2024 Grand Final, vs Brisbane at MCG, Saturday 28 September, 2:30 PM

[dejavoodoo44]

Longmire has just been saying that McDonald trained really well today and that he's confident of him be playing. Which is handy, as I thought McDonald playing an excellent game on Friday, before he got injured.

Longmire was less confident of Mills playing. He said he trained pretty well, but he will have a fitness test on Wednesday and has to be 100%. Which is fair enough.

Forward set to play, call looms on Mills as Swans remember 2012 lesson - https://www.afl.com.au/news/1229233

If Mills does pass his test, I'd probably have him replacing Fox as sub, since his versatility might be quite useful and is possibly not as match fit as other players.

[The Big Cat]

Longmire has just been saying that McDonald trained really well today and that he's confident of him be playing. Which is handy, as I thought McDonald playing an excellent game on Friday, before he got injured.

Longmire was less confident of Mills playing. He said he trained pretty well, but he will have a fitness test on Wednesday and has to be 100%. Which is fair enough.

Forward set to play, call looms on Mills as Swans remember 2012 lesson - https://www.afl.com.au/news/1229233

If Mills does pass his test, I'd probably have him replacing Fox as sub, since his versatility might be quite useful and is possibly not as match fit as other players.

Horse also mentioned the other side of the coin. Ted Richards couldn't walk in Grand Final week but was still asked to play on the Budwah and did a good job. Of course ankles are different from hammies but Tom Harley did say on ABC on Sunday that Mills' string strain was very minor.

[imuninformedtwo]

My instinct is - and Horse certainly suggested in his presser - they will really try to break Mills tomorrow.

I personally thought he added a lot in the last two home and away games when he went back after getting some fitness in. His leadership and direction back there both takes some of the load off Rampe, and helps free Blakey (though I guess he will cop Ah Chee regardless this week). He was then apparently sick against GWS and judging our defence in his absence against the garbage entries from Port is irrelevant.

Having said that, I'm still to be convinced a hamstring is the injury you want to take a risk on.

[Go Swannies]

Personally, I really want Logan out there and doubtful on Mills but in Horse we trust. On Ted R, I spoke to him at the 2012 GF dinner and said "I heard you were injured so watched at the Parade and you were walking freely so I stopped worrying as I saw you get up into the car." He replied "I couldn't walk all week and could only get around on crutches. But I knew everyone would be watching so I had to look fully fit at the pre-parade. Glad I fooled you - and everyone else." And Brisbane are open that Neale is only playing through injections, and has been for weeks.

[mcs]

Personally, I really want Logan out there and doubtful on Mills but in Horse we trust. On Ted R, I spoke to him at the 2012 GF dinner and said "I heard you were injured so watched at the Parade and you were walking freely so I stopped worrying as I saw you get up into the car." He replied "I couldn't walk all week and could only get around on crutches. But I knew everyone would be watching so I had to look fully fit at the pre-parade. Glad I fooled you - and everyone else." And Brisbane are open that Neale is only playing through injections, and has been for weeks.

I can imagine Teddy saying that ha - what a champ!

[stellation]

I think there is news breaking today that could almost give me as much joy as us winning a flag: Luke Darcy has announced he will be stepping away from football commentary at the end of the season.

The sound you hear on the streets is a nationwide, collective mix of joy and weeping - knowing that the stone-cold idiocy he projected on a weekly basis will soon be banished from our world.

And our collective IQ just increased.

Good riddance.

I was so excited by this news that I immediately took to google, completely off topic but one article about general tamult in footy media included this photo of Craig Hutchinson that I was momentarily convinced was Dara O'Briain.

[KSAS]

Wonder if we will be wearing our red V strip this Saturday as our home strip clashes with Brisbane's? Normally the lower ranked team in the GF wears the away strip if there is a clash, but being our 150th year and playing in Melbourne, hoping this gets the nod! (Brisbane wears their Fitzroy like strip as they did last Saturday).

[MattW]

I think there is news breaking today that could almost give me as much joy as us winning a flag: Luke Darcy has announced he will be stepping away from football commentary at the end of the season.

The sound you hear on the streets is a nationwide, collective mix of joy and weeping - knowing that the stone-cold idiocy he projected on a weekly basis will soon be banished from our world.

And our collective IQ just increased.

Good riddance.

I've not been a fan of Darcy's commentary; however, I thought he called the end of our qualifying final really well. In particular, I thought he nailed the call of Heeney goal to tie it up: 'RIDICULOUS!'.

From 5.41: https://youtu.be/j3JucP89JMY?si=lZzQ2YGgrLSg_hL8.

[MattW]

Longmire has just been saying that McDonald trained really well today and that he's confident of him be playing. Which is handy, as I thought McDonald playing an excellent game on Friday, before he got injured.

Longmire was less confident of Mills playing. He said he trained pretty well, but he will have a fitness test on Wednesday and has to be 100%. Which is fair enough.

Forward set to play, call looms on Mills as Swans remember 2012 lesson - https://www.afl.com.au/news/1229233

If Mills does pass his test, I'd probably have him replacing Fox as sub, since his versatility might be quite useful and is possibly not as match fit as other players.

Agree all round Deja! I have been hanging out for the news on McDonald. He had a great game on Friday, demonstrating his value as a critical outlet up the wings and a target they need to account for in the F50.

[imuninformedtwo]

I've not been a fan of Darcy's commentary; however, I thought he called the end of our qualifying final really well. In particular, I thought he nailed the call of Heeney goal to tie it up: 'RIDICULOUS!'.

From 5.41: https://youtu.be/j3JucP89JMY?si=lZzQ2YGgrLSg_hL8.

He also screamed “you cannot describe what’s happening in this final” right after. Literally, that’s your job you brain dead doofus.

It’s no patch on Huddo and the Nick Davis game: “I see it but I don’t believe it.”

[MattW]

He also screamed “you cannot describe what’s happening in this final” right after. Literally, that’s your job you brain dead doofus.

It’s no patch on Huddo and the Nick Davis game: “I see it but I don’t believe it.”

It's true: that bit was not good. But the call as the play went on was excellent and better than any other call (and I sought them all out!).

[mcs]

Wonder if we will be wearing our red V strip this Saturday as our home strip clashes with Brisbane's? Normally the lower ranked team in the GF wears the away strip if there is a clash, but being our 150th year and playing in Melbourne, hoping this gets the nod! (Brisbane wears their Fitzroy like strip as they did last Saturday).

Nope we are playing in our standard home strip, as we should, and Brisbane will wear their away predominant white strip. I love our SMFC history and the big red V, but we should always be playing the grand final in our main strip (assuming we aren't the one that needs to change due to a clash).

The ladies are wearing the big Red V at Whitten Oval on Friday night however - if we aren't feeling to yuck after a day in the car we are going to head out to watch them on Friday night

[mcs]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-grand-final-2024-1899-vfl-grand-final-history-south-melbourne-vs-fitzroy-last-time-swans-played-lions-in-a-grand-final-warwick-armstrong-latest-news/news-story/5033995eda860906348299fb91dd2b0b

Fabulous article here about the 1899 Grand Final. The Fitzroy vs South Melbourne narrative being run by some in the AFL media space is a bit tiresome, but this is an interesting read. Didn't know Armstrong that went on to be Aussie cricket captain played for South either - you learn something new every day!

[KSAS]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl...8299fb91dd2b0b

Fabulous article here about the 1899 Grand Final. The Fitzroy vs South Melbourne narrative being run by some in the AFL media space is a bit tiresome, but this is an interesting read. Didn't know Armstrong that went on to be Aussie cricket captain played for South either - you learn something new every day!

The "Courage Book of Finals" was my bible as a kid. It was in my school's library, devouring it many times to learn our finals history.

"Courage" was a niche beer brand of the 1970's & remembered them being a major sponsor of North Melbourne. (Recall "North have Courage" with the beer's rooster emblem, emblazoned on the back of their tracksuit tops).

Thanks for the upload MCS. Brought back memories reading all those "Courage" book excerpts.

[SwanSand]

We really have to play a perfect game to win. Brisbane are better pound for pound. And I hope they make the right call on Mills. I think Mills seems to be confident within himself but it would be a shame if we lose a player right in the first quarter. It happened to Buddy Franklin in 2016 when he twisted his ankle in the first quarter as far as I remember, it happened to Josh Kennedy in the Elimination final against GWS when Stevie J knocked Josh Kennedy and I am sure he was concussed in that match. You cannot control what happens to fit players but you dont want to take a potential problem in the GF. Not that Sam Reid situation would have helped us by keeping him out in 2022.