AFL Grand Final week 2022: All the Geelong v Sydney Swans news, preview and build-up
The AFL has listened to the people and there will be no music played after goals at the MCG. But there could be added music of another kind.
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The AFL will ditch its contentious music after goals for the grand final but has promised a surprise cameo act to join Robbie Williams in a ground shaking pre-game entertainment act.
Fans have been calling for Aussie pop icon Kylie Minogue to pair up with Williams to perform a mouthwatering recreation of their hit single ‘Kids’.
Asked on SEN what chance there was of Minogue joining Williams on stage AFL boss Gillon McLachlan said: “Umm (long pause) … I don’t know, OK there’s a surprise, we’ll see.”
“There is a surprise, that’s all I can say and he will be joined,” he said.
The music in between goals has been scrapped after the AFL received adverse feedback for what happened in last Friday night’s preliminary final blowout between Geelong and Brisbane.
McLachlan confirmed the move on Tuesday, but said there was still a time and place for the music on occasions, particularly at non-Victorian finals.
But McLachlan has told the clubs and the MCC that it won’t be happening after goals in this weekend’s premiership playoff between Geelong and Sydney, saying he found the music “jarring” in the Cats-Lions MCG preliminary final.
“It depends on where you are, it is like everything,” McLachlan said on SEN.
“If you go to any game in Brisbane, any game in Sydney, any game in Perth, there is music all the time and it is not jarring.
“There was music in Sydney (for the preliminary final) and it was all part of the event … Sweet Caroline is always played there.
“Friday night (at the MCG) was a blowout game, Geelong (played) songs they (normally) play down at Geelong. For me it didn’t feel quite right, particularly playing songs and other stuff when there was a 12-goal margin.
“We will certainly evaluate all that stuff, but it certainly won’t be happening in the Grand Final.”
McLachlan said the AFL gave the home clubs the right to play their playlist to replicate what happens at their home venues during the regular season.
But it won’t happen in the Grand Final.
“We give the clubs who are the home team for the finals the opportunity to produce it how they would like to produce it,” he said.
“It adds to the energy at some interstate venues, but this town (Melbourne) is different.
“In the right moment at the right time the music does add stuff.”
Grand Final question mark hangs over another Swan
- Sam Landsberger
Sam Reid and Justin McInerney failed to train on Tuesday as Sydney faces the prospect of changing its best 22 for the first time in almost two months.
Reid, 30, was substituted out of Saturday’s preliminary final with an adductor injury and three days on he was absent from the club’s open training session on the SCG.
But Reid attended the club for treatment and has not been officially ruled out. The versatile big man had a scan on Monday and it is understood he has adductor inflammation.
Reid has played 69 per cent of the finals series in the forward line and 31 per cent in the ruck.
The Swans’ best contested mark was also their most dangerous target against Melbourne as Lance Franklin was beaten by Steven May.
Reid’s absence would be a structural blow and force the Swans to bring in Joel Amartey or Hayden McLean.
Amartey has only played 13 per cent of his minutes in the ruck, which is a steep drop from Reid while McLean kicked four goals against Geelong in round 2.
One option could be to roll the dice on Reid and name Amartey or McLean the medi-sub as cover should Reid breakdown.
Collingwood chose tall Nathan Kreuger as its medi-sub on Saturday because it was aware it had sore key position players entering the match, and the strategy worked when Mason Cox was substituted out with a groin injury.
Outside of their medi-sub, the Swans have not changed their winning line-up since Logan McDonald replaced Amartey in round 21.
That has been the sole change since September star Tom Hickey replaced Peter Ladhams in round 18, with the other 21 starting Swans playing every match together.
McInerney played out the preliminary final against Collingwood with a sore ankle.
While McInerney’s form has slightly dipped recently, he executed that brilliant pick-off and stormed into an open goal in the third quarter on Saturday.
The Marcellin College man is likely to take his place in the grand final.
CATS SUB HOLDS OUT GRAND FINAL DREAM
- Jon Ralph
Geelong super sub Mark O’Connor plans to embrace the “chaotic” nature of grand final week, aware he might not find out until the last moment whether he will play against Sydney.
Irish utility O’Connor was subbed into last week’s preliminary final after Max Holmes’ hamstring failed him.
While O’Connor is almost certainly a part of the club’s 23-man grand final team, he will need to wait on the availability of the pacy winger to find out whether he starts in the side.
With Brandan Parfitt and Sam Menegola not having played for 42 days by grand final day, O’Connor would be terribly unlucky to miss out altogether.
But whether it is a third consecutive final as the club’s medi-sub, or starting if Holmes misses out, O’Connor told the Herald Sun he planned to embrace the unpredictability of grand final week.
“It is a bit uncertain, for sure,” he said.
“There are uncontrollables there which I won’t focus on, but I will prepare like I normally do and I will be ready for the game.
“Whatever role that is in is yet to be seen, and I will be ready regardless.
“It is a bit chaotic and that’s fine. There are things you can’t control. I will just focus on what I can do.
“It is actually a weird feeling (coming on in the preliminary final) because you feel for Max and when he put his jumper over his face, you get a bit flat initially and then you have to get your mind on the job.
“So it was a bit of a mix of emotions, but you have to put it out of your head.
“As you warm up you tick a few things off you need to get done and be ready to match the pace of the game or even bring it a bit higher.”
Holmes’ Monday training session, with some impressive run-throughs, at least gave him a chance to prove his fitness at Wednesday’s main training session.
“He looked good,” O’Connor said.
“He always looked good running, I guess, so he certainly looked good today. Hopefully he can get up to speed before the game and get back in there.
“(Chris Scott) is just saying take it in your stride and control what you can.
“He just said embrace it and take in what you can and remember these moments because they don’t come around too often, so that’s what I plan to do.
“Chatting to people back home, they are actually pretty excited about an Aussie rules game, which is pretty funny.”
O’Connor played in Geelong’s 2020 Gabba grand final loss, but after a Monday open training session at GMHBA Stadium in front of an adoring crowd, he says this year’s atmosphere bears little similarity.
“It is definitely different,” he said.
“It was a pretty low-key grand final a couple of years ago, to be honest with you.
“This one feels like there is a bit more buzz around, so it’s really exciting.”
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Originally published as AFL Grand Final week 2022: All the Geelong v Sydney Swans news, preview and build-up
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