Sydney Swans development coach Jeremy Laidler has lauded the club’s first-year charges ahead of a trip to Brisbane to face the Aspley Hornets on Saturday afternoon.
Justin McInerney, Zac Foot, Sam Wicks, Michael Knoll and Cody Hirst will all bolster the Swans at Voxson Oval in their third-last match of the home-and-away season.
McInerney, Foot and Wicks all signed with Sydney as draftees last November, with Knoll and Hirst following as mid-season rookies in May – and Laidler had high praise for the emerging Swans.
“They’re going really well. We’ve seen a shift this year with the youth coming through,” Laidler told SwansTV.
“It’s really good recognition for James Bell to get his AFL debut this week, and it’s a bit of a carrot for the first-year boys to keep pushing.
“We’ve had to throw them in the deep end, but they’re really learning and developing as the year goes on. The leadership and growth they’ve shown as first-year players has been exceptional.”
In exciting news, young speedster Matt Ling will return for his first game since May 25.
Injury limited the Swans’ first-round 2017 draft pick to just six NEAFL appearances in 2018, before injury again struck early this season.
Veteran Kieren Jack, livewire James Rose and rising defender Ryley Stoddart have also been named to return for the red and white, with QBE Sydney Swans Academy top-ups Cooper Kilpatrick, Jacob Dol and Lachlan Swaney also among the ins.
Stoddart has managed two AFL games in his second year in red and white, and he’s intent on winning back his spot by the end of the season.
“He got a sniff of AFL footy and he can bring back a bit of leadership and a bit of drive from half-back or on the wing,” Laidler said.
“It’s just about getting the ball in his hands, being hard at the footy and taking those intercept marks, which he’s good at. It’s about him getting some form back and pushing his case for the last few senior games of the year.”
The Swans are placed fourth on the ladder with nine wins and six losses chalked up.
Who: Sydney Swans v Aspley Hornets
Where: Voxson Oval, Brisbane
When: Saturday, 12pm
Round: 19
Sydney Swans team:
B: 56. C Flanagan 6. J Thurlow 53. K McKellar
HB: 16. Z Foot 43. L Melican 19. M Ling
C: 52. L Swaney 27. J McInerney 33. R Stoddart
HF: 49. C Hirst 47. T Pink 15. K Jack
F: 58. L Parks 46. J Amartey 1. J Rose
R: 48. M Knoll 45. S Wicks 50. S Thorne
Int: 21. J Barling 59. J Dol 51. C Kilpatrick 60. J Rayner
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