WAFL 2023 Season Preview – Swan DistrictsThursday, March 30, 2023 - 6:10 PM - by Chris Pike

SWAN Districts might have a new coach in 2023 but their quest to get back to finals is all around building on what they have been doing well, making some improvements and using the frustrations from last year as added motivation.

Swans did appear on an upward trajectory under the coaching of Adam Pickering to the point where they reached finals in 2021. In that elimination final, they were on top of West Perth most of the way too and it wouldn’t have taken much to go their way for the result to have been different.

That meant there were high hopes for Swans continuing to improve in 2022 and for much of the season, they did appear on track to play finals but couldn’t quite get there in the end finishing up with a 10-8 record.

On the back of that, Swans have had a change of coach in the off-season with long-time assistant and Swans servant Andrew Pruyn on deck but in terms of the playing stocks, the black-and-whites are largely backing in what they've got.

There are some handy recruits including Jackson McLachlan, Jesse Glass-McCasker and Jarrod Cameron along with returning ruckman Nathan Blakely, but the majority of the core group is back again and will be looking to make up for what happened last year.

Chris Jones and Brandon Erceg were both named co-captains at Swan Districts for the first time in 2022, and there was no hesitation from their teammates to have them continue in the role for 2023 with the black-and-whites determined to return to finals action.

With Erceg the cornerstone of the defence and Jones cementing himself as an impressive forward target, the pair will be leading Swan Districts from either end of the ground once again this season.

The pair will be ably supported in the leadership group with Aidan Clarke and reigning Swan Medallist Jesse Turner named vice-captains for the 2023 WAFL season.

Jones is coming into his third season at Swan Districts having originally been recruited from Victoria, and looks set to continue in his role as the spearhead in attack which he settled into in 2022.

There was a lot for Jones to learn in his first season as co-captain last year, and he'll look to implement some of those lesson but more than anything, he's proud his teammates hold him in such high regard.

"It's an honour to be honest. It's something that when I initially came over from Victoria that I ever thought I would be doing but I'm very proud to be leading the Swans. Hopefully they've put their faith in me and I can deliver what they expect," Jones said.

"It was definitely a learning curve. I've always backed myself in as a bit of a leader but to actually be appointed captain and have the role is something different.

"I suppose you're always questioning whether you're doing the right job and I guess after last year, I'll have a bit more confidence about just backing my leadership in. That will be something that I take into the season."

"I think me and Brandon probably initially because we were new to the role might have tried to overdo things, and tried to be too vocal last year early on. 

"But because we've got great vice-captains and leadership around the group, we probably learned that less is more sometimes. You just provide guidance where you can be a bit more of a role model, and friend more than anything."

Looking back on 2022 and Swan Districts were looking to build on a finals return in 2021, and for most of the season they did appear on track to get back to September action.

However, it didn’t end up happening and that disappointment has been with the group all summer and with a new coach, Andrew Pruyn, taking over, that hunger created is something Jones will use as motivation with his team.

"It was seriously disappointing not to make finals last year. I think it's hurt a few boys so we've gone back to the drawing board and Andrew has been great for us," he said.

"We've also got a new sports scientist who has put us through the ringer with a tough pre-season. I think that will hold us in good stead but the boys are very driven and want to make amends for last year's disappointing performance."

Erceg is a born and bred Swan Districts product, and has had to overcome a horror run with injuries throughout most of his senior career. But he's always bled for the club, always been the ultimate professional and that's why he is such a natural leader.

It would have been a great shame had Erceg's body never allowed him to reach his potential as a WAFL footballer. While you could have understood had it got too much, it's to his everlasting credit that he persevered and is now entering a second season as captain.

Never was Erceg's ability questioned but his body only enabled him to play 16 games up until the end of 2019 after making his league debut back in 2016.

However, the last three years have been much more fruitful and he has become one of the best and most consistent defenders in the WAFL, and a natural leader at Swan Districts.

The co-captaincy role is something he doesn’t take for granted either.

"Obviously it's a massive honour just to get the responsibility and the title, and to know that you've got that respect from your teammates and are seen that way," Erceg said. 

"It's obviously just a big honour and I see it as a big responsibility and something I look forward to in terms of trying to help the group achieve what we want to achievement by sort of leading them from that role."

Looking back on last year and Erceg was disappointed Swan Districts couldn’t capitalise on their best football to play finals. 

They did beat finalists West Perth, Claremont, South Fremantle and Peel Thunder through the season, but just fell short of finals. The feeling of not wanting to miss another chance will stick with him and his team throughout 2023.

"Back to 2021 and we had a bit of improvement on where we'd been the couple of years prior to manage to make finals, and probably should have won that first final that we lost against West Perth," Erceg said. 

"Then last year was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. We beat four of the top five teams above us during the year and we had a lot of games where it felt like there was a small patch that sort of cost us the game, and probably cost us three or four wins. 

"If we had have got those, you're talking about us finishing third or fourth pretty comfortably rather than just missing out. It probably does feel like last year was a bit of a missed opportunity so there's definitely a bit of a drive going into this season to not let another opportunity go by."