Bradshaw opted to leave the club at the end of 2009 after he was offered to Carlton as part of a deal to lure Fevola north.
But now the man who kicked 496 goals in Lions colours is on fire for his new club, kicking 17 in his first five games.
While the respective full forwards will likely dominate the headlines, both teams’ backlines have been cruelled by injury.
Swans rock Craig Bolton could miss up to six weeks with after injuring his achillles tendon in a marking contest against West Coast’s Mark LeCras, while Lions fullback Daniel Merrett has a hamstring problem.
Both sides have shot out of the blocks and despite the Lions’ dismal loss to Melbourne last weekend, both are among five teams locked at the top of the competition on a 4-1 record.
The Lions could be bolstered with the return of Jed Adcock, Justin Sherman and Luke Power from injury.
Forward scout: Sydney Swans
2010 to date
Just like the Lions’ last opponent Melbourne, the Swans have surprised experts early in the season.
After missing the finals in 2009 and watching major goalkickers Barry Hall (Western Bulldogs) and Michael O’Loughlin (retirement) leave the club, it was expected to be a building year for the Sydneysiders. But with Bradshaw, Ben McGlynn, Shane Mumford and Mark Seaby all making immediate impacts, and the return of Irishman Tadhg Kennelly, they have burst to the top of the competition.
Although the four wins have come against lowly Adelaide, Richmond, North Melbourne and West Coast, the Swans have been exciting and had a host of avenues to goal. Since losing narrowly first-up to St Kilda, the Lions' test will show the AFL public just where they sit.
The coach
Paul Roos is undoubtedly one of the most successful and widely respected coaches in the league. Since taking over at the Swans midway through the 2002 season, he has coached 184 matches and has a winning percentage close to 60 per cent - truly remarkable.
Roos took the Swans to the 2005 premiership, but even more than that he has shown an ability to take what appears an average group of players and mould them into premiership material. Perhaps no coach does better with recycled players than Roos which ensures he stands among the truly elite in the AFL’s coaching ranks.
The gun
Adam Goodes. The dual Brownlow Medallist is not just the Swans’ best player, but still one of the best in the entire competition. Has the rare ability to play forward, back, ruck or on-ball and with equal effectiveness.
With Seaby and Mumford taking over ruck duties this season, it has freed Goodes up to move forward where his athleticism and mobility make him a difficult match-up. The 30-year-old has an outstanding record against the Lions, although Joel Patfull shut him down in the round 3 clash last season and he may just be the man for the job this weekend too.
The sleeper
Daniel Bradshaw has been one of the Lions’ gun players for more than a decade, but now they have to find a way to stop him. Bradshaw was disillusioned after being used as trade bait to lure Brendan Fevola and decided to accept an offer from the Sydney Swans.
Since heading south, the strong and quick-leading Bradshaw has settled in seamlessly, kicking 17 goals for the season and 14 in his past three games. With no Daniel Merrett, Matt Maguire might get first crack.
The bolter
He started out as purely a tagger, but Kieren Jack is now also developing a nose for the ball. While he will likely go to one of his usual targets in Simon Black or Luke Power, the Lions better watch the 22-year-old going the other way as he has shown an ability to run and kick goals with no better example than the four bounces and 50m bomb against the Eagles last week.
Strengths
While the Swans have made their name as a hard-nosed team over the years, they have added an extra element to their arsenal this season. With no Barry Hall to spear their attack towards, coach Paul Roos now has a multi-functional forward line and a raft of midfielders kicking goals.
But a lot of their best work comes from the running half back line of Rhyce Shaw, Nick Malceski and Kennelly. The Lions half forwards of Sherman, Power, Banfield and co will have to work overtime to prevent their run-and-carry.
Weaknesses
With four wins and a narrow loss to St Kilda to start their season, the Swans haven’t shown a lot of weaknesses at this stage. Bolton’s absence is a bitter blow and just how they’re going to cover both Fevola and Lions skipper Jonathan Brown will be interesting.
The Lions midfielders will be looking to bomb the ball in long and quickly on the small SCG to give their big forwards the best chance to take grabs on-out.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
