Preview Grand Final 2024 - Sydney Swans / South Melbourne Bloods vs Brisbane Bears/ Fitzroy Lions - The Big Dance

[McRobie]

Lot of talk of who we play on who to restrict them. The reality is the Lions would be stressing hardcore how they are going to control Heeney, Lizard, Gulden, Mcinerny, Warner, Hayward etc.
Our best players are better than their best. I firmly believe our bottom 6 are better than their bottom 6.
Grundy has the potential to be most influential on the ground here, he’s going to have a second stringer who he should destroy.
Get that good start and we win. We will be fresher and that counts.

 

[Wheresbuddy]

Lot of talk of who we play on who to restrict them. The reality is the Lions would be stressing hardcore how they are going to control Heeney, Lizard, Gulden, Mcinerny, Warner, Hayward etc.
Our best players are better than their best. I firmly believe our bottom 6 are better than their bottom 6.
Grundy has the potential to be most influential on the ground here, he’s going to have a second stringer who he should destroy.
Get that good start and we win. We will be fresher and that counts.

Grundy got brownlow votes v Adelaide.

Played a second string ruck in Strachan. 31 disposals, 49 hitouts. If he does this to Fort, I'd say we would have one hand on the cup.

Also, all this talk about stop Heeney, stop us and win is BS. Gulden and Warner, amongst others, are more than capable of cutting an opposition to shreds. I hope they focus all their attention on Heeney because I think that will hand us the cup.

 

[Bonz]

Lot of talk of who we play on who to restrict them. The reality is the Lions would be stressing hardcore how they are going to control Heeney, Lizard, Gulden, Mcinerny, Warner, Hayward etc.
Our best players are better than their best. I firmly believe our bottom 6 are better than their bottom 6.
Grundy has the potential to be most influential on the ground here, he’s going to have a second stringer who he should destroy.
Get that good start and we win. We will be fresher and that counts.

Daniher, Cameron, Neale, Andrews, Rayner, McLuggage (This is before Dunkley).

Are easily the equivalent of our top 6, different players but just as good.

This GF will be decided on which group stand up on the day and who can have a couple of outsiders step up and be match winners from the next group down (Lloyd, Parker, Florent, McInerney for instance)

 

[bloodsbigot]

Our best players are better than their best. I firmly believe our bottom 6 are better than their bottom 6.

Who are our bottom 6 and who are their bottom 6?

Ours would probably be:
Melican
Amartey
Fox
Roberts
Campbell
McLean

Theirs would probably be:
I have no idea?

If someone could fill in the blanks I'd love to know myself. Feel free to correct me on the above too.

 

[bedford]

Wouldn't mind Josh Kennedy personally

I think it will be Leo Barry

 

[The King!]

Grundy got brownlow votes v Adelaide.

Played a second string ruck in Strachan. 31 disposals, 49 hitouts. If he does this to Fort, I'd say we would have one hand on the cup.

Also, all this talk about stop Heeney, stop us and win is BS. Gulden and Warner, amongst others, are more than capable of cutting an opposition to shreds. I hope they focus all their attention on Heeney because I think that will hand us the cup.

Stop Heeney sounds good too, but who do they have to do it? Big ask.

If you do curb his influence he just goes forward and Gulden and Warner can get off the leash.

 

[bedford]

Stop Heeney sounds good too, but who do they have to do it? Big ask.

If you do curb his influence he just goes forward and Gulden and Warner can get off the leash.

Your best , end of discussion lol

 

[Kernel Kurtz]

Daniher, Cameron, Neale, Andrews, Rayner, McLuggage (This is before Dunkley).

Are easily the equivalent of our top 6, different players but just as good.

This GF will be decided on which group stand up on the day and who can have a couple of outsiders step up and be match winners from the next group down (Lloyd, Parker, Florent, McInerney for instance)

Hi everyone, all the best for saturday and hopefully each team can hold their heads up no matter what the result.
I really do think it will just come down to little moments , like taking a contested mark at a crucial moment or hitting those passes getting your switches right, and kicking through the middle.
I was at yhe Granny last year and we were just a bit off , couldn't use the field as well as Collingwood did, a dropped chest mark inside 50, that was last year.
We are playing well with a brand of kick mark and throw in wraparound runs and kick , keeping possession if possible.
We're I see your team more so gut runners with the ability to run it out and go the whole distance or find a kick.
I also noticed from your prelim, your players are very mobile to make space and present and keep that flow happening.
I think it will be a nail biter tbh.
Al the best and couldn't imagine a more worthy opponent to battle with.
For years I'd dream of beating the Swannies at the Gabba only to get pissed off with a flogging. Pre Fagan days and after our glory years
Can't see that happening at all as i say it should be close , strap yourselves in.
Bit hard to concetrate on work hey.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

Long post coming in.

José Mourinho talks of four phases to football, which I think also apply to AFL: defence, transition from defence into attack, attack, and transition from attack to defence. What determines transitions is who wins contests, and the teams that best anticipate and execute on transitions generally win the day.

I reckon there are two areas where the teams will cancel each other out:

• Both teams are deadly at transitioning from defence into attack.
• Their forward line probably has the edge over our forward line, but our backline probably has the edge over their backline (especially if Mills is fit) - so these two are likely to cancel out.

I think there are 3 key areas that will determine the outcome:

• Throughout the entire game - who is most ferocious and precise at the contest (I’m a genius to identify this one I know!). I think Grundy and Fort will be key here, with swans more likely to dominate, especially as the game wears on, but Grundy better not be complacent or it might set a rot that is hard to recover from.
• In the first half - who dominates the the air in attack and defence. This will be critical for gaining ground and converting forward 50 entries when the game is structured. I think Brisbane is more likely to dominate here, but the Swans can be good in the air on their day so don’t count us out. Last week we were excellent.
• In the second half - who can best anticipate and transition from attack to defence as legs start to tire. I think who can keep up the pressure when the opposition wins turnovers will ultimately determine the outcome of the game, as both teams can score rapidly during momentum swings. I think swans are more likely run Brisbane into the ground with our fresher legs, but it will be a battle of wills and Brisbane has a lot of fight. Expect players strewn over the ground from both teams at the final siren.

I am expecting a game that is too tense for my liking. The final result may be a 2-3 goal difference but it will feel like under a kick. Could go either way but my prediction is Swans by 16.

Edit: also Rowbottom for Norm Smith with 14 tackles and 2 crucial goals.

 

[bedford]

god help us

 

[SwansLifer]

I think Adams might have a great game if he was in the team, would be totally desperate and deserving of spot.

I'm tempted.

Between Fox, Campbell, Mills and Adams there are going to be a couple of very deserving players missing out.
The club is very lucky to have the whole list fit and ready, two of the above mightily unlucky though.

Surely Campbell goes back to sub. Hopefully to reprise his impact Vs GWS.

I think he would too. I just can't see a realistic scenario where he gets a game.

Not going to drop Parker. Campbell's pressure was good last week and he won't take Fox's spot.
Can't think of anyone even close to being dropped that allows Adams to come in.