JOSH Kennedy, with his clean hands, strong hips, and clever decision-making, typifies the football played by the Sydney Swans on the whole. Instead of being limited to their weaknesses, the Swans play to their strengths.
On Saturday night at Etihad Stadium, the Swans led by as much as 32 points early in the third quarter before being trampled by St Kilda, who kicked four straight goals and looked set to run away with the game.
The visitors were smashed at the clearances, beaten in the contested possessions and were physically overridden by the Saints, who cut the lead to eight points by the final change.
The Swans, however, hit back in the last term to run out 25-point winners.
Kennedy said coach John Longmire implored his team at three-quarter time to get back to what they knew: competing hard, playing smart and controlling the game. In the third term, they had moved away from those key indicators.
"They smacked us in contested footy in the third quarter and that's what we pride ourselves on, so we just had to get back to the basics and we did that," Kennedy, 23, said.
"It was about getting it forward, controlling the tempo, and being a bit smarter with our foot skills and possession."
Kennedy gathered 20 possessions in the win - the 14th time this year he has collected 20 or more touches in a game.
He is one of the Swans' most important players, a consistent performer and clearance winner and often an unsung hero in setting up his team's attacking forays.
On Saturday, he was also one of several key Swans to step up against the Saints, with Ryan O'Keefe (four goals and 21 disposals), Adam Goodes (25 possessions), Jarrad McVeigh (26) and Rhyce Shaw (25) leading the way.
O'Keefe's final-quarter goal - when he won a free kick for wrapping up Nick Dal Santo in a tackle and then converted the set-shot from beyond 50m on the half-forward flank - was particularly important as a Swans leader making an impact when required most.
"When a player's hot you can just go to him, and 'Goodesy' has been like that and was again in the last quarter. But Ryan was fantastic and played numerous roles, so it's a really good time for our leaders to be standing up," Kennedy said.
Next Friday at the MCG, the Swans will take on Hawthorn in the second semi-final - Kennedy's former team with which he played 13 games and has an eternal family link with.
He watched the Hawks lose to Geelong on Friday, and says he knows his Swans will be in for another tough game. The Swans wouldn't have it any other way.
"On Friday night my focus was on the Saints, but having won now we know that it's going to be another big game because they're a proud club and they're going to bounce back," he said.
"We know we're going to be in for a tough contest."
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the AFL or the clubs
Follow Callum Twomey on Twitter at @Cal_Twomey
