- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Welcome to greatness. What will be ahead of Hawthorn and the Sydney Swans as they lay it all on the line for a shot at the big one. You can bet on another epic encounter in this game so join our live coverage, blog right here from 7.50pm AEST.
The big story headed into this game is the suspension of Hawthorn gun forward, Lance Franklin. Another out-of-line act from Buddy has the Hawks reeling.
But all is not lost as there is a case to be made that Hawthorn are better without Buddy. That theory will be tested tonight against the best.
The Swans welcome back their impact players Kurt Tippett, Dan Hannebery and Nick Smith who cannot be understated as massive ins for the reigning champions.
This game is a toss of the coin. The teams have been so dominant all year when at full strength that the winner or loser has a very good chance of being in the Grand Final. However, the team that wins will have much more going for them with an easier passage through.
Last week in the clash between the two sides saw the ruckmen for the Swans dominate when they got their chances, while the Hawks forward line had control up front. With Bailey back in and Franklin out that evens the scales somewhat but we know this game will be entirely different from last week.
A match up everyone should be excited to see is the powerful Kurt Tippett against the wise old head of Brian Lake.
Last week, Lake looked very lost at times so perhaps the big body of Tippett will give him a bit more direction. Let’s not forget that Kurt Tippett almost single handedly kicked the Hawks out of the finals last season with a huge prelim.
The last point I would like to make is the Ryan O’Keefe vs Sam Mitchell matchup.
This is the most likely biggest influencing factor on the game. Last week O’Keefe towelled up Mitchell for three quarters before Mitchell put on his big boy shoes and helped the Hawks to victory.
My prediction is a tight one, that goes right to the wire. It may even be a draw and then I’m on the Swans in overtime!
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.