Blossoming Sydney Swans midfielder Oliver Florent is confident his team has the answers to the competition’s most prolific exponents of the bounce as he eyes Saturday’s clash with Essendon.
Free-wheeling Bombers Conor McKenna (first) and Adam Saad (second) are topping the league in total bounces on the road to Round 16, and the ominous duo are central to the rapid-fire corridor footy on which Essendon prides its game.
The star Bombers were at their spring-boarding best in Saturday’s six-point come-from-behind victory over the Giants, with McKenna racking up 11 bounces and Saad five in a scintillating display.
But Florent, himself a daring speedster, believes the Swans have the artillery to contain the Bombers pair in Saturday’s MCG showdown.
“We know they’ve got some great players that can run off half-back, but we’ve also got great forwards that are competing really well, so it’s going to be a good battle,” Florent told SwansTV.
“It’s going to take a good four-quarter effort to get the win and stop their fast ball use, which we’re usually pretty good at. I don’t think there’s one way to respond to a team that plays quick footy up the middle. What we see during the game is what we’re going to do.”
Essendon and Sydney are both looming on the brink of the top eight, with the Bombers placed 10th on 28 points and the Swans 12th on 24.
Just one win separates eighth-placed Fremantle and 14th-placed St Kilda ahead of the final eight rounds of the home-and-away season.
Sydney pipped Essendon in a five-point heart-stopper when the clubs last met at the SCG in Round 8.
The Swans on Monday swapped Moore Park for the sunny and breezy Bondi in preparation for their ensuing match against the Bombers, and Florent said they enjoyed the change of environment.
“It was beautiful. We changed it up a bit and got out of the four walls of the club. We found some sun down at Bondi Beach and it was a great day,” Florent said.
“The water temperature wasn’t too bad. It was a little bit chilly because of the time of year, but the sun saved us.”
