No Buddy, no Cyril, but Hawthorn still have plenty of offensive threats to test Sydney’s stingy defence, according to Swans’ lockdown expert Nick Smith.
Saturday’s MCG clash between top of the table Sydney and third-placed Hawthorn looms as a classic AFL contest between the irresistible force of the Hawks’ offence and the immovability of the Swans’ resolute defence.
The Swans have conceded an average of 67 points a game this season, the lowest in the competition and 10 points less than they did across the home and way rounds last year.
All this with a defence which Smith cheerfully admits was constructed around a nucleus of players who emerged from obscurity at their previous club.
Conversely, Hawthorn boast the most potent attack, averaging a league-leading 114 points per game.
Lance Franklin’s switch from Hawthorn to Sydney has had surprisingly little impact on the offensive output of the two clubs.
Hawthorn also averaged 114 per match, in last year’s home and away campaign.
Sydney have actually gone down from 102 to 96 per game despite Franklin booting 47 goals, over two-and-a-half times more than the next highest Swan and more than any of their players managed for the whole 2013 season.
Franklin apart, Hawthorn are also without another attacking talisman in the injured Cyril Rioli, who Smith usually marks.
Smith emphasised the reigning premiers still had plenty of weapons, with Luke Breust on 42 goals for the year and Jarryd Roughead and Jack Gunston each on 40.
“That’s one of their strengths, the Hawthorn forward line,” Smith said on Thursday.
“They’ve got plenty of guys around there. Obviously Cyril is an awesome player, but even without him, they’ve got some really good players down there.
“Breust is down, there, Gunston….(Paul) Puopolo, so they’ve got no shortage of good forwards.”
Smith stressed Sydney’s excellent defensive record owed as much to their around the ground pressure as their back six.
“We get a lot of help from our mids as well, there’s no doubt about that,” Smith said.
“But we’ve just got some guys who contribute every week and they come from obscurity a bit.
“As in Ted Richards came from another club, so did Rhyce Shaw, so did Jeremy Laidler and then we’ve got a couple of guys off the rookie list.
“But we seem to band really well together and feel pretty comfortable playing with each other.”
Arguably the best small defender in the competition, Smith is a strong contender for All-Australian selection in what has been possibly the standout year of his career.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
This is an intriguing clash. I like Sydney not buying into needing a loss. They have a big chance to land a massive psychological blow, not only to Hawthorn but the rest of the comp. I've never known a Hawthorn side not to be convinced of their superiority. And this lot is no exception with the added bonus of being extremely talented, as reigning premiers tend to be. Anything can happen with two great sides but I reckon Sydney are a fraction harder and will knock them over by 3 or 4 goals.
MomentbyMoment
Guest
It's a long year - we said the same for the original Hawks game, and Port and Geelong. That said, I agree. It is a big test for both teams and there will be a number of twists and turns before the final siren.
AB
Guest
Should be a cracking game. Had Gibson not been returning, I would've given the edge to Sydney - very hard to keep Buddy, Tippett and Goodes under control without either Lake or Gibson. I still think Sydney might shade the Hawks, but I also think it's the Swans' biggest test of the year so far.
Michael huston
Guest
Sometimes when I watch a Hawks game, I think "if Sydney didn't exist, I could see myself being a Hawks supporter." Then Bruce McAvaney opens his trap. In all seriousness, the Hawthorn v Sydney clashes are always interesting because they're such different teams. Hawthorn are so offensive, and Sydney are so defensive, Sydney have an array of star midfielders, Hawthorn have just one or two core midfielders, Sydney tackle like crazy, Hawthorn don't seem to tackle at all, Hawks love to kick, Sydney love to handball and so on... Smith should be AA this year, but to be honest, you could take any one of Richards, Grundy, Smith and Malceski and throw them in the All Australian team. I think Malceski and Smith should be definite inclusions though. Nobody has run the ball off the half back and through the center this year better than Malceski, and I don't think theres any small defenders who so consistently shut down their opponents so efficiently. Really looking forward to this game. With these two teams in particular, I believe whoever wins always deserves it.