Josh Daicos ready to step into the middle if needed
Collingwood star Josh Daicos admits he could play a role in the midfield tonight.
The Magpies are missing a host of stars including Scott Pendlebury and Darcy Moore which could see him leave defence and help out in the middle if coach Craig “Fly” McRae needs him.
“Fly always talks to me about being there to play some midfield minutes but he usually likes to wait and see how the game goes,” Daicos told Kayo Sports.
Daicos said he backed the side’s younger players to step up and fill the shoes of their absent stars but he is mindful that the Swans aggressive style could hurt the Magpies.
“We played Hawthorn, Geelong and now Sydney tonight – all three teams go from attack to attack, they get the ball and are only thinking about goals,” Daicos told Kayo Sports.
“We are playing arguably the best team in the comp at that forward handball game.”
They’re hardly flying, but the Magpies are still bona fide box office
Collingwood may be 10th on the ladder and long odds to beat this Swans team, but they remain a huge draw in the Harbour City.
The rickety SCG press box has been cut in half to accommodate the journalists travelling from Melbourne, and the stadium should be sold out.
Some key match-ups to look out for tonight: Brodie Grundy played 177 games for the Pies, and he will face off against Oscar Steene. What a time for Steene to step up.
A huge out for Collingwood is skipper Darcy Moore, which will cause havoc for their defence against the returning Charlie Curnow, Joel Amartey and Tom Papley. Then Logan McDonald will be desperate to prove himself off the bench after a strong performance from Hayden McLean against North Melbourne.
The stage is set at the SCG
You go through five months of hellish humidity in Sydney for evenings like this.
It’s 20 degrees, not a breath of wind and it’s the absolutely perfect night for Marn Grook footy at the SCG.
The Sydney Swans are welcoming back some of their First Nations players tonight, including Michael O’Loughlin and Lewis Jetta.
We interviewed Malcolm Rosas Jr during the week about representing his culture at the Swans and emulating his boyhood hero Jetta. Rosas Jr epitomises this Swans team at the moment: selfless, speedy and desperate to hunt down the ball or their opponent.
Speaking of, it’s James Rowbottom’s 150th game tonight, expect him to mark it by tagging Collingwood’s Nick Daicos relentlessly.
The Swans are flying but can Collingwood clip their wings? We’ll soon find out.
Interactive: Follow your team’s path
Good evening
G’day everyone. Welcome to our AFL live blog. I’m Roy Ward and I’ll be leading the line as we follow Sydney vs Collingwood from the SCG tonight which starts at 7.30pm AEST.
We will also have some updates on the second match which is Gold Coast Suns against Port Adelaide from Darwin which starts at 8.10pm AEST.
Enjoy the evening to come.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
