The push for a top-four berth headlines the latest edition of Hot Topics ahead of the Sydney Swans’ clash with Hawthorn at the SCG on Saturday night.
Clinching a top-four berth
Saturday’s equation for the Swans and Hawks is both simple and tantalising: a win locks in a top-four berth. Sydney coach John Longmire has this week labelled his side’s top-four prospect “an enormous carrot”, with a top-four finish giving teams a double chance and, if victorious in the opening round of the finals, a week off. The fourth-placed Hawks and fifth-placed Swans both booked their tickets to the finals last week, with Hawthorn pipping St Kilda and Sydney accounting for GWS. The Swans and Hawks are locked on 56 competition points ahead of the last round of the regular season.
A rivalry for the ages
The Swans and Hawks are set to reignite one of the fiercest rivalries in modern-day football. The clubs have locked horns in two recent grand finals, with Sydney snaring a 10-point victory in 2012 before Hawthorn hit back in 2014. The past four Swans-Hawks battles have been decided by an average of just six points. When the clubs last met at the MCG in Round 8, Sydney midfielder Luke Parker slotted a goal in the dying stages of the game to hand the Swans the lead. But Sydney young gun Ben Ronke was the hero, booting seven goals to claim an AFL Rising Star nomination. With both sides eyeing a top-four berth, the ensuing chapter of the intense Swans-Hawks rivalry is expected to again deliver a match to remember.
Buddy gunning for fifth Coleman gong
Star Sydney forward Lance Franklin is in the mix to claim his fifth Coleman Medal. The Western Australian sits third on 57 goals behind North Melbourne’s Ben Brown (58) and Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt (60) ahead of the last round of the regular season. Franklin trailed West Coast’s Josh Kennedy by five goals ahead of Round 23 last year but slammed home 10 majors against Carlton to pip the Eagle at the post. Franklin will again need to finish with a flurry to clinch the 2018 gong and recent form suggests he could be primed to do so. The former Hawk bagged six goals against Collingwood in Round 20, before piling on five against GWS last Saturday to move to eighth on the all-time VFL/AFL goal-kicking leaderboard.
Hewett and Mitchell set to lock horns
Sydney tagger George Hewett has quelled the impact of a number of supreme ball-winners this season, including Richmond’s Dustin Martin, Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe and Carlton’s Patrick Cripps. The South Australian held Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell to 20 touches in Round 8 and could again be tasked with taming the prolific Hawk. Mitchell is topping the competition in disposals and clearances and, remarkably, has recorded 50 or more touches in a game on two occasions this season. But Hawthorn midfielders Jaegar O’Meara, Liam Shiels and Isaac Smith present ominous dangers of their own, meaning Sydney’s focus won’t be limited to Mitchell.
Footy for Drought Relief
The Sydney Swans, Hawthorn, Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust and QBE have combined forces in support of Australian farmers, teaming up for Footy for Drought Relief ahead of Saturday’s clash. Members and fans are encouraged to donate to Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale campaign, which aims to deliver vital hay and water during the farming crisis. Supporters will be able to contribute to the cause by texting ‘FOOTY’ to 0437 371 371, dropping by a tin rattler or donating via an online auction. The Sydney Swans Foundation and QBE have already donated $10,000 to the cause, while the SCG Trust and QBE will both contribute $1 for every person at Saturday night’s Swans-Hawks and Roosters-Broncos games in the Moore Park precinct. Sydney and Hawthorn players are also set to back the farmers in need by signing their match-worn guernseys, while Longmire and Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson will sign the Sherrin used for the game. All guernseys and the signed football will be auctioned off at the respective online stores of both clubs, with every dollar going to Buy a Bale.
