‘Other guys’ step up to big time
CALLUM Sinclair and Dean Towers are the “other guys” in the Swans’ line-up — but r could be the difference between winning the premiership and not.
Both are AFL journeymen but on Saturday looked like established stars and have given coach John Longmire enormous heart heading into the clash with Geelong.
In their cut-throat final, Sinclair and Towers’ games were arguably career best.
Sinclair took nine marks, including four contested inside 50, kicked three goals and gave one away.
“He provided a target in the front half and competed well in the air,” Longmire said.
His selection ahead of Kurt Tippett surprised many, but now the ex-Eagle is in the box seat for the rest of the finals.
Towers’ three goals were all top shelf.
The first two came from tight angles close to the boundary and the third from a clever dribbler 30m out.
“With the set shots a couple of the boys came to me and said to take my time and kick the goal,” Towers said. “It calmed me down.” Both players are 27 and have been far from automatic selections for almost their entire careers. Sinclair only brought up his 50th game this year and Towers is yet to reach the mark with 48 to his name so far.
Even after his outstanding performance on Saturday, Towers is far from comfortable with his spot in the team.
“No one is safe in this team, you have to play well every week,” he said.