The big dance
It doesn’t come much bigger than this.
The Grand Final is upon us and what a scintillating contest Saturday afternoon promises to be as minor premiers the Sydney Swans do battle with seventh-place finishers the Western Bulldogs.
Who would have predicted this match-up as the premiership decider before the season? A team lacking experience and with a so-called ageing defence taking on a team with promise but still supposedly building and which has had its fair share of injury concerns throughout the season.
It’s fair to say both have exceeded expectations.
What makes this finale so special is that the Swans and Dogs bring with them an intensity and ferocity worthy of a Grand Final, nearly every single week, so it’s only fitting they get to square off for the ultimate prize.
The opposition
The Western Bulldogs will be playing for more than just the silverware on Saturday.
The football club has been starved of premiership success having won only once (1954) from two grand final appearances. That’s a 62-year drought, a long time between drinks in anyone’s language.
Saying that the Sydney Swans know all about premiership droughts.
With a game plan built around relentless pressure and swift overlap run, its comes as little surprise to those within the SCG’s oval office that the Western Bulldogs have progressed to the first day of October.
Having had three consecutive tough encounters in three different states, the Bulldogs have endured arguably the toughest road to the finals and will no doubt be giving it everything in their quest for a rare flag.
Jarrad McVeigh is one of two possible inclusions ahead of Saturday's Grand Final.
Who comes in? Who goes out?
Two key players from the Sydney Swans – Jarrad McVeigh and Callum Mills – remain under an injury cloud.
They’ve done all required of them up until this point in time in their respective comebacks from injury, McVeigh from a calf strain and Mills a hamstring, but there’s still a lot of question marks.
Does John Longmire flirt with the idea of picking an underdone McVeigh and/or Mills? History says the experienced and measured Longmire doesn’t pick unfit players, even for the biggest games of the season, but with McVeigh and Mills’ quality on offer they’d be very hard to leave out.
Then there’s the question of whether they are the only changes? Who comes out? With Aliir Aliir already ruled out, do selectors opt for another tall? A possible fairy tale finish for Ted Richards?
All will be revealed soon enough.
Where can it be won?
The Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs’ backbone comes from the midfield, with both sides possessing genuine stars through the middle of the ground.
The Grand Final is usually an intense and congested game of football so contested possessions will be extremely valuable – and the Swans hold the advantage in that area.
While the Bulldogs are the number one ranked side for overall disposals, the Swans are the competition’s contested kings winning on average a colossal 164 hard-ball gets per game.
As they have been all season, look for the likes of Luke Parker, Dan Hannebery and Josh Kennedy to lead the way.
Combined they boast 50 games worth of finals experience and will be key not only around the ground but their ability to impact the scoreboard will also be critical to a Sydney win.
The Sydney Swans performed strongly against Adelaide and Geelong to win through to their 17th grand final.
The pathway
The Sydney Swans were upstaged by cross-town rivals GWS during a qualifying-final blowout at ANZ Stadium.
They quickly put that to bed, moved on and bounced back in a big way by defeating Adelaide and Geelong in games underlined by brutal opening terms in which they slammed on seven goals in each to all but seal the result.
The Western Bulldogs on the other hand became the first team since Carlton in 1999 from outside the top four to progress through to the grand final.
They upset last year’s runner-up West Coast in an elimination final in Perth before backing it up with a courageous last-gasp win against Hawthorn in Melbourne.
Then it was off to western Sydney’s Spotless Stadium for what proved to be a fierce clash with GWS.
The lists
One can draw a lot of parallels between the Sydney Swans and the Western Bulldogs in regards to how the respective list managers have built this year’s sides.
Both teams boast nine first and second-round draftees, but it is the way the clubs have developed their later selections and rookies that have impressed experts and commentators alike.
Sydney’s Kieren Jack (No. 58, rookie draft), Heath Grundy (No. 42, rookie draft), Dane Rampe (No. 37, rookie draft) and the Western Bulldogs’ Dale Morris (No.19, rookie draft), Matthew Boyd (No.23, rookie draft) and Luke Dahlhaus (No.22, rookie draft) are within that pool of players who were overlooked in at least one draft but are now big names and crucial players.
There’s a slight difference in the lists, mainly the trade-ins column.
The Western Bulldogs went after and secured highly sought-after key forward Tom Boyd from GWS two seasons ago while former Hawk Matthew Suckling joined via free agency during the pre-season after winning his second premiership with the Hawks.
On the other side of the ledger, the Sydney Swans have been able to require the services of 100+ gamers in Lance Franklin (284), Kurt Tippett, Josh Kennedy and Ben McGlynn through either trade or free agency.
Taking into account the reported omissions and potential inclusions, both sides have nine players with 50 games or less to their names.
Read what you like into the construction of the lists but it makes for an interesting analysis.
(Information compiled by AFL.com.au reporter Callum Twomey)
Lance Franklin knows all about the big stage.
Who gets Buddy?
Lance Franklin kicked five goals on Bulldog defender Marcus Adams in the clubs’ last encounter, back in Round 15 earlier this season.
Unfortunately for coach Luke Beveridge, Adams has been ruled out for the season for quite some time now so a back-up option will need to be sought.
AFL.com.au reporter Lee Gaskin believes either veteran Dale Morris or ex-Cat Joel Hamling will be given the task.
Franklin looms as an even bigger danger man than usual, coming off the back of an 80-goal season and his best disposal average since 2012 with the spearhead given the freedom to roam further up the ground than usual.
Who gets Bont?
Marcus Bontempelli’s credentials keep growing with every game the 20-year-old players.
His capabilities at ground level, no matter what pressure is applied, ranks among the best in the competition while his leadership is beyond his years.
He’s a genuine game breaker and could possibly take the game by the scruff of the neck if not given some close attention from an opposition player.
Tom Mitchell has been used in similar roles before so he’d be the man if the coaches decide to pull the trigger on the move.
But, usually, the Longmire and co. back their charges in to get the job done more often than not so the likely scenario will be 3-v-3 at the centre bounces.
Does experience count for something?
Experience can count for a lot on Grand Final day, hence the importance of Jarrad McVeigh to the Sydney Swans’ side.
McVeigh, alongside Ryan O’Keefe, has played the third most finals matches (24) of any player to pull on the red and white behind Adam Goodes (28) and Jude Bolton (26).
From a team’s perspective, this will be the Club’s 17th appearance for a return of five premierships and their third decider since 2012.
Eighteen players on their list have played in a Grand Final, compared to the Bulldogs’ one (Matthew Suckling) while the most finals-hardened players from kennel are Matthew Boyd and Dale Morris who both featured in their side’s run of preliminary final losses from 2008-2010.
Is this Ben McGlynn's time?
The story within the story
Who wouldn’t want to see Ben McGlynn win that elusive flag?
The small forward hasn’t had luck on his side when it comes to premierships. He’s watched two from the sidelines; firstly, in 2008, as a second-year Hawk who only managed three games that season then, secondly, in 2012 after straining a hamstring in the semi final.
He’s been open and honest about the toll it has taken, not only on his football but on his personal life.
“It’s still there but I put it to rest years ago,” he said. “I can’t change what happened and I guess you just need to worry about what you can control and that’s what I can do today.”
Now there’s one man who Sydney Swans will want to do if for!
