Swans channel fighting spirit of '18 Pies battle
Neil Cordy
The Daily Telegraph, August 3
IN 1918, against the backdrop of the First World War, South Melbourne grafted out a five-point grand final win against Collingwood to claim the club’s second premiership.
A century on, the two old rivals meet for the 226th time and the importance of the contest hasn’t lessened.
Particularly for Sydney, who have dropped four of their last five games to fall from fourth to ninth on the ladder.
To commemorate the fighting efforts of the red and whites a century ago, the Swans will wear a specially created heritage jersey in the SCG clash.
“If you look at the club and what they’ve fought through over the years that helps us when we play,” Swans midfielder Isaac Heeney told The Daily Telegraph.
“We’ve been in this situation before and had our backs against the wall, it’s a matter of responding. If you look at why we are a good club it’s nothing special we get the job done. We’ve got confidence in that. We can give Collingwood a run for their money.
Heath misses Pies clash to address health concerns
Neil Cordy
The Daily Telegraph, August 3
SYDNEY defender Heath Grundy is a shock omission from Saturday's night's game against Collingwood after taking time away from the game to deal with mental health issues.
Grundy missed the Swans’ clash with North Melbourne three weeks ago before playing in the NEAFL match against Gold Coast.
He returned for last week’s loss to Essendon at Etihad Stadium but, strangely, Grundy did not feel well and after halftime he played in the forward line rather than his usual spot as a key defender.
Grundy missed the Swans’ clash with North Melbourne three weeks ago before playing in the NEAFL match against Gold Coast.
He returned for last week’s loss to Essendon at Etihad Stadium but, strangely, Grundy did not feel well and after halftime he played in the forward line rather than his usual spot as a key defender.
Grundy joins a growing number of AFL footballers who have taken time away from the game to deal with their mental wellbeing.
Swans’ Grundy stands down to focus on his mental health
Andrew Wu
SMH, August 3
Sydney veteran Heath Grundy is taking time out of the game to overcome mental health issues as the Swans welcome back three premiership players for their vital match with Collingwood on Saturday night.
The Swans are unsure how much football Grundy will miss, but he will continue to train with the team.
Grundy is out of contract at the end of the year and was left out of the Swans team two weeks ago due to team balance.
The premiership winner returned last week to the Swans' defence but was moved forward after half-time due to illness.
His absence comes three years after the Swans lost superstar forward Lance Franklin to mental health issues for the 2015 finals series.
"We've been talking to Heath for some time. He needs some time out of the game to look after his mental wellbeing," Swans coach John Longmire said.
"He's got a young family, various other things that have been put into that mix and it's added up to him having some time off now.
"He's still going to be here training with the boys, coming to meetings but he's not going to play in the short term.
"We're not sure how long that will be, we expect him to still come back before the end of the season.
"He just needs to get himself right. It's been great Heath has been upfront and honest with us all the way along, and I just keep on encouraging people anywhere, in professional sport and outside, to be open and keep talking about mental health.
"Heath is a great example of doing that. Just take a couple of weeks out and see how he goes over that period of time."
Sydney Swans veteran Heath Grundy takes time away from game
AAP, August 3
Sydney veteran Heath Grundy has become the latest player to take time away from the game to deal with mental health issues.
Grundy will miss tomorrow night’s crunch clash with Collingwood at the SCG, and it remains unclear when he will return.
The 32-year-old will continue to train with the team, but his absence against the Magpies is a huge blow to the faltering Swans.
Lance Franklin, Tom Boyd, and Alex Fasolo are other players who have taken a break from the game in the past in order to deal with mental health issues. Sydney coach John Longmire hopes Grundy will return before the end of the season. “To put your hand up and ask for help can be a really challenging thing to do,” Longmire said. “We believe it’s really important to provide an environment and the support to enable our players to do that.”
