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Luck, but not Magic, is on Sydney's side
By Richard Hinds
September 1, 2003
With or - most likely - without injured forward Michael O'Loughlin, somehow the Sydney Swans find themselves back in the thick of the premiership race. Coincidentally, the top-four spot that seemed far-fetched at the start of the final home and away round was gift-wrapped by next week's opponents Port Adelaide, who beat the Crows at AAMI Stadium.
So the Swans travel to play the Power in a qualifying final next Sunday after the four results they needed at the start of the weekend to clinch the double chance surprisingly went their way. While the opening assignment against the minor premiers is daunting, if the Swans lose they are at least guaranteed a home final in the second week.
However, having witnessed the Power's hard-fought 16-point victory over Adelaide, Swans coach Paul Roos was not ready to concede his team could not upset the Power as Collingwood did last year and possibly grab a home preliminary final. "They are a terrific side, no doubt about that," Roos said. "But we are there and we've given ourselves a chance."
That said, Roos acknowledged a top-four spot was a bonus for the Swans, who seemed to have lost the fight for the double chance after going down to Collingwood in round 21. "Certainly the results all fell our way and to get top four is terrific," said Roos. "At the very least it guarantees us two finals which is great experience."
However, it seems certain "Magic" O'Loughlin will miss at least the first two weeks after a further examination yesterday confirmed he had strained his hamstring in the closing minutes of Saturday's 34-point victory over Melbourne. O'Loughlin will have an MRI scan today, but club doctor Nathan Gibbs said the usual recovery time for similar injuries was between two and four weeks.
"He was still pretty sore this morning," Gibbs said. "Obviously we're hoping the scan will show it's only a small tear. But it would be pretty rare for a player to be back in one week. Probably the best-case scenario would be two weeks."
By clinching fourth spot, the Swans have given O'Loughlin some hope of taking part in the finals. With ruckman/forward Jason Ball and defender Jason Saddington already out for the season, Sydney will start their campaign seriously undermanned. However, although O'Loughlin's five goals on Saturday underlined his importance, Roos was putting a bright face on the latest setback.
"I think Mick [O'Loughlin] would probably sneak into our best 18," said Roos facetiously. "But he's missed a couple of games this year and we've won without him. I think the other players will take a bit of confidence out of that."
The experienced Matthew Nicks is likely to replace O'Loughlin. Young forward Scott Stevens will also come into contention for the first final as the Swans look to restructure their attack.
But while injuries will play a part, perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the week is how the Swans will fare in the psychological battle. While they have won the past two minor premierships, the Power's poor finals record has become a monkey on the club's back - something Collingwood exploited in their upset victory at AAMI Stadium last year.
Saturday's scrappy victory over Melbourne gave little indication of how the Swans will fare in the weeks ahead. Having kicked just three goals in the first half, they trailed by 13 points and were in danger of throwing away the chance to play a significant role in the finals. After being reminded in forceful terms of what was at stake during the break, their multi-pronged forward line began to function and an 11-goals-to-four second half would have been a reasonably satisfying way to enter the finals - if not for O'Loughlin's injury.
Before then, the Swans spent two quarters proving they could kick a decent score without a significant contribution from Barry Hall. The sharp shooting of Nick Davis and the opportunism of Adam Schneider were important. But O'Loughlin had been the star.
Roos was happy with the effort of ruckman Stephen Doyle, who returned from a serious knee injury, and at least provided a contest in the ruck and some much needed relief for Adam Goodes. But with Port Adelaide boasting a powerful attack and a dynamic midfield, the Swans will need more than just earnest efforts.
This season, however, things keep falling their way.
By Richard Hinds
September 1, 2003
With or - most likely - without injured forward Michael O'Loughlin, somehow the Sydney Swans find themselves back in the thick of the premiership race. Coincidentally, the top-four spot that seemed far-fetched at the start of the final home and away round was gift-wrapped by next week's opponents Port Adelaide, who beat the Crows at AAMI Stadium.
So the Swans travel to play the Power in a qualifying final next Sunday after the four results they needed at the start of the weekend to clinch the double chance surprisingly went their way. While the opening assignment against the minor premiers is daunting, if the Swans lose they are at least guaranteed a home final in the second week.
However, having witnessed the Power's hard-fought 16-point victory over Adelaide, Swans coach Paul Roos was not ready to concede his team could not upset the Power as Collingwood did last year and possibly grab a home preliminary final. "They are a terrific side, no doubt about that," Roos said. "But we are there and we've given ourselves a chance."
That said, Roos acknowledged a top-four spot was a bonus for the Swans, who seemed to have lost the fight for the double chance after going down to Collingwood in round 21. "Certainly the results all fell our way and to get top four is terrific," said Roos. "At the very least it guarantees us two finals which is great experience."
However, it seems certain "Magic" O'Loughlin will miss at least the first two weeks after a further examination yesterday confirmed he had strained his hamstring in the closing minutes of Saturday's 34-point victory over Melbourne. O'Loughlin will have an MRI scan today, but club doctor Nathan Gibbs said the usual recovery time for similar injuries was between two and four weeks.
"He was still pretty sore this morning," Gibbs said. "Obviously we're hoping the scan will show it's only a small tear. But it would be pretty rare for a player to be back in one week. Probably the best-case scenario would be two weeks."
By clinching fourth spot, the Swans have given O'Loughlin some hope of taking part in the finals. With ruckman/forward Jason Ball and defender Jason Saddington already out for the season, Sydney will start their campaign seriously undermanned. However, although O'Loughlin's five goals on Saturday underlined his importance, Roos was putting a bright face on the latest setback.
"I think Mick [O'Loughlin] would probably sneak into our best 18," said Roos facetiously. "But he's missed a couple of games this year and we've won without him. I think the other players will take a bit of confidence out of that."
The experienced Matthew Nicks is likely to replace O'Loughlin. Young forward Scott Stevens will also come into contention for the first final as the Swans look to restructure their attack.
But while injuries will play a part, perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the week is how the Swans will fare in the psychological battle. While they have won the past two minor premierships, the Power's poor finals record has become a monkey on the club's back - something Collingwood exploited in their upset victory at AAMI Stadium last year.
Saturday's scrappy victory over Melbourne gave little indication of how the Swans will fare in the weeks ahead. Having kicked just three goals in the first half, they trailed by 13 points and were in danger of throwing away the chance to play a significant role in the finals. After being reminded in forceful terms of what was at stake during the break, their multi-pronged forward line began to function and an 11-goals-to-four second half would have been a reasonably satisfying way to enter the finals - if not for O'Loughlin's injury.
Before then, the Swans spent two quarters proving they could kick a decent score without a significant contribution from Barry Hall. The sharp shooting of Nick Davis and the opportunism of Adam Schneider were important. But O'Loughlin had been the star.
Roos was happy with the effort of ruckman Stephen Doyle, who returned from a serious knee injury, and at least provided a contest in the ruck and some much needed relief for Adam Goodes. But with Port Adelaide boasting a powerful attack and a dynamic midfield, the Swans will need more than just earnest efforts.
This season, however, things keep falling their way.
