A highly anticipated midfield battle is among the latest edition of Hot Topics as the Sydney Swans prepare to face Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday. 

Eyes on the winning prize
Sydney sits in eighth on the ladder and Melbourne in fourth spot but every side placed between third and 12^th hasn’t yet locked in a finals berth, making this clash crucial for both teams. While GWS (50 points) is placed third, it sits just one win and a draw ahead of North Melbourne in 10^th, while Essendon (11^th) and Adelaide (12^th) remain in contention to feature in September. Sydney is headed for a testing run home, with games against GWS and Hawthorn set to follow the Melbourne clash. 

Midfield giants lock horns
Two fearsome midfields will butt heads in a match-up promising to have a huge bearing on the outcome of the game. A Demons midfield headlined by All-Australian ruckman Max Gawn, and boasting star on-ballers Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw, awaits the Swans. Sydney ruckman Callum Sinclair is set for a heavyweight bout just a week after facing formidable Collingwood big man Brodie Grundy, while gun Swans Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Isaac Heeney will be looking to produce big games of their own. Sydney midfielder Dan Hannebery remains in the frame to return from a calf strain for the Melbourne match, and his enormous tank and 204 games of AFL experience would make for a massive inclusion. 

Lance v Lewis
Two premiership teammates at Hawthorn and lifelong mates will do battle as superstar Swan Lance Franklin meets veteran Demon Jordan Lewis. The former Hawks won two premierships together in brown and gold in 2008 and 2013 and were Hawthorn teammates for a period of nine years between 2005 and 2013. They both signed at the 2005 National Draft, with Hawthorn securing Franklin via pick five and Lewis pick seven. While key Melbourne backman Oscar McDonald is likely to play on Franklin, there’s every chance the former teammates will cross paths as Lewis has this season made a shift from the midfield to defence. 

Kennedy duo climb another rung
Sydney captain Josh Kennedy will play his 224^th league game in the Melbourne clash, after his father John played 241 matches for Hawthorn. They will draw level with the Whitten family (Ted senior/Ted junior) in ninth place in VFL/AFL history, with Sunday’s game taking the Kennedy duo to a combined total of 464 matches. The star father-son pair is climbing a leaderboard of rarefied air, with the names Ablett (Gary senior/Gary junior), Fletcher (Ken/Dustin) and Scarlett (John/Matthew) among the ranks. 

Proudly pink for a vital cause
Thousands of women, men and children will combine forces before the game in support of the fight against breast cancer. Breast Cancer Network Australia will run its fifth Field of Women edition, an annual event that sees participants form the shape of a giant Pink Lady on the MCG. It is estimated 18,235 Australians will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 – and the aim of the BCNA is to match that number in the Pink Lady as vital awareness and funds are raised on Sunday. The Pink Lady will come to life at 1:00pm and the opening bounce of the Swans-Demons clash is set for 3:20.