We look at some of the hot topics heading into our Round 3 match against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.
Ruck battle
How to stop Todd Goldstein is one of the key questions facing the Sydney Swans coaching staff ahead of Saturday afternoon’s match. Callum Sinclair will be the man with the job as Sam Naismith continues to recover from a hamstring injury. Goldstein played every minute of the win over Greater Western Sydney last week putting the ball to the advantage of his midfield brigade. "Over the entire 100 minutes, he rucks every minute of the game, so that's one of the challenges for us, and Cal, in particular, to match him in that area,” Coach John Longmire said this week.
Shaw v Longmire
Rhyce Shaw has his team playing with enthusiasm, confidence and a strong defensive pressure all traits he has learnt from his former coach John Longmire. Shaw made the transition from player to coach with ease during his time at the Swans and then went on to be named North Melbourne’s senior coach late last season. His side is currently sitting undefeated having won their first two matches in a shortened 17 game season. Longmire has his side ready to face the pressure they come to expect from a North Melbourne side on a roll at Marvel Stadium.
Kicking a winning score
The Sydney Swans managed to find a number of new goalkickers last week with Lewis Taylor the key to pop up and boot three goals for the red and white. Without Lance Franklin and Sam Reid the Swans will continuing to look at taking every opportunity that they can in front of the big sticks. Tom Papley also kicked three goals for the Swans and will continue to play an important role in implementing the forward pressure he has come to be known for. Isaac Heeney and Nick Blakey struggled to take many contested marks last week and will be looking to improve in that area this weekend to provide some scoreboard pressure for the opposition.
Stemming the momentum of the Roos
North Melbourne are in strong form and their dominant performance against Greater Western Sydney highlighted they are playing a strong brand of football. Coming off a narrow loss to Essendon at the SCG the Swans will be looking to stem the momentum of the Roos early. Essendon got out to a 20 point lead early in the first quarter and the Swans failed to chase down that margin for the whole game making this week’s first quarter all important. The Swans return to Melbourne for the first time in season 2020 this weekend and will be looking to get back on the winners list in a shortened season.
