While Oscar McInerney’s absence means Brisbane must change their stoppage strategy, they are supremely confident in Darcy Fort ahead of the AFL grand final.
There is much talk about how the loss of McInerney will give Sydney an edge, given their No.1 ruckman Brodie Grundy is in strong form.
Darcy Fort of the Lions trains on Friday.Credit: Getty Images
But the Swans are wary of an MCG ambush on Saturday, with assistant coach Dean Cox and Grundy this week doing a lot of research on Fort.
Certainly the Lions have faith in Fort, who last played AFL in round seven and has 35 games across five seasons at Geelong and the Lions.
He returns to the team after McInerney suffered two shoulder dislocations in the preliminary final win over Geelong – the only change for either team.
“Obviously I’m super-disappointed for ‘O’, you guys all know how much he means to the footy club and how well regarded he is throughout the boys,” teammate Cam Rayner said on Friday.
“But for Forty to come in and get the opportunity, I feel like every year you talk about people saying that ‘you never know what could happen, there could be an injury’ – well this is the perfect example.
“He’s been preparing himself for this the whole time so I’m pretty confident he’s ready to go.”
Asked if the change of ruckman will change their midfield dynamic, Hugh McCluggage said “oh, it definitely changes” ... but only so much.
“Each game we go in knowing that you don’t actually get a whole lot of clean hits or easy exits from stoppage. A lot of the time it’s a 50-50 ball in there,” McCluggage said.
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“So we’re just gonna make sure Forty fights his hardest and creates a contest, which we know he will.
“So I don’t think too much will change. It’s gonna be a little bit different, but we’re confident he can do what he needs to do.”
Cox, who was West Coast’s No.1 ruck in their 2006 premiership, is having nothing of the narrative that McInerney’s absence automatically means a big advantage for the Swans.
“A lot of people certainly look at that, but what Darcy has done for a number of years on an AFL list, I’ve looked at him really heavily, certainly this week,” Cox said.
“Brodie is aware of the mindset he needs to go in with and hopefully it all goes to plan.”
Grundy has enjoyed a resurgence this season since joining Sydney from Melbourne and has relished working with Cox.
“He’s been a pleasure to work with ... his attention to detail, how much he wants to learn and how curious he is with that,” Cox said of Grundy.
“That’s really appealing from a coach’s perspective.
“He’s changed the way we play and hopefully he can have a really big impact come Saturday.”
The Lions have asked permission for McInerney to sit on the bench for the grand final, with injured Sydney captain Callum Mills likely to do the same for them.
AAP
