Crunch game
The remaining rounds of the home and away season are important games for the Sydney Swans (to state the obvious) in the context of the Club's season and its current position in a competitive ladder.
They sit sixth on the table in the lead up to Round 20 equal on 10 wins and eight losses with three other clubs from sixth down to ninth which means a defeat could be extremely costly so close to finals.
As a result, Friday night's clash against Geelong becomes a very big game, almost a must-win, given there's still a few tough challenges to come including a trip to Adelaide Oval for a clash against ladder leaders the Crows.
Traditionally, the Swans haven't had a strong record at Kardinia Park but scored the points in an emotional win last season which goes to prove they can play well in front of Geelong's passionate outer.
Was last weekend's defeat to Hawthorn 'the loss they needed to have' or can they rediscover the same form which yielded seven-straight wins on the road to (nearly) consolidating a spot in the top eight?
Has the Kardinia curse lifted?
Recent history points out that the Sydney Swans haven't exactly enjoyed travelling to Kardinia Park.
They've lost 10 of the past 12, by an average of more than 30 points, but they are the last team to defeat Geelong on its home turf.
That backs-against-the-wall win came after emotional week for then co-captain Kieren Jack. Jack, in his 200th match, spearheaded the 38-point triumph with three goals.
More than 12 months on, both teams have had some personnel changes, Geelong more so given only 11 players who lined up for Geelong last week played in that particular game.
The clubs have also experienced different form lines this season. Geelong has been, consistently, one of the best teams this season while Sydney has had to fight hard to get back into the finals race following a near disastrous 0-6 start.
As Longmire said on Monday, "footy moves pretty quickly," so don't expect the coach to be paying too much attention to results gone by ahead of Friday night's blockbuster.
Teammates descend on Kieren Jack after kicking one of his three goals against Geelong in Round 16 last season.
Selection dilemmas
Injury clouds hang over the heads of several Swans ahead of Thursday's scheduled trip to Geelong, including skipper Josh Kennedy.
Kennedy, a curcial cog in the midfield machine who's averaging 28 disposals this season, is facing a race against time after tweaking his hamstring in last weekend's contest with Hawthorn.
Longmire was relieved when scans confirmed the issue wasn't major, but refrained from making the call on his captain until all the information was in front of him.
"He's pulled up better than expected but we're not sure if he'll play this week or not," Longmire said earlier in the week. "It's a little bit inflamed ... there's no black or white answers in these situations."
What the coach did know is that he'd give Kennedy every chance of proving his fitness for the important clash.
Same goes for Jake Lloyd (hip) and Gary Rohan (back) who were late withdrawals, plus Sam Naismith (hip) and Callum Sinclair (ankle) who pulled up sore, last weekend.
If any are out, it may pave the way for Sam Reid and Kurt Tippett or emerging midfielder Jordan Dawson for a senior recall.
Josh Kennedy chats to teammates on Wednesday. Will we see the skipper take his place in the side this Friday night?
Geelong
Just how much of a bearing will Patrick Dangerfield's absence have on Friday night's match?
From Sydney's perspective, it's irrelevant whether the reigning Brownlow medallist plays or not.
Longmire said himself that there's more to the Cats than Dangerfield and he'll be focusing on the opposition as a whole, not just one or two players.
"He and (Joel Selwood) are two key players for them, there’s no doubt about that, and every team relies upon your key players and we’re no different,” Longmire said. “But they (the Cats) have got a really even team and they’re obviously playing on their home deck so they’ll have their tails up.
Interestingly, it will be the first game Dangerfield has missed since crossing over from Adelaide.
The Cats have won 30, drawn once and lost 11 with him in the side so his impact has been undeniable.
But he's not the sole reason why the Cats are sitting second on the ladder only a game off Adelaide in top spot.
Fun fact: Take the Dangerfield out of Dangerwood and you're still left with Selwood.
Jones signs on
Some great news popped up during the week with emerging midfielder Zak Jones signing a two-year contract extension.
The new deal will see the 22-year-old, who's enjoying a breakout season in the middle, remain in the red and white until at least the end of 2019.
He's averaged 20 disposals across his 17 matches this season to be an important link in the chain, his speed and nous around goal proving a great asset in Sydney's resurgence and march towards finals this season.
Jones follows in the footsteps of Isaac Heeney, Callum Mills, Will Hayward, Oliver Florent, Jordan Dawson, Lewis Melican and Darcy Cameron in recommitting to Sydney in 2017.
"I like being loyal to the team and with such a great culture here I want to learn off those leaders" - Zak Jones
