Buddy conquers hate with eight
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, May 
IF you can’t beat them, beat him.
Brisbane tried — and failed — to rough up Lance Franklin as the star forward kicked his second-biggest haul of goals in a Sydney guernsey yesterday and the Swans demolished the Lions by 54 points at the SCG.
The 20.15 (135) to 12.9 (81) win, largely thanks to Franklin’s eight goal effort, put the winless Swans on the winners’ list after an 0-6 start to the season.
Franklin was on from the outset, kicking his first in the opening minute from outside 50m before adding a second from close to 70m late in the term.
From then on it was just a question of how many. Franklin had five by halftime and added another three after the break to move from 17th to equal third in the Coleman Medal standings with 22 for the season.
It was his second biggest haul as a Swan and the 13th time he has booted seven goals or more in a game.
“Lance played a fantastic game,” Swans coach John Longmire said. “He was really good and a number of our senior players and leaders who had copped some criticism were good. They are a proud bunch and set themselves to play a good game.”
Aliir faces a tough task to win his spot back
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, May 8
DEFENDER Aliir Aliir was a notable omission from Sydney’s line-up against Brisbane on Sunday after turning up late to Saturday morning’s captain’s run.
And after the Swans demolished the Lions by 54 points, it might be hard to win back his spot.
It was a bold decision from coach John Longmire as the Swans went in search for their first win of the season.
“He didn’t arrive in time for training — he’s out and Marsh in,” Longmire said after the match.
“It doesn’t matter (what explanation there was) he was late and we move on.”
Aliir has struggled to recapture the dazzling form he showed in the second half of last year when he played 11 consecutive games from round 16 through to the preliminary final where he injured his knee against Geelong and missed the grand final.
The medial ligament damage to his knee was compounded by another injury to his toe which seriously disrupted his pre-season training. Longmire was quick to point out that there were no ongoing discipline issues with the Kenyan-born refugee.
“It was a one off,” Longmire said. “He’s been doing everything that is required but he didn’t (on Saturday) so he was out of the team and Marshy came in.”
Aliir’s replacement Harrison Marsh was among the club’s better players with five rebound 50s from defence and six marks.
Buddy boots eight as Swans break their duck
Adrian Warren
AAP, SMH, The Australian, May 8
Superstar forward Lance Franklin produced an eight-goal exhibition and the Swans’ leaders regained their hard edge as they broke their 2017 duck in convincing fashion yesterday.
Sydney piled on the first 20 points on their way to a 20.15 (135) to 12.9 (81) win at the SCG.
It lifted them off the foot of the ladder and above the Lions, who have now lost their past 10 clashes with the Swans.
Franklin kicked the highest individual score of the season and set the tone from a set shot inside the first minute.
While not back to their relentless best, it was clearly the best performance of the season by the Swans, though they were never tested by Brisbane.
Sydney coach John Longmire said his players were fantastic and celebrated the return of their ferocity for the contest, which was rarely seen through their six losses.
It was Franklin’s first haul of more than four goals this season and his biggest bag since he kicked nine against St Kilda in his 200th game in 2014.
“He played a fantastic game, he was really good.” Longmire said. “A number of our leaders and senior players that have copped some criticism were good.”
Milestone trek one tough road
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, May 7
FOR many AFL players, reaching the 50-game mark comes easily but it hasn’t been a walk in the park for Swans big man Callum Sinclair.
The 27-year-old has suffered rejections and setbacks almost every step of the way — that’s why he will be genuinely honoured when he reaches the milestone in Sunday’s match against the Brisbane Lions at the SCG.
“Doing it the hard way has made me play with a bit of a chip on my shoulder,” Sinclair said.
“It’s been a journey with a few ups and downs along the way. I think it’s been a good achievement getting to 50. It took me a while to grow and get confidence in my body in my early 20s which is why I missed a few drafts in the early days. I needed to mature a bit physically and in my self-belief as well.”
The knocks started early for Sinclair. After being cut twice by the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup, he played with school mates at Caulfield Grammarians before graduating to Port Melbourne in the VFL.
His form attracted the interest of WAFL team Subiaco, so he crossed the continent in pursuit of his dream to ultimately play in the AFL. The sacrifice was finally rewarded when West Coast took him with the 12th pick in the 2013 rookie draft.
But the road to senior football still had another roadblock as he sat behind champion ruckmen Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui in the Eagles’ pecking order.
“It was tough going to a club with Nic Naitanui and Dean Cox, so games were hard to come by,” Sinclair said.
“The opportunities were rare but learning off those blokes was priceless. It can be lonely at times when you are travelling around Australia on your own. It has been a great learning experience and has built up my resilience. It makes you play like you have something to prove.
“It’s probably been a good thing for me. I wouldn’t change a thing and I’m proud of the journey so far.”
Dad is still my biggest mentor
Hamish McLachlan
Herald Sun, May 7
THE Kennedys. A name intrinsically linked to American politics … and Australian Rules Football. It’s a name that is worshipped at the Hawthorn Football Club.
Josh Kennedy’s grandfather coached the Hawks to their first premiership, and his father won four as a player. Josh started his career at the Hawks, moved to the Swans, has won a flag, and is now their skipper.
We spoke about his love of the game, leaving the Hawks, surfing at Bondi, club over family, a Colombian wife, the pressure of the Kennedy name and the happiness of his son.
HAMISH McLACHLAN: Shall we leave the sluggish start to the season alone?
JOSH KENNEDY: I’m happy to …
HM: OK. A more holistic chat then; that’ll work. What do you love most about footy?
JK: Ummm … I think what I love most is how it’s always brought people together. I love it because you can be six foot six and weigh 110kg, or be five foot eight and weigh 75kg, and you can still have the same impact on a game. There’s not many sports in the world like that. It’s very unique.
HM: Your earliest footy memory?
JK: It’s getting knocked around the living room by my older cousins, Matthew and Luke Ball. It used to be me versus the two of them. It was so much fun. And I remember heading off to the games with my brothers, and going out to Waverley to watch the Hawks. I just loved the atmosphere of the game — it was all a bit magical to me.
HM: Is it still?
JK: It is, but it is probably a different, a different kind of love, because there is so much more to it. It’s now an endless pursuit of trying to get better, and striving to win, so much so that there’s very little time for enjoyment. It’s nice to sit back and reflect on the good moments, whether that be after a big win or a big event during the year, but they are rare. That’ll come in retirement, I hope.
HM: Excluding the 2012 Grand Final win, is there a moment you most savour in your career?
JK: I think preliminary finals are fantastic. The one that stands out the most is the 2012 preliminary final against Collingwood at ANZ Stadium. It was Jude Bolton’s 300th game, and I remember going up to him halfway through the last quarter when the game was pretty much iced, and seeing the look on his face. It’s something I’ll never forget. The feeling of knowing that I was going to play in my first ever Grand Final … when I think about that, I feel absolute happiness.
HM: A sense of relief to have got to the last game?
JK: It is pure joy after winning the prelim. It’s different after a Grand Final … your first emotion is simply relief. It’s a build-up of everything you’ve done to get to that point, and to have finally won, it brings out a huge sense of relief.
