BATTLE OF THE BIGGER BODIES
SYDNEY is confident Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker can go blow for blow with “Dangerwood” in Friday’s semi-final.
While admitting Geelong champions Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood were capable of creating all manner of headaches in the knockout MCG clash, Swans coach John Longmire is contemplating fighting fire with fire.
This means instead of using George Hewett as a tagger, Longmire may look for his big-bodied midfielders Kennedy and Parker to do the dirty work.
The pair have been at the forefront of the Swans’ turnaround, priding themselves on winning contested footy, much like reigning Brownlow medallist Dangerfield and Selwood.
“He (Dangerfield) is a massive competitor and when you get him and Selwood together, two huge competitors with talent, it’s a pretty lethal combination,” Longmire said yesterday.
“We talk about it, we have some ideas. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be implemented, or they’ll necessarily work.
“But we’ve got a few blokes who are OK in the contest and go OK in the 50-50 stuff. It’s about making sure all of our midfield group play really strongly.”
Longmire was full of praise for Dangerfield, calling him all but untaggable.
“He’s that sort of player. You can have one on him or two on him at different times and he’s still capable of winning the 50-50 ball,” he said.
“I was reading today he has the record amount of contested possessions (in a regular season), over and above Josh Kennedy’s record. Those blokes, as we know with Josh, are really hard to quell.”
Dangerfield and Kennedy missed the clubs’ most recent meeting, in Round 20.
The Cats were beaten 165-146 in contested possessions in the qualifying final loss to Richmond but Longmire expected a much-improved showing this week.