NSW/ACT Notebook: Round 5 Preview

Sydney Swans vs. Fremantle Dockers
(1-3, 13th) vs. (3-1, 5th)

Coming up against 2013 grand finalists Fremantle is one of the last places a side desperate for a win would like to find themselves, however this is the card that Sydney has been dealt for Round 5.

During the week, coach John Longmire expressed that his club will be out for a win and no less, this Saturday at the SCG. Battling in 2014 with a 1-3 win-loss record, the Swans will set out to hush their critics against a side fifth on the ladder.

Losing in Round 4 to North Melbourne, the Swans were unsurprisingly disappointed by their performance, with Ben McGlynn this week admitting that certain players know they need to redeem themselves this weekend.

In promising news for the wayward Swans, Jake Lloyd will make his senior AFL debut showing the way forward. Brandon Jack will have his first game of the season, and Craig Bird returns following a calf injury and an impressive display in last week’s Sydney Reserves NEAFL game. Gary Rohan and Ryan O’Keefe have been omitted this week and Tom Mitchell will miss with an ankle injury.

Though some new legs to the side may present a feeling of hope for Swans supporters, this optimism is somewhat stunted with the return of Nat Fyfe to Fremantle following a 2-week suspension. Chris Mayne will also prove a task for the Swans defense as he returns to the forward line following an ankle injury.    

Kurt Tippett will make his 2014 debut with the Swans Reserves, suggesting a return to senior football is immanent.

Head to head, Sydney and Fremantle have a fairly even recent history. The last time the two sides met saw the Swans lose their position in the season decider as Fremantle toppled them in last year’s Preliminary Final by 25 points. With history on their side – Sydney winning 10 of the last 15 SCG games against Fremantle – the Swans will be hoping to make amends at home for their season so far.

Quite close in many aspects of their games including clearances (Swans 40 – Dockers 38), inside 50s (Swans 53 – Dockers 55) and contested possessions (Swans 149 – Dockers 150), the game has the potential to be a close one, provided the Swans bring their A-game.

Adelaide Crows vs. GWS Giants
(1-3, 15th) vs. (2-2, 8th)

The GWS Giants will this week travel the furthest they have this year, to face the Adelaide Crows at the refurbished Adelaide Oval on Easter Sunday.

Though the Crows have pummeled the younger Giants in their past three meetings by an average of 100 points, this Round 5 clash is set to be a much tighter encounter.

The Giants will be without a few stars this week, including match-winning ruckman Shane Mumford who will miss with a knee injury and Vice Captain Heath Shaw who suffered minor hamstring damage in the Giants loss to the Western Bulldogs last week.

With the Giants leading the way in hit-outs this season with an average of 59 per game, Adelaide should count themselves lucky to not have to face Mumford as they trail their opponents with just 39.

Winning without these two leaders will prove difficult for the Giants, however they will be bolstered by the eager debut of number one draft pick Tom Boyd and the return of Devon Smith from suspension. Following impressive performances in the opening rounds of the NEAFL, 18-year-old Boyd is likely to play forward, and provide support to Jonathan Giles who will act as first ruckman in the absence of Mumford.

Giants supporters will be keen to witness Jeremy Cameron, Jon Patton and Tom Boyd in the forward line for the first time, while Adelaide will rest on the performance of their midfield to quash any potential tall-forward domination by halting the flow of the Giants attack before they can make an impact.

The Giants have also included Zac Williams, Jono O’Rourke, Matt Buntine and Andrew Phillips to an extended team, while Jacob Townsend and Liam Sumner have been dropped.

With their last game at Adelaide Oval not going quite to plan – losing out to GWS cross-town rivals Sydney Swans by 63 points – Adelaide will hope to capitalise on their inside 50 marks statistics which see them hold onto an average of 4.5 more per game than the Giants.

Adelaide will also look to Tom Lynch who returns to the squad for the first time this year. As the Crows leading goal scorer in 2013, Lynch is back following a dislocated shoulder, and will join Sam Shaw and Mitch Grigg on an extended Crows interchange.

Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson has also called on his players to make sure that Scott Thompson’s 250th and Matthew Jaensch’s 50th games will be a win, adding an extra spring in their step.

NSW/ACT Notes

Following an impressive performances for the Swans Reserves in the NEAFL over the weekend, Sam Naismith (Gunnedah) will be hoping to consolidate the Swans position in the top four of the competition this weekend against the Gold Coast Suns Reserves – the game acting as the opener to the Sydney versus Fremantle game at the SCG on Saturday.

In a trial for the AFL where players will sport their surnames on the back of their jerseys, Lewis Roberts-Thompson (North Shore) will still stand out (as usual) – labeled as “L.R.T” opting for his abbreviated nickname over his regular hyphenated moniker.

Sydney Swans Co-Captain Kieran Jack (Pennant Hills) has told www.sydneyswans.com.au that his side will need to return to the basics in order to find themselves in winning form again. Jack acknowledges that their loss to North Melbourne was a disappointment following their turn in form against Adelaide in the week prior.

Geelong forward Tom Hawkins (Finley) told www.geelongcats.com.au that he will make no adjustments to his pre-game preparation prior to the game against their toughest rivals Hawthorn on Easter Monday. Coming off a game of 11 disposals, 8 marks and 3 majors against West Coast last week, Hawkins is hopeful of coming out on top in a typical Cats versus Hawks thriller.