Senior coach Dean Cox has made no changes to his 22 ahead of a Friday night clash at Gather Round, with the Sydney Swans set to play Collingwood at Adelaide Oval.
The side will be without Lewis Melican and Harry Cunningham who were both tests to play after coming back from injury. Cox telling Sydney Swans Media that he is taking a cautious approach with athletes returning to play.
"I've said all the way along that I want to make sure the players are ready when they come back to play for a sustained period and not just get them back as quickly as possible," the senior coach said.
In the light of early season injuries the likes of 2024 draftees Tom Hanily and Riley Bice will get another run after strong performances respectively.
19-year-old Hanily has kicked four goals from four AFL appearances while mature recruit Bice finished Round 4 with 26 disposals and 15 marks.
The Round 5 blockbuster comes after an emphatic 65-point win over North Melbourne last Saturday. The red and white will be looking to make their way into the top eight after recording a 2-2 start to the 2025 season. Cox says he's expecting a tough hit out against Magpies.
"You know, defensively, they're the top two or three in the competition," Cox said.
"They're a really experienced team and get the chance to play Friday night footy in front of a massive crowd away from home."
"They're a really front half team, so we're going to make sure that we're composed out of our back half and can try and get some ascendancy when we go forward."
The last time the two sides met was in Round 22 of the 2024 season with the Swans kicking a goal late in the last quarter to secure the thrilling win by just three points.
The Swans will run out onto Adelaide Oval in a striking all-white kit, after donating the red from their guernseys to highlight the need for blood donations. Learn more about the initiative, here.
The sold out match will take place from 7:10pm local time (7:40pm AEST). Tune in via Channel 7, Kayo and Fox Footy from 7:30pm AEST.
