The Sydney Swans will welcome back a swarm of high-end talent for a clash with the Canberra Demons at Phillip Oval in the nation’s capital on Saturday.
Speedster Gary Rohan (hand), forward James Rose (shoulder) and defender Colin O’Riordan (hip) will all return from injury for the Round 19 contest, while the Swans will also regain key cogs Robbie Fox and Dan Robinson.
The five Swans will join the likes of Darcy Cameron, Dean Towers and Ryley Stoddart in looking to mount strong cases for AFL selection.
Development coach Jeremy Laidler said the Canberra fixture would present his troops an invaluable chance to shine.
“Darcy Cameron had his best game of the year in the NEAFL last week and Dean Towers was really good too,” Laidler told SwansTV.
“With those players in the NEAFL it’s all about getting continuity and putting strong performances back-to-back.
“It will be a good opportunity for those blokes, a good opportunity for all our first-year players and whoever’s putting on the guernsey.”
The Swans will be on the hunt for a win after last week falling to back-to-back losses.
They had carved out a nine-game winning streak to shoot to first on the ladder but have since lost to the Gold Coast Suns and Brisbane Lions to drop to fourth position.
Sydney (36 points) trails the Southport Sharks, Canberra and Sydney University by one win, and victory over the Demons will be crucial as they push to remain in striking distance of the competition front-runners.
Canberra joined the competition in 2016 and hasn’t yet played finals football, but in 2018 the Demons are bashing down the door.
Although they suffered a 103-point loss to Southport last Saturday, they had just charged to eight wins on the trot to clinch top spot on the ladder for the first time in their brief history.
Laidler said Canberra would make for a massive test.
“They’ve been going really well this year,” Laidler said.
“We know they’re a strong contested side and they’ve got a host of players who have come from our Academy, so we know a bit about them. (Development coach) Tadhg Kennelly has coached a few of them in his journey too.
“We know they’re going to be a firing team and their pressure’s really good. We’re going to have to be on our game to get the four points.”
The Swans and Demons will usher in an exciting new chapter of NEAFL football as a revamped Phillip Oval hosts its first second-tier match in history.
A $6.2 million upgrade of the Canberra venue recently reached completion, which has seen the Demons relocate from Manuka Oval.
The Swans will be keen to create some special memories on an historic occasion.
Who: Canberra Demons v Sydney Swans
Where: Phillip Oval, Canberra
When: 12:00pm Saturday
Round: 19
Sydney Swans team
B: 51. Conor Flanagan 57. Michael Carroll 58. Mitchell Rogers
HB: 38. Colin O’Riordan 33. Ryley Stoddart 1. James Rose
C: 55. Bailey Stewart 45. Angus Styles 49. Cooper Kilpatrick
HF: 54. Kyle Veerhuis 42. Robbie Fox 53. Kyle McKellar
F: 41. Jake Brown 46. Joel Amartey 50. Sam Wicks
Foll: 59. Zach Cameron 32. James Bell 52. Josh Stern
Inter: 22. Dean Towers 16. Gary Rohan 17. Darcy Cameron 27. Dan Robinson
Emer: 56. Joey Reinhard
In: 42. Robbie Fox 38. Colin O’Riordan 27. Daniel Robinson 16. Gary Rohan 1. James Rose 57. Michael Carroll 59. Zachery Cameron 53. Kyle McKellar 54. Kyle Veerhuis
Out: 21. Jack Maibaum (injured) 31. Harrison Marsh (injured) 47. Toby Pink (injured) 56. Joey Reinhard (omitted) 19. Harry Parker (omitted) 57. Luke Parks (omitted) 49. Josh Rayner (omitted) 48. Max Ries (omitted) 51. Sam Thorne (omitted) 60. Hamish Ellem (omitted)
