Sydney Swans coach John Longmire addressed the media ahead of training at Lakeside Oval on Tuesday morning.
The session saw the Swans set foot on Lakeside Oval for the first time since its multimillion-dollar redevelopment.
Situated across the road from the SCG, the venue has been increased to the dimensions of Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium and the surface has had an upgrade.
Sydney is set to face the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday afternoon.
Here are some key quotes from the press conference.
Lakeside Oval redevelopment
“It’s outstanding. The club has been working for a long time to be able to get a full-sized training ground and to now have it is just outstanding. A lot of work’s gone into it behind the scenes, a lot of people have contributed to this and it’s the first stage before our new facility comes on board next year. The new ground is one of many resources that’s going to be sensational for the future of the footy club. To look out here today and see this full-sized training ground right next to the SCG is really exciting, and it’s something we should be really proud about as a footy club. We feel like we’ve had nothing in the past that’s hindered us from being successful, but it’s just great to now have a full-sized training ground. To be able to have it so close in proximity to the SCG, and considering the unbelievable new facilities coming on board next year, it’s a really exciting time. It’s great to be able to provide these resources for our players and we’re really looking forward to the future of the club.”
Lance Franklin’s availability for Brisbane clash (hamstring)
“Lance won’t be playing this week. He won’t be available but we’re confident he’ll be available next week against Essendon. We scanned him on Friday morning and there was a slight strain. You’ve got to consider the risk of getting him ready and prepared for a full training session on Thursday. He also had a limited pre-season, age comes into it and we decided not to take the risk. It’s too big a risk to take as much as we’d like him back in the team.”
Will Hayward’s selection chances (broken jaw)
“Will is a possibility to come back into the team this week. We’ll assess him on Thursday, he’s seeing a specialist, he’s been training well and we’ll see what happens later in the week. We will be absolutely guided by what the medical professionals say; if they say he’s right he’ll play, and if they say he’s not right he won’t play.”
Longmire on passing Paul Roos as most games coached in Swans history
“I’m very proud to be able to pass Paul Roos. He’s a legend of this footy club. He’s got a fairly big statue over at the SCG and to be taking the games record from him is something I’m very proud of. He was and still is such an important mentor of mine. I wouldn’t be doing this job without him. I’m very appreciative of the guidance, help and assistance he’s provided me over such a long period of time. He’s been such a quality person to learn the craft under, I’m very appreciative of that and I’m very proud of the milestone.”
Sydney’s emerging generation
“They’re a good group. We look at Oliver Florent, Will Hayward’s been out, Zak Jones has gone into our midfield group, we got Lewis Melican back on the weekend who did quite well, James Rowbottom’s in the team, Justin McInerney’s had a crack, Nick Blakey is still learning his craft as a key forward, we’ve got Ben Ronke, Tom Papley – those guys are very, very good players that we’ve got a lot of confidence in. They won’t always be consistent but they’re learning the craft and we’re trying to fast-track them so we can be competitive as soon as we can.”
