Sydney coach John Longmire has compared the Hawthorn team his side will face on Saturday to the all-conquering Brisbane triple AFL-title winning outfit.
The Swans and Hawks, who have clashed in two of the past three grand finals, are running third and fourth respectively going into Saturday’s ANZ Stadium blockbuster.
“We’re looking at a team this week that has won the last two premierships and beat the team that is on top of the ladder by 72 points without Jarryd Roughead,” Longmire said on Wednesday.
“This is a team that is comparable to Brisbane in the early 2000s, maybe even North Melbourne in the 1990s.”
Longmire expects his veteran fullback Ted Richards to play on Saturday after he missed last week’s win over Brisbane because of concussion.