We Can Still Win Without Bazza, Says Mate
Sun Herald
Sunday September 18, 2005
BRETT Kirk, the man most likely to captain Sydney in the grand final if Barry Hall is suspended, believes the Swans have enough firepower to win the premiership regardless of the fate of their big full-forward.
Kirk offered no opinion on what the outcome of Hall's controversial clash with St Kilda defender Matt Maguire would be. But he said the club's improvement had been due to the development of a group all capable of taking a leading role and no single player would control their destiny on Saturday."Davo [Nick Davis] kicked four in the last quarter [last week], Schneids [Adam Schneider] has kicked three tonight," Kirk said on Friday night. "We've got plenty of guys that keep stepping up."While Kirk was naturally hopeful Hall would be cleared, the bullocking midfielder demonstrated his own leadership credentials yet again on Friday night with his third courageous finals series performance.Kirk left the field in the first quarter with blood streaming down his face, the consequence of an accidental knee in the head from teammate Luke Ablett. He returned with the injury heavily bandaged and, wearing a helmet for protection, continued to hurl himself into the contest until the very end."When you win like that you just don't feel any pain at all," he said of his injury. "They [his teammates] put their heart and soul on the line for each other. It's just an unbelievable feeling."Kirk said that the strong leadership within the club had made it simply unacceptable for any Swans player to buckle, even on a night when they seemed set to be overrun by a star-studded St Kilda team playing on fresher legs. "We just keep demanding it from each other to keep stepping up to the plate," he said. "We just kept playing for each other and playing from minute one to minute 120, which is what we have been doing."All season the Swans have talked about the influence of their leadership group and how they have been empowered by coach Paul Roos, whose leadership has been a significant factor. "He's fantastic," Kirk said. "You want players to play for the coach and that's what we've got."Throughout the season, Roos has deflected most of the accolades to his players. But he allowed himself a very small moment of self-satisfaction in reaching his second grand final in more than 20 years as player and coach. "When I'm sitting there [after the game] having an ouzo and coke with my wife I might pat myself on the back for about 20 seconds, then move on after that," he said.
© 2005 Sun Herald