Dean Cox weighs all four options for Round 10 selection

dean cox said Sydney will wait until after training to decide whether all four forward-line options go into Round 10. Charlie Curnow and Jai Serong were ruled out by a medical decision, leaving the Swans to sort through three available options for the Collingwood clash.

Round 10 selection call

Cox was direct about the forward line on Wednesday afternoon. The club, he said, would not play all four at the minute and would settle on the best format after training.

"Oh, I won't say never play all four. At the minute we won't. We'll have to make a decision after training about what the best format looks like with three of those. We'll have a discussion, wait for training and hopefully everyone gets through and then make the decision from there."

He also said he would be open with the players later in the day if they missed out. "You want competition for spots. All I can do is be really open and honest with the players about why they're in or why they're not playing, and that's what I'll do later on today with some players if they don't make it."

Charlie Curnow and Jai Serong

Curnow and Serong were made unavailable by what Cox called a medical decision, with the hope they would return quickly. He said the absence was hoped to be only for one week.

"These ones are a bit more cautious. One thing we don't want to do is flirt with form for individuals and also the team, and that was a decision medically to make them unavailable and to get them back as quickly as we can, and hopefully that was only the one week."

That leaves Sydney managing a tighter selection squeeze in a week when the forward line already carried pressure. James Rowbottom's 150th career game also sat within the build-up, but Cox kept the focus on getting the structure right before team submissions were locked in after training.

Sydney and Collingwood

The matchup itself adds weight to the call. Cox described Collingwood as a very experienced football team that had played a lot of footy together, and said they were the third best defence.

"I don't look into that. You know, one thing I try and prepare our players for every week is the opposition team at their best. No matter what personnel is out there, they are a very experienced football team that have played a lot of footy together."

"I think they're the third best defence. So they've always been up for the fight and they always will be. And we've had some great battles with them, certainly here at the SCG. We prepare for that 23 to play their best and their team to play their best. That would be my mindset."

For Sydney, the selection call sits inside a broader push to sharpen its defensive brand. Cox said the group was being challenged to get back to the level it knows it can play, and that defensive intent had not been where it should be over the last couple of weeks.

"That's what we spoke about as part of our review. We're challenging the playing group is to get back to playing the defensive brand of football that we know we can play."

"And it doesn't matter against the opposition. We always look really closely at how they move the ball, what they do, how they set up. But we need to make sure our defensive intent is right from the outset because, as you mentioned, the last couple of weeks, it hasn't been to the level it should be."

There was also a separate update on a player who was rested halfway through the game. Cox said he was OK, but needed a couple of weeks to get his body right and perform the way the team needs. That puts the pressure back on Sydney's depth as the Round 10 team takes shape after training.

Joel and John Longmire

Cox also addressed Joel's future, saying the club wants him to stay and that his management knows it. He said the dialogue with the football club would continue until Joel signs.

On John Longmire, Cox said he had not spoken specifically about whether Longmire wants to coach again, but said he was forever indebted to him for the apprenticeship opportunity.

That leaves one clear task for Sydney on Wednesday: sort the forward line, hold the line on defensive standards, and front Collingwood with a team that matches the contest at the SCG.