It’s just media narratives playing out to their logical conclusions.
No-one expected West Coast to come out and jump Hawthorn the way they did. So it’s a story.
Everyone expected Freo to beat a depleted Swans, and Sydney, to their credit, played incredibly well. It was a brave performance, and a lot of teams would have folded but the Swans kept coming. They deserve some credit for that.
It was fine for Dennis to point those things out - he just chose his moment incredibly poorly. He was so busy painting the picture of the finals, he forgot to address the moment - which was Freo booking a place in a prelim, and being in a great spot for a tilt at the flag.