GWS left with nervous wait on availability of Steve Johnson and Shane Mumford
THE Giants are just one win away from a stunning grand final berth but have a nervous wait on incidents involving two of their most vital players.
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THE Giants are just one win away from a stunning grand final berth but have a nervous wait on incidents involving two of their most vital players, Steve Johnson and Shane Mumford.
Both will be looked at closely by the match review panel on Monday. The first was a high hit from Johnson on Swans midfield gun Josh Kennedy in the opening term and the second was a sling tackle from Shane Mumford on Kurt Tippett in the second quarter.
In Johnson’s clash the contact appeared to be made with his shoulder to Kennedy’s head.
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The Swan was stunned after he hit the deck and was slow to his feet before leaving the ground for a concussion test.
After getting the all clear from the club doctor Kennedy made his return to the field early in the second term and played out the match without any serious discomfort, picking up his usual 30 touches.
This will certainly work in Johnson’s favour as he looks to take part in the seventh preliminary final of his career.
“He (Kennedy) has passed his concussion test and come back on and played the rest of the game,” Giants coach Leon Cameron said.
“Until I have a look at that piece of vision I can’t really comment but as I said he did come back and play the last two quarters. I thought the game was played in the right spirit. When there was a contest we hit hard and so did the Swans.”
Cameron said he didn’t see the sling tackle involving Mumford.
It came after a ruck contest when Mumford swung Tippett across his body causing his head to bounce on the turf.
He was stunned for several minutes and needed treatment but was able to play on.
Like Johnson, Mumford was in the thick of everything in the opening term as he followed up on his promise to clean up any of his former team mates who got in his way. The big man went out of his way to work Tippett over and his young ruck partner Sam Naismith.
Naismith was playing in his first final and only his 10th game.
Tippett was playing in just his third game in 11 weeks after tearing his hamstring tendon, ironically in the match against GWS in round 12. He had been forced off the ground late in the opening term after being heavily fallen on in a ruck contest.
The Swans had some casualties of their own with Callum Mills likely to miss the rest of Sydney’s finals campaign with a hamstring injury.
It will be a massive blow for Mills and the Swans after he claimed the Rising Star award earlier in the week.
Originally published as GWS left with nervous wait on availability of Steve Johnson and Shane Mumford
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