Tyson: I was no certainty
MELBOURNE wingman Dom Tyson feels for hard-luck omission Bayley Fritsch and concedes he was nervous ahead of selection for today’s preliminary final against West Coast.
The Demons were greeted by a small but vocal throng of Melbourne supporters as they touched down at Perth Airport yesterday afternoon, with Fritsch now a travelling emergency after being dropped in favour of tall defender Joel Smith.
Smith provides extra insurance against West Coast’s star forwards but Fritsch is unfortunate to miss out after playing almost every game during an impressive debut season.
Earlier in the week there had been speculation Tyson could be the one to make way after he managed just 11 dis- If the Demons have an obvious weakness, this could be it. McDonald has had a solid year, but Kennedy will fancy his chances against the 22-year-old. The dual Coleman medallist is capable of turning games quickly. His sticky hands and big tank should serve him well with a fine day forecast at Optus Stadium. Frost has been a revelation this season, beating some of the game’s best forwards and providing plenty of drive from the backline. The Demon kept Darling goalless when the two sides met in Perth last year. But how will he go against the muchimproved Darling of 2018? It’s tough to posals during the Demons’ semi-final win over Hawthorn.
“You get a little bit nervous because it wasn’t necessarily my best game last weekend,” Tyson said.
“I felt my form for probably six weeks prior to that had been pretty solid and I’d been playing a team role.
“It’s very tough. He’s certainly had a really good year, Bayles, and it’s just a competitive side at the moment.”
Smith broke his collarbone late in the season but has earned a recall after a twoweek stint in the VFL.
Tyson also recently went under the knife but said he was feeling 100 per cent after having a plate inserted into his fractured forearm.
The majority of the Demons flew into Perth yesterday, with older members including co-captain Nathan Jones and ruckman Max Gawn arriving a day earlier.
A sellout Optus Stadium crowd and forecast sunny conditions should both advantage the Eagles, who will be coming off a 14-day break.
Collingwood players spoke of being stunned by the deafening crowd noise during their qualifying final loss to West Coast a fortnight ago but the Demons have the benefit of having recently played — and won — at the Eagles’ fortress.
“We played here just over a month ago. We were able to communicate out on the field and we weren’t overawed by the situation,” Tyson said.
“I’m sure a week off might give certain (Eagles) guys a chance to feel a bit better come game day but we played a game of footy seven days ago now ... we’ll have legs underneath us, for sure.”
If the Demons line up as named, both Smith and Fritsch will fly back to Melbourne as soon as the game starts to rest up for tomorrow’s VFL grand final.
Jack Darling v Sam Frost