Who will the Swans meet in Week 1?
By Michael DiFabrizio
Round 23 is set to bring the AFL home and away season to close, so now attention is turning to working out who – and where – the Sydney Swans will be playing in the first week of finals.
A top three spot is now guaranteed, but the exact details of the qualifying finals are far from sorted.
The most likely scenarios have the Swans meeting Adelaide, either home or away, however there are three games this weekend that can affect the Swans’ fixture.
Sydney’s game with Geelong, Hawthorn’s game with the West Coast Eagles and Adelaide’s game with the Gold Coast Suns will each shape the top four.
So let’s run through the possibilities, ranked from most likely to least likely.
Swans win, Hawks win
If both these clubs get up then Sydney are guaranteed to finish second and will host Adelaide in the first week of finals. Even if the Crows lose to the Suns, which can be considered highly unlikely, percentage will keep them in third.
Swans lose, Hawks win
Once again, this situation would see the Swans play the Crows no matter what. The only question is who hosts the game. Adelaide just need to beat Gold Coast to finish second and have home ground advantage. If they don’t, it’d be in Sydney.
Swans win, Hawks lose
Here, the Sydney Swans become minor premiers. They will most likely host the West Coast Eagles in the first week of finals. In the unlikely event Adelaide lose their game, then the Crows will be the opponent.
Swans lose, Hawks lose
Most likely, these results would put the Swans in third and travelling to the MCG to take on Hawthorn a week later. This is arguably the worst possible scenario, although it would mean the Swans avoid having to face the Hawks in a preliminary final. (If the upsets continue and Adelaide lose their game, then the Swans will be second and host either Adelaide or West Coast.)
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