It’s hard to know how the perennial ‘there or thereabouts’ Swans will perform for 2019. Some new faces in the engine room appear likely and assessing the potential relevance for each always makes for an interesting debate.
The Saints have a fantastic early draw on paper with games against the Gold Coast, Essendon, Fremantle & Hawthorn. Is there opportunity for clever coaches to capitalise on this for a handy head start on the competition?
With JLT out of the way and just a handful of days remaining until the real thing starts, it’s time to finish off our research and start finalising our teams with confidence.
The JLT Western Derby: Rushton Park in perfect conditions. There was plenty of pressure on display early with a scrappy hard-fought encounter and plenty of contested ball. The Eagles started to assert their ascendency in the second quarter and blew Freo away with a polished display in the last half,
The Doggies took on the Saints in a battle between two teams who are hoping to climb the ladder in 2019. It was a fairly even match throughout with the Saints eventually getting up. There were plenty of fantasy relevant players in this one too so let’s dive in!
Another match played in severe heat conditions. The JLT series is an entertaining time for the fantasy community but remain aware that much of what you see will prove fool’s gold! Embed from Getty Images Sydney Swans Tom Papley Enjoyed his time on the wing and became a reliable out
The Crows put on a bit of a clinic during the 2nd and 3rd quarters against the Giants as they looked to bounce back from a low 2018. The Crouch brothers, Gibbs & Sloane all played with each other for the first time as well. It amounted to a sloppy at times, possession-holding matchup.
The Suns played the Doggies up in Mackay on Sunday. The ball was a little slippery at times which caused a few dropped marks or missed pick-ups, and both teams had a lot of young guys playing.
The Battle of the Bridge was on in Blacktown, with Buddy, McVeigh, Grundy, JKelly, Hopper, Greene and Haynes all missing the action. For the majority of the game GWS controlled the game with precise kicking and plenty of polish and looked good with their ball movement, but this was JLT-1, so we need to be careful.
Take everything with a grain of salt in the preseason. Take it with two when you’re playing in 39 degrees.