Experienced defender Martin Mattner will return to the Swans side for Sunday afternoon’s top-of-the-table clash against the West Coast Eagles at Perth’s Patersons Stadium.
Mattner was a late withdrawal from last Saturday’s win over the Brisbane Lions with groin soreness - just the second match he has missed since coming to the club in 2008 - and has recovered well during the week and will take his place in the side to face the Eagles.
“We were hopeful he was going to play for us last week, but he pulled up a bit sore from training,” Swans coach John Longmire told SwansTV in Perth.
“He’s an important player for us with his run and carry and the support he gives us in the air”
Mattner’s replacement last weekend, Nick Malceski, has held his spot in the side after an impressive performance which included a season-high 29 possessions, six inside 50s and two goal assists.
Longmire said the way Malceski grasped his opportunity as a late call-up was a testament to the 27-year-old’s preparation during his time in the reserves.
“Nick grabbed his chance with both hands last week,” Longmire said.
“He’d been in pretty good form in the reserves, which was an important thing for him, so it allowed him to, when he got his chance at senior level, to grab it and play really well, which he did.”
Tony Armstrong, who donned the green vest as the starting substitute in the win over the Lions, is the unlucky player who makes way for the returning Mattner.
Longmire said Armstrong had been impressive in five successive games in the senior side and his omission was a good sign of the competitiveness for spots in the team.
“Tony’s a bit unlucky because he has been going along quite well,” he said.
“He was a substitute last week so he didn’t get a lot of game time, but hopefully that’s a good thing that we’ve got some pressure on.”
The Eagles have a formidable record at Patersons Stadium having won their last 18 games at the venue - by an average of 46 points - since the Swans last defeated them there by 13 points in round 3 last year.
Longmire said his team is looking forward to the prospect of challenging the Eagles on their home deck.
“They’ve got a great record here, they’re a terrific team, and they’re very even. Regardless of who they’ve got in and out of the team, they’re able to still be really competitive every week, and we’ve got a lot of admiration for how they go about their footy,” he said.
“But we’re also looking forward to coming here and giving it our best shot. We won here last year, but it was a tough challenge right down to the wire - and most of the games against the Eagles are."
The final team to face the West Coast Eagles on Sunday afternoon is:
B R.Shaw, H.Grundy, A.Johnson
HB N.Smith, T.Richards, J.McVeigh
C N.Malceski, J.Bolton, L.Jetta
HF C.Bird, S.Reid, B.McGlynn
F L.Roberts-Thomson, A.Goodes, R.O'Keefe
Foll S.Mumford, J.Kennedy, K.Jack
I/C A.Everitt, D.Hannebery, M.Mattner, M.Pyke
Emg T.Armstrong, T.Dennis-Lane, T.Walsh
In: M.Mattner
Out: T.Armstrong
