TonyK
CibbuanoRound eight preview: Sydney v West Coast
May 15th 2009 23:15
VENUE and TIME: ANZ Stadium, Saturday 16 May, 7.10pm (AEST)
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 39, Sydney 20, West Coast 19
LAST TIME: Sydney 12.11 (83) def West Coast 11.12 (78), Round 11 2008 at Subiaco Oval
RECENT HISTORY: The honours have been shared in the past four clashes between these two sides but the Swans have won the three matches against the Eagles at ANZ Stadium.
FORM: Sydney was thumped to the tune of 51 points by Geelong at Skilled Stadium last Saturday afternoon. The Swans are one of eight with a 3-4 win-loss record. West Coast snapped a two-game losing streak with a hard-fought eight-point win over Melbourne at Subiaco Oval last Sunday. The Eagles have also won three of their first seven matches.
MEDICAL ROOM: West Coast welcomes back Matt Priddis and defenders Eric MacKenzie and Mitch Brown from injury but will be without star midfielder Daniel Kerr (adductor). Adam Hunter will have to wait another week top play his 150th game after undergoing treatment for a chronic shoulder injury while utility Brent Staker will miss at least another month of football with a hand injury. For the Swans, Craig Bird returns from a shoulder injury. Veteran defender Leo Barry will miss another three to four weeks with a calf strain while former Cat Henry Playfair (hamstring) is sidelined indefinitely. Promising youngster Patrick Vesprezmi (ruptured finger tendon) will miss at least another two weeks.
KEY MATCH-UPS: Brett Kirk vs. Matt Priddis
With Kerr out of the side the onus will be on the likes of Priddis to win a lot of the football at the stoppages.
Priddis is a clearance machine and will need to have a big game on Saturday night otherwise the Eagles will struggle to win enough of the football to be any hope of kicking a winning score.
Like Priddis, Kirk is highly effective in close and will most likely be given the job of going head-to-head with the Eagles midfielder.
Kirk, who collected 21 possessions and booted two goals the last time these two sides met in round 11 last year, will deny Priddis any time or space at the stoppages and try and hurt him going the other way.
Darren Glass vs. Barry Hall
Hall was held goalless in the loss to Geelong last weekend and will be keen to redeem himself with a big performance against the Eagles.
However, he faces a tough night as the office as he will be matched up by Glass who has returned to his best form this season after struggling with injury in 2008.
Hall tried hard all day against the Cats but was let down by his teammates poor delivery of the football inside 50.
If he is going to be any hope of winning his duel with Glass he will need his midfield to be quick and precise with their use of the football otherwise the Swans will be punished on the rebound by the long-kicking Eagles.
Paul Bevan vs. Mark LeCras
LeCras was instrumental in the Eagles’ win over Melbourne with 22 possessions, eight marks and four goals to take his season tally to 20 majors.
The impressive 22-year-old received little support up forward against the Demons with the Eagles next best goal kickers in Ben McKinley, Quinten Lynch and Hunter combining for just three goals.
If the Swans are able to keep LeCras quiet it is hard to see where the Eagles will get enough goals from to secure the four premiership points.
Bevan, who has been relatively effective on some of the opposition’s best small forwards so far in 2009, will most likely be given first crack at LeCras.
The 24-year-old will need to watch LeCras closely all night as he is capable of creating something out of nothing.
While LeCras kicked four goals against the Demons he also booted six behinds. He and his fellow forwards will need to make the most of their chances in front of goal early and apply scoreboard pressure.
Darren Jolly vs. Dean Cox
Two of the competition’s best ruckman will go head-to-head on Saturday night in what will shapes as being a pivotal match-up in determining the outcome of this contest.
Jolly admitted during the week that Cox has beaten him every time the two sides have met and he will undoubtedly be keen to have a big game against the Eagles big man.
The former Demon doesn’t need to win the bulk of the hit outs but if he at least provides a contest you would expect the mature Swans’ on-ball division to the majority of the football at the stoppages against am inexperienced West Coast midfield.
Expect Jolly, who has booted eight goals so far this season, to push forward at every available opportunity and make Cox accountable.
VERDICT: Sydney has won all three of its games at home so far this season and will make it four from four on Saturday night with the likes of Adam Goodes, Jude Bolton and Kirk set to dominate at the stoppages and provide Michael O’Loughlin, Hall and co. with enough quality supply to kick a winning score. Swans by 27 points.
SYDNEY SWANS v WEST COAST
SYDNEY SWANS
B: Craig Bolton, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Martin Mattner
HB: Rhyce Shaw, Heath Grundy, Luke Ablett
C: Adam Goodes, Brett Kirk, Amon Buchanan
HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Ted Richards, Brett Meredith
F: Jarrad Moore, Barry Hall, Michael O’Loughlin
Foll: Darren Jolly, Jarrad McVeigh, Jude Bolton
I/C: Paul Bevan, Craig Bird, Kieren Jack, Jesse White
Emg: Nick Malceski, Mike Pyke, Kristin Thornton
In: Ablett, Bird, White
Out: Nick Malceski, Mike Pyke, Kristin Thornton
WEST COAST
B: Mark Nicoski, Darren Glass, David Wirrpanda
HB: Shannon Hurn, Eric Mackenzie, Brett Jones
C: Andrew Embley, Jamie McNamara, Matt Rosa
HF: Sam Butler, Josh Kennedy, Ben McKinley
F: Chris Masten, Quinten Lynch, Mark LeCras
Foll: Dean Cox, Adam Cockie, Adam Selwood
I/C: Mitch Brown, Matt Priddis, Mark Seaby, Scott Selwood
Emg: Brad Ebert, Will Schofield, Matt Spangher
In: Mackenzie, Priddis, Seaby, Brown
Out: Daniel Kerr (groin), Adam Hunter (shoulder), Matt Spangher, Will Schofield
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 39, Sydney 20, West Coast 19
LAST TIME: Sydney 12.11 (83) def West Coast 11.12 (78), Round 11 2008 at Subiaco Oval
RECENT HISTORY: The honours have been shared in the past four clashes between these two sides but the Swans have won the three matches against the Eagles at ANZ Stadium.
FORM: Sydney was thumped to the tune of 51 points by Geelong at Skilled Stadium last Saturday afternoon. The Swans are one of eight with a 3-4 win-loss record. West Coast snapped a two-game losing streak with a hard-fought eight-point win over Melbourne at Subiaco Oval last Sunday. The Eagles have also won three of their first seven matches.
MEDICAL ROOM: West Coast welcomes back Matt Priddis and defenders Eric MacKenzie and Mitch Brown from injury but will be without star midfielder Daniel Kerr (adductor). Adam Hunter will have to wait another week top play his 150th game after undergoing treatment for a chronic shoulder injury while utility Brent Staker will miss at least another month of football with a hand injury. For the Swans, Craig Bird returns from a shoulder injury. Veteran defender Leo Barry will miss another three to four weeks with a calf strain while former Cat Henry Playfair (hamstring) is sidelined indefinitely. Promising youngster Patrick Vesprezmi (ruptured finger tendon) will miss at least another two weeks.
KEY MATCH-UPS: Brett Kirk vs. Matt Priddis
With Kerr out of the side the onus will be on the likes of Priddis to win a lot of the football at the stoppages.
Priddis is a clearance machine and will need to have a big game on Saturday night otherwise the Eagles will struggle to win enough of the football to be any hope of kicking a winning score.
Like Priddis, Kirk is highly effective in close and will most likely be given the job of going head-to-head with the Eagles midfielder.
Kirk, who collected 21 possessions and booted two goals the last time these two sides met in round 11 last year, will deny Priddis any time or space at the stoppages and try and hurt him going the other way.
Darren Glass vs. Barry Hall
Hall was held goalless in the loss to Geelong last weekend and will be keen to redeem himself with a big performance against the Eagles.
However, he faces a tough night as the office as he will be matched up by Glass who has returned to his best form this season after struggling with injury in 2008.
Hall tried hard all day against the Cats but was let down by his teammates poor delivery of the football inside 50.
If he is going to be any hope of winning his duel with Glass he will need his midfield to be quick and precise with their use of the football otherwise the Swans will be punished on the rebound by the long-kicking Eagles.
Paul Bevan vs. Mark LeCras
LeCras was instrumental in the Eagles’ win over Melbourne with 22 possessions, eight marks and four goals to take his season tally to 20 majors.
The impressive 22-year-old received little support up forward against the Demons with the Eagles next best goal kickers in Ben McKinley, Quinten Lynch and Hunter combining for just three goals.
If the Swans are able to keep LeCras quiet it is hard to see where the Eagles will get enough goals from to secure the four premiership points.
Bevan, who has been relatively effective on some of the opposition’s best small forwards so far in 2009, will most likely be given first crack at LeCras.
The 24-year-old will need to watch LeCras closely all night as he is capable of creating something out of nothing.
While LeCras kicked four goals against the Demons he also booted six behinds. He and his fellow forwards will need to make the most of their chances in front of goal early and apply scoreboard pressure.
Darren Jolly vs. Dean Cox
Two of the competition’s best ruckman will go head-to-head on Saturday night in what will shapes as being a pivotal match-up in determining the outcome of this contest.
Jolly admitted during the week that Cox has beaten him every time the two sides have met and he will undoubtedly be keen to have a big game against the Eagles big man.
The former Demon doesn’t need to win the bulk of the hit outs but if he at least provides a contest you would expect the mature Swans’ on-ball division to the majority of the football at the stoppages against am inexperienced West Coast midfield.
Expect Jolly, who has booted eight goals so far this season, to push forward at every available opportunity and make Cox accountable.
VERDICT: Sydney has won all three of its games at home so far this season and will make it four from four on Saturday night with the likes of Adam Goodes, Jude Bolton and Kirk set to dominate at the stoppages and provide Michael O’Loughlin, Hall and co. with enough quality supply to kick a winning score. Swans by 27 points.
SYDNEY SWANS v WEST COAST
SYDNEY SWANS
B: Craig Bolton, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Martin Mattner
HB: Rhyce Shaw, Heath Grundy, Luke Ablett
C: Adam Goodes, Brett Kirk, Amon Buchanan
HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Ted Richards, Brett Meredith
F: Jarrad Moore, Barry Hall, Michael O’Loughlin
Foll: Darren Jolly, Jarrad McVeigh, Jude Bolton
I/C: Paul Bevan, Craig Bird, Kieren Jack, Jesse White
Emg: Nick Malceski, Mike Pyke, Kristin Thornton
In: Ablett, Bird, White
Out: Nick Malceski, Mike Pyke, Kristin Thornton
WEST COAST
B: Mark Nicoski, Darren Glass, David Wirrpanda
HB: Shannon Hurn, Eric Mackenzie, Brett Jones
C: Andrew Embley, Jamie McNamara, Matt Rosa
HF: Sam Butler, Josh Kennedy, Ben McKinley
F: Chris Masten, Quinten Lynch, Mark LeCras
Foll: Dean Cox, Adam Cockie, Adam Selwood
I/C: Mitch Brown, Matt Priddis, Mark Seaby, Scott Selwood
Emg: Brad Ebert, Will Schofield, Matt Spangher
In: Mackenzie, Priddis, Seaby, Brown
Out: Daniel Kerr (groin), Adam Hunter (shoulder), Matt Spangher, Will Schofield
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