Longmire heading down the Sheedy road as Swans coach
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, July 20
SWANS boss Andrew Ireland believes John Longmire can be another generational coach like Kevin Sheedy at Essendon and so does the Bombers legend himself.
Longmire still has another 20 years to match Sheedy’s herculean 27 at the Bombers but is on the right track with a premiership and three Grand Final appearances since taking the head coaching reins at the Swans in 2011.
His resurrection of Sydney’s season from their 0-6 start to rise into sixth with a 9-7 record has drawn justified praise.
The TAB listed Sydney as $101 long shots for the title 10 weeks ago but now they’re $6 equal third favourites.
He is contracted to the club until the end of 2020 after signing an extension midway through 2016.
He’s extended his stay at the SCG twice since taking over from Paul Roos more than six years ago.
Ireland is clearly happy in the choice he and Richard Colless made at the time and can’t see any obstacles to Longmire staying even longer.
“There’s no reason that I can see why John shouldn’t be coach of the Swans for a long period of time,” Ireland told the Daily Telegraph.
“I hope it’s an awful long time and I guess you get the circumstance like a Kevin Sheedy where it’s 20 odd years that he coached. For the most part it isn’t quite that long, all I know is that right at this time John is doing a marvellous job for us.”
'You think you're fit': How a Swan found his mojo
Adam Curley
AFL.com.au, July 19
KIEREN Jack personified Sydney's early-season struggles, but now that the perennial contenders are back amongst the premiership race, he's the poster boy for their stunning turnaround.
While the Swans' 2017 campaign started disastrously and their finals hopes looked to be disappearing with every loss, Jack was out of form and having little impact in his new role as a permanent forward.
Critics began to circle and some predicted the demise of the former club champion, All Australian, and 2012 premiership midfielder, after he'd averaged just 15.8 possessions in his first five games, his worst return since 2009, and kicked just three goals.
But what those outside the walls of the Bloods didn't know was that Jack was battling painful tendinitis and inflammation in his left hip, the same issue that saw him to miss the entire JLT Community Series.
He managed to get himself up for the season opener and was solid against Port Adelaide, but his strength and fitness slowly dropped away, until the Swans' coaching staff decided enough was enough after another poor showing against Greater Western Sydney in round five.
"You think at the time that you're fit and healthy, and mentally you fight yourself about it, but the reality was that I wasn't," Jack told AFL.com.au this week.
"You get caught up in a cycle; you don't train early in the week to get yourself right for the game, do a bit later in the week, then pull up sore from that, and then you can't do what you need to do in the game, and you're even worse for the following week.
"I was frustrated and not happy with the way I was playing, so in the end we decided to take some time off and get the injury right.
"Although I'm not a big guy, my strength as a player has always been my power around the ball, my footwork, and being able to get in and out of packs, and my body just wasn't allowing me to do what I wanted to do at the start of the year."
SCG the spot for a Derby Final
Ben Horne
Daily Telegraph, July 19
THE heat has been turned up on the tantalising prospect of another all-Sydney final after Swans Chairman Andrew Pridham claimed the derby playoff should be held at the SCG no matter what.
GWS are currently sitting three wins ahead of Sydney in third place on the ladder and despite last weekend’s result, the Giants remain heavy favourites to host a derby final if it in fact eventuates.
Pridham was keen to stress that the Swans — who are now top four contenders — aren’t even thinking that far down the track given even the slightest hiccup to their six-game hot streak could put them back in the dogfight to even make the finals’ cut.
However, the Chairman was not joking in his assertion that the SCG is the home of AFL in Sydney and any final should be hosted there — even if the Giants finish higher on the ladder.
It’s a claim sure to ruffle some feathers out west, after last year's final waS played at ANZ Stadium.
Big brother is asserting its position early over little brother when it comes to crucial home ground advantage, but the final call would rest with the AFL.
“The SCG would be my pick,” said Pridham.
“And I’m being serious.
“Look, it’s a long way to go. We’re not even thinking about it. First step for us is to make the finals and wherever we play we play. We can’t control that.”
Giants take aim over Swans’ push for SCG derby final
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, July 20
GWS Giants have slammed suggestions from Swans chairman Andrew Pridham any final between the two clubs should be played at the SCG.
Just where finals are played is the AFL’s call and last year they held the history making all-Sydney qualifying final at ANZ Stadium with the Giants coming up trumps by 36 points in a fiery encounter.
The Giants are two games ahead of the Swans and if they stay above their rivals over the next six weeks they will have hosting rights.
“Right now it’s never going to be the SCG,” Giants CEO David Matthews told the Daily Telegraph.
“I wasn’t surprised by what he (Pridham) said but it’s fundamentally absurd and makes no sense. I understand he’s excited about the weekends result and he’s looking forward but if we end up in the position we were last year we wouldn’t contemplate the SCG at all.”
Nic Newman and openly gay brother Maverick speak ahead of Saturday’s Pride Match against St Kilda
Sarah Olle
Fox Sports, July 19
THE Sydney Swans have dedicated themselves to Saturday night’s Pride Match against St Kilda at the SCG.
And while the match will resonate with many onlookers, it will have a special significance for the Newman family.
Swans defender Nic Newman will feature for the first time in the fixture, while his younger and openly gay brother Maverick will be watching from the stands.
“It’s a huge honour to play in the game,” Nic said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“I’m really proud of the stance our club has taken on it and the broader AFL community.
“I’m really looking forward to playing. It obviously represents a bit for me with Mav being openly gay.”
Maverick, 19, came out as a 17-year-old.
His hope is that through his visibility other young gender-diverse men and women will feel comfortable to be themselves.
While a number of AFLW players are visible with their sexuality, no AFL player has ever ‘come out’.
“It’s sort of a shame that it has to be a ‘thing’. And in a way it’s bittersweet,” Maverick said of the Pride Match.
“But to sort of be at the front of it is pretty amazing.
“By me standing proud hopefully it does good for some 16-year-old at some local football club who is struggling with their sexuality and wants to be part of the game.”
“It will mean a lot for me as a brother and I think it will mean a lot for me as a person, being gay. To have him play will be awesome for me.”
Jack still a leading light
Ben Horne
Daily Telegraph, July 19
THERE were two ways Kieren Jack could have chosen to take his demotion from the Sydney Swans captaincy.
At 29 and seemingly in his AFL prime, Jack had every right to feel disillusioned and lost after being informed by the Swans hierarchy that they saw him “transitioning” into the twilight of his career and hat it was time for Josh Kennedy, a man just 12 months his junior, to take the reins.
After all, this was the same Kieren Jack who had only just guided his side into a Grand Final and agonisingly short of a premiership triumph.
Option B was to cop the blow on the chin and recognise the decision wasn’t about him, but about the future of the club.
Perhaps it was time to concentrate more fully on rebooting his own game.
The latter is the road Jack decided to take and after an injury and a form slump which threatened to end his AFL career as promptly as he’d been stripped of the captaincy — the son of a gun and one of Sydney’s most recognisable players is back on top.
Against the Giants last weekend, Jack was immense.
Trust restored: statistics reveal Swans’ defence once again best in the business
Andrew Wu
SMH, July 19
As Sydney re-establish themselves as the league's defensive kings, one of the club's backline stalwarts says the Swans lost trust in each other during their horror start to the season.
Their season seemingly shot to bits 11 weeks ago, the Swans are now the form team of the competition and daring to dream of a top-four berth.
The momentum they have generated after nine wins from their past 10 starts means talk now is not whether they can hold on to their place in the eight, but how high they can climb.
Such speculation is fraught with danger in such an unpredictable season, but the Swans – unlike many of their rivals – have sustained their strong form over months rather than weeks.
But they are in danger of losing key forward Sam Reid, who is under an injury cloud for Saturday night's clash against St Kilda. Reid is battling groin tightness and did not train on Tuesday. It could pave the way for ruckman Callum Sinclair to return after missing the last three games.
Sydney coach John Longmire said the Swans were ruining their reputation after their 0-6 start but their brand is well and truly back. Their defence is again the best in the business.
From rounds seven to 17 the Swans sit top for key areas such as points conceded (13th in the first six rounds), point against via turnover (equal 14th) and scores conceded from clearances (13th) – all of which are cornerstones of their game.
They rank second for fewest entries inside their defensive 50, and even when the opposition get the ball in there the Swans are the best at preventing goals and scores.
The impact of Sydney's first-choice players returning has been considerable. Isaac Heeney, Dane Rampe, Gary Rohan, Tom Papley, Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack are all up and going after missing large chunks early while Luke Parker and Dan Hannebery are back near their best.
Swans confident of keeping young stars Jones and Reid
Greg Denham
The Australian, July 19
Sydney remain confident of retaining out-of-contract players Zak Jones and Sam Reid despite a lull in proceedings.
Jones’s older brother Nathan is co-captain of the Demons and free agent Reid’s brother Ben is at Collingwood.
Sydney general manager of football operations Tom Harley yesterday told The Australian the major reason nothing had happened over the past month was because the managers of both players had been overseas.
“We’re not expecting any issues with either,” Harley said.
In May, Harley and Sydney chief executive Andrew Ireland said speedy utility Jones, 22, wanted to stay in Sydney.
Ireland said at the time: “With these things you don’t count your chickens until you get the contract signed but discussions with Zak and his management have been really good and really strong.
“We are confident he wants to be with us. We are confident that we can put a good contract in front of him he will be happy with.”
Reid is a restricted free agent, but Harley indicated last month negotiations were “fruitful and positive” for both players.
Re-signing the pair is the Swans’ priority after announcing a three-year extension for first-year defender Lewis Melican earlier this week.
