Sydney Swans coach John Longmire is acutely aware of Gold Coast’s strong presence under the ruckmen’s noses but will back his midfielders to get the job done instead of changing too much structurally ahead of Saturday’s clash at the SCG.
Gold Coast is the best in the competition at clearing the ball from centre stoppages, averaging 15.6 clearances per game. Sydney, on the other hand, rank 15th.
At the forefront of this gleaming stat for the Suns is Gary Ablett and Jarryd Lyons, who rank fourth and fifth respectively. The two have been enjoying strong seasons and will be among the players to watch in the Round 16 contest.
As much as the stat will be high on the coaches’ agenda, so will the fact the fleet-footed Gold Coast lead the competition for total possessions (406.8 average) and uncontested possessions (265.9 average) so Longmire will be looking more broadly for ways to stop the Suns on Saturday and register a fifth-straight win.
“(Jarrod) Witts has had a fantastic season, Lyons has had a great year and we know what Ablett can do,” Longmire said on Wednesday.
“They’ve got an enormous amount of talent and they’re playing a good brand of football. If they’re able to play the kind of footy they’re capable of, they’ll take some real handling.
“Whether it’s contested ball or stoppage numbers or their movement from the back half to the forward 50, it’s very impressive because they’ve got some fantastic talent.
“They’ve got a strong goal-to-goal line … we saw them kick 18 goals and play a strong brand of football last week.
“We’ll always look at what the opposition does every week, and mix in what we’d like to do, and try get the balance right.”
Meanwhile, Longmire expects Callum Mills to be fit and resume his place in the side for Saturday’s clash.
The Sydney Swans haven’t lost to Gold Coast in seven meetings between the two sides.
Last time, in Round 11 last season, the Swans ran out comfortable 38-point winners at a rain-soaked Metricon Stadium with Dan Hannebery (36 disposals), Josh Kennedy (33 disposals) and Luke Parker (26 disposals, two goals) all starring.
