Mumford’s happy partnership
Swans ruckman Shane Mumford said his partnership with Mike Pyke has helped him ease back into the game upon his injury return...
Swans ruckman Shane Mumford has praised the on-field efforts of fellow ruckman Mike Pyke as he regained form and fitness following a long stint on the sidelines.
Mumford, who missed six weeks of football with a back injury, said Pyke’s form both in his absence and as a ruck partner has played an important role in his recovery.
“(Pyke’s good form) has made it a lot easier for me to progress back from when I was injured and playing limited game time, (he) allowed me to play a lot more time forward,” he said.
“If (Pyke) hadn’t been playing so well it probably wouldn’t have happened that way and I would have been run into the ground pretty early on.
“Now the body is back to normal and fitness is pretty much back there.”
The Swans ruck duo will face their toughest challenge this weekend as they line up on the league’s premier ruck combination in the West Coast Eagles’ Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui.
Mumford said he and Pyke will have to play a dynamic game in order to get on top of the Eagles’ big men.
“It’s going to be a big test for me and Pykey,” he said.
“I don’t think there will be a set way of doing it and we’ll probably just go with our normal rotations and me and Mike will just have to work hard at beating both guys.
“You have got to have a few different things that you can throw at each guy and if something is not working you’ve just got to change your approach and attack them differently.
“You always want to play against the best and see where you’re at and no doubt playing over there in front of their big home crowd against two really strong ruckman is a great challenge.”
Despite the Eagles losing two key players in Luke Shuey and Quinten Lynch to the tribunal this week, Mumford said the Swans can’t possibly take the Eagles lightly this weekend.
Mumford added that the Eagles have proven all season that they have the depth to cover any losses in their senior side.
“(Shuey and Lynch) are two big outs, but in saying that they’ve had guys who have been playing in their seconds who will step up,” he said.
“They’ve shown they’ve been able to do it all year with blokes filling roles and have played them really well.
“There are going to be two or three guys that will step up for them, and we still expect a really tough challenge.”
In a match that will see the top two sides battle it out, Mumford said there was no doubt this was a game that the Swans were desperate to win.
“It’s a massive game for us,” he said.
“With the logjam that’s going on at the top of the ladder, it’s pretty much a must win to stay up and amongst it.”