Senior coach John Longmire has named his squad ahead of Round 20 with the Sydney Swans set to return to the SCG this Sunday afternoon. Just five games remain of the regular season as the team clash with the Western Bulldogs for the second time this season.
The side will be without Tom Papley and Dane Rampe who sustained an ankle and calf injury respectively in last week's match against the Brisbane Lions. James Rowbottom also remains sidelined after sustaining a knock to the cheek.
Speaking to Sydney Swans Media, Longmire explained the decision.
"We discussed it during the week and went through the pros and cons of it, but in the end the doctors were pretty keen for him not to play this week, which is understandable," the senior coach share.
"We're really confident he'll be ready to go next week, which is great news."
Callum Mills will bolster the midfield as he re-enters the side for his second match after pulling up sore following Round 17. He is joined by Sam Wicks who comes into the team after several weeks in the VFL.
Veteran and fan favourite Luke Parker will play his third AFL game this season after strong performances in Round 18 and Round 19. He finished last week's match against the Brisbane Lions with 16 disposals and three tackles, also earning a Virgin Mark of the Year nomination earlier this week.
The Swans have conceded just 10 points this season however Longmire says there are several areas of the game that needs improving.
"We need to get our starts a little bit better than what we've been doing, but we've also been mindful that we did a lot right last week and it was a cracking game of football," Longmire added. "It'll need to be a cracking game of football with the SCG on Sunday."
The last time the Swans met the Dogs was in Round 11 this season when the Swans won by 14 points at Marvel Stadium. In their last outing at the SCG the Swans won by just one.
"They're a terrific team, got stars everywhere, but we got some confidence out of last week as well, the ability to be able to stick with what we needed to do when we were a couple of players down was a really good sign."
Sam Reid who announced his retirement early this week will complete a farewell lap at half time. Meanwhile Robbie Fox is set to play his 100th career game.
