before the game and said it was important to try to work him over a bit," Grundy told AFL.com.au of Carlisle.
"He's been going really well and had a pretty good back half of the year and been one of the in-form forwards of the comp of late.
"He's been taking some really good grabs and kicking goals, so it was nice to keep him relatively quiet.
"(Longmire) was happy with the way I went, which was nice, and hopefully I can take that form into next week."
Rarely beaten this season, Grundy's performance against the Bombers also drew praise from AFL greats Wayne Carey and Leigh Matthews during the television commentary of the game.
"Where Carlisle has been really good over the last couple of weeks is, he's been able to run and jump at the footy," Carey said.
"That's exactly what Grundy did, he took away his space and didn't allow him to run, and there was a little bit of frustration there for Carlisle."
The Swans, who have now won 13 of their past 14 matches, will head to Adelaide Oval next week for another critical showdown with Port Adelaide.
It is the second match between the top-four contenders this season, following the Swans' four-point victory in a thrilling clash at the SCG back in round 13.
It is also the Swans' final match against a likely 2014 finalist prior to September, with their final fixtures against St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and Richmond.
"It should be pretty good," said Grundy, a South Australian native. "A full house down there (at Adelaide Oval) is always nice.
"We played them up here earlier in the year and it was a pretty tight game.
"I'm sure this one will be no different, we're looking forward to it and just getting down to the business end of the season.
"We just have to keep improving each week.
"The weeks roll by pretty quick and before we know it the finals will be here."
