Fit-again Sydney Swans ruckman Sam Naismith and three off-season recruits have all been named for the club’s season-opening clash with the Adelaide Crows on Saturday.
Naismith will complete a comeback from an ACL rupture and a raft of complications when he runs out at Adelaide Oval for his first AFL match since Sydney’s 2017 semi-final.
The 206-centimetre giant will be joined by former Port Adelaide small forward Sam Gray, former Brisbane small forward Lewis Taylor and ex-Hawthorn key defender Kaiden Brand.
Gray, Taylor and Brand all featured in the Swans’ two Marsh Community Series games and are determined to thrive in their new AFL chapters.
Sydney coach John Longmire said all three of them had been impressive in their early days at the Swans.
“We’ve been really pleased with how they’ve gone about things at the club,” Longmire told QBE Team Selection.
“On and off the field they’re terrific. They’ve fitted in really well off the field and to have them at the footy club is great.
“We lost some experience last year, so the fact that we now have those three here who have played a bit of senior footy and can play specific roles for us is really valuable.
“The fact they’ve been named for their first games for the Swans is a real credit to them.”
Sydney Swans' Round 1 team:
B Aliir Aliir, Dane Rampe, Colin O’Riordan
HB Callum Mills, Tom McCartin, Jordan Dawson
C Harry Cunningham, Josh Kennedy, Jake Lloyd
HF Will Hayward, Nick Blakey, Sam Gray
F Tom Papley, Isaac Heeney, Ben Ronke
Foll Sam Naismith, Luke Parker, James Rowbottom
I/C Kaiden Brand, Oliver Florent, Lewis Taylor, Justin McInerney
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