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Famously resilient Sydney AFL captain Josh Kennedy is firming to play against Gold Coast next Saturday.
Midfielder Kennedy was forced off the field with back spasms in the second quarter of Sunday’s win over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
Early on Tuesday, Sydney coach John Longmire noted his skipper hadn’t missed a game when he suffered a similar issue once before.
Swans head of football Tom Harley said Kennedy was far more mobile on Tuesday than he had been on Monday and expected him to be better still on Wednesday.
“We’re expecting him to play,” Harley said.
Despite copping a weekly battering from elite midfielders at rival clubs in the game’s engine room, Kennedy has never played less than 21 games in any of his eight previous season with Sydney.
While veteran defender Heath Grundy could be back after being managed last week, the Swans are unlikely to add much more experience to the youthful side that vanquished the Kangaroos.
Midfield-forward Kieren Jack is likely to miss a second straight game with a medial ligament strain.
With the exception of superstar Lance Franklin, Sydney fielded a very young forward line last week, with five players aged between 18 and 22.
“He (Franklin) was almost the teacher in the creche in the forward 50,” Longmire joked.
Down back, Irishman Colin O’Riordan preformed admirably on his senior debut in replacing Jarrad McVeigh, a player with 314 games of experience.
“He (O’Riordan) provided some real run, McVeigh was out, that was essentially the role that he provided for us on the weekend,” Longmire said.