Good morning everyone and welcome to another superb, sunny day in Melbourne. Hopefully for our fellow supports north, south and west of us, the wet, winter weather has moved on and you're out and about, enjoying the gorgeous sun.
Isaac Heeney's tackle on the weekend was reviewed by the match review panel yesterday and avoided punishment.
There wasn't really much that he could do, given that Geary jumped into the air to keep his hands free and Heeney's momentum carried them both forward.
It certainly wasn't a reckless tackle and I scratched my head on the night wondering where the free kick was. Granted, the quality and level of umpiring was pretty bad throughout the match, with many head scratching worthy moments.
At one point, it looked like the only way the Saints could stay in touch was through bizarre biased umpiring, with ridiculous free kicks going the way of the visitors, while the Swans had to be practically decapitated to win any sympathy.
Not that it mattered in the end with the boys in red and white running our 7 goal winners, no doubt to the chagrin of those in the AFL that try to sway results.
John Longmire faced the press yesterday and provided an update of sorts regarding the embarrassment of riches, the conundrum of the forward line, that the selection committee is no doubt going to have to thoroughly consider.
Sam Reid hasn't quite returned to fitness and his availability this week depends on how he trains, and if there's any doubt over his fitness, he'll miss.
The Swans have been quite pragmatic in their approach to injuries since the early season rounds, and while Tippett is banging down the door in the reserves, he's hardly a poster boy for fitness either.
Most likely, Callum Sinclair will deservedly stay in the forward line against the Hawks after his barnstorming game, recording some quite absurd stats along the way. No player since Barry Hall in 2008 has managed that impact, with Wayne Carey the only other player since those stats were first recorded in 1999.
As for injuries, the Swans have a clean bill of health and will sweat on Reid and Tippett. Newman dislocated his pinky late in the game, but played out the match with the fingers strapped, while Jones suffered from illness.
It's going to be a tough selection to bring in Reid or Tippett for one of the smalls, and one can't but wonder if going tall once again is the antithesis to the Swans up-turn in form.
The Swans have won games through grinding, grit and determination, but most of all, built on solid forward half pressure. One can't help but wonder if Sam Reid or Kurt Tippett paired with Callum Sinclair compromises that.
While Callum is no slouch and often collects four or more tackles per game, he's usually doing it in ruck contests, rather than chasing opponents around the forward line.
It's a headache I'd rather the Swans selection committee have rather than myself, and if Reid doesn't make selection, I think the team should stay unchanged for the first time in almost a season.
In this weeks episode, I'm joined by Stephen Treloar from from Over the Line Sports, and 2012 premiership hero and recently retired Swan, Ted Richards.
We talk about the round that was, the Swans vs Saints game, players, Hawks preview, the Swans form and life after football for Ted.
It's another great episode, even though it clocks in at 90 minutes, it's well worth a listen to and gives provides a unique insight into a professional football organisation, and really emphasises that players are regular people as well.
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