In the latest edition of Opposition Watch, Swans Media explores North Melbourne’s camp ahead of the Sydney Swans’ match against the Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
Recent form
Despite the disjointed start the season, the Kangaroos are undoubtedly one of the in-form teams in the competition. They have bounced to fast start and followed up their narrow Round 1 win over the Saints, with a strong 20-point away win over last year’s Grand Finalists the GWS Giants.
Ins and outs
The Kangaroos appear to have come through their Round 2 win over GWS without injury and could very well go unchanged into Saturday’s match at Marvel Stadium.
None of the team’s injured brigade, including the likes of Majak Daw, Nick Larkey and Kayne Turner are slated for a return.
Key match-up
One of the most intriguing match ups will be in the coach’s boxes, with 2012 Swans premiership player Rhyce Shaw, coaching against John Longmire for the first time.
Following his distinguished 143 game playing career with the Swans (237 overall), Shaw’s coaching career started under Longmire, where he spent three seasons as a development and assistant coach, before heading home to Victoria to join the Kangaroos.
He was instilled as interim coach following the departure of Brad Scott in early 2019, before being appointed permanently to the senior role.
On the field, it’s been five years since Todd Goldstein was the All-Australian ruckman but the 31-year-old was at his brilliant best against GWS racking up 51 hit-outs and nine clearances.
Goldsteins’s dominance paved the way for Shaun Higgins, Ben Cunnington and Jared Polec to dominate against the GWS midfield.
The Swans will again be without leading ruck Sam Naismith so the role of curtailing Goldstein’s influence will fall on the shoulders of Callum Sinclair who battled gamely in the Swans narrow loss to Bombers last week.
Last time they met
The team’s last met on election night in Round 9, 2019. As Scott Morrison pulled off one of the biggest political upsets in history, the Swans toughed out what would be one of their best wins of 2019 in front of nearly 13,000 fans at Bellerive in Hobart.
After a slow start, the Swans burst to life in the second term, piling on seven goals to two. It helped set up a strong 27-point margin at three-quarter time, before the Kangaroos staged a spirited fight back in the final term.
The game was on a knives edge as the margin narrowed to just five points.
In a tense final few minutes, the Swans were able to hang tough, gripping on to a narrow win.
Tom Papley was influential with four goals, while George Hewett racked up 29 touches and nine clearances.
What they said
North Melbourne coach Rhyce Shaw following the Round 2 win over GWS…
“The most exciting part of that victory was the evenness of our play from our players and the way we were team first, the way were we organised both on defence and offence and how we went about it at the content was exceptional. There was a bit in it – but the team effort was probably the best thing to come out of it.”
“We are a pretty basic team that really fights for each other. The way the boys just smacked in and really played to our identity was really pleasing.”
