by woodublieve12 » Thu Apr 19, 2018 9:09 am
Longmire not buying into Walker criticism
ADELAIDE captain Taylor Walker and his Crows have copped a wave of criticism over last week's disappointing loss to Collingwood, but their round five opponents Sydney are preparing for a totally different side ahead of their Friday night clash at the SCG.
Walker kicked two goals from 13 possessions against the Magpies but struggled to have an influence on the match, in which the home side suffered a shock 48-point defeat.
The skipper's effort level and competitiveness has been questioned in certain parts of the media, but Swans coach John Longmire said he hasn't given Walker's poor round four reviews a single thought.
"He's a quality AFL captain, he led them to a Grand Final last year," he said.
"He's a quality player, they're all quality players at the Adelaide footy club and he's a very good captain.
"It won't be easy, and the challenges keep presenting themselves every week.
"We need to be on top of our game and as sharp as we can possibly be, because you can't let your guard down (against any opposition)."
Longmire said the sharp focus has been put on Adelaide's loss, but little credit has been given to the Pies for their outstanding win on the road.
He pointed to the Crows' round two performance when they smashed reigning premier Richmond by 36 points and said his side will concentrate their energy on encountering that type of intensity from Don Pyke's men.
"Collingwood had to play really well to win and had a fantastic four-quarter performance, but we'll look at what Adelaide do at their best," he said.
"We watched them against the Tigers a couple of weeks ago and saw what they did then.
"Sometimes you have an off day but there's an opposition that has a say in how you go, and that tends to get lost a bit sometimes as well.
"We know that Adelaide are a gun football team, they played a Grand Final last year and had the season they had, and the football they played two weeks ago was 'A' grade."
"Fellas, it’s OK to be in pain. It’s OK to hurt. It’s OK to be sad. It’s no longer OK to suffer in silence."
