The Sydney Swans travel to Optus Stadium in Perth for their final round clash against the West Coast Eagles with both teams desperate to end their season on a positive note.
The Swans are sitting in 10th position after a disappointing 43-point loss to Geelong last Sunday, while the Eagles have had a season to forget with just the one win, and sit on the bottom of the ladder.
This is the first time these two sides have met this season, with their last match way back in Gather Round in Round 4, 2024 at Mt. Barker, when the Swans proved too good by 26-points. On that occasion, star midfielders Isaac Heeney (26 disposals, 2 goals) and Errol Gulden (25 disposals, 2 goals) dominated for Sydney while Harley Reid was among the best for West Coast with 18 disposals and a goal.
This time around, the Swans welcome back ruckman Brodie Grundy after missing the Cats match with concussion, while also including Riley Bice and Corey Warner. Pete Ladhams, Caiden Cleary and Jesse Dattoli are omitted. For the Eagles, Tyrell Dewar and Lucca Grego come into the side at the expense of Matthew Owies (injured) and Ryan Maric (illness).
Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said he’s looking forward to the challenge of taking on the Swans and finishing the season on a high.
“It’s been a long, challenging year, but I don’t feel like it’s the end, I want to keep going,” McQualter said.
“I love the competition. I love trying to get up each week to win games of footy.
“We’ve got ourselves an opportunity this week and while the Swans have been in strong form, it’s a game we believe we can get after.
McQualter went on to say this game could be a launching pad for a positive pre-season.
“We’re under no illusion that we have to come back better than we’ve finished this year,” McQualter said.
“That’ll be important for us when we turn up on day one of pre-season, that we’re in better condition and more advanced than we are now.
“Some of that will be natural progression, but it has to come with hard work. We’ll do a thorough review over the next few weeks and keep finding ways to improve,” McQualter said.
