Ahead of their final home and away match of the season against the Brisbane Lions reserves, Swans reserves coach Jared Crouch has praised the performance of his side in recent weeks, especially the form of his three forward targets.

In the past three matches, Mitch Morton, Matt Spangher and Tommy Walsh have combined for 36 goals, including last weekend’s win over the Hills Eagles where they kicked 17 between them.

Crouch said the trio has developed into a potent forward combination for the Swans team.

“Morton continues to kick plenty of goals,” Crouch told sydneyswans.com.au.

“He’s starting to play more and more the style that the senior forward coach Henry Playfair wants him to play and especially on the weekend he was very good.

“Matt Spangher also continues to come back from injury and has now two full games under his belt and can put more and more pressure on guys as he gets fitter.

“Even Tommy Walsh has been in good form too, which is really pleasing.”

While only one of the three players has broken into the senior team so far this season (Tommy Walsh - two senior games), Crouch said the forwards are doing all the right things to be prepared if an opportunity presents itself as seen with Trent Dennis-Lane and Tony Armstrong during the season.

“What’s important is that the guys in the reserves are playing good enough football so if there is an injury in the senior side or if someone is a little bit out of form, that they are putting pressure on and are able to come in and play some good football,” he said.

“If John (Longmire) and Henry (Playfair) feel that maybe the senior forwards aren’t producing enough, the good thing is that we have three that are playing well together.

“It’s also not as if one of (the three) is kicking 12 (goals), we’ve probably got all three of them kicking five goals plus, which is pleasing.”

It’s not just the forward line that has impressed Crouch this season, with some of the Swans young guns in defence also standing up.

In particular, Swans rookie Campbell Heath has caught the eye of the coach following a number of quality performances in the back half for the reserves.

“(Heath) plays a very typical Swans defender role,” Crouch said.

“He’s not that tall and is in the same shape as a Leo Barry or Craig Bolton in that they always can play on players a lot bigger than themselves.

“He’s done a very good job against bigger opponents, and Jack Lynch has been down there and helping out regularly.”

One game out from the finals, the Swans reserves hold second place in the NEAFL Eastern Conference behind Queanbeyan.

Crouch said he expected the Canberra sides to be among the toughest competitors in this year’s finals’ series.

“Queanbeyan have been really good all year and are sitting on top and rightly so,” he said.

“Ainslie no doubt know how to win finals games; Eastlake have also won against some good sides - so all those Canberra sides are good football teams.”

The Swans also face a challenge heading into this year’s NEAFL finals, with the club only able to play a select number of AFL- listed players in each finals’ game.

“We are only allowed to play 12 (listed) players, which is a new challenge in itself for us,” Crouch said.

“It’s not something I’m looking forward to as a coach to have to tell five or six guys who have played all season that the rules have changed and they can’t get a game, but such is life.

“That’s just what we have to deal with and to make sure that the guys we have playing understand the responsibility they have not only to play well to get senior selection, but also to play well for the guys who aren’t getting a game.”