Sydney Adds Hamling, Cunningham Before Port Adelaide Vs Sydney
Sydney has made two injury-related changes for port adelaide vs sydney at Adelaide Oval, with Joel Hamling and Harry Cunningham coming into the side for Round 14. The Swans are also trying to keep a run rolling after last weekend’s two-point win over St Kilda.
Hamling And Cunningham In
Dean Cox moved quickly after losing Justin McInerney and Tom McCartin. McInerney will miss 8-10 weeks after suffering a hamstring tear against St Kilda last Sunday, while McCartin will sit out again as he continues through the AFL concussion protocols after a heavy collision with Liam Ryan.
Hamling and Cunningham replace them for Saturday night’s 7:35 pm AEST clash, with the match to be shown from 7:00 pm on Channel 7, Kayo and Fox Footy. Cox said the pair had earned the chance.
“They (Hamling and Cunningham) have been unbelievable, you know, as servants of this football club and what they've given the VFL and also the playing group that when they come in, they play their role.”
Adelaide Oval Pressure Test
Hamling’s return comes after his last AFL outing in Round 6, when Sydney beat the GIANTS by 41 points. Cunningham has appeared seven times this season, and all seven games were wins for Sydney, a clean record that gives the Swans another settled option as they chase three wins in a row for the second time this year.
Port Adelaide brings a different challenge. Cox said Sydney had studied its recent close games, including the six-point win over West Coast in Perth, the 30-point home win over Geelong, and the one-point loss in the Showdown. “We've sort of gone through a fair bit of them, just in relation to a lot of their close games and especially at Adelaide Oval.”
Swans Hold Their Shape
“They have beaten Geelong by 30 points, and pushed Hawthorn, and in a Showdown lost by one point. So they're playing some really good footy.” Sydney’s coach also singled out Port Adelaide’s defensive work, saying, “Their pressure, the way they defend the ground and intercept the ball behind the play, is really important for them. So we've got to nullify that.”
The Swans go into the match having beaten St Kilda by two points at the SCG, while Port Adelaide arrived from a six-point win over West Coast in Perth. Sydney needs the replacements to hold the line in a game that already carries more weight because of the injuries, the venue and the kind of contest Cox expects under the lights in Adelaide.
