Sydney Swans coach John Longmire addressed the media at the SCG on Monday.
Sydney is set to face Carlton at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne in Round 3 on Saturday afternoon.
Here are some key quotes from the press conference.
Skill work
“You keep training your skills under pressure and that’s what we’ll continue to do. It’s a never-ending process. We’re always doing it and always trying to get better at it. We ended up having more inside 50s against the Crows, but our lack of effectiveness when going forward was something we have to improve on.”
Availability of Kieren Jack, Tom McCartin for Carlton clash
“We’ll look at them all the NEAFL players from the weekend and work out if they’re ready to go. That’ll be the question we ask this week. Kieren, Tom and a few others played well in the NEAFL, and there are a few who could give us some depth underneath. And if there are players not playing well we need to look at that as well. Kieren’s experience counts as a positive for him but we’ll have to see if he’s right to go for 90 minutes of AFL-standard footy. That’ll be the discussion around Kieren this week.”
Eddie McGuire’s comments on Cynthia Banham
“She’s an absolutely passionate supporter. When she talks about some of the tough times she’s been through she talks about her footy club and how supporting her footy club helps her during some tough times. We need to respond and help her as much as we can. We need to understand that she didn’t want to be the focus of discussion; she just wanted to go out and toss the coin and go back and support her footy team.”
How Lance Franklin is tracking
“We saw in the second quarter against the Crows that he really lifted. He had some big contests in the second term and he had a big presence in our forward half – and that’s what we know he does. When the team gets challenged he’s able to lift. But it’s not just about Lance; it’s about more players jumping on board when we’re challenged. He’s pulled up all right. He’s certainly playing with that real intensity and freedom with his run and his kick, and his competitive spirit is there without the ball. He’s certainly improving and we’re hoping he continues to get better as well.”
Dealing with the rule changes
“The centre bounce is clearly the big impact at the moment. You’re very mindful of winning the centre clearances and when it comes out there’s not a lot of support there, so you need to make sure you win your one-on-ones. I think it was (North Melbourne coach) Brad Scott who commented after their game yesterday about the centre clearances. He was talking about how important it is to win them or at least halve them – and we’re the same. You’ve got to make sure you get that area of the game right.”
Nick Blakey’s versatility
“We could use him somewhere else. We’ve talked about using him up in the midfield, particularly the wing. So that’s still an option for us. There’s no doubt he’ll develop into a player who can move up the ground and play through that midfield area. With his kick and height he can give support in defence as well as go forward and mark it. How soon we’re not sure but playing him in another position is certainly an option.”
