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The GWS Giants and Sydney Swans will start their 2013 seasons by playing out the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ this afternoon. Join our live blog with scores and commentary from 4.40pm AEDT.
Sydney begin their premiership defence against GWS and while many may think otherwise, this should be a close match.
GWS showed a lot of fight in their debut season and will look to continue that in 2013. Their pre-season form indicates that second-year blues won’t be an issue for this club.
In fact GWS already has a victory over the Swans this year, a convincing 52-28 win in a shortened NAB Cup round one match.
Even more telling in this victory was the plus 20 inside-50 differential for GWS and a 77-56 win in contested possessions, a stat the Swans have been renowned for.
While the Swans will undoubtedly step up for the season proper, they have generally been a team that builds in to the season rather than being at their peak early on.
A late start to the pre-season following on from the grand final will exacerbate this and most likely mean Sydney won’t be at their sharpest in round one.
The addition of Kurt Tippett in the off-season will strengthen Sydney’s forward line but they will have to wait until he serves his 11-match suspension for his role in the Adelaide salary cap scandal.
If Gary Rohan can return this season in reasonable form he and Lewis Jetta may prove to be one of the most exciting duos in the league.
But the big one missing for the Swans is defender Alex Johnson. Having torn his ACL in the third round of the NAB Cup and opting for traditional surgery rather than the LARS method it’s most likely that he will be out for the year.
The Giants forward line could pose problems for the weakened Sydney defence, with Jonathon Patton and Jeremy Cameron having already shown they will be elite forwards in the AFL.
Former Carlton player Setanta O’hAilpin is in line to make a comeback from a knee reconstruction and would provide grunt in the forward line.
However Chad Cornes’ knee issues will mean a loss of crucial experience for this young GWS side.
On a positive note their backline will be strengthened if off-season experienced recruits Stephen Gilham and Bret Thornton play.
Although the number two pick in last year’s national draft Jonathan O’Rourke is set to miss this week with a hamstring injury, the Giants could unveil top pick Lachie Whitfield and the number three choice Lachie Plowman.
Even though the scoreboard suggests the Giants got smashed by the Swans in their two encounters last season, the Giants were often competitive early in quarters while fading away as their young bodies weren’t quite at the fitness levels required in the AFL.
With another pre-season under their belt, expect GWS to be even more competitive this year.
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