Alex takes a great step on some old turf
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, July 7

ALEX Johnson may only have one half of an NEAFL match under his belt but he is already daring to dream about a return for the Sydney Swans.

On Saturday the defender will celebrate another key milestone on his return from a horror string of knee injuries when he plays his first game at the SCG since round 22, 2012.

Johnson’s last seven games have been played away from the Swans spiritual home.

He played in the NEAFL in Canberra last Saturday, at Spotless Stadium in 2014 when he lasted just 10 minutes in his first comeback, Blacktown in 2013 when he ruptured his ACL for the first time, the MCG for the 2012 Grand Final day, ANZ Stadium in the preliminary final against Collingwood, AAMI Stadium in the qualifying final against Adelaide and Simonds Stadium against Geelong in Round 23.

“It’s been a long time,” Johnson told the Daily Telegraph.

“It will be nice to get back home to the SCG. It’s a 12.55 start and the weather looks nice. Saturday afternoon against a pretty good Gold Coast reserves team, it should be a good match.”

Johnson was overwhelmed with the support he received in Canberra last weekend as teammates, Swans supporters, family and friends all made the trip to the national capital for his comeback.

“It was amazing,” Johnson said.

“I’ve said it so many times over the last few years but the club could not have done anything more to support me than they have.

“For my teammates who had played the night before in a big match to get an early flight to Canberra was amazing.

“So was the general support from the people in Canberra and the people who travelled from Sydney to support me. Then of course my family and friends who have been with me on the whole journey.”

Callum Mills given green light to play after concussion
Andrew Wu
SMH, July 7

Sydney defender Callum Mills has been cleared by medical staff to face Gold Coast, a week after being concussed by a punch from Melbourne's Tomas Bugg.

In a boost to the Swans' bid to get ahead of the win-loss ledger for the first time this season, Mills trained well and was given the green light by doctors, while Gold Coast champion Gary Ablett was  ruled out with a hamstring injury.

"We were confident for the whole week that he'd be right to play," Swans coach John Longmire said. "Our doctor always has the final say and he was also confident throughout the week. But you're never quite sure until you see how he goes at training. He trained really well and pulled up well.

"He knows it's a really serious thing, concussion, and to make sure he's absolutely right. I spoke to him afterwards and he said, 'I can guarantee you, if there was something wrong I'd tell you,' and I absolutely believe him so he's right to go." 

Unless West Coast and Port Adelaide draw, the Swans will finish the round in the eight if they defeat the Suns at the SCG on Saturday. Ravaged by injury early in the year, the Swans have named an unchanged 22.

Swans' solution to goalkicking woes
Andrew Wu
SMH, July 6

Sydney believe they have found the source of their goalkicking blues. It's not due to poor technique, a lack of practice or even the recent absence of goalkicking great Tony Lockett. The solution, they say, could be as simple as not shooting from downtown.

The Swans are the form team of the competition but when it comes to converting in front of the big sticks they are running dead last over the past fortnight.

They had a scarcely believable 1.11 on the board early against Melbourne, a week after they nearly shot themselves in the foot with 11.20 against Essendon. Their shot at goal percentage of 33.8 per cent across the last two rounds rates well below the competition average of 46.6 per cent.

While their poor kicking has not cost them a game yet, it has not done their percentage any favours in a season where the difference between making the finals or having a September holiday is likely to be small.

Some will say it's more than a coincidence their woes came during Lockett's absence but not the Swans, who believe the problem stems from where they are taking their shots.

In the last two weeks they have kicked 1.11 from outside 50, according to the AFL's official stats supplier Champion Data. From 31 metres-plus they have yielded a wasteful 11.28, while from within 30 metres they are a much more acceptable 12.6. 

"We've been taking shots in non-high percentage areas – the accuracy has been affected by that," Swans coach John Longmire said.

McLachlan ponders ‘raising stakes’ for undeterred punchers
Ronny Lerner
The Age, SMH, July 7

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan will seriously consider ‘‘raising the stakes’’ in punishment if the sixweek suspension handed to Melbourne’s Tom Bugg doesn’t act as an effective deterrent to other players.

Bugg was rubbed out by the tribunal on Tuesday night for his vicious off-the-ball punch that left Sydney’s Callum Mills concussed and incapable of playing for the vast majority of Friday night’s match at the MCG.

However, McLachlan is still not sold on the idea of introducing a red-card system similar to the one employed in soccer and local footy.

The AFL has been dogged by serious incidents in recent weeks with Richmond’s Bachar Houli copping a four-match suspension for knocking out Carlton’s Jed Lamb and the league’s former diversity manager, Ali Fahour, being given a 14-game ban for punching in a Northern Football League match.

‘‘This is a serious issue; we’re taking it seriously,’’ McLachlan said. ‘‘We’ve called it out now and if there’s a view that, say, six weeks is not enough of a deterrent then we’ll look to escalate it. I feel comfortable with the system, so that leaves you with if it’s not a significant deterrent where the penalties are now, then raise the stakes, and that’s a discussion I’ll have with the team.’’