Swans coach John Longmire says Sydney must find a way to ‘get it done’
The first-placed Swans are in a form slump but Sydney coach John Longmire isn’t panicking.
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Swans coach John Longmire has no plans to give Brodie Grundy a week off ahead of Sydney’s AFL finals campaign – unless the experienced ruckman asks for a break.
The first-placed Swans are hoping to avoid a hat-trick of losses and a fourth defeat in five matches on Saturday night when they meet Port Adelaide.
“Every team goes through challenges throughout the course of the year, every team goes through patches, whether that’s injuries, form, individually or as a team,” Longmire said ahead of the Adelaide Oval clash.
“We’re no different to any other team. We’ve just got to work our way through it. We’ve just got to find a way to get it done.
“We’re confident that we know what to do.”
Longmire denied the Swans were “labouring” with the business end of the season approaching despite admitting his team was “disappointing from go to whoa” in its 39-point weekend loss to the Western Bulldogs at the SCG.
“There wasn’t any aspect of the game that was recognisable to the way we like to play,” he said.
Longmire also didn’t agree that Grundy was in need of a rest.
“We talk about it all the time – what’s the best thing for each of our players,” he said.
“He’s obviously one of them that we’ve looked after during the week at different times, and have done as the season progresses.
“That time that he may need a spell, we’ll consider that, but we rely upon heavily what he provides us with his feedback.
“He’s an experienced 200-game player. He knows what his body’s feeling like, and I’m sure if he was looking for a rest, he’d come and tell us.”
Longmire said the AFL competition wasn’t “designed” for a team to be dominant for the entire season.
“With the draft and salary cap, the reality of getting injuries, the fact that every team is in the hunt every week, no matter who you play – everyone’s trying to win,” he said.
“Port Adelaide this week’s really important for us but also the way we want to play is important.”
Midfielder James Rowbottom is set to return for the Swans on Saturday after recovering from a facial fracture.
“It’ll be good to have him back. He’s a crash-and-bash player,” Longmire said.
The Sydney coach was also hopeful that key defender Lewis Melican would be available despite being forced off the field against the Bulldogs due to a hamstring injury.
“(It’s) not as bad as what we thought. We’re still hopeful. We’ll see how he goes this week, but (we’re) relieved that he’s actually not too bad. He’s OK.”
Originally published as Swans coach John Longmire says Sydney must find a way to ‘get it done’
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