The Swans’ NEAFL side is winless ahead of a clash with the Gold Coast at Fankhauser Reserve on Saturday. 

But development coach Tadhg Kennelley said the reserves were bursting into the Round 4 fixture off the back of a bye.

“The bye was a chance to regroup and refresh,” Kennelly said.

“We had played six games in a row including the pre-season, so it was a good chance to get home and freshen up that way too. We’ve also worked on a few things we had to work on.

“We haven’t gotten the results and haven’t consistently played four quarters of footy yet, but the boys have been up and about and the energy has been good. It’s just about putting those four quarters together now.”

Sydney opened its premiership campaign with a four-point loss to GWS at the SCG and fell to Brisbane in Queensland in a 50-point defeat in Round 2.

The Swans are now set for a match with a Suns side perched in fifth on the ladder with two wins and a loss to their name.

They accounted for Aspley in their season-opener and GWS the following week before succumbing to a 47-point loss to Brisbane on Sunday.

A number of senior-listed players will bolster the Gold Coast, including midfielder Aaron Hall who reached his 100^th AFL game earlier this season and is set for his second NEAFL outing of the year on Saturday.

Hall collected a Suns-high 24 disposals against the Lions on Sunday, while fellow on-baller Callum Ah Chee (30 AFL games) finished with 16 touches, nine tackles and a goal.

Young midfield star Will Brodie returns to the fold after missing the Brisbane clash and averaged 24 disposals and six tackles across the opening two rounds.

The Swans have won the last 13 times the sides have met but Kennelly expects a challenging match.

“The Gold Coast have a strong outfit and have a healthy list,” Kennelly said.

“They’ve been playing a really consistent, contested brand of football. Stuart Dew has been able to get the senior list up and playing some really hard, tough hard footy and we’ll be expecting that from their reserves this week. We’ll be expecting that because that’s the way they’ve been playing their football and I’m sure it will be no different this week.”

The Swans have made eight changes to the side that fell to the Lions in Round 2.

Among them will be Ben Ronke who will make his AFL debut when Sydney meets Geelong on Saturday, while Harry Marsh and Robbie Fox will also miss the game due to senior duties.

Defenders Aliir Aliir and Nic Newman and QBE Sydney Swans Academy star Mitch Rogers all return to the NEAFL, while the Academy’s Jeremy Schumack, Dominic Soffe, Christian Loome, Harry Parker and Chris Frangos will all debut.

The Swans played the Lions in Burpengary in their last NEAFL outing, a town situated 35 kilometres north of Brisbane.

They are now set for another trip north of the Tweed and Kennelly said road trips were important to the Swans’ next generation of stars.

“You’re going to travel when you’re an interstate football club,” Kennelly said.

“That’s part of learning and developing and understanding what it takes to play AFL football and travel and play the game. It gives our boys another opportunity to do that and get up to the Gold Coast and spend some time away.”