Plan to stop Dane SwanJon Anderson | August 15, 2009
PROLIFIC Collingwood midfielder Dane Swan can expect to become better acquainted with Tiger tagger Daniel Jackson tonight at the MCG.
Both are in career-defining seasons at AFL level, Swan as a Brownlow Medal favourite and Jackson as one of the competition's premiers run-with players.
Swan has been a gun for three years, winning a Copeland Trophy last season, but now he is alongside Chris Judd and Gary Ablett in the AFL elite when it comes to midfielders.
Jackson's CV isn't so glamorous -- a bit-part player over the past five seasons before cementing a role in Richmond's midfield to the point where he is favourite to win the Jack Dyer medal for club best-and-fairest.
Tiger coach Jade Rawlings admitted yesterday to being bemused that Swan regularly finds so much space.
"He's proven to be untaggable so far. We've got a plan in place about how we will handle the Collingwood midfield full stop," Rawlings said.
That plan may also include terrier Jake King making himself known to Alan Didak in an attempt to get the Magpie "in", just as Hawthorn's Ben McGlynn did in Round 16.
As for Rawlings, his chances of retaining the Richmond coaching job next year may well depend on the next three weeks against Collingwood, Hawthorn and West Coast.
He has another meeting with the Richmond coaching committee next week and is comfortable in what he has delivered to date.
"I've loved seeing the players improve as a group, someone like Tom Hislop.
"As far as coaching goes, making decisions, going through these procedures (press conferences) I have enjoyed it.
"The club couldn't have been more thorough in their process and they won't get drawn into media speculation. They have been very clear about how they are going about it."
As for producing a performance against Collingwood that will help his own chances, Rawlings said it is about the team.
"Over the past couple of weeks I have been disappointed in the lack of consistency in our effort.
"We had a de-brief on Monday and the attitude has been good on the track, but it will need to be against the second-best team in the comp as it sits at the moment."
As history proves over the past decade, the coach that comes in mid-year is in the driver's seat, given more are retained than not. But an old-fashioned drubbing at the hands of Collingwood is not what Rawlings requires.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25931233-19742,00.html
