The Sydney Swans will welcome back promising duo Lewis Melican and Ryley Stoddart for a clash with GWS at Giants Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Melican and Stoddart have both enjoyed tastes of AFL footy this season, but they will bolster the club’s NEAFL outfit as the Swans chase a return to the winners’ column in the match against the Giants.
Sydney development coach Lloyd Perris said Melican and Stoddart would add plenty of strike to the team.
“It’s a pretty handy backline,” Perris told SwansTV.
“They’ll join Toby Pink and Joel Amartey back there. We just want them to be a really firm backline for us and really hold strong against quality opposition in the Giants. We’ll be looking for Lewis to come back, find some form, be really strong with his body and be really demanding with his teammates.”
The cross-city fixture will also see the club’s primary ruckman, 206-centimetre Swan Sam Naismith, log a second successive game in his comeback from an ACL rupture.
The 27-year-old played his first match since 2017 as the Swans met the Brisbane Lions last Sunday, finishing with seven disposals, 26 hit-outs and two goals in 60 minutes of game time.
Perris said Naismith would increase his workload on Saturday.
“We’re looking for him to take the next step. He’ll obviously play some more minutes and spend a bit more time in the ruck,” Perris said.
“If he can keep getting his hand to it and giving our midfield first use it’ll give us the best chance of taking the four points.”
Perris welcomed the chance for his young team to play an AFL curtain-raiser.
“We like to think that we set the scene for the senior boys to come on and follow our lead, so it is exciting for our boys,” Perris said.
“It’s also a great oval at Giants Stadium so we’ll take ownership of that and set the scene.”
Who: Sydney Swans v GWS
Where: Giants Stadium
When: Saturday, 10:30am
Round: 18
Sydney Swans team:
B: 56. C Flanagan 6. J Thurlow 53. K McKellar
HB: 16. Z Foot 43. L Melican 33. R Stoddart
C: 32. J Bell 27. J McInerney 54. N Brewer
HF: 49. C Hirst 47. T Pink 52. H Maguire
F: 58. L Parks 46. J Amartey 59. J Rayner
R: 48. M Knoll 45. S Wicks 50. S Thorne
Int: 60. Z Cameron 57. B Campbell 55. H Ellem 31. M Geddes 35. S Naismith
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