Swans v Giants – The Sydney Showdown

The Sydney Derby rolls around for just the second time ever this Saturday at 7.40pm.

The Swans’ confidence is sky-high after beating two top 8 teams in a row. They have unsurprisingly named an unchanged team line-up for this weekend’s match at ANZ Stadium.

Swans fans were glad to hear coach Longmire say the players recovered well from last round’s tight victory over Geelong, and were all good to go for the cross-city battle.
It was especially heartening to hear that co-captain Adam Goodes, who only just returned from injury against the Cats, has been impressive at training this week.

Longmire also expressed his faith in the two-tiered ruck combination of Shane Mumford and Mike Pyke (both retaining their spots), insisting his side have the right ruck mix.

The last time these sides met, in Round 1 of this season, the Swans secured a strong 63 point win.

Josh Kennedy played a starring role in that match. His 27 disposals and 2 goals earned him the inaugural Brett Kirk Medal for best player on the field. The Giants will need to find a way to shut down the in-form no. 12 if they’re to have a decent shot at winning.

But Kennedy and fellow Swans midfielder Kieren Jack both spoke at a press conference of how impressed they are with GWS’s growth this season and their tough ‘ultra-competitive’ style of footy.
They expect it will be a different story this time around – a harder contest against a more dangerous Giants side.

Still, the table shows that it’s second vs second last, and it is naturally the Swannies who are favourites to emerge victorious from take two of the AFL’s newest sporting rivalry.

Sydney Swans v Great Western Sydney Giants

Saturday 30 June 

ANZ Stadium 7:40pm