DESPITE all the hype surrounding the Sydney Swans during pre-season, one potential deficiency has been overlooked: the ruck.
It cannot be ignored any longer.
On Saturday, Greater Western Sydney dominated the hit-outs 58-37, with 27.6 per cent of them to advantage. It won 65 first possessions to the Swans' 40 and 55 clearances to the Swans' 37.
It dominated to such an extent that the Giants scored 9.4 (58) from clearances as opposed to the Swans' 4.2 (26).
Too much is being left at the moment to one of the game's most improved players: Mike Pyke.
And until Kurt Tippett returns from injury – he is listed as being four weeks away – a solution is not obvious.
The club recruited rookie Tom Derickx from Richmond and he shapes as a possible back-up, while Toby Nankervis and Sam Naismith are young prospects that need time.
Shane Mumford, who crossed to the Giants during the off-season, is likely to prove a big loss.
On Saturday, Pyke battled manfully in the ruck against his former teammate and partner-in-crime in the 2012 flag, Mumford.
However he had to play 97 per cent of the game – as opposed to Mumford's 86 per cent – and was unable to have as much influence late as he had early in the game.
Pyke averaged 107 minutes per game in 2013, so he is tough and fit but having one ruckman operating without support makes the Swans vulnerable.
Particularly when premiership contenders Fremantle and Hawthorn have such strong big men stocks.
On Saturday, with Lewis Roberts-Thomson suffering a groin injury which forced him off at three-quarter time, the Swans had to turn to Sam Reid to contest boundary throw-ins deep in defence while Pyke took a breather on the ground.
The Giants were smart enough to maximise the advantage and posted Jonathan Giles, who is a genuine ruckman, inside the forward 50 late in the game.
Giles not only contested boundary throw-ins, one of which resulted in the Stephen Coniglio goal that levelled scores with eight minutes remaining, he contested hard across half-forward and used his bulk to scrounge the ball forward several times.
In the final three quarters, Pyke had to contest every centre bounce after Roberts-Thomson struggled in the unfamiliar role in the first quarter.
By midway through the second term, the Giants' midfielders, led by skipper Callan Ward, were getting their hands on the ball and the tide was beginning to turn.
The Swans have been the stoppage kings for so long but on Saturday that dominance was challenged.
They can't afford to be without Tippett for long and will be in diabolical trouble if Pyke goes down.
Stats supplied by Champion Data
