Rampe’s return from chain prang triggered a Swans revival
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, August 17

AUSTRALIAN Rules can be a game of centimetres and nobody knows that better than Swans defensive gun Dane Rampe.

If he had cleared the chain fence outside the SCG when he went for a jog earlier this year Sydney could have been sitting comfortably inside the top four instead of scrapping for the double chance with two games to go.

Rampe didn’t clear the fence a week before the start of the season. That meant he fell awkwardly. He landed on his arm, breaking it and sending him to the sidelines for the next seven weeks.

It’s no coincidence the Swans dropped their first six games. It was also of little surprise to close followers that his return in Round 9 helped Sydney revive their season.

When Rampe has played this season, the Swans are 10-3. When he doesn’t they are 2-5.

He doesn’t get the recognition of Richmond’s defensive champ Alex Rance but Rampe is the best defender in the best backline in the AFL.

The Clovelly local’s strong form has led to Sydney’s back six getting better and better.

In the opening six rounds, the Swans were conceding 99 points per game and that average is now down to 65. Over the last month they’re down to a miserly 45 points per outing. Fremantle were held to a season-low 39 points and just five goals from 53 inside-50s.

They will need to be that good and better on Friday night when they take on Eddie Betts, Tex Walker, Josh Jenkins and Co. at Adelaide Oval.

Nick Smith will almost certainly get his old sparring partner in Betts but beyond that Rampe believes there will be a lot of different match-ups.

“Their offence is the best in the competition by about 200 points,” Rampe said.

“It’s tough because they’re all genuine targets and have genuine strengths. Myself, Reg Grundy and Lewis Melican, we’ll all be playing on a number of different players whether it’s (Mitch) McGovern, Jenkins or Walker.

“It will depend on match-ups, time of game and what they present and what their structure looks like. They’ve got a lot of goal scoring options and that’s the challenge for us stopping that. It’s not just the back six it’s the 18-man defence we pride ourselves on the forwards and midfields have a genuine role in stopping the opposition scoring.”

Finals come early to Friday night
Greg Denham
The Australian, August 17

Adelaide and Sydney are treating tomorrow night’s blockbuster at Adelaide Oval like a no-holds-barred final.

Crows players have this week said they are still reeling from last year’s semi-final knockout by the Swans at the SCG, while Sydney are keen to test themselves against the team sitting comfortably at the top of the ladder.

Swans defender Dane Rampe yesterday acknowledged that his team was looking at the clash as a dress rehearsal for September, saying “in a home-and-away sense” it was Sydney’s biggest game of the year.

“They’re ladder leaders, we’re in pretty good form ourselves ... it’s going to be on,” Rampe said. “I dare say they’ll be treating it like a finals match. We like to think we’re playing on the edge every week and this week is going to be no different.”

With both clubs guaranteed to play finals, the bonus for the winner will be the momentum of three straight wins, only second to GWS, who should win their fourth in succession when they host West Coast in Sydney on Saturday.

And the clash may not be the last this season between the two clubs, as they could potentially play each other in a final at the venue again, so victory will provide a big boost in confidence for the rest of the season.

Tippett and Swans face biggest test in Adelaide
Andrew Wu
SMH, August 17

Sydney's premiership credentials are on the line in Adelaide on Friday and so too could Kurt Tippett's finals aspirations.

Tippett, whose campaign has been blighted by injuries and poor form, faces arguably his biggest test when he takes on one of the game's best ruckmen, Sam Jacobs.

The Sydney big man, who has been out of favour behind Sam Naismith and Callum Sinclair for much of the year, played his best game of 2017 last week against the Dockers' first-season ruckman Sean Darcy, but Jacobs is in another league.

The South Australian eclipsed All Australian contender Paddy Ryder to take home his third Showdown Medal this month and will give the Swans a clearer gauge as to how Tippett is tracking.

A competitive showing would reaffirm the Swans' belief that Tippett remains a key part of their plans for September, but a poor night would leave coach John Longmire with major queries on the eve of the finals.

Tippett is yet to rediscover his form from the first half of last season, but his effort to lay a game-high eight tackles against the Dockers shows he is hungry and building match fitness.

Swans vice-captain Dane Rampe is bullish about Tippett's prospects.

"It was good to see Kurt back over the last two weeks to somewhat near his best," Rampe said.

"His tackle pressure was underrated and really important for us around the stoppages and that what we've really wanted from him since he's come back – just to compete. That's what he did.

"A couple of big contested marks on the weekend and his follow-up work was really important to help get the ball going forward. Really pleased to see him getting back to somewhat near his best and we think he's still got a bit to go."

ANZ Stadium in frame to host Sydney Swans, GWS Giants final
Andrew Wu
SMH, August 17

ANZ Stadium may not have hosted its last AFL game, with the league in talks with venue officials about staging a potential all-Sydney final there next month.

And Fairfax Media can reveal the ground is also in the frame to host a Greater Western Sydney "home" final should the Giants face a big Victorian club.

The AFL is keeping all options open with its Sydney finals venues, including the possibility of forking out $500,000 to have ANZ Stadium ready in the event of another Swans-Giants September derby.

It would be a massive outlay for a game that may not happen but one the AFL is prepared to make if it avoided having to turn away up to 40,000 fans in a "foreign" market. It would appease the Giants, who are strongly opposed to staging a "home" final at the Swans' SCG fortress.

If there is no change to the final ladder, the two Sydney teams cannot clash until the preliminary final at the earliest. If the Swans finish sixth, which seems likely if they lose to Adelaide this week, and the Giants claim second or third, then the two clubs could meet in the second week of finals if GWS lost its qualifying final. They are only a remote chance to meet in the first week.

A fixture clash with the NRL is another issue the AFL must consider though it's unlikely there will be more than one team in a position to play a final at ANZ Stadium in the second or third week of finals.

The league is facing huge costs to reconfigure the rectangular shaped ANZ Stadium, which has not hosted an AFL match since last year's finals series.

Pyke: Swans biggest test yet
Andrew Capel
The Advertiser, August 17

DON Pyke is relishing tomorrow night’s heavyweight clash against Sydney, saying it will show how much the Crows have learned from their semifinal loss last year.

Adelaide had its 2016 season ended by the Swans at the SCG and has waited nearly a year for some sort of redemption.

“We were beaten by them in the finals last year so it’s a good chance to see the areas we think we’ve improved on against a quality opponent,” said Crows coach Pyke, who hopes to have key weapons Taylor Walker (foot) and Rory Sloane (knee) available for the blockbuster after they trained fully yesterday.

“That was a disappointing way to end our season last year and we get a chance against the same club to see how far we’ve come.’’

Sydney already playing finals
Rob Forsaith
AAP, The Advertiser, August 17

Sydney will adopt a finals-like mentality against Adelaide in Friday night's blockbuster.

The Swans, who are set to make history by becoming the first side to start a season with six straight losses then reach the finals, are a chance of finishing in the top four.

They will have to travel at some point in September if they wish to end a run of near-misses in recent years and win a flag.

In that regard, testing themselves against the ladder leaders at Adelaide Oval shapes as an ideal dress rehearsal for finals.

"In a home and away sense, definitely (this is Sydney's biggest game of the year)," defender Dane Rampe said on Wednesday.

"They're ladder leaders, we're in pretty good form ourselves.

"You're going to have to (bring a finals-like mentality) ... it's going to be on.

"I dare say they'll be treating it like a finals match. We like to think we're playing on the edge every week and this week is going to be no different."

Backlash
Mark Robinson
Herald Sun, August 17

FRUSTRATED players will seek a meeting with the AFL to table concerns on what they call an over-correction to stop punching.

Player representatives put the judiciary on the agenda at a players association board meeting last week.

Their frustration grew on Tuesday night when Western Bulldogs big man Jack Redpath was suspended for three matches after losing an appeal to overturn a two-match ban for striking GWS skipper Phil Davis at the weekend.

The players are flabbergasted by the suspension and have flagged their intention to seek a change to the appeal system at the end of the season.

Redpath received an extra week for appealing — and losing — against the MRP finding.

AFLPA boss Paul Marsh told the Herald Sun: “We need to have a conversation because it’s an issue. There’s a view the penalty doesn’t necessarily fit the crime.

“Whether it’s been an over-correction, however you want to put it, we have had a conversation about it.

“We’ve also started a discussion about how difficult it is to appeal a decision.

“In a number of cases, players have felt quite strongly they should appeal.’’