Go for youth, Swans urged

FORMER Richmond and Western Bulldogs coach Terry Wallace says it’s time for Sydney coach John Longmire to flick the switch and play young guns Isaac Heeney, Callum Mills, Zak Jones and Jake Lloyd in the midfield.

With an in-form Geelong waiting on Friday night, the alarm bells are ringing for the Swans after their surprise loss to Adelaide.

The Crows fielded a secondstring on-ball division with Rory Sloane and Brad and Matt Crouch out injured. They also had the third youngest team for the round, while the Swans had the oldest.

“If the Swans don’t get smarter with their rotations through the middle of the ground they are going to get left for dead,” Wallace said.

“This is something I was talking about during the trade period last year.

“The staples in there need to be Heeney, Mills, Jones and Lloyd. They have to go for the new generation, the Swans have to regenerate.

“It doesn’t mean the other blokes don’t play but they have to completely change it up or get left behind.”

Sydney’s holy trinity of Josh Kennedy, Dan Hannebery and Luke Parker were below par against the Crows.

Kennedy had two handballs in the first quarter and six possessions at halftime. Parker had two handballs in the opening term on the way to just four at the long break.

Kennedy’s 22.2 disposals a game this year are his lowest since 2011. Hannebery’s season average of 20 disposals is his poorest since 2009.