Sydney stars Dane Rampe and Kurt Tippett have unfinished business at the MCG
STILL haunted by the Grand Final ghosts of 2014, Dane Rampe and Kurt Tippett have unfinished business at the MCG.
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STILL haunted by the Grand Final ghosts of 2014, Dane Rampe and Kurt Tippett have unfinished business at the MCG.
Rampe and Tippett are among a select group of Sydney players to have survived Hawthorn’s 63-point pasting.
Two seasons later, the wounds are yet to heal.
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“We got embarrassed last time on the big stage and now we’re really looking forward to the opportunity to right our wrongs in a way, I guess,” Rampe said.
“The job’s not done but we have that advantage, I guess, of having the extra day recovery and we’re gonna get the whips cracking on Monday and really attack this head on.”
Tippett echoed Rampe’s sentiments.
“We came to the big game a couple of years ago and we didn’t really do it right and it’s another opportunity to come and right that wrong,” he said.
“We learnt from it at the time and we’ve moved forward and we continue to move forward as a group every day — we know we have to be at our best to have an opportunity to win.
“It means everything, it’s why we play the game.
“You play to have the opportunity to win the premiership. We train hard for it.”
Rampe said the value of Sydney’s extra day’s rest was debatable.
“The way AFL is now, it’s such a professional environment, you recover,” he said.
“It’s a normal seven-day break ... I’m sure they’re gonna recover like pros.
“It won’t make too much of a difference.”
Tippett said Sydney’s supposedly tougher road to the Grand Final was exposed as nonsense against a fresh Geelong.
“I think we proved (against Geelong) that the extra day is not going to count,” Tippett said.
“It’s about how you prepare in the time you’re given.”
Tippett said the mauling the Swans suffered against GWS three weeks ago cut deep.
“I think being shown up in that area by the GWS Giants a couple of weeks ago really hurt,” he said.
“We’re a proud group and to the boys’ credit, they responded against Adelaide, and we were able to bring that same intensity this week which was phenomenal.
“I think we understand now that’s what we need to do to be a good side.”
The former Crow said he experienced no ill-effects from the hairline fracture to his jaw suffered in the GWS defeat.
“The jaw’s great,” he said.
“After getting through training, I felt really confident and I just put it out of my head and haven’t thought about it since.
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“We play footy, it was always going to hit a couple of times.
“It stood up to it, it feels fine. It was in the forefront of my mind.
“I wasn’t sure (after the injury against GWS) that I would get the opportunity to get out on the field and play. I’m very grateful.”
Originally published as Sydney stars Dane Rampe and Kurt Tippett have unfinished business at the MCG
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