“They’re a dream to coach.”
Those were the words QBE Sydney Swans Academy coach Mark Drinkwater used to describe his U16s which, on Saturday, recorded their first Academy Series win against GWS for several years.
“They’re all different, there are a few characters within the group who go about it in their own way, which we like.
“But as a group they haven’t put a foot wrong.”
The U16s, having won the opening match on April 29, backed up with another strong performance at Blacktown International Sportspark over the weekend to claim bragging rights over its cross-town rivals for the first time since 2011.
Led by a staunch defence, the Swans restricted the Giants’ scoring power while applying scoreboard pressure themselves to claim a 12.14 (86) to 6.4 (40) victory.
Drinkwater couldn’t look past his team’s performance as a collective when summarising the win.
“It was another solid team performance,” he added.
“Our defence held up strong, our midfield worked hard all afternoon and our forward line was dangerous.
“It’s very hard to pick out individual players, there hasn’t been just one or two standouts, it’s been a really strong team effort which is the most pleasing aspect.”
The Swans led for most of the afternoon, Jackson Barling the pick of the goal-kickers with three majors.
Adam Schuback and James Loughnan stood tall in the back half while Nicholas Brewer, Harrison Parker and Samuel Gaden were prolific in the midfield.
The back-to-back wins were a far cry from last year’s result, the U16s winning only the third game after GWS continued their dominance in the opening two rounds.
Drinkwater says the current crop are cashing in on their continued development from within the Sydney Swans Academy system.
“The longer the boys are in the Academy, naturally, they’ll obviously improve,” he said.
“And it’s a bit like the AFL draft, some years you may get a taller draft, while other years there’ll be a throng of smalls to choose from.
“This group is just a quality group of players and I’m lucky to be coaching them. I’ve been here from the start and I’d probably say this is one of the best groups that’s come through the system.”
Drinkwater says they’ve been inspired by the U18s’ success at the recent Division 2 National Championships.
“100 per cent, we always look up to the U18s, just like they look up to the seniors,” he added. “(The U18s) set the bar high which is tremendous and I’d like to think our U15s are looking up to us.”
The Swans have the chance to record a clean sweep of the series with Game 3 scheduled for 3pm, Saturday, May 27, at BISP.
