The long list of Sydney Swans charges vying for AFL comebacks headlines the latest instalment of Hot Topics ahead of Saturday afternoon’s clash with the Geelong Cats at GMHBA Stadium.
Who’s in line to return?
Veteran Sydney defender Jarrad McVeigh is likely to be available for his first match since Round 3. The former co-captain strained his quad in Sydney’s clash with Carlton and has since blitzed his road to recovery. But perhaps the most tantalising of the Swans’ potential inclusions is former Cat Daniel Menzel, who snagged five goals in the NEAFL on Saturday. If selected, the off-season recruit will join star forwards Lance Franklin and Sam Reid inside 50 in a potent three-pronged attack. A host of Menzel’s teammates also lodged strong claims for AFL call-ups in Saturday’s NEAFL fixture, with James Rowbottom (31 disposals, 10 tackles), James Rose (32 touches) and James Bell (27 possessions, nine tackles) all firing.
Facing the ladder-leading Cats
Sydney did battle with 2018 grand finalist Collingwood last Friday night and is now set for the pinnacle of challenges in the AFL. The Cats sit four points clear on top of the ladder with nine wins and one loss pencilled in, and they’re heading into Saturday’s match on the back of six consecutive wins.
Thurlow and ex-teammates set for battle
Swans defender Jackson Thurlow racked up 46 games in Cats colours and is now zeroing in on his first match against his former club. The fleet-footed Tasmanian faced Sydney on four occasions in his six years at Geelong, but he’s now working tirelessly to lock in a spot in the Swans’ back six. With experienced backmen McVeigh, Nick Smith and Heath Grundy all struggling with injuries over the opening 10 rounds of the season, the likes of Thurlow, Colin O’Riordan and Lewis Melican have had the chance to become regular fixtures of an undermanned Swans defence.
Sparkling Kardinia Park record
Butting heads with the Cats in Geelong has long been regarded as one of the most formidable assignments in the competition, but the Swans have left Kardinia Park with victory in hand the last three times they’ve visited. Sydney toppled Geelong by 38 points in Round 16, 2016, by 46 points in Round 20, 2017 and by 17 points in Round 6, 2018. John Longmire’s men trailed Geelong by 17 points at the final change in the clubs’ most recent Cattery clash, but they’d pile on seven fourth-term goals to the home side’s one to snatch an astonishing 22-point victory.
