The Danger Zone
Peter Lalor
The Australian, Daily Telegraph, September 13
Coach John Longmire concedes there’s not a lot the Swans can do about Patrick Dangerfield, but consoles himself with the knowledge that there’s not a lot the Cats can do about Josh Kennedy.
Whether one cancels out the other remains to be seen. What is known is that Geelong and Sydney’s midfields are constellations with more than one pair of bright stars.
Longmire knows that to concentrate on just one would be a mistake.
“We obviously talk about Dangerfield, (Joel) Selwood, (Mitch) Duncan, (Sam) Menegola — their midfield group is a really good group,” he said. “Dangerfield and Selwood are key players in that group. We talk about them, we have some ideas. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be implementing them just yet or that they’ll necessarily work.
“The hardest blokes to try to do something with are the blokes that are so good in the contest, and I was reading today (Dangerfield’s) had the record amount of contested possessions this year over and above Josh Kennedy’s record.
“Those players are really hard to quell because they’re so good in 50/50 situations.
“We’ve talked about him clearly, but whether we can do anything about him we’ll wait and see. (It’s) just about making sure our midfield group play really strongly against their midfield group. A lot of games are decided on those midfield battles.
“Obviously (Dangerfield’s) impact on games is significant. He’s a massive competitor. When you get him and Selwood together, two huge competitors with talent, that’s a pretty lethal combination.
“You can have one on him or two on him at various stages and he’ll still win the 50/50 ball, but we’ve got a few blokes who are strong at the contest and go well at the 50/50 stuff. That’s one part of the game. Then it’s about our ball movement and our 18-man defence.”
Franklin fit, but Swans still face selection dilemma
Andrew Wu
SMH, The Age, September 13
Sydney have declared superstar forward Lance Franklin a certain starter this week but the Swans face another selection headache for the semi-final against Geelong.
Lewis Melican will be firmly in the frame to make his finals debut if he proves his fitness on Wednesday, while the door is still ajar on a September recall for Kurt Tippett but it's unlikely to come this week.
The Swans expect Franklin, who hurt his thigh in the win over Essendon, to train on Wednesday and to line up against the Cats as they chase their fifth preliminary final appearance in six seasons.
While Geelong's Tom Lonergan is one of few defenders to boast a good record against Franklin, the four-time Coleman medallist is well placed to turn the tables on his long-time nemesis after 21 goals in his past four games.
"Lance has recovered really well," Swans football manager Tom Harley said. "When you're assessing injuries during a game, the fact players can play through the games is a really positive sign. He's an absolute pro in what he does post-game. We have training on Wednesday and he'll train, and play on Friday night."
Melican, who has played 17 of a possible 19 matches since his debut in round five, was a late withdrawal against the Bombers due to tightness in his quadriceps.
He would give extra cover to the Swans back line and allow Dane Rampe to play a more attacking role sweeping across defence.
Sydney Swans youth academy hoping to give girls a pathway to a future AFLW career
Jen Browning
ABC, September 12
The sons of Sydney Swans stars have always had the chance to chase their dads' dreams, but their daughters have not — until now.
The club has unveiled a new youth academy for girls to help it move a step closer to an AFL Women's team.
Now 240 girls between the ages of 11 and 12 are trying to earn a place in the program.
One of those is Tallulah Kirk, the daughter of former Swans star Brett Kirk.
"She's a bit nervous," Kirk said.
It is hoped the academy will provide an opportunity for athletes to play for a future Swans AFLW team.
Swans wary of Cats mids
Adam Curley
AFL.com.au, September 12
Sydney coach John Longmire may not send a hard tag the way of Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield in Friday night's semi-final against Geelong, preferring to back his own midfielders to give his team an edge.
The Swans go into the massive clash at the MCG as heavy favourites after dominating Essendon last week, as opposed to the Cats who capitulated badly in the last quarter of their defeat at the hands of Richmond.
Sydney skipper Josh Kennedy and onballer Luke Parker are the best contested ball winners at the club, and both are in vintage form after combining for 59 possessions, 34 of those contested, and 15 clearances against the Bombers.
Longmire said Dangerfield and his star captain Joel Selwood were always discussed heavily in the lead up to Cats games, but with his own men in such fantastic touch, assigning a stopper to Dangerfield wasn't the only way to beat Geelong.
"His impact on games is significant. He's a massive competitor and when you get he and Selwood together, two huge competitors with talent, it's a pretty lethal combination," he said.
"Those blokes are really hard to quell because they're so good in 50/50 situations, but we've got a few blokes that are OK in the contest, and go OK in the 50/50 stuff.
"We obviously talk about Dangerfield, Selwood, (Mitch) Duncan, (Sam) Menegola – their midfield is a really good group, and we have some ideas.
"It doesn't mean they'll be implemented just yet, or that they'll necessarily work."
Geelong must break free from stifling Swans
Courtney Walsh
The Australian, September 13
Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel believes patience is the key to Geelong’s hopes of reclaiming form in their semi-final clash against the Swans at the MCG on Friday night.
The retired Cats star believes his former side needs to absorb the pressure the Swans apply better than they have in recent meetings in order to orchestrate an upset.
The Swans are listed at $1.32 for the sudden-death final and will start the shortest-priced interstate side in a final since 2009, according to TAB Sportsbet.
Bartel said it was evident in their recent clashes that Geelong’s decision-making had been poor against the Swans, with Sydney’s pressure forcing them to rush.
“The sides that beat Geelong — Sydney in particular — and Geelong has got to get better at it … (play) finals football (where) the contest is so hot, it is manic,” he said.
“Sydney have some brilliant players at it. Josh Kennedy is one of the best at it that we have seen in a while, and (Kieren) Jack, (Luke) Parker, (Dan) Hannebery, these sort of guys, Geelong have got to have a little bit of composure when they win the ball inside and release it and not be in such a rush to dump it forward.”
