If Sydney Swans coach John Longmire wants to keep his unbeaten team on their toes, he might want to refer them to the record books, as they prepare to face the team they have their worst AFL winning percentage against.
On Saturday, the 5-0 Swans face a SCG assignment against Adelaide, who have compiled an almost equally-impressive 4-1 record following their NAB Cup triumph.
Sydney’s all-time winning percentage of 32.26 against the Crows is their lowest against any club.
They have lost seven of their past eight and won just two out of the past 13 clashes with the Crows.
Adelaide have won their past three SCG encounters and haven’t lost at the historic ground since the 2004 season.
Sydney midfielder Luke Parker denied Adelaide were a bogey team for his club.
“Not really. I guess you can’t look at any team any different, whether it’s a team coming 16th or top of the ladder,” Parker told reporters on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old emerging star revealed a big pre-season had been the spark behind the outstanding form of the Swans’ midfield this year.
“The main thing we focused on was that we got a lot of big tanks in there in the engine room,” Parker said.
“We wanted to get a big fitness base up so we could match it with the best midfields in the competition.”
Parker felt Sydney’s mixture of inside ball winners and outside speedsters meant they could match the elite on-ball brigades around the league.
“When we’re all working together and playing to our structures and playing to our role, I think we can match it with any midfield,” Parker said.
Parker has been hailed as one of the rising young midfielders of the competition and has racked up more than 20 touches in his past three games.
He’s remaining level-headed despite the plethora of praise fired in his direction.
“At the moment, I’m sitting OK and playing some alright football, so hopefully I can just keep that going,” Parker said.
He suffered a hairline fracture of the jaw in the opening round against Greater Western Sydney, but didn’t miss a game.
“I think it’s got a lot better each week. It copped a few little knocks but it’s fine. It’s pretty much 100 per cent now,” Parker said.
