Swans midfielder Luke Parker has confirmed that he will definitely start the AFL grand final despite tweaking his knee in Sydney’s preliminary final dismantling of Geelong.
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The Sydney Swans face some Grand Final selection headaches as a host of injured players including Jarrad McVeigh, Callum Mills and Aliir Aliir race to prove their fitness. Sydney answered back nearly immediately before the Cats held their own for the next ten minutes kicking two goals, trailing by five points at quarter time. You have got to put that aside and focus on what’s ahead.
Asked what it would mean to hold aloft the premiership cup, McGlynn replied: “We’ll see what happens”.
Patty Dangerfield: “You don’t put that work in through an entire season and lose the way we did”. This is what you play for, to play in premierships. “Hopefully, it’s third time lucky”.
Swans defender Aliir Aliir hurt his knee late in the first term and he will be their injury story of grand final week.
He was traded at the end of the 2009 season and missed Sydney’s 2012 grand final win over Hawthorn after he tore his hamstring in a qualifying final win against Adelaide.
“I think in 2014 I tried to push (that disappointment) to the side and not dwell on the past. You try and find a way to stem the flow firstly, find a composed possession and create scoring opportunities for ourselves”, Dangerfield said.
“I’m getting a bit old now, so you’ve got to enjoy these moments and take them for what they are”.
Sydney crushed Geelong Cats 97-60 on Friday night and the harbour city could be set for an historic day at the MCG if GWS Giants can beat the Western Bulldogs on Saturday.
They knew more options were required, and that’s been the case in the past fortnight.
“The same thing happened this week and we ruled the blokes out that we thought weren’t available and ruled the blokes in who were available and trained and looked good”.
Memories of the 2014 grand final aren’t great for the Swans, who were crunched in the first term by a Hawks unit determined to physically impose themselves on the man and ball.
“Hawthorn got the jump on us”. As mentioned the loss leaves the Cats in sixth position with seven matches to go in the home and away season- the first of them against Fremantle at Subiaco this Friday night.
“He’s given the football club so much for so long, and he’ll make his decision when he wants to”, Cats skipper Joel Selwood said.
While the intensity come Saturday will be high, McGlynn understands the importance of a calm demeanour through the week. Several days ago, five in fact, Geelong copped a belting at home at the hands of the Sydney Swans- it’s taken a few days for us to bring outselves to tap out this match report- better do it when the blood’s a bit colder they say!
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“We’re still atoning for that embarrassment, I suppose, as a whole group”.
