“Looking forward to this one. GWS were more convincing last week in defeat against Sydney, arguably, than the Lions were in victory over Carlton. Then again, the Lions’ first half would probably have beaten anyone.
A big watch will be on the battle between Brandon Starcevich and Toby Greene. Starcevich is one of the hardest small defenders to get a kick on — he held Greene to just four possessions in their last encounter. If Toby can get off Starcevich’s chain, GWS might be half way home.”
Our man Jonathan Drennan has cast his eye around Engie Stadium …
“This game was trumpeted as a near sell-out at Engie Stadium, but there are still a lot of empty seats with less than five minutes to go. Hopefully, there will be a late rush in true Sydney fashion as this promises to be a compelling game between two sides desperate to stay in contention in September. There’s not long to go here after the fireworks last night in Adelaide, we’re ready for some theatre at Sydney Showgrounds.”
Our man Jonathan Drennan touches on a few of the key battles tonight:
“There are intriguing battles all over tonight in Sydney. Beyond Toby Bedford and his likely tag on Lachie Neale, Kieren Briggs has been playing through pain and the ruck battle against Oscar McInerney will set the tone for tonight. Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan caused nightmares for the Swans’ defence for much of the contest last week and will be looking to do the same to the Lions. There is plenty of belief in this Giants side, but they are facing a Lions side with every reason to believe they can build on their dominant performance against Carlton. The conditions are perfect for football, it’s 18 degrees with very little wind.”
But the Blues will hope captain and gun defender Kerryn Peterson has avoided a serious shoulder injury in the 4.5 (29) to 0.5 (5) win. In horrendous conditions in front of 2417 fans at Ikon Park, including torrential rain and hail, scoring was at a premium on Saturday. But Carlton handled the conditions far better, with a three-goal second quarter setting up their second win on the bounce.
