Challenge immense, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE: Sydney defender Ted Richards knows all too well the challenge facing the AFL’s reigning premiers is immense, but not impossible. Having slumped to a 54-point loss to Hawthorn in Friday night’s qualifying final, the Swans must take the long road if they’re to return to the last Saturday in September. Since the league dumped the McIntyre finals system in 2000, only three sides have made grand finals after suffering a first-up finals loss. “I’m aware of that. I think the Eagles in 2006 might have been the last team to have done it,” Richards said, recalling his first year at the Swans in which West Coast bounced back from a qualifying final loss to Sydney and rolled the reigning premiers in the grand final by one point. “So it’s not impossible. “But we’re not getting ahead of ourselves. We’re just focusing on this week.” Richards said there was no obvious reason why the game slipped from Sydney’s grasp in such stark fashion after the two sides were locked 4.7 (31) a piece at halftime. There were a few glum red-and-white figures at Sydney Airport on Saturday, with Richards noting it was important his teammates stay positive ahead of a home semi-final against Carlton on Saturday night. “We’re going to review it (the loss) on Monday and hopefully turn it around,” he said. “We’ve got to quickly turn our attention to this week. Initially you’re really disappointed at the opportunity missed, but the reality is we have that double chance.” Veteran Adam Goodes will test out his knee on Sunday, with the dual Brownlow medallist hoping to play his first match since the Swans’ round-13 clash with Port Adelaide on June 13. “It would mean a lot because of what he’s capable of, who he is and his standing within the group,” Richards said of Goodes’ potential return. “But we’re not in a situation where we think of Goodesy as the saviour.”
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 17:21:10 +0000
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