Saigon Captain, Billy Crang, is determined that the Swannies are properly prepared for the Asian Champs in another fortnight.

He’s big, he’s bad and he’s Bustlin’ Billy, the controversial captain of the south.

This morning, Billy continues the Dave O’Shea tradition of pre match previews for the Reds / Whites games. Tomorrow’s format, however, will be very different as we aim to simulate the conditions of the Asian Champs on 17 August at the Royal Polo Grounds in Thailand.

Billy explains further in his typically inimitable Crang(ky) style.

With the recent Malaysian game and the Champs lead-up, the eternal Reds Vs Whites rivalry has taken a temporary back seat but it’s set to reignite this Saturday at 2pm in Saigon.

The format will see the Reds and Whites play three games comprising 10 minute halves (same as at the Champs) with a 15 minute break between games. With no interchanges, there will be nowhere to hide. The format is designed to acclimatise the touring squad to the manic pace of Asian Champs football and, for this reason, all Champs players must be there.

Anyone who is unfortunate enough to be missing the Champs should come down to build up the intensity and help us get acclimatised to the type of football we’re going to need when we come up against the likes of the Singapore Wombats.

Key points

Format – 10 minutes halves is a brutal, uncompromising game format and every score is vital as a few goals can be nigh on impossible to bridge. The first bounces and clearances will have a huge bearing on the games so the on-ball brigade will be crucial in deciding these games.

Selection – This is another session where guys will be putting their hands up for selection in the starting line-ups at the Champs. With a strong touring party already, the competition will be at an all time high. The leadership group have made it very clear that the Champs is no place for sentimental game time and they will be ruthless in selecting the squad with the best chance of taking down the other teams from Asia. The format in Pattaya means there’s no room for ‘easy’ games and all games will count towards finals calculations.

Fitness – A lot of guys have been making noise about putting in the extra work ahead of the Champs and, two weeks out will be the time to show it. Will it pay off and how will these guys take their new found fitness into the competitive format?

The bitter rivalry – As i mentioned before, the rivalry has taken a back seat with the string of farewells and Malaysian Warriors game but there is absolutely no love lost when the Reds and Whites hit the field. Captains Nicko and Billy actively despise their local opponents and these become messy before including multiple sin binnings.

If Umpire Rocket feels the temperature rising, he will stamp his authority on the game which we all know can have devastating consequences.

Another big weekend of footy coming up in the ‘Gon!