Sydney Swans coach John Longmire addressed the media after training at the SCG on Tuesday afternoon.
A top-four berth will be on the line as Sydney takes on Hawthorn at the SCG on Saturday night.
Here are some key quotes from the press conference:
Lance Franklin
“Buddy’s going okay. He pulled up a bit tight from the weekend. It’s not unusual that he doesn’t do much training during the week. We’re obviously keen for him to play but we’ll see how the week pans out. We’re hopeful he plays and if anyone can play we tend to back Buddy in because he’s just got the ability to get himself up week in, week out. He’s shown that for a long time and so we’ll give him every chance to play this weekend and if he doesn’t play we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Shooting for top four
“At the end of every season when you’re looking to set yourself for the next year, from the moment you start the pre-season, you’re trying to finish as high up on the ladder as you possibly can. There’s no question that a top-four spot is an enormous carrot for all of those teams that are now locked in for the finals. If you’ve got a chance to control your own destiny, as we do and as Hawthorn do, it adds to the mix for a wonderful game here on Saturday night. We’re really looking forward to that opportunity. We know what’s at stake and so do Hawthorn – two teams in pretty good form. It makes for a great contest.”
Packed SCG
“We hope there’s as much support for us as we can get here at the SCG on Saturday night. We’re really keen for a huge crowd here to help the boys get over the line. We understand there’s a lot on the line and we usually have great contests with the Hawthorn Football Club. The games tend to go down to the wire.”
Updates on Heath Grundy and Gary Rohan
“Heath and Gary both played in the NEAFL on the weekend and both got through quite well. That’s a really good sign for both of them. We’ll make that call probably over the next 48 hours as to what they do, but they both pulled up well and both trained today.”
Facing Hawthorn
“Hawthorn are a great football club. They play well all the time, they play well in big games and they’ve got some great players. We understand the challenge just gets greater – it doesn’t get lesser.”
