Swans upended in loss to the Power
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, March 26 

PORT Adelaide has produced a stunning upset to down the Swans by 28 points in the first shock result of 2017.

It was John Longmire’s 150 game as coach but it was one he will want to forget as some of his stars including Kurt Tippett (10 possessions) and Dan Hannebery (18) struggled to make an impact against a more committed Port outfit.

Led by a powerhouse performance from Ollie Wines with 33 disposals and eight clearances Port broke a five-game losing streak against Sydney and breathed enormous hope into coach Ken Hinkley’s season.

The Swans have dominated them for the best part of the last decade winning 13 of their last 14 matches against them.

Lance Franklin fought all the way but his four goals weren’t enough to get the Swans home. For a moment he looked like he might drag his team over the line when he kicked the first goal of the last term to close within 16 points.

Their hopes ran out though when he had a shot from 60 meters out moments later but fell just short resulting in a goal line scramble and a video review with Sam Reid claiming a goal, but it was paid a point. 

Swans downed by superb Port in season opener
James Buckley
SMH, March 26

Swans coach John Longmire says a failure to win the 50-50 contests was behind Sydney's opening-round shock loss to Port Adelaide on Saturday, where the Power notched a first win in 11 seasons at the SCG. 

The 28-point triumph over last year's grand finalists was the largest round-one statement so far, suggesting Port could be one of the AFL improvers this year while exposing the cracks in a patched-up Sydney playing list missing several key stars through injury and illness.

Isaac Heeney remains sidelined with glandular fever, veteran Jarrad McVeigh continues to recover from a torn calf, Tom Papley is on the long-term injury list with a knee problem while Aliir Aliir is still finding form in the reserves.

Aliir is the only realistic hope of that quartet to be available for selection in next Friday night's grand final rematch against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.

And in a further blow to the Swans, Dan Robinson is facing another stint on the sideline after reinjuring the shoulder he hurt last season during the Swans' nightmare season opener.

"We just lost it, we weren't as good as they were, I mean that's just what happened," Longmire said.

"We just lost too many 50-50 contests, whether it was in the middle of the ground, whether it was in the transition period, we lost the 50-50 balls in our defence, too.” 

Josh gets 'royal' nod
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, March 25

IF JOSH Kennedy is nervous when he leads the Swans out for the first time he should take comfort from the fact he has the seal of approval from the highest possible source at the Swans.

Triple Brownlow medallist Bob Skilton captained South Melbourne for a record 11 seasons, one more than Paul Kelly, and won a staggering nine club best and fairest awards. It’s little wonder the Swans best player award is named after him.

Kennedy has won the last two Skilton medals and three altogether in his seven years at the club, finished second twice and third the other two seasons. It is a performance surpassed by only Gary Ablett Jnr in his time at Geelong and Gold Coast.

His three-goal, 34-possession display in the grand final loss last year was enormous, leading to him adding the inaugural Gary Ayres Medal for the best player in the finals series to his long list of honours.

“From the moment Josh joined us he’s been wonderful,” Skilton told the Saturday Telegraph. 

“He carries three blokes with him every time he goes near the ball.”

Skilton was on hand for Kennedy’s first speech as skipper when he addressed the red and white faithful at last week’s guernsey presentation.

Franklin and Tippett to lead the Swans from the front
James Buckley
SMH, March 25

Lance Franklin is in ominous form, Kurt Tippett has had one of his best pre-seasons yet, Sam Reid is finally fully fit, and Plugger is even back in town.

Version 2017 of the Sydney Swans, which rolls out against Port Adelaide on Saturday for round one, will be spearheaded by one of the most dominant forward lines in the league this season, complementing arguably the game's strongest midfield and a defence that conceded less points than any other last season.

Icing the cake is the return of the league's all-time greatest goal kicker Tony Lockett, who will work with Sydney's forwards in a mentoring capacity this season.

Forward firepower let the Swans down in the 2016 grand final loss to the Western Bulldogs, their second failure at the final hurdle in the past three seasons.

Franklin injured his ankle in the first quarter against the Bulldogs and was well below his influential best. Tippett was still nursing a fractured jaw suffered three weeks earlier, while Reid didn't even play.

Coach John Longmire must feel like he has a brand new forward line at his disposal, and he's gone tall for the Power clash naming Franklin, Tippett and Reid in the front six.

Tippett won't park himself up there for the entire game – he'll still be required to perform his share of ruck duties although the emergence of 206 centimetre ruckman Sam Naismith last season will give the former ample time in his customary resting role up forward. 

Crucially he comes into 2017 healthy, like he did 12 months ago when he was in All Australian form before a serious hamstring injury curtailed the back half of his year.

Star Swans suitably attired
Sydney Confidential
Daily Telegraph, March 25

IT seems Sydney Swans players don’t only look good in their club shorts.

Their athletic bodies are also perfect for stylish suits.

Four of the AFL team’s top players — Josh Kennedy, Dane Rampe, Kieren Jack and Luke Parker — took time out from training for tomorrow’s season opener against Port Adelaide to shoot the new Farage campaign.

Designer Joe Farage, the Swans’ official suit partner of eight years who has just signed another four-year deal, said the AFL stars were the “perfect fit” for his styles.

“They’re the perfect fit for us versus say NRL, we do really modern slim fit suits and their athletic bodies with AFL being long and lean, they’re not all necessarily tall, but they are the perfect fit for us,” Farage, who has been the official suit partner for the Swans for eight years and recently signed another four year deal, said.

“Fitting them out over the last however many years, 90 per cent of them are straight off the rack and fit perfectly. It is very different to the other sports, like if you look at the rugby union guys, they’re much bigger builds.”