Sydney young gun Chad Warner has addressed the comments "smug" and "chirpy" made by GWS' Sam Taylor in the lead-up to the Sydney Derby.
Beginning in 2012 (Giants' inaugural year), the 'Battle of the Bridge' has seen some of the toughest contests in recent seasons and will be watched closely on Saturday as the 27th edition descends onto the SCG.
On Monday, All-Australian defender Taylor called out his cross-town rivals as being vocal during a pre-season game and felt a sense of arrogance among the second-placed side.
When probed on Wednesday, Warner dismissed any ill feeling towards the comments, saying it's a "part of the game".
"I wouldn't say any more (chirpy) than other teams. I think most teams in derbies and rivalries can get a bit like that," Warner said.
"It's also part of the game and it's why we love playing AFL.
"We'll have to see what 'Horse' (coach John Longmire) thinks, we'll go in tomorrow, and he'll have a few game plans and things to run through and that might be one, you never know," Warner said.
"He's earned his spot in the League and he's an established player. He can say what he wants.
"The Giants are a great team who have earned that right, and I can't wait to see on Saturday what happens."
Taylor's teammate Connor Idun said he's always looked forward to the derby but downplayed the swipe at the Swans.
"There's obviously a rivalry. We love the derbies," Idun said.
"The smug stuff, that's come from 'Slammers' (Taylor) mouth and he's not too good with his words so don't read into that too much."
Idun was confident that Taylor, along with captain Toby Greene (suspension) and Stephen Coniglio will be raring to go despite some time on the sidelines recently.
"They'll train tomorrow and we'll see how they get through but I think they're feeling pretty good, they're pretty confident," Idun said.
Sydney are likely to welcome back five-time Brett Kirk medallist Luke Park for his first outing of the season after coming through the VFL last weekend.
Parker was clearly a cut above in the reserves, gathering 34 disposals, six tackles and five clearances, forcing coach John Longmire's hand.
With the Swans coming off a shorter turnaround than the Giants, Longmire could swing the magnets around to ensure his players are prepared for Saturday's contest, as Warner downplayed the disadvantage.
"If you let it affect you it probably will but we get on top of our recovery as much as we can, we've got the right people in place. We've put a lot of work into that and I don't think it'll affect us at all," Warner said.
"The derby is probably at the top of his (Parker) list in his career,"
"He'll probably do a few fitness tests this week and 'horse' (Longmire) will have a few tough decisions on his hands.
"It'll be great if he could play."
The ball is set to bounce at 1:45 pm (AEST) at the SCG for the 27th derby between Sydney and GWS.
