The Swans may wait until game day before deciding whether injured key pair Sam Reid and Justin McInerney will play in Saturday’s grand final against Geelong at the MCG.
While excited about star veteran Lance Franklin signing on for another season, coach John Longmire was more circumspect about Reid, who has an adductor strain, and McInerney, who has foot soreness. Neither trained with the squad during Tuesday’s open session.
“We expect them to do some training tomorrow … we’ll see how they go,” Longmire told SEN radio on Wednesday morning.
Ideally, Reid and McInerney will be able to complete a closed training session at the SCG on Thursday morning before the team flies to Melbourne in the afternoon, and can be named with confidence in the team that evening.
If it becomes clear during that training session that one or both are a long way off playing then they will be ruled out for team stability.
However, if two days will make the difference between playing or not playing, then a match morning fitness test is considered a last resort.
Sam Reid was subbed off last Saturday and is unlikely to be fit for the grand final.Credit:Getty
While there is an expectation that McInerney will play, Reid is considered little chance. He was subbed off midway through Saturday’s preliminary final against Collingwood at the SCG as the Magpies made a charge from six goals down to get within a point during a dramatic finish.
Experienced sports medicine physician Dr Peter Brukner said it was “not impossible, but unlikely” that Reid would play.
“If it has been a significant tear they would have ruled him out straight away,” said Brukner, who has been team doctor for Melbourne and Collingwood, as well as national athletics, swimming, soccer, men’s hockey and cricket teams.
“Normally, you would expect a muscle tear like that to be a two- to three-week injury at least. But if it’s just a relatively minor tear or even just tightening they may have taken him off as a precaution.”
Justin McInerney did not train on Tuesday but is expected to be fit for the grand final.Credit:Getty
Reid and McInerney may have been missing from training on Tuesday, but Franklin, 35, was the man the 3000-plus fans who turned up to the open session wanted to see after announcing on Monday night that he would play on again next season.
Franklin wanted the news out early in grand final week to avoid constant speculation about whether it would be his last match.
“It’s terrific news for us,” Longmire said.
Lance Franklin was a fan favourite at training on Tuesday after announcing he would play another season. Credit:Sydney Morning Herald
“We talked about it internally – ‘Do we do it this week?’ – but he was really keen to say, ’Listen, let’s get it done and dusted, otherwise the focus might be, ‘Is it my last game?’ – and he didn’t want that to happen.
“He wanted the focus to be on the grand final. He’s just thinking about the team.”
Geelong will start favourites on Saturday following their comprehensive 71-point win over Brisbane on Friday night, the only blowout in an otherwise tight finals series.
Longmire knows beating Geelong is a formidable task.
“They’ve won 15 games in a row,” he said. “They’ve finished two games clear at the top of the ladder, and so they’re a fantastic team. They’re playing the best footy of anyone.
“So we understand it’s going to be a real challenge, but we’re confident in what we’ve been doing and our players and their ability to stick to the task. It’s going to be a great grand final.”
The Swans do have the knowledge that way back in round two they beat the Cats by 30 points at the SCG, one of just four teams to manage the feat this season.
