The gloves are off as Sydney and GWS prepare for battle
WHEN Josh Kennedy said sledging Lachie Whitfield wasn’t off limits at the All-Australian presentation this week, the gloves well and truly came off.
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WHEN Josh Kennedy said sledging the Giants’ Lachie Whitfield wasn’t off limits at the All-Australian presentation this week, the gloves well and truly came off.
GWS won’t speak publicly about the comments but they’ve been noted, stored away in the Giants’ ammunition pile for Saturday’s historic all-Sydney final at ANZ Stadium.
The words will have just added fire to what was already a tantalising clash between the young upstart Giants and the establishment Swans.
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It’s a match that promises so much already — and there’ll be another battle going on in the coaches box between John Longmire and Leon Cameron which is one for the footy purists.
It’s a classic confrontation between a heavily contested team (the Swans) and an outside team (the Giants) who can move the ball at lightning speed into their forward 50.
It’s not to say Longmire’s men can’t move the ball quickly with the speed of players like Gary Rohan and the field kicking of Lance Franklin but their greatest strength is in the contest where their mature bodies are dominant.
Cameron’s men can also win their fair share of inside ball with players like Callan Ward, Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel and Ryan Griffen but it’s their speed which worries Sydney and every other team they’ve faced this year, including triple premiers Hawthorn.
This week Champion Data released the figures that matter, summing up the home-and-away season that was.
They tell a story and are sure to give an indication of how Saturday’s qualifying final will play out.
WHO IS DRIVING THE SWANS?
Sydney have blooded plenty of youngsters this year but a quick analysis of the key data shows just who is driving their success this year. It’s their experienced core of Kennedy, Dan Hannebery and Luke Parker.
All three were named in the All-Australian team on Thursday night in Melbourne and are in the top 10 of four key statistical categories.
Kennedy and Hannebery are both ball magnets and finished fifth and sixth respectively in rating points and reversed places in total disposals with Hannebery’s 31.3 per game edging Kennedy’s 31.2.
Around the contest is where Parker comes to the fore, finishing sixth in contested possession (14 per game) and ninth in clearances (6.3 per game). Kennedy ranks second in contested possession (16.8 per game) and clearances (7.8 per game).
SPEED KILLS FOR GWS
The Giants didn’t have a single player in the top 10 in any of these categories but when it came to metres gained (which combines distance covered with kicking, handball and running) they had three players in the top 10 to the Swans’ none.
All-Australian defender Heath Shaw is No.2 in the competition (567m per game) behind Brownlow favourite Patrick Dangerfield (617m). Fellow backman Nathan Wilson is seventh (500m) and Dylan Shiel is 10th (473m).
Kennedy’s call not to rule out sledging Whitfield appears to be driven by a competitive instinct and a respect for what GWS have done this year.
“They’ve had a fantastic season and pose a real threat this September,” Kennedy told The Sunday Telegraph.
“It will be a huge game. It’s fantastic for footy in NSW.”
TACKLING
The Swans are the best tackling team in the AFL averaging a massive 78.2 per game while the Giants are well down the list in 13th (67.4). But Kennedy says that doesn’t reflect the experience he had playing against them this year when they broke even in the tackle count in both matches.
“Their tackle pressure and their physical strength around the footy is a real quality they have,” Kennedy said. “That doesn’t get the recognition it deserves in the wider media.
“A lot is mentioned about their speed and the way they run and the ball, which is elite, but what is underrated is their hardness.
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“They are a really competitive bunch of guys.”
Kennedy’s observations are right on the money. GWS All-Australian nominee Stephen Coniglio is a perfect example — he’s the best tackler in the AFL at 78 per cent efficiency. When he makes a tackle, it sticks.
The Swan is no shrinking violet in this area himself, his 73 per cent tackling efficiency has him ranked seventh in the competition.
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