Sydney reserves battle it out

By James Matthey

When the Swans reserves stepped out onto ANZ stadium last Saturday, the comfort of pre-season practice matches became a distant memory as they were confronted with the reality of a challenging year ahead.

The Swans’ Matt Dick said the conditions faced in their five-point opening-round win were a step-up from anything they had faced during the summer.

“It was a step up from the practice matches and I think we needed that,” Dick told sydneyswans.com.au.

“It was hot out there and the ground was pretty hard, and everyone was cramping in the last quarter, but we managed to run it out, which was good.

“It certainly was some harder competition and I really enjoyed it. It was a tough game and it was good to get a win out of it.”

Dick, picked up in the 2012 draft, was one of a host of players to make their NEAFL debut against a physically imposing UWS Giants side.

“UWS were really tough and were a bit more physical than what we have been playing in the practice matches,” he said.

“It was a good experience for some of the younger guys who will learn from it.

“There were a couple of panic moments in defence, but at the end of it, it was pretty relieving to get over the line, particularly against an AFL-listed team.”

The pace of the game was a noticeable step-up from any pre-season games, with Dick admitting that he would need to work on his fitness if he wanted to make an impact in the competition.

“Now we’ve started playing, one thing I know I need to work on is my endurance base.

“It’s such a fast moving game and I need to really take my endurance to the next level and I also need to work on my skill execution and playing to the Swans game structure.”

One of the benefits of the NEAFL is that it pits senior campaigners alongside talented youngsters, giving them an opportunity to learn from players who have already played at the highest level.

Dick said the on-field leadership provided by senior players with AFL experience was vital in helping the Swans reserves notch their first win of the season.

“We had (Craig) Birdy, Jesse White and Dre (Andrejs Everitt) playing on the weekend and Morto (Mitch Morton), so they were the experienced players and their voice around the ground was really good,” said Dick.

“Then we’ve got Jed Lamb and Shane Biggs who have also been quite helpful and quite vocal on the ground and have been doing a really good job and really helped us younger guys out.”

Despite the loss, UWS still had reasons to smile after some encouraging signs from their newest recruits.

Draftee Kristian Jaksch was a shining light for the western Sydney club, kicking four goals, while the more experienced Sam Reid and Rhys Palmer also stood-out for the visitors.

UWS GIANTS coach, Brett Hand, said there were plenty of positives to take from their opening encounter.

“To have had 10 more scoring shots than the opposition demonstrates that we are more than capable of providing plenty of inside 50 entries for our forwards and we need to continue to work on converting these opportunities and keeping the ball inside our forward 50,” said Hand.

“Those two (Reid and Palmer) worked tirelessly through the midfield with Zac Williams showing some good signs on a wing and through the middle of the ground too.

“Adam Tomlinson provided a good focal point up forward and Nick Haynes was solid in defence in his first game back from injury.”

The UWS GIANTS’ next match will be against the Brisbane Lions at Giffin Park, Coorparoo on Saturday, April 6 at 11am, while the Swans reserves’ next game will be against the Gold Coast Suns reserves at 10:05am on Saturday April 6 at the SCG.