Do you change a winning formula?
Considering the Sydney Swans’ first win of the season last weekend, the question the Match Committee will have to ponder ahead of their Round 8 clash against North Melbourne is whether to tweak a winning formula?
Gary Rohan (concussion) and Kurt Tippett (hip) are both expected to be available to play but whether they can win back their spots in the senior side remains to be seen.
For the first time in a long time there were also no injuries from the weekend’s action meaning John Longmire’s hand won’t be forced for the clash against the Kangaroos.
Things will become clearer on Thursday evening when the 25-man squad is named, but all will be revealed when the team is announced at 5pm on Friday.
The start of something?
In what is one of the most even AFL seasons in recent history, can Sunday’s win over Brisbane spark a winning run for the Sydney Swans?
With a strong recent record against North Melbourne, having won four of the past five encounters, the opportunity is there for the Swans to snag back-to-back wins and keep their season alive (for another week at least).
Then, with matches against St Kilda and Hawthorn to come before the bye, could we see the red and white hit the break with a 4-6 record and right back in the finals hunt?
A tall task
North Melbourne suffered a blow after its big win against Adelaide last weekend after leading goal-kicker Jarrad Waite was dealt a one match suspension.
It will be welcome news to the Swans defence who will be looking to do all they can to curb the influence of the tall North Melbourne forward line.
Ben Brown has been in sensational form this season with 19 goals from his seven matches and it is likely Heath Grundy or Lewis Melican will get the role on him.
Mason Wood has shown glimpses of what he could become with two goals against the Crows last week so he’ll also prove a tough opponent to match up on.
A hard-nosed, midfield battle
It will be a battle of the contested footy at Etihad Stadium as Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dan Hannebery clash with the likes of Ben Cunnington, Jack Ziebell and Shaun Higgins.
The Swans trio have had inconsistent seasons but showed against Brisbane what they are capable of when it all comes together.
Parker (30 disposals), Hannebery (26 disposals) and Kennedy (20 disposals) were key to setting the tone early against the Lions and will be looking for a repeat performance on Sunday afternoon.
Who comes out on the top on the scoreboard is set to hinge on who can win the all-important midfield clash.
Buddy goes bang
Lance Franklin averages more than three goals a game against North Melbourne.
He’s set for an intriguing clash, with All Australian defenders Scott Thompson or Robbie Tarrant the likely match-ups for the superstar Swan.
Fresh from an eight-goal haul against Brisbane, can Buddy replicate those feats and add more to his tally to help bury the Roos at Etihad?
He was targeted 15 times at the SCG last Sunday for a return of 8.4 and nine marks. It was a huge performance from the big fella and it would hard to miss him on Sunday being in such fine form but expect the Swans to look for other avenues as well in an effort to unravel the Roos’ defence.
