We bring you the latest news from the newspapers across the country relating to the Swans in the latest Swans in the media.
Rookies ready to answer call
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, March 10
ROOKIE list players Lewis Melican, Robbie Fox and Darcy Cameron are shaping as first round bolters in an injury and illness riddled Sydney Swans.
A solid performance in Sunday’s final JLT Series match against St Kilda in Albury will be all the trio will need to secure their AFL debuts in the Swans’ season opener against Port Adelaide at the SCG in 15 days after impressive performances in the previous two pre-season matches.
The Swans' depth will be tested with six players missing from the 22 that lost last season’s grand final to the Western Bulldogs.
Isaac Heeney was the latest casualty this week after being diagnosed with glandular fever. He joins former co-captain (Jarrad) McVeigh (calf), Gary Rohan (back) and Tom Papley (knee) on the sidelines. Tom Mitchell was traded to Hawthorn and Xavier Richards delisted.
Melican was very impressive (in) last week’s win over the Giants in challenging conditions at Blacktown.
Swans' training wings clipped by light rail
James Buckley
SMH, March 10
Construction of Sydney's new light rail has impacted the Swans' pre-season for a second straight year, forcing the 2016 grand finalists to narrow their Moore Park training base.
The Swans have been using a field just 101 metres wide at times this summer with the development of the $2.1 billion CBD and South East Light Rail encroaching on the western side of the multi-use Tramway Oval, which usually measures 114 metres across.
Works in the area began in 2014 and initially reduced the width of the oval to 108 metres, but the Swans have shrunk those boundaries further on occasion to allow players to run laps of the field while training is in progress.
SCG and Allianz Stadium patrons will be serviced by a Moore Park stop upon completion of the light rail project, which will transport passengers from Circular Quay to Randwick and Kensington.
Sydney will have access to their in-season training base, the Sydney Cricket Ground, late next week with the Sheffield Shield clash between NSW and South Australia being played this week, the venue's last cricketing commitment this summer.
The SCG boasts a width of 136 metres, some 35 metres more than the light rail-impeded Moore Park, while the MCG is 141 metres wide.
Across town, the GWS Giants train on Tom Wills Oval, which is about 120 metres wide. That facility is solely used by the Giants, while the Tramway Oval in the Moore Park precinct is also used by Super Rugby's NSW Waratahs and up to 450 members of the Swans Academy.
"It's never been wide but they've brought it in because of the trams, and we don't have anywhere else to train," Swans coach John Longmire told Fairfax Media.
"Would we rather have a wider ground with not as much traffic on it? In an ideal world you would have a bigger, wider ground, an AFL standard ground with facilities.
"There's nothing we can do about it so we don't think it hinders us too much, we don't think we miss out on anything.
Sydney sweating on the Aliir factor
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, March 9 
HE’S 22 and played just 13 games but defender Aliir Aliir has already become integral to the Sydney Swans’ premiership hopes.
And with players dropping like flies, the sight of a healthy Aliir is a welcome one for the Swans with the new season just 16 days away.
After an off-season hampered by injury, Aliir will most likely come in the reserves game against the Giants on Friday rather than the final JLT series match against St Kilda in Albury on Sunday.
Aliir injured his knee in the preliminary final against Geelong and then suffered a toe injury which has further restricted his recovery.
But a solid month of training has him ready for action.
Aliir’s debut season last year was sensational, with Champion Data rating him above average in intercept possession, intercept marks and disposal efficiency.
Heeney is cleared for light work
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, March 9
When you’ve just been diagnosed with glandular fever turning up to footy training would not be high on your priority list.
But after he was cleared of being contagious Swans young gun Isaac Heeney was up close and personal chatting with his teammates who clearly have confidence in the club medicos.
The Round 1 match against Port Adelaide at the SCG is still more than a fortnight away but the Newcastle product has already been ruled out.
The Swans are taking his illness seriously and treating his return to action conservatively.
Longmire says third-man up rule should stay
James Buckley
SMH, March 9
Swans coach John Longmire has urged the AFL to stick to its guns on the new third-man up rule, despite the bizarre free kick paid against Adelaide's Dean Gore on the weekend.
Longmire was a huge fan of the AFL's decision to change the rule in December, which bans a third man from challenging the ruck contest. Only a single nominated ruckman on each team is now permitted to contest a ball up or boundary throw in.
Sydney ruckman Kurt Tippett had his jaw broken in the qualifying final loss to GWS last year when Giant Callan Ward clattered into the Swans big man at the coal face of such a contest, contributing to a reworking of the rucking rules.
The change has been thrust under the microscope again this week after Gore had a free kick paid against him when a below-par boundary throw in struck him in the back before it was touched by a ruckman, leaving Crows coach Don Pyke baffled at the interpretation of the new rule.
AFL glass-ceiling smasher to lead Swans' diversity review
Sam Lane
The Age, March 9
AFL Commission glass-ceiling smasher Sam Mostyn will lead a pioneering review of Sydney's diversity values and practices, a move that stands to catalyse profound change.
Mostyn, a new director at the Swans, will chair a committee also featuring club CEO Andrew Ireland and write a "diversity action plan" with targets and teeth.
It may see Sydney deliberately overlooking men for key roles and instead promote women through quota appointments to accelerate the club's evolution.
The Swans' diversity action plan (DAP), which they say will make them league leaders in the sphere, will address four focuses:
- Advancement of women
- LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer) pride
- Multicultural inclusion
- Empowerment of people with disabilities.
ON BOARD? The AFL's progress with women on boards
. 2011: 17 women total sitting on 18 AFL club boards. "Way off base," says Colin Carter, Geelong president and ex-AFL commissioner.
. 2015: 25 women filling total of 150 club board posts (17 per cent)
. 2017: 36 women filling 155 club board positions (23 per cent)
HOW THE SYDNEY SWANS STACK UP IN 2017
Board of 10: 2 women, 8 men
Executive of 6: 2 women, 4 men
Management team of 13: 6 women, 7 men
Commercial staff of 60: 32 women, 28 men
Membership base: 35-40 per cent female
Aliir primed for breakthrough year
Adrian Warren
AAP, The Australian, March 9 
There’s something “pretty special” about young Swans defender Aliir Aliir, according to Sydney backline linchpin Heath Grundy.
Aliir played 13 games last year in his first season before a knee injury robbed him of a place in the grand final.
The 22-year-old key-position back impressed with his agility and running, playing 11 straight matches and effectively replacing longstanding defender Ted Richards, who retired at the end of 2015.
Aliir hasn’t played in the preseason because of a toe injury but is likely to get a run this week in the seniors or reserves.
“He made huge inroads last year — he was fantastic for us,” Grundy said. “He’s been back training for a few weeks now and he’s shown his ability in certain drills that he’s capable of being a pretty special player. We expect him to keep improving.”
