The return of a rising midfield gun will buoy the Sydney Swans as they search for a fifth straight win in a clash with the Redland Bombers on Saturday.
Jordan Dawson will bank his first game of the season in a return from a quad injury as he reignites his push for senior selection in Brisbane.
The 21-year-old was a staple to the NEAFL side’s midfield across the 2016 and 2017 seasons and was rewarded with an AFL debut in Round 3 last year.
The South Australian is a tough inside midfielder looking to follow in the footsteps of battle-hardened cattle Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dan Hannebery.
Dawson averaged 28 possessions and three goals in the NEAFL last season and was at his best against the Aspley Hornets in Round 12, tallying 35 touches and four goals as the Swans collected a 102-point win.
Development coach Tadhg Kennedy said tireless work on the track and in the gym ensured he was ready to face the Bombers.
“He’s been doing a lot of running and just building up the strength of the leg,” Kennelly said.
“He’s had a really good block of three weeks of training. He’s ready to go and he’ll play anything from 60 to 80 minutes on the weekend, a bit like Alex Johnson last week.
“It’s good to get those blokes back into your team – a bit of experience but also bigger-bodied blokes who are used to playing against men.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Jordan really get a good run at it over the next few weeks and push himself for senior selection after that.
“If you don’t have inside midfielders at this level you’re really relying on some first-year players to go in and play the hard, tough footy, which is heavy lifting for first-year bodies. But Jordan allows those players to play a bit more on the outside and gets the ball out to them. He is certainly a big inclusion for us this week.”
QBE Sydney Swans Academy product Jake Brown will shake off a shoulder injury to join Dawson in a return to action, while defenders Nic Newman and Ryley Stoddart will bolster the reserves after stints in the AFL.
Academy stars Lachlan Swaney and Michael Carroll have also been named among a sweep of six changes, while Tom McCartin and Daniel Robinson have earned AFL recalls.
McCartin and Robinson played stand-out roles as Sydney accounted for Sydney University in a 51-point win at the SCG last Friday.
The Swans had shot from eighth to fourth on the ladder in a match with the Brisbane Lions the week prior and last week remained in striking distance of the competition’s high-flyers in a curtain-raiser to the Sir Doug Nicholls Round opener.
The Swans opened their 2018 campaign with a string of four losses but have since shown the heights they can reach when close to full strength.
Kennelly says the NEAFL side is well-placed ahead of the Redland clash.
“We’ve had a good few weeks now and are trying to ride that wave of good form,” Kennelly said.
“A couple of boys making their senior debuts over the last few weeks has been good for the football Club and good for the whole development department and of course the NEAFL side. It’s good to see guys getting in and getting NEAFL and AFL games.
“This week’s been good for us. We’ve trained well this week and we’re certainly up and about as a group.”
Redland is anchored to the bottom of the ladder with just one win to its name but last week pushed to the tape the Canberra Demons in a four-point loss.
The Bombers beat the Northern Territory Thunder in a 35-point victory in Alice Springs in Round 4 and towering forward Matt Hammelmann was the catalyst.
The former Lion marked an unstoppable display with nine goals, 16 touches and eight marks and Swans defender Aliir Aliir is likely to be tasked with shutting him down on Saturday.
Hammelmann played 12 AFL games for Brisbane across 2016 and 2017 and has kicked 31 goals from eight games this season to be leading the competition.
Kennelly knows Hammelmann is a class player and said the Swans wouldn’t take the Bombers lightly.
“Hammelmann is a good footballer playing up forward and kicking goals,” Kennelly said.
“He had a really good game a couple of weeks ago against Brisbane.
“You don’t take anyone for granted in this competition because you get bitten very easily. You take things for granted at your own peril and we certainly won’t be when we come up against Redland.
“We go about football the way we want to play no matter who we’re playing and certainly we’ll do that this week.”
Who: Sydney Swans v Redland Bombers
Where: Coorparoo, Brisbane
When: 12pm Saturday
Round: 10
Sydney Swans team:
B: 56. Joey Reinhard 21. Jack Maibaum 2. Alex Johnson
HB: 34. Jordan Dawson 36. Aliir Aliir 58. Mitchell Rogers
C: 22. Dean Towers 45. Angus Styles 52. Josh Stern
HF: 33. Ryley Stoddart 28. Nic Newman 57. Michael Carroll
F: 55. Bailey Stewart 46. Joel Amartey 41. Jake Brown
Foll: 17. Darcy Cameron 1. James Rose 38. Colin O’Riordan
Inter: 53. Cooper Kilpatrick 50. Sam Wicks 54. Jeremy Shumack 48. Lachlan Swaney
Emer: 59. Zac Cameron 53. Luke Parks
In: 41. Jake Brown 34. Jordan Dawson 28. Nic Newman 33. Ryley Stoddart 48. Lachlan Swaney 57. Michael Carroll
Out: 30. Tom McCartin (AFL) 27. Daniel Robinson (AFL) 42. Robbie Fox (injured) 49. Conor Flanagan (Academy) 41. Kyle McKellar (Academy) 48. Josh Rayner (Academy)
New: 48. Lachlan Swaney
