Under the surface of Saturday night’s do-or-die semi-final, two players not just simmer but boil over as match-winners.
Both are proven ball magnets, capable of taking the game by the scruff of the neck and are pivotal to their team’s chances at ANZ Stadium.
In the red (and white) corner, clearance king Josh Kennedy awaits fresh from a heroic effort against the Dockers and eager to notch his 12th consecutive 30+ disposal performance for the season.
In the blue (and white) corner, the evergreen Brent Harvey will arrive in Sydney ahead of his 407th game still blessed with the speed of his first and in fine touch as seen in the Roos’ win over Richmond (31 disposals, 2 goals).
Kennedy’s efforts to almost will the Swans over the line against the Dockers was a sight to witness, his 16-possession third quarter was applauded league-wide, while “Boomer” continues to prove age is no barrier with the 37-year-old still one of, if not the, Roos’ most important players.
So, ahead of the weekend’s cut-throat final, the question on many people's lips is who will be handed the difficult task of shutting Kennedy and Harvey down?
After restricting Richmond skipper Trent Cotchin to just nine disposals in last weekend’s elimination final, Ben Jacobs has been heavily tipped to follow Kennedy who the young Roo admiringly labelled a “contested ball beast” earlier in the week.
“I’m not really sure who’ll I go to, but he’s definitely a possibility,” Jacobs said reservedly. “I haven’t watched his tapes yet but hopefully I can find one way to nullify him because he’s a monster and a great player so I’m sure it’ll be tough.”
Kennedy averages 30 possessions this season and is among the Brownlow Medal favourites while Jacobs has been given some tough tagging roles in his short but promising football career with last weekend's effort keeping Cotchin to his quietest game since 2010.
Also on Monday, Swans coach John Longmire was asked whether there was a plan to stop his former teammate in Harvey.
Longmire shared four seasons with Harvey at the Roos, from 1996 to 1999, up until the former retired after the ’99 Premiership.
Longmire is well aware of the veteran's class and ability but wasn't about to drawn into the matter too much with the Swans focusing on more than just one player this weekend.
“There are many different theories about how to contain Boomer, not many have succeeded because he’s such a good player,” Longmire said.
“We’ve tried different approaches, some have worked and some haven’t. What we do know is that he’s a fierce competitor, extremely experienced in finals football and a real live-wire.
“We’ll put some time into him but we also need to acknowledge that they’ve got some firepower like Jarrad Waite, Ben Brown and Drew Petrie who are in some really good form.”
There are some options up Longmire's sleeve with Tom Mitchell used regularly as a tagger in recent weeks while Harry Cunningham has been given the job in the past, most notably in last year's preliminary final when the the boy from Wagga Wagga kept the Roos champ to just 19 touches.
"I admire Boomer," Cunningham said. "It was a thrill to play on him. I don't know whether I'll get the job again but I'll definitely look forward to challenge if I do."
