Joel Amartey got his first taste of a Swans victory, in his first game on the SCG as Sydney edged out St.Kilda by 9 points on Saturday afternoon.
Amartey debuted in the Covid interrupted 2020 season, in Cairns against the Lions in Round 17 but thrived on the Swans home deck in front of close to 20,000 fans.
“That was unbelievable. It was the first time I’ve played in front of anywhere near that sort of number of people, the energy was just great.”
The 21-year-old impressed in just his second appearance with the seniors, finishing with 14 disposals and 6 marks – several of them under pressure in a tense final quarter against the Saints.
"The first 10 or 15 minutes I was just trying to find my feet get used to the pace, but after that I think I settled in well and I’m happy to get the win.
"It was the first time I’ve played with heaps of the senior boys so it was a good experience. I think my form in the VFL translated a bit into that game, I really enjoyed it.”
Amartey’s inclusion in the side came as no surprise to team mate Will Hayward, who believes the club's success can be credited to the depth of the Swans list.
"Anyone can come in and play a role, we saw it with Joel today he’s been knocking the door down for so long, he came in and showed the AFL what he’s about and we’ve been seeing it for a long time." Hayward said.
The Swans are no stranger to a tight finish having had six games decided by 10 points or less this season, but Hayward never doubted his sides resilience to get the job done.
“It was a nervous last five minutes but I’m very proud of the boys for holding on. The Saints came at us hard and kept coming at us, but those last few minutes when we had possession we were able to control it and slow the game down. It was a good gutsy win by the boys in the end," Hayward said.
"Every win we take some confidence and we grow, but we didn’t do everything perfect. We’ll review the game and see a lot of room for improvement but a lot of good things as well.
"It’s another opportunity to learn from some things we didn’t do too well but take confidence from the things we did do well.”
The 22-year-old enjoyed a strong individual performance up front, booting three majors and finishing with 9 disposals.
“Our forwards and midfielders are all starting to build a good connection and work well together. It certainly makes it a bit easier when Bud’s [Lance Franklin] is putting them right in front of you.”
