WHILE everyone is predicting the likes of Geelong and Melbourne to win the premiership, there is one team which has went under the radar, the Swans.
(AFL PHOTOS)
FINALS footy is approaching and teams are preparing.
With a few more rounds of football to go in the regular season, the current top eight teams are almost all locked to play in this year’s finals campaign with the exception of the Carlton, St Kilda, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs who could all either just make the final eight, or just miss out, depending on how well they play in this final month of the season.
The clear favourites to do particularly well in this year’s finals include Geelong and Melbourne.
Both sit first and third on the ladder, and despite some hard games scheduled to come, both teams are seen as favourites to win their last games of the season and come into the final’s series with some red-hot form.
But there seems to be that one team that on its day can surprise anyone and snatch a win with its talent and speed.
And it has been proving this all season with many games where it has been able to hold on right until the end, and that team is the Sydney Swans.
Sydney continues to be successful and consistent under the coaching of John Longmire.
The Bloods have only missed finals three times in the last 20 years and have made five premierships during those 20 years, having won two of the five.
Despite their slump in 2019 and 2020 when the Swans were rebuilding, they have continued to impress. Sydney has been fortunate this year with not too many serious injuries impacting the team.
JOHN Longmire will lead the red and white into yet another finals series and will have the hope of going all the way with his 'wildcard' side.
(AFL PHOTOS)
The team average age in 2022 is 25.3 years old, which places Sydney in the middle of the league when it comes to the average age per team.
Sydney has a great balance of both older and more experienced players such as Lance Franklin, Josh Kennedy, Sam Reid, Dane Rampe and Luke Parker.
As well as some young superstars in the making who continue to make an impact weekly, such as Chad Warner, James Rowbottom, Will Hayward, Errol Gulden and Nick Blakely.
These players mentioned are only a few who add to the talent and skill of Sydney, demonstrating the depth of the squad.
Sydney is scary good when the side is on.
The Swans seem to have great team chemistry and culture.
They all link up in their roles and play well together, with great ball movement and great defence being the core of the team and uniting them as a group.
This could ultimately lead the Sydney Swans to premiership success and make them the wildcard team of the season.
The one standout player who can light up the big stage is Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin.
Buddy throughout his stellar career has been known to draw multiple defenders to a contest due to his marking and long kicking ability.
Therefore, this allows the small dangerous forwards such as Tom Papley and Isaac Heeney to swoop and speed away with the loose ball and create a goal-scoring opportunity if the marking contest is spoiled.
BUDDY Franklin is the X-Factor at the Sydney Swans and if he is at his best in the final couple rounds and finals, the Bloods will be tough to beat and could cause an upset.
(AFL PHOTOS)
Not much finals experience, especially from the young players in the team could be where Sydney struggles in this year’s finals campaign.
It’s the responsibility of the mature-aged players in the side to lead the way and set the standard of aggressive finals footy in order to cause an upset to other teams which Sydney is very much capable of.
With just three more rounds of football in the regular season, Sydney plays North Melbourne (Marvel Stadium), Collingwood (SCG) and St Kilda (Marvel Stadium) in the lead up to finals.
It’s fair to say that the last two games will be a massive test for Sydney in aims to clinch and lock in a top four spot before finals.
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