Sydney Swans welcome initial intake of girls to club’s youth academy
Neil Cordy
The Daily Telegraph, April 19 
Sons have been able to follow in the footsteps of their footballing fathers for as long as the game has been around but now daughters, like Tallulah Kirk, can do the same.
Tallulah is the daughter of Sydney Swans great Brett Kirk and is one of 130 12- and 13-year-old girls who will part of the club’s academy.
They were presented their uniforms at the SCG on Wednesday night and will start an initial 12-week training program on April 30.
“I’m pumped for Tallulah and all the girls,” Kirk told the Daily Telegraph.
“It’s a great thing for girls and women the way footy has taken off. This wasn’t on the radar for my girls but the AFLW has sparked their interest and enthusiasm to get involved.”
Sydney defender Heath Grundy to pass Brett Kirk’s record for games played by a Swans rookie
Neil Cordy
The Daily Telegraph, April 19
Few players in the AFL do inconspicuous like Heath Grundy.
On Friday night against Adelaide at the SCG the defender will quietly move past Brett Kirk’s 241 games as the most played by a Swan from the rookie list.
Like Kirk, he came from humble footy beginnings and had a couple of stumbles along the way. But once he had established himself, he was impossible to drop.
Impossible to drop and equally hard to move, the man with a backside like a brick outhouse and nicknamed ‘Reg’ is the immovable object and the irresistible force of Sydney’s backline.
Very rarely beaten one on one, he is a key reason why the Swans have been so hard to score against for so long.
“Reg has been a great servant of our footy club,” Kirk told the Daily Telegraph.
“To come off the rookie list you are a player who is determined and desperate. You live on the fringe and on the edge early in your career. He was very quiet and unassuming when he got here but has been a strong leader for a long time. He provides a really strong backbone to our back six.”
Hannebery calls to ease pressure on backline
Andrew Wu
SMH, April 19
Sydney midfielder Dan Hannebery has warned the Swans they must do more to help their defence when they take on the Adelaide Crows, last year's top scoring team, on Friday night.
The Swans' 3-1 start to the season belies some alarming numbers from official stats supplier Champion Data, which paint the picture of a team that is relying heavily on its back line to rescue it.
The Swans' back men have stood firm against heavy traffic in the opening month of the season, but players know they can only ask so much of Dane Rampe, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith and co.
The club, respected for its team defence, is ranked equal 16th for inside 50 differentials, down from seventh last year and above only the Brisbane Lions, conceding on average 7.5 more a game than their opponent. The Swans have not won the inside 50 count this season.
They know they must improve significantly from their narrow win last week against the Western Bulldogs if they are to defeat grand finalist Adelaide at the SCG.
The Swans lost every key statistic against the Bulldogs, including the inside 50s by 18, but were let off the hook by the 2016 premiers' wastefulness in front of goal.
"You don't want to be giving your defence 60 inside 50s every week," Hannebery said. "We like to defend a bit higher up the ground and not allowing that to happen.
"Having said that, our defenders were outstanding on the weekend. We're hoping we can defend a bit higher and get more shots on goal rather than having the defenders to sort it out for us.”
