AFL: Sydney Swans set to regain Covid-stricken pair Justin McInerney and Harry Cunningham
The Swans had another difficult episode with Covid last week but coach John Longmire says there is good news on that front ahead of a return clash with Essendon.
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Sydney coach John Longmire expects to regain Justin McInerney and Harry Cunningham from Covid protocols but stopped short of guaranteeing Peter Ladhams would return against Essendon.
McInerney and Cunningham were forced to sit out Saturday night’s 51-point thrashing of St Kilda after testing positive to the virus but will be able to leave protocols on Thursday.
Tom Hickey replaced fellow ruckman Ladhams and was one of the best players afield after being out with separate knee and toe injuries this season.
They played together in rounds nine and 10 but Longmire said striking the right team balance was important, given Sam Reid, Lance Franklin and Logan McDonald are also in the side.
Reid serves as the back-up ruckman when there aren’t two specialists, while Joel Amartey – after not training last week because of a tight hamstring – pushed his own case with a second-straight five-goal haul in the VFL.
“I don’t think it’ll be the thing that will decide the game, but we’ll work that out later in the week,” Longmire said.
“It’ll be good to have Peter available again. We’ll see how he pulls up during the course of the week and see what mix we need to take on the Bombers on Saturday.
“You actually have to pick the right balance in the team and sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don’t ... and we also have to make sure that ‘Hick’s’ pulled up well and is able to get through a full week of training.”
Triple club champion and 2012 premiership player Luke Parker will play his 250th game this weekend and Longmire praised his contribution since arriving “as a fresh-faced young kid”.
“From the moment he walked into the place, we knew we had a real competitor and he just loved playing,” he said.
“He’s been a very consistent player, a fantastic leader of the footy club and I think one of the biggest raps you can give a player is when they run out of the race, you know what you’re going to get every week.
“Luke’s probably been the epitome of that ... you generally know what you’re going to get, which is a real contest and effort and play the game the right way.
“It’s a great credit to him to play 250 games and continue to be at the forefront of pushing our younger players through and being a really good role model for them.”
Longmire said the Swans’ near-10-goal defeat of Essendon in round 9 was irrelevant as they seek to rid themselves of the mid-match lapses that have hurt them in 2022.
“We showed some good signs at the weekend – our consistency over that four quarters – after probably 25 to 30 minutes cost us the week before,” he said.
“We’re still striving for that consistency to be able to get that performance ... but we know what (the Bombers’) strengths are.
“We know they can be a really strong, attacking team, they can score heavily, their midfield can run in waves, and so we will prepare for their best and make sure that we understand what we do well as well.”
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Originally published as AFL: Sydney Swans set to regain Covid-stricken pair Justin McInerney and Harry Cunningham
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