The Sydney Swans reserves have fallen to third place on the NEAFL table following a 33-point loss to the NT Thunder at Darwin’s TIO Stadium on Saturday night.

While the senior Swans side played in cold and wet wintery weather in Melbourne, the Swans reserves battled Darwin’s hot and dry conditions, playing in temperatures above 20 degrees for entirety of the match.

In front of a vocal home crowd, both teams were struck by inaccuracy in the opening stages of the match, with neither team able to score a major in the first quarter.

The Swans reserves produced a solid second term, but were still unable to translate their hard work onto the scoreboard, while the Thunder capitalised on their chances and booted three straight goals.

Led by forward Dan Ewing, who booted five goals for the match and is in the running for the NEAFL’s leading goal kicker award, the Thunder piled on eight-goals-to-two in the second and third quarters to set up a handy 36-point lead at the final change.

The Swans’ final quarter was by far their best, with the side managing to triple their score for the match to outscore the Thunder six goals to five, but still went down by 33 points.

Shane Biggs was the standout player for the Swans reserves, with the rookie collecting 42 possessions for the match. He was also the most consistent performer for the side across the four quarters, spending time both in defence and the midfield.

For the second week, rookie ruckman Sam Naismith was a strong contributor for the side, with the 22-year-old kicking three goals and contributing both up forward as well as in the ruck.

Club veteran Ryan O’Keefe also played an important role for the visitors, leading the way in the way in the midfield and also adding two goals to the Swans’ tally.

First-year player George Hewett had another quality game through the midfield, while Harry Marsh made an encouraging return after missing over a month of football with a hamstring injury.

The Swans reserves face a short turnaround this week, and will host the Brisbane Lions reserves in a curtain raiser ahead of the seniors clash with Essendon this Friday night at the SCG.

Swans Reserves  0.6   0.8   2.9    8.11 (59)
NT Thunder            0.5   3.5   8.9    13.4 (92)

Goals: Naismith 3, O’Keefe 2, Walsh, Hadden, Biggs

Best: Biggs, O’Keefe, Naismith, Dick, Marsh, Hewett