Liam Ryan headlines a Sydney Swans squad that expects injury help after the mid-season bye, with Errol Gulden now likely to be available post-bye. That gives Sydney a better chance to regroup for a tilt at September before a stretch that will test the group straight away.
Errol Gulden and Tom McCartin
Dean Cox said Gulden will, at this stage, look to play after the break, while Tom McCartin is progressing really well. Those two sit at the front of the return watch, with the coach framing the bye as a chance to make small gains in the second half of the year.
“There's still a lot to work on, we understand that,” Cox said after the win over Port Adelaide. “And that's the great part about being in a season that goes for 24 rounds - it's not always going to be perfect and given to you the way you want it.”
He added: “One thing that I've been really proud of is we have used and blooded some young kids in our team - young men that have come in and played really important roles.” “And we have leant on some really experienced players as well - the squad mentality was really important.”
Rampe, Papley, Campbell
Cox said the club will work through Dane Rampe, Tom Papley and Braeden Campbell in the weeks after that. That makes the post-bye period more than a single-return watch; it is a staggered rebuild of available experience as Sydney moves into a harder run.
The Swans earned the break on the back of a close win over Port Adelaide, but they conceded three of the contest's final four majors and still left with a reminder of the margin for error. The Port Adelaide result was their fifth loss by three points or fewer this season, even as the club sits three wins clear of third place.
Brisbane at the Gabba
What comes next is demanding. Sydney face Brisbane at the Gabba, then the Western Bulldogs at home and Fremantle in Perth before Adelaide at home in the month that follows the bye. That run will show whether the Swans can turn the bye into the cleaner second half Cox wants, especially if Gulden and McCartin rejoin the side early in it.
