Integrated Round 4 Match Report

Swans headed to Ron Jose Oval in Midvale to take on Kingsway on Saturday in a much-anticipated clash. A large crowd enjoyed another see-sawing battle between two sides desperate for a win.

We got off to a great start with captain Dylan Farrow bursting from the centre into the forward 50 helping Luci Gill to score 2 early goals and have us in front by 2 points at the first break. Farrow works as hard as anyone and is often the last person to get up from the bottom of the pack. Gill worked hard to provide our mids with options up forward, and it was clear that Kingsway would need to find answers for her speed and skill if they were to get across the line.

Kingsway showed great spirit and fought back scoring multiple goals early in the second quarter before Ben Klaassen scored his first goal for the black and whites, bringing the Swans crowd to their feet. Will Brenssell continues to play the role of swing man, providing a dangerous option up forward, while also providing the closing speed of a missile down back.

Damien de Grussa was resolute and tireless in defence taking on the oppositions best key forward while also intercepting many of Kingsway’s forward entries to keep the deficit to just under 2 goals at half time. De Grussa is forming a strong defense with Jackson “Spider” Foskett, Lewis Collins, Blair Maitland and Josh Rudd, who are all working hard to tackle and apply constant pressure.

Swans outscored Kingsway in the third quarter to wrestle back the momentum and to give their fans hope that today could be the day we get to sing the song. There was some fancy footwork on display early from Stephanie Pearson before Gill and Brenssell scored again to bring us to within 2 points at the final break.

The final quarter produced an epic battle that saw the lead change several times before we were able to mark deep inside forward 50 as the final siren sounded with us a point down. While the kick sailed right and we didn’t get the win, a draw was the perfect outcome for a great game of football that was played in great spirit and sportsmanship.

We are seeing massive improvements week on week, and it was terrific to see Aaron de Grussa and Jackson Foskett, who shared ruck duties, return from their big head clash against Fremantle CBC. The Midvale Junior Football Club and the City of Swan were great partners for us on the day and helped to showcase integrated football.

With the Swans WAFL side in Kalgoorlie next weekend, the Swans integrated team take over Steel Blue Oval for the day, taking on Ocean Ridge at 1pm on the 21^st of May.