Fremantle coach Ross Lyon doesn’t believe in finals magic, and he’s certainly not going to be fooled into complacency by a banged-up Sydney.
The Dockers are hot favourites to beat Sydney in Saturday night’s AFL preliminary final at Patersons Stadium.
Fremantle have few concerns on the injury front, and enter the match fresh and raring to go following a week off.
In contrast, Sydney are limping through September, with key players Adam Goodes, Kurt Tippett, Sam Reid, Rhyce Shaw and Tom Mitchell all out of action this weekend.
The Swans may be the reigning premiers, but all signs point to them losing their crown.
However, Lyon isn’t buying into talk about Sydney being on their last legs, even admitting he’s a tad nervous heading into his fourth preliminary final as a senior coach.
“Sydney were written off last week. They were (meant to be) tired and undermanned,” Lyon said on Tuesday.
“But all I saw was the reigning premier deliver a powerful performance.
“We acknowledge nerves are normal.
“When I feel a little bit nervous, what settles me down is drilling into Sydney and preparing really well. Then I can relax.
“How we’re preparing for this week is how we prepared for round one.
“We’re not looking for anything new.
“There’s no magic there. Finals aren’t magical experiences. They’re about hard work and action and preparation.”
The Swans will bank on their powerful on-ball brigade to get the job done against Fremantle.
Sydney had three midfielders named in this year’s All-Australian side, with Jarrad McVeigh, Kieren Jack and Daniel Hannebery all making the final squad.
The Dockers also boast a host of stars through the midfield, and Lyon predicts that’s where Saturday’s match will be won and lost.
“You protect your defence and give your forwards supply,” Lyon said.
“I don’t think Sydney have got too many injuries through the midfield. In actual fact, I think they’ve got none.
“It is where their strength lies. They have got a great ruck combination that matches up well against ours.
“They have shown, as we have, a great ability to adapt and improvise.”
Fremantle have only lost one match in Perth this year.
But Patersons Stadium will hold no fears for Sydney, who have won their past four clashes at the venue.
Fremantle defender Michael Johnson, who missed the qualifying win over Geelong with a calf injury, was restricted to light duties at training on Tuesday.
But Lyon is confident the All-Australian defender will be fit to play, along with Nick Suban (ankle).
The news isn’t so good for Garrick Ibbotson, who has been ruled out due to his lingering Achilles tendon injury.
Sydney will welcome back Ben McGlynn from a calf issue, while swingman Lewis Roberts-Thomson could play his first AFL match since round four after finally recovering from a knee injury.
Swans defender Ted Richards is free to play after accepting a reprimand for his high bump on Levi Casboult in last week’s win over Carlton.
