SYDNEY Swans co-captain Adam Goodes continued his return to form on Friday night and was only some straight kicking away from destroying Collingwood in their preliminary final.
With the skip back in his step following a lean end to the year by his standards, the dual Brownlow medallist will be sending shudders through whoever makes it through to next week's Grand Final.
Goodes finished with 25 disposals, nine marks, six clearances and five inside 50s and it was only some wayward shots at goal that prevented him being the star of the show alongside Lewis Jetta and Josh Kennedy.
A return of 1.2, with a number of other shots falling short or wide, was the only blight on an otherwise second strong final in a row for the 32-year-old superstar.
"Adam is all class," teammate Ryan O'Keefe said at Saturday's recovery session at the SCG.
"You don't play over 300 games and have a couple of Brownlows hanging around your neck if you haven't got class.
"He's one of our leaders and he's had a couple of injuries during the year.
"But he's over that and I think he's really enjoying it and loving the challenge of finals."
On the injury front, Ted Richards wasn't at the recovery session after he rolled his ankle against the Pies.
The All Australian defender still courageously ran out the entire game and played a vital role on Chris Dawes and O'Keefe believed he would be fine for the Grand Final, saying he was "pretty chirpy" late on Friday night.
Asked about Ben McGlynn, who has been a key member of the side all year before sustaining a hamstring injury against Adelaide in the first week of the finals, O'Keefe said he "seems pretty confident" of recovering for the Grand Final.
O'Keefe is one of just seven players remaining from the last Swans side to make the Grand Final in 2006, along with Goodes, Richards, Jude Bolton, Nick Malceski, Lewis Roberts-Thomson and Jarrad McVeigh.
This latest incarnation of the Swans is now stocked with plenty of highly talented youngsters, including Jetta, Dan Hannebery, Alex Johnson and Sam Reid, who lack experience on the game's biggest stage.
O'Keefe will remind them of the enormity of the moment, but said it is important to keep emotions in check and try to play the way the side has done all year.
"It is just another game," O'Keefe said.
"You just need to keep your feet on the ground and do all the preparation that we've done all year, that's the main thing.
"You also have to enjoy it. Until you get down to the parade it probably doesn't hit you, the enormity of what it is.
"But as long as you enjoy it and don't let a moment like this go past, as it doesn't come around very often."
James Dampney is a reporter for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD
