Sinclair emerges as Swans’ secret weapon
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, July 24

CALLUM Sinclair’s stunning performance against St Kilda has given Sydney Swans coach John Longmire a September weapon he wasn’t expecting and a selection headache he will like.

Injured Swan Sam Reid can be squeezed back into the line-up because of his versatility, but Kurt Tippett’s time in the reserves has been instantly extended despite kicking five goals in the NEAFL.

Sinclair has delivered just what the Swans want from Tippett — someone to take contested marks, kick goals, pinch hit in the ruck and compliment Lance Franklin.

His eight contested marks was the third best single game performance since Champion Data started recording stats in 1999.

“I don’t think I’ve played any better, maybe in under 10s,” Sinclair said. 

Sinclair's big night dents Tippett's recall hopes
Andrew Wu
SMH, July 24

Callum Sinclair's emergence as an unlikely red and white hero spells trouble for Kurt Tippett as Sydney suddenly face an embarrassment of forward riches in the run to September.

The Swans are in the odd position of being within reach of a top-four berth without having bedded down their place in the eight after posting their seventh consecutive win on the weekend.

The next fortnight will have a major say on where the Swans start on the finals grid with Friday night missions against bogey side Hawthorn followed by one of the most daunting assignments in the game – Geelong in Geelong.

A double chance beckons should they emerge victorious from the road trips, halve them and the finals dream is almost realised, but twin losses would leave them fighting for survival.

The form team of the competition, however, has every reason to be confident with close to a clean bill of health and plenty of firepower supporting Lance Franklin.

Sam Reid missed the win over St Kilda due to injury, while forgotten big man Kurt Tippett is mounting a strong case for a recall.

While the Swans are optimistic Reid will return next week from injury, the high marking forward was not missed against St Kilda with Sinclair spectacularly filling the void.

The Swans match committee has wanted Sinclair to have more impact in attack – and he heeded its call.

The former West Coast ruckman had the night of his life, torching the Saints with a career-best bag of five goals and reducing Franklin to the unusual role of support act. In fact, it was the type of game the Swans have wanted to see from Tippett.

The feature of Sinclair's play was his aerial work – an area he concedes he has struggled. Sinclair's eight contested marks against highly rated defender Jake Carlisle equalled his tally from his previous 11 games this year.

"It's something I had to work on, I've been working on it for a while now," Sinclair said.

"It's been a knock on me that I need to keep improving. It's good a few stuck. I put a bit of extra grip on the hands, it helps."

Hard to get a game for finals-bound Sydney Swans
Greg Denham
The Australian, July 24 

After Sydney were almost fatally wounded by injuries in April, it’s now tough to break into a team that is smashing all records to march towards an eighth straight finals campaign.

On the same day the Swans knocked St Kilda out of finals contention by winning for the seventh week in a row, Melbourne’s win over Port Adelaide at the MCG paved the way for a potential top-four finish for the Demons and Sydney, both of whom sit on 10 wins with five rounds remaining.

However, getting a senior game for the Swans in the lead-up to the finals will prove tough as the club is almost at full strength. Coach John Longmire now has multiple options up his sleeve as he attempts to pick his best side each week.

Against St Kilda, out went an injured Sam Reid and in came back-up ruckman Callum Sinclair, who had spent the previous three weeks out of the side. No matter, playing mainly as a key forward, Sinclair booted five goals to overshadow Buddy Franklin — who kicked three goals — to make it almost impossible for Reid to come back immediately, even if he is right against Hawthorn on ­Friday night at the MCG. It also poses the question of Reid’s value as a free agent, given he is yet to agree to remain with the Swans beyond this year.

For the time being, Sinclair also sits ahead of Kurt Tippett in the pecking order. Tippett played in the NEAFL again on Saturday after ongoing ankle issues have ­restricted him all season. He kicked five goals from 21 touches and nine marks, but wasn’t his team’s best.

Stunning first-year forward Will Hayward, another victim of an in-form and strong senior line-up after an injury in round 14, booted six goals from 19 disposals. 

Another first-year player, ­Jordan Dawson, who played one senior game earlier in the season, deserves another chance after a 40-possession, three-goal performance in the NEAFL, a week after a four-goal, 31-disposal game.

Heaven scent for finals
Neil Cordy
Sunday Telegraph, July 23

FIVE goals from surprise packet Callum Sinclair has delivered the Swans a 42-point win over St Kilda and has them knocking on the door to the top four.

The career best performance came on the back of nine marks including seven contested as he dominated one of the Saints best in Jake Carlisle.

The former West Coast Eagle was back in the team after being dropped in Round 15 and made the most of his second chance.

He hit the ground running taking three contested marks and booting two goals in the opening term, the second coming with an exclamation mark celebration as his emotions flowed.

His effort looks certain to keep Kurt Tippett on the outer despite the high priced big man booting five goals in the NEAFL match earlier in the day.

“When he went out of the team he really wasn’t playing badly we just went for a different structure,” Sydney coach John Longmire said.

“To his credit he took that really well. He went back and was fantastic in our reserves and kept working on his craft.

“He works as hard as anyone on the list at his skills and craft and he got some reward for his effort against a really good player. Carlisle is a quality player.

“You get your confidence out of knowing you’ve done the work, if you put your head on the pillow at night and know you’ve worked hard during the week you can sleep better.”

Sinclair stars as Sydney Swans keep streak alive and climb to fifth with defeat of St Kilda
Andrew Wu
SMH, July 23 

The Sydney Swans have climbed to fifth on the AFL ladder after notching their seventh win on the trot with a comfortable 14.17 (101) to 9.5 (59) victory over St Kilda at the SCG on Saturday night.

Callum Sinclair was the star for Sydney, kicking a career-high five goals, while Josh Kennedy and Dan Hannebery managed 25 touches apiece.

Sinclair also booted three behinds in a performance that will no doubt please coach John Longmire immensely after he dropped the 27-year-old to the NEAFL to find form.

"To his credit he took that [demotion] really well," Longmire said. "He went back and was fantastic in our reserves, had a great attitude and kept working on his craft. He works as hard as anyone on our list. He got some reward for effort tonight which was fantastic. It was a really good night for him."

After losing their first six fixtures, Sydney have now leapfrogged Richmond and Melbourne to sit pretty at fifth on the ladder with five games remaining.

However, a Tigers win on Sunday would push them ahead of Sydney while West Coast could also threaten the Swans' spot if they can muster a big victory over Collingwood.

While the win was impressive and will no doubt be celebrated warmly, Sydney will already be eyeing off a rematch with Hawthorn next Friday at the MCG.

Sydney's last defeat came at the hands of the Hawks in late May when they went down by six points at the SCG.

"They've got a six-day turnaround too, so we go in even that way," Longmire said. "They're a really good team, we've had some great battles and I'm sure this week will be a good one as well. They've kicked again after a slow start, a bit similar to us. We look forward to that challenge this week."

From 0-6 to 9-7, here’s how Sydney turned around its season
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, July 22 

THE Sydney Swans are living on the edge and playing September footy in July.

It’s a highwire act which is driving the hottest winning streak from any club this year and will again be on show against St Kilda at the SCG tomorrow night.

Sydney are in sixth spot on the ladder but are only ahead of three teams on percentage, including the Saints.

It’s those fine margins which has coach John Longmire’s men playing a finals-like brand of football a month-and-a-half out from the pointy end of the season.

One of the key ingredients in their winning formula is an enormous dose of forward half pressure which was on display against GWS last weekend.

It was a remarkable match in which Sydney turned the usual KPIs on their head.

The Giants smashed the Swans at the clearances (56-32), edged them in contested possession (160-154) and inside 50s (59-50) but Sydney still found a way to win.

What got the job done was scoring from turnovers where the Swans scored eight of their 10 goals. 

Can Sydney Swans sustain hot run?
Andrew Wu
SMH, July 22

As irresistible as Sydney's form has been, there remains little margin for error if the Swans are to walk the tightrope all the way to September glory – but history shows it can be done.

Unless the wheels fall off again from the red and white machine, the Swans will become the first side to play finals after dropping their first six games of the year.

So well have they played, they now feature prominently in premiership discussions, but will the energy they have expended to revive their season leave them flagging come the finals?

The last team to recover from anywhere near Sydney's poor start to lift the cup was North Melbourne in 1975. In modern times, the Brisbane Lions of 2001 is the best comparison to what the Swans are trying to achieve.

After only four wins from nine rounds, Leigh Matthews' Lions unleashed a barnstorming run of 16 consecutive victories on their way to a historic flag – and the Swans will have to do something similar.

If the Swans go one better than last year, chances are they would have finished the season with a minimum of 13 wins from 16.

Already on a run of six consecutive wins, the Swans can afford to lose only one of their last six home and away games otherwise they will have to win the hard way – from outside the top four without a second chance. Two losses would still keep them in the frame for first-up home final but anything more and they will be clocking the frequent flyers points through September en route to the MCG.

The Swans, however, have two advantages over the Lions in the forms of the mid season bye and the controversial week off leading into the finals. It proved crucial for the Western Bulldogs last year and will give the Swans relief from their taxing bash and crash style.

"Sydney have a lot of older bodies so the break at that time of year will do them the world of good. When you look at the Swans side with the age demographic the bye will be a great thing for them," says Simon Black, who played in all three of Brisbane's three straight flags.

"Having the week off before the finals is a big factor last year for the Dogs, it'll freshen the Swans' mature players up." 

Unlucky Robinson keen to cement Swans spot
AAP, The Australian, July 22

He’d have preferred his collarbone remained intact but Dan Robinson agrees he has timed his run well.

That the promising Sydney on-baller has played only 14 senior games is testament to the fact he’s also one of the most luckless.

A broken collarbone and shoulder reconstruction decimated Robinson’s 2015 and 2016 campaigns before he could cement himself in the Swans’ midfield. This season was more of the same, sidelined for eight weeks after breaking his collarbone in the season-opening loss to Port Adelaide, before fracturing his jaw while on the comeback trail in the NEAFL.

The 23-year-old academy product finally caught a break a fortnight ago as an 11th-hour replacement for skipper Josh Kennedy, and has impressed in a defensive half-forward role against Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.

On Saturday he’ll play his third-straight game when the sixth-placed Swans host a ninth-placed St Kilda side vowing to bring more aggression in a bid to defeat John Longmire’s form team.

“You’d obviously much rather be playing footy at this time of year,” Robinson said.

“You’d prefer to never have an injury, but that’s the way footy goes sometimes.

“I put myself in a position when I came back to make sure I was in the frame, then to have Joey (Kennedy) go out was fortunate for myself.

“Now I’ve just to focus on holding my position until the end of the year.”