SYDNEY midfielder Craig Bird will be sidelined for up to three months due to a stress fracture in his foot.
The 21-year-old will not require surgery but he won't be able to resuming running for approximately six weeks.
"Whilst this is obviously not ideal, we know Craig will be back sometime in the front half of the season," Swans coach Paul Roos said.
"Craig has had a great pre-season prior to this injury which makes this particularly disappointing for him and the Club."
"At least this setback has happened early in the year so he will still have an opportunity to get back into the team and have a good season."
Taken with pick 59 in the 2007 national draft, Bird has played 36 games for Sydney.
SYDNEY has booked a NAB Cup quarter-final showdown with St Kilda with a hard-fought 12-point win over Carlton at Blacktown Olympic Park on Saturday night.
The Swans led at every change and eventually prevailed 2.7.11 (71) to 8.11 (59).
It was Sydney’s first win in the pre-season competition in eight years under coach Paul Roos.
Lewis Jetta - who was taken by the Swans with pick 14 in last year's national draft - was lively with two goals including a super goal while fellow first-round draftee Gary Rohan was also impressive.
Jude Bolton and Nick Malceski were busy contributors while ex-Hawk Ben McGlynn kicked two goals.
For Carlton, Heath Scotland collected 23 possessions and booted two goals, skipper Chris Judd and Richard Hadley won plenty of the football while Mitch Robinson kicked two first-quarter goals.
The Blues had the better of general play early and got the first goal of the match with Robinson converting after four minutes of action.
Sydney responded through McGylnn and found themselves in front after Martin Mattner kicked a super goal late in the term.
A comical error was made in the first quarter with a train siren being mistaken for the quarter-time siren.
The umpires were notified of the mix-up and the last 49 seconds of the term were played out as the Swans went into the first change with a two-point buffer.
In what was a scrappy second term, Sydney booted two goals to one to go into the main break with a narrow lead.
Carlton should have been in front at half-time but they let themselves down in front of goal, booting six behinds for the quarter.
Jetta showed his class with a super goal on the run at the six-minute mark of the third term before the Blues got the quick reply through Andrew Carrazzo.
The Swans then broke the game open, with majors from Rohan, Jetta and skipper Brett Kirk helping them establish a commanding 29-point lead.
It appeared as if Sydney would run away with the contest but Carlton lifted and hit back with late goals from Scotland and Lachlan Henderson to remain with striking distance at three-quarter time with Sydney holding a 17-point advantage.
The Blues got the crucial first goal of the final stanza with Scotland kicking his second but the Swans steadied through McGlynn and held on for a breakthrough win.
SYDNEY: 1.1.2, 1.3.2, 2.6.8, 2.7.11 (71)
CARLTON: 0.2.3, 0.3.9, 0.6.9, 0.8.11 (59)
SUPER GOALS: Sydney: Mattner, Jetta,
Carlton: Nil
GOALS: Sydney: McGlynn 2, Jetta, McVeigh, Dennis-Lane, Rohan, Kirk,
Carlton: Robinson 2, Scotland 2, Yarran, Carrazzo, Henderson, Thornton,
BEST: Sydney: Jetta, Malceski, J.Bolton, Kennelly, McGlynn
Cartlon: Scotland, Judd, Hadley, Robinson, Carrazzo
INJURIES: Sydney: Nil
Carlton: Brad Fisher suffered a suspected torn anterior cruciate ligament.
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
UMPIRES: Kennedy, Ryan, Stewart
CROWD: 9,732 at Blacktown Olympic Park
NEW Sydney Swans forward Daniel Bradshaw will miss the club's NAB Cup campaign after undergoing knee surgery on Wednesday.
Scans revealed the former Brisbane Lion had cartilage floating in his knee and he had an arthroscope to remove the debris.
The 31-year-old is tipped to resume running in two to three weeks and is expected to be right for Sydney's round one clash against St Kilda at ANZ Stadium.
NEW Sydney recruit Daniel Bradshaw says it is relief to finally be a Swan after being selected by the club with pick four in the pre-season draft on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old walked out on Brisbane after being used as trade bait in an attempt to lure spearhead Brendan Fevola to the Lions.
He held talks with Carlton and Sydney before agreeing to terms on a three-year contract with the Swans.
But the deal could not be done unless Melbourne, Richmond and Fremantle all bypassed the 219-game veteran.
Bradshaw, who began training with Sydney in November, admitted to being a 'little bit nervous' heading into the draft.
"I felt like I was 17 again waiting for the draft," Bradshaw said.
"It would have been a surprise if another team had picked me up but just over the moon to be able to play for the Swans."
Swans coach Paul Roos plans to use Bradshaw alongside promising young forward Jesse White and dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes
"We probably didn't expect going into last year to lose both Mick (O'Loughlin) and Hally (Barry Hall) so to get Bradshaw probably continues with that plan we originally had going into 2009," Roos said.
"It gives us a chance to continue, more than anything else, that development path with Jesse White in that key forward role."
“With Goodes, Jesse White and Braddy, it’s a pretty good forward line going into 2010."
IRISHMAN Tadhg Kennelly is back at the Sydney Swans and believes he will be a better player next season.
The 28-year-old left the club in January to pursue his boyhood dream of winning an All-Ireland final with his native County Kerry.
The 2005 premiership defender, who signed a new two-year deal with the Swans last week, joined his teammates for training on Wednesday morning after arriving in Sydney on Tuesday night.
Kennelly vowed to repay the faith the club has shown in him and said he would be able to play with a lot more freedom in 2010 after achieving his goal of winning Gaelic football's biggest prize in September.
"The club has been an unbelievable support for me and I feel I have a massive loyalty to the club," Kennelly said.
"I owe them a lot and I feel I'll be a much, much better player personally because I don't have that drawcard of going back anymore."
"I feel that weight's off my shoulders. I feel like I can express myself a lot more and just go at it."
"There's times when I was going to games here in Australia and I was thinking, 'God, I wish I was going to Croke Park and playing with Kerry,' but that weight's well off my shoulders now and I feel like I can move on and really express myself as a footballer."
Kennelly, who was dogged by knee and shoulder injuries between 2007-2008, said a year away from the AFL had left him feeling refreshed physically.
"I feel like I’m 25, 26 years of age again because I didn’t pick up any injuries over there," he said.
"There’s a lot more running (in Gaelic football) than there is over here… and there is body contact, but it’s not as severe, obviously, because you don’t have to tackle. That’s been the best thing for my body."
"The shoulder’s fantastic and I can’t wait to get a good pre-season under my belt."
The decision to return to Australia wasn't easy an easy one for Kennelly but he said he was excited about his second stint at Sydney.
"There's very little chance that I'm going to go back playing (Gaelic) football again and that was very tough for me. This is probably the toughest decision of the lot," Kennelly said.
"I'm looking forward to the next three months, obviously I've signed a two-year contract and we'll see after that but in the short term it was very, very tough to leave (Ireland)."
"Obviously having a successful year over there was a fairytale really. I'm extremely excited it's like I'm coming to a new club again."
TonyK
Cibbuano
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