Published: 7:53AM Wednesday April 24, 2013 Source: Fairfax
Sydney superstar Adam Goodes says Wellington fans can expect the Swans to play with an All Blacks-like intensity and physicality tomorrow night.
Dubbed the 'Bloods', Sydney won last year's premiership thanks to a team-first philosophy and camaraderie that is second to none within today's AFL.
"I think if people are coming to watch the Swannies play for the first time and you've never seen us or you didn't see the grand final last year, we like to play our game like the All Blacks," said Goodes, the 33-year-old with two premierships and two Brownlow Medals to his name.
"Hard and tough and we play the full . . . in our game it's 120 minutes. We don't hold back and it's all about the tackle and the one-on-one contests."
Goodes further cemented his place in Swans folklore when he stayed on the MCG in last year's grand final despite rupturing a posterior cruciate ligament in one knee.
But despite that bravery, Goodes wasn't keen on the idea of any All Blacks following the example of Canada's Mike Pyke and converting to AFL.
"I don't want any of those blokes coming to tackle us, I'll tell you that right now. It's one thing that scares me, to be quite honest, is to have one of those boys tackle me. But we're not over here to poach players or anything like that, we're just trying to share our great game that we love in Australia and play so proudly."
Goodes joked that Swans team-mate Pyke was still dining out on the intercept try he scored against the All Blacks in 2007.
"He still shows it, every time we go into team meetings there's always YouTube footage just playing in the background. He's pretty proud."
Goodes also said he would be picking the brain of friend and Phoenix captain Andrew Durante when it came to judging the Wellington wind.
"I'll look to Andrew to tell us what to do from each pocket when we're kicking for goal here, when the wind's up. A bit of local knowledge might help us."
The TAB have installed the fifth-placed Swans as $1.20 favourites but Goodes dismissed a suggestion that struggling St Kilda were vulnerable.
"If anything they're going to have their backs against the wall, they're going to be coming over here biting and scratching because they have only won one game."
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