Massive underdogs St Kilda are excited rather than apprehensive about the challenge of trying to stop the Sydney AFL steamroller at the SCG on Saturday.
Sydney, sandwiched between fellow pacesetters Hawthorn and Geelong on percentage at the top of the ladder, have won 14 of their past 15 games.
Saints are locked in a three-way tussle at the other end of the ladder, last on percentage below Melbourne and GWS, after losing 15 of their past 17.
With 10 players out for the remainder of the season, Saints have brought to Sydney a fairly young side with a smattering of veterans.
“There’s a real excitement about the opportunity to play against Sydney here on their own deck,” Saints coach Alan Richardson said at the SCG on Friday.
He wasn’t worried about what other people said about his team’s prospects.
“We’ve been relatively pleased with our last month. We think we’ve played better footy in that period,” Richardson said.
“Obviously, there was the really positive performance against Fremantle, another game we wouldn’t have (been given) any chance by anyone outside our footy club.
“But we just want to make sure we continue to improve and be stronger and we think if we play with that same sort of intensity then we’re a chance to win games of footy.
“We have no illusions about the task at hand, but it’s a great opportunity for this young group to be exposed to what will be a really fierce contest.”
He said Saints had to better Sydney’s intensity and win at least half of the clearances to have a chance of causing an upset.
Richardson said Luke Delaney would probably get the job on Kurt Tippett and Saints had additional experience down back in Sam Fisher and Sam Gilbert.
For Sydney, who have lost Ben McGlynn and Rhyce Shaw to injury, a loss in any of their three remaining games against teams in the lower half of the ladder could have serious consequences for their finals campaign.
“The the top two gives you the best chance, it gives you an opportunity to have home finals,” Swans defence coach John Blakey told AAP.
“You can’t afford to slip up at this time of the year.”
