Senior coach John Longmire spoke with journalists on Tuesday (18 April) ahead of a Round 6 clash with the Geelong Cats. The red and white will take on the 2022 premiership-winning club at GMHBA Stadium in Victoria on Saturday night at 7:25pm AEST.
Read all the key quotes below:
On the injury list
“We’ve got a number of injuries and a number of injuries to our key position players. We need to make sure we concentrate on how we want to play and get our system right regardless of what personnel is in or out of the team. It’s about concentrating on the players we have in the team and what we need to do to get the job done.”
On Joel Amartey
“Unfortunately, he has some tendon damage in his hamstring so it’s 8 to 10 weeks (out) and well after the bye that we see him back. As we saw this year, he was just starting to find his feet. He’s had a bit of bad luck and unable to continually put some games together which is disappointing for him. At least he’s got some confidence that he can play at the level now and have a real impact. He started to really use his body and be a real focal forward point for us. His ability to get in the ruck has also been valuable.”
On Paddy McCartin
“He’s feeling better all the time so we’ll just see how he goes. He’s done a power of work over the last three or four years – he’s talked to a panel of experts, seen various people locally and international – he’s been through that process and will go through that process guided by professional advice and that’s the most important thing. We just want him back and feeling well.”
On Lance Franklin
“His knee is still a little bit sore so we’re not sure what he’ll do today at training and at the very best he’ll go for a run. But we’re not sure whether he’ll play. At this stage it’s unlikely.”
On Gather Round
“Gather Round was a success for the game. The crowds in Adelaide were huge and the buzz of the city was enormous. South Australia and Adelaide did a great job in putting it on. There’s no question that it’d be good for any city and I guess if you look at the numbers of the game alone, we might not be able to match that. There’s a bigger picture to it and it’s not just about sell-out crowds.”
On Will Gould
“He’s a chance. He can play down back for us and he learnt some things coming out of the game on Friday. I was talking to him before and it was a big stage for him and Corey too, to play their first game at Gather Round against Richmond. They came through it alright, it was a great experience for those guys and we’ll be playing some more younger guys this week and hopefully they’ll enjoy the experience. But also the reality that they will be competing against Geelong on their home deck – it’s a pretty tough environment.”
On playing on Geelong’s home turf
“We almost have a quarter of our team different from last year so there will be some guys having their first experience, so that changes things a little bit. But it’s more about how we got about it. It doesn’t matter what ground and where, if you go about it the right way and you put pressure on the ball and you get your team system right, that will give you a good chance. It’s about this year, 2023.”
On Tom Hickey
“Hickey is a chance this week, perhaps not the senior team but the next level down. We’ve got a couple of training sessions this week and hopefully he can get through that and if he feels good, we can have a discussion to see whether he’s able to play. It’d be terrific, he’s got some great experience and it could be really important for us in the coming weeks.”
On Ryan Clarke
“He played VFL last week and got through it pretty well. Clarke and Hickey have had some re-dos on injuries so we’re conscious of how you bring them back. We’d love to get as many senior players back and available as we can. We’re also conscious we want those guys to play for the rest of the year. We don’t want to make short-term decisions. Ryan got through the game on the weekend and pulled up really well so that’s a good sign.”
On the strengths of Geelong
“If you go through their team they’ve got great experience, they’ve got a lost of trust, they’ve played a lot of footy together. You look at how they play, they understand what each other’s doing. They’ve got great flexibility. We know what they can do. We just need to get our system right and be confident and strong in the contest and we’ll be ok. Our boys have a lot of confidence they can play a really solid brand of footy.”
Watch the full press conference below.
Stay up to date with all the latest fixture, team and player news by signing up to our free e-Newsletter – sign up to MySwans.
2023 Memberships are now on sale! Better value, better match day and an all-round better experience. There’s a membership to suit every footy fan in 2023. Be part of something bigger, and better – join today.
