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McDonald misses training as Swans sweat on injured duo
Harry Potter • September 23rd, 2024 7:00 pm
Key forward Logan McDonald has missed Sydney's first training session of Grand Final week after injuring his ankle in the preliminary final win over Port Adelaide.
The Swans face a nervous wait ahead of the MCG decider against Brisbane after McDonald rolled his ankle in a marking contest in the third term on Friday night.
Sydney coach John Longmire was quietly confident McDonald would be available for the decider in the aftermath of the 36-point victory, but the forward was a notable absentee at their open session on Sunday.
McDonald was instead following a rehabilitation program in the pool at their headquarters.
The minor premiers were already sweating on the availability of Callum Mills.
The skipper prompted fears he would be sidelined for the rest of the season after he tweaked his hamstring in the aftermath of the Swans' qualifying final win over GWS.
He and Longmire have remained non-committal about his prospects of being passed fit for the Grand Final.
Should Mills be unable to prove his fitness, Robbie Fox is likely to hold his spot, with Taylor Adams on the outer after featuring in 19 matches during his first year at the Swans.
Regardless, star midfielder Chad Warner says he expects Brisbane to come out firing at the MCG on Saturday.
A repeat of the 2022 Grand Final match-up - when Geelong crushed the Swans by 81 points - had looked on the cards, only for the Lions to storm home late in the second preliminary final on Saturday evening.
"It would actually would have been good maybe to rewrite a few wrongs there, but any team I would have been happy to play against," Warner said on Sunday.
"There's players, especially in Brisbane, with a lot of experience in big games and they're going to be so hungry and going to come out firing, just like Geelong did a couple years ago too.
"They're really going to come and try and rip your head off so you've got to be ready for that."
