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Midway through the second quarter of Sydneys clinical defeat of Geelong, cameras panned to the somewhat incredulous figure of Andre Agassi, sitting next to the AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan. Agassi took that very moment to let out a yawn, choosing his moment of weakness a bit like the Cats had done.On another level, though, Agassi could empathise with the hosts. There had been a day 17 years ago when he was on the end of a similar hiding on a day when he had been expected to be at his best. The 1999 Wimbledon final had been billed as a showdown between a resurgent Agassi and a supposedly fading Pete Sampras. What transpired was a Sampras masterclass, leaving Agassi feeling at times like one of the spectators.I maintained my focus and intensity but I just couldnt stop him, Agassi said after. You have to weather the storm against Pete because then he can be vulnerable. Even when I was two sets down I felt like I could come back but the storm never let up. He was taking chances out there, and people think hes walking on water until he starts missing a few of those. But he didnt. So he walked on water today.Swans, of course, dont need to walk on water. But like Agassi, the Cats needed some early good fortune if they were to weather the storm. An early assault from the Swans had been expected, given their aggressive start against Adelaide last week and also the fact Geelong had played only one match in three weeks due to the pre-finals bye.Yet knowledge of what may be coming does not necessarily equate to an ability to deal with it. If Geelong were to take their time warming into the game, they would need to hope that the Swans did not exactly nail their early lines. Equally, they had to hope the bounce of the ball would fall their way.Instead, the match started in the sort of fashion that suggested this was Sydneys night. The Swans had early momentum, sure, but it was exacerbated by Cats errors. Then when the margin had become substantial, luck weighed in on Sydneys side also.Never was this better exemplified than when Isaac Heeney hurried a kick forward from a pack late in the first term. The margin already stood at 31 points, and Jimmy Bartel was left to look helplessly over his head as an end-over-end mongrel punt cleared him and shot through for six points. Heeney is the sort of player the game tends to roll for, being strong bodied and smart, but this was indeed outrageous fortune.From there, the Swans precision was more than enough to keep a margin between the teams, even as Geelongs high work rate and industry was epitomised as ever by the Brownlow Medal favourite, Patrick Dangerfield. The exemplar for that precision was another fledgling Swan, this time Tom Papley. His set shots at goal were so sure that Papley could be seen reeling away in celebration before the ball had even got halfway there: three times this was a galling sight for the Cats.The obvious threat after the way they played last week was theyd be dominant early and they were clearly that, Cats coach Chris Scott said. So they jumped us and no matter what we tried early we couldnt stop that. Then they were extraordinarily efficient. Their work rate at the contest was great, we didnt play well, but they force us to play poorly around the contest. They were unbelievably clean around the ball, we werent.The first few minutes they had four shots really quickly. We did adjust, the plan we went in with was executed, but even that didnt work, so that put us right behind the eight ball. The last three quarters we dominated a lot of the numbers but unfortunately some for he numbers can tend to outweigh efficiency. Its one thing to go inside 50 a lot, but the looks they were getting [at goal] compared to us didnt augur well for the way the game was going to play out.For his part, John Longmire put his sides swiftness down to an ability to act on best intentions - easier said than done. theres nothing special to it, our blokes just get themselves into a good frame of mind before the game and are really confident in the sort of footy we know we need to play, he said. And we need to play it. Its one thing knowing, another going out and doing it. Our ability to execute over the last couple of weeks with that intensity, particularly early, has been a really high standard.Much as Agassi had tried to rally in the third set against Sampras, Geelong belatedly found some direction and pressure in the third term to bring the margin back to something like manageable dimensions. These sorts of scenarios invariably draw a baying crowd into the equation, and the loudest barracking of the night was certainly for the Cats to close the gap further. However the occasions when that takes effect are memorable for a reason: they are rare.More common is what transpired for both Geelong and Agassi. The Swans steadied, drawing on their greater proficiency over the course of the night, and ultimately carried home a margin comfortable enough to cruise through most of the final term with very little sting in the game. Well-credentialed as they are, Sydney still found exhilaration in the moment: they have regenerated significantly since their last premiership in 2012, even if their last Grand Final appearance was only two years ago.The one parallel amiss from Sampras/Swans and Agassi/Cats is the fact this was not the final, but something like a Wimbledon semi. Whether Agassi will be back next week to sit alongside McLachlan is open to question. 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Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery.Everton manager Roberto Martinez faces a massive dilemma in his selection for the Merseyside derby, according to Liverpool legend Phil Thompson. The Toffees face the first of a crunch double-header when they visit Anfield on Wednesday night - live on Sky Sports 1 HD - before travelling down to Wembley to take on Manchester United in Saturdays FA Cup semi-final.Martinezs side sit in mid-table ahead of their short trip to face Jurgen Klopps in-form team, but Thommo believes the Spaniard will be wary of a further backlash in the event of a defeat - and faces a critical period in his Goodison Park tenure. Thommos Sky Bet tips Find out what Thommo is predicting for Liverpool v Everton at 22/1 here. Liverpool followed up an epic Europa League comeback against Dortmund with a Premier League victory at Bournemouth These two games are going to be the biggest calls of his Everton career, the Soccer Saturday pundit said.If he was to lose both then that would be huge, huge pressure and its a massive dilemma because theres no forgiveness when you lose a derby. Everton supporters have protested against their manager after a disappointing league season Its a difficult one for Everton because Martinez is under extreme pressure from the fans and theres local pride at stake.He might think that the FA Cup semi-final is now the most important game but this a derby game and I know a lot of Evertonians that would say theres still a lot at stake. Leighton Baines will be assessed ahead of Wednesdays showdown The Everton boss rejected suggestions he could rest stars in preparation for Wembley when he gave his pre-derby press conference and Thommo believes boosting confidence is more important for Martinez than granting players additional rest.I would play the strongest team to get a result. Even a draw would be huge boost, not just for local pride but to give them confidence going into the United game, he added. Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman are out of the Merseyside Derby but will they be fit for Evertons FA Cup semi-final? There are only half a dozen games left so I dont see why he really needs to rest players, especially given the amount of changes he made at the weekend.ddddddddddddn contrast, Thommo believes Jurgen Klopp is able to continue to rotate ahead of their Europa League semi-final next Thursday, after seeing his side win 2-1 at Bournemouth on Sunday despite making 10 changes. We look back at the Merseyside derby from March 2006 where Liverpool survived the early dismissal of Steven Gerrard to beat Everton 3-1 at Anfield It doesnt help Evertons chances that Klopp can afford to play his strongest side again and then rest them all at the weekend, Thommo said.Hes also seen the players coming in can do a job from the performance at Bournemouth, so hes got plenty of options. Also See: Klopp calls for cool heads Merseyside derby classics ' ' '