McGlynn, who was ruled out of the Swans’ round nine match against Essendon due to illness, has been a stand out for the club this year, leading the club’s tackle count with 55 and is averaging just under 20 possessions per match.
Speaking to SwansTV in this week’s edition of Centrum Team Selection, John Longmire said McGlynn was an exciting inclusion for the Swans.
“It’s good to get him back in the team,” Longmire said.
“He’s been a consistent player for us all season.
“He’s hard at the ball, he’s quick and those are the sorts of players you need against Geelong in particular.”
Longmire added that McGlynn’s tenacity for the football would be welcomed this week, with the Cats holding the mantle as the leading tackling team in the AFL.
The Cats have averaged 75.3 tackles per game this season, ahead of Collingwood (74.8), and the Swans coming in third with 74.2 per game.
“Geelong is the number one tackling team in the competition, so they put pressure on and we need to match them in that area,” Longmire said.
“Whether it’s (Joel) Selwood, (Jimmy) Bartel or James Kelly, those blokes lead the way through their actions and they are just huge competitors.
“You know what you’re going to get every week when they run down the race and the highest compliment you can get as a footballer is that you’ve been consistent week in, week out, and those blokes set a good example.
“Our senior players have been setting good examples as well, and there is no doubt that the midfield battle in particular will be a big one.”
The coach also stressed the importance of limiting the Cats’ forward 50 entries in order to curb the influence of power forward Tom Hawkins, who has booted a combined seven goals in his last two matches.
“He’s the key power forward in the competition at the moment with the way he’s playing, and he’s such an important player with his presence in their front half,” Longmire said.
“Ted Richards and Heath Grundy are our key defenders and there is no doubt that both of them will get turns on Tom Hawkins.
“If he gets too much of the quality ball that Geelong can give to him, it will make it difficult no matter who is on him, so the pressure up the ground has got to be good.”
Thursday night’s match will also mark a special occasion for both teams, with the game set to open the AFL’s Indigenous Round.
Billie Smedts has been picked for his first game of the season for Geelong. His and Steve Johnson's return to the Geelong side from suspension has been offset with the loss of two of the club's best defenders.
Corey Enright suffered an ankle injury in the victory over the Kangaroos, and Tom Lonergan did not recover in time for clash after his bout of concussion, with both to sit out against one of the most fearsome forward lines in the competition.
Lonergan has held a strong record against Swans star Lance Franklin during Franklin's career at the Hawks.
Alongside Johnson, Smedts comes into the Cats' team for his first senior game of 2014 after suffering a leg fracture in the pre-season.
The half-back returned to the Cats' VFL side last week after 11 weeks on the sidelines and gathered 14 disposals, four inside-50s and three rebound-50s.
Sydney Swans v Geelong Cats
SCG
Thursday, May 29, 2014
7.10pm
B D.Rampe, T.Richards, N.Smith
HB J.Laidler, H.Grundy, R.Shaw
C N.Malceski, J.Kennedy, K.Jack
HF A.Goodes, L.Franklin, J.McVeigh
F B.McGlynn, K.Tippett, H.Cunningham
Foll T.Derickx, D.Hannebery, L.Parker
I/C C.Bird, L.Jetta, J.Lloyd, S.Reid
Emg T.Mitchell, L.Roberts-Thomson, D.Towers
In: B.McGlynn
Out: B.Jack
