Swans savour finals return
CURRA Swans coach Gary Kelly has urged his players to soak up every moment as they make their long-awaited AFL Townsville finals comeback against University at Riverway Stadium tomorrow.
The Swans haven’t played finals since 2015 as they struggled just to win a single game, but they have surged back into the top four this season.
The competition’s former battlers will take on the Hawks in the elimination semi-final and Kelly said it was a proud achievement for the players who had stuck with the club during the lean years.
“You just want them to enjoy their football and enjoy the moment of actually playing in the finals again … both grades have made it, which is a very positive sign for the club,” he said. “It’d be really good just to get the belief back in the club, especially for the blokes that have done it hard the last couple of years.
“I’ve just tried to tell the boys that if we play our game we can push those top teams.”
The Swans are coming into the finals with consecutive losses to reigning premiers Hermit Park (74-54) and Thuringowa (74-63), who will battle it out in today’s qualifying semi-final.
Kelly conceded the Swans hadn’t made the most of their chances in those games, but he felt they could still take confidence from putting up a strong fight against the top two sides.
“We had the same amount of scoring shots as the Tigers when we lost by 20 points, but we just couldn’t convert on the scoreboard,” Kelly said.
“It was just a couple of little things that we need to work on to better our game … and just our pressure needs to pick up a little bit when it comes to the crunch point of it.
“We talk about the emotions in games and the fact that a lot of these boys haven’t played in hard games in the last couple of years. It’s just been us getting rolled over.
“It’s just getting used to playing in those close games and being able to keep your emotions in check when it comes to those hard situations and not letting them get the better of you.” The Hawks have struggled for consistency this season, losing three of their past four games, but they’ve also made the past two grand finals and Kelly insisted the Swans won’t take them lightly.
“We’ve had a battle with them this year. We’ve won twice and they beat us the first time we encountered them at their ground, but it’s been pretty close all three times,” he said.
AFL Townsville semi-finals: Today: Hermit Park Tigers v Thuringowa Bulldogs at Riverway Stadium, 3.15pm. Tomorrow: Curra Swans v University Hawks at Riverway Stadium, 3.15pm.