Heath Grundy crucial as Sydney Swans look to shutdown the Giants
HEATH Grundy is crucial to the Sydney Swans getting the win in Saturday’s elimination final against GWS at the SCG, says Hawthorn triple premiership player Josh Gibson.
Sydney
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HEATH Grundy is the kryptonite to GWS superman Jeremy Cameron.
That’s the opinion of Hawthorn’s triple premiership player Josh Gibson, who says Grundy will play a vital role in the Sydney Swans’ elimination final against the Giants at the SCG.
Grundy only returned to senior football two weeks ago for the final game of the season against Hawthorn, having stepped away from the game in early August to deal with mental health issues.
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But Gibson said Grundy’s return to action would be vital to Sydney’s chances of victory on Saturday.
“Having Heath Grundy back is huge,” Gibson said.
“He is so important for the Swans. He can completely negate their No. 1 forward Jeremy Cameron. Cameron has been a little bit out of form but he’s dangerous. Reg does that job.”
Gibson said Grundy’s combination with Dane Rampe was one of the best in the AFL and the veteran’s consistency was key.
“Reg is predictable to his teammates and as a defender that is so important,” Gibson said.
“It’s all about being easy to anticipate for the smaller guys around you because they know where to go and they know where to run.
“It then gets that chain of possession going faster.”
Grundy, 32, signed on for a 14th season at Sydney and with 254 games is the sevent-most-capped Swan.
Gibson also said the Giants would be boosted by the return of Toby Greene but warned it would be difficult for the super talented forward to make an impact after so much time on the sidelines this year.
Green has played just seven games this year due to toe and hamstring injuries.