In the latest edition of Opposition Watch, Swans Media looks at the Demons camp ahead of Thursday evening’s clash in Cairns.
Recent form
The Dees sit eighth on the AFL ladder and are one of the form teams of the competition, having won four of their five matches.
Their most recent win came in a thriller against the Saints last week.
Ins and outs
The Dees have made four changes to the line-up that defeated St Kilda by 3-points last week.
Bayley Fritsch, James Harmes and Joel Smith have all earned recalls, while Alex Neal-Bullen will return to the team after serving a four-game suspension for a dangerous tackle.
Michael Hibberd, who rolled his ankle in the win over St Kilda on Saturday night, will miss the clash against the Swans, with Mitch Hannan, Aaron vandenBerg and Kysaiah Pickett all omitted or managed.
Key match-up
Christian Petracca is in the midst of a career best season and has elevated his game to an elite level.
Over the last six weeks, he has charged up the leaderboard in the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player award, sitting second behind Lions star Lachie Neale.
Petracca is big bodied and explosive from the contest, making him a challenging matchup for opposition sides.
The Dees midfield bats deep, with Jack Viney, Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw forming one of the strongest on-ball units in the competition.
Last time they met
Round 22, 2019 @ MCG
Sydney Swans 15.5 (95) def. Melbourne 5.12 (42)
Late in the season, in a Friday night clash at the MCG, the Swans scored an emphatic win against the Dees.
After an even first quarter, the Swans dominated after quarter-time booting 11 of the next 13 goals of the match.
While Max Gawn dominated in the ruck, the Dees midfield was unable to capitalise. Instead it was the Swans’ Oli Florent and Luke Parker who won the battle in the middle of the ground.
The Swans tall timber proved a headache for the Dees defence, with Sam Reid and Tom McCartin booting five goals between them.
What they said
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin on the Dees recent run of form:
“You can see from the weekend’s game [against St Kilda], it was a really important game to beat a team above us and who was sitting entrenched in the top eight - that builds belief.
“The players have got belief in the way we are playing and obviously we are starting to build momentum, but it means nothing until you can continue to do it week in week out. That’s been our greatest challenge, is to do it week after week no matter who we are playing or where we are playing.
“The competition is really tough, and Sydney are showing that. They are a highly competitive side. They’ve got some outstanding young players. They move the ball in a way that really challenges the way you defend. We certainly know what we are up against, its going to be a really good game up in Cairns.“
