Swans disrupted by under-18s
Form team Swan Districts will make at least two changes when they attempt to extend an unbeaten run of six games in Saturday's home clash with Claremont.
Widely tipped to finish last before the season, Swans had made just three changes to their starting 22 across seven matches.
Two were forced when brothers Graham and Brandon Jetta attended a family funeral last weekend. The only other change in personnel was Jarryd Blight replacing Nathan Broad after the club's first three matches.
That stability was a major contributor in victories over Peel (35 points), South Fremantle (13 points), Perth (one point), West Perth (eight points), league leaders Subiaco (43 points) and the Sharks (60 points) after an opening three-goal loss to East Perth in round two.
This week Swans lose Connor Blakely and Aidan Anderson to State under-18 duties, players coach Greg Harding said had played important roles in their impressive start to 2014.
"They are not making up numbers," Harding said of Anderson and Blakely. "They are first picked every week, those two kids. It's sad in a way because this group has been pretty much unchanged for seven weeks.
"It was tough to lose the Jetta boys and it will be tough to lose Aidan and Connor as well because they have just been such an integral part of what the boys have achieved so far."
Harding said it was comforting that the two players who replaced Graham and Brandon Jetta in the last round, first-gamers Laurence Grescos and Josh Kirkup, had acquitted themselves well against East Fremantle.
"Obviously we had lost two players who were in fantastic form in Brandon and Graham, Josh and Laurence had been ready to pick pretty much from round one," he said.
"If it had have fallen their way with injury or form we knew we could go to those two boys straight away.
"It took them seven weeks to get their opportunity but it was a seamless transition into the senior side because they looked composed and assured."
·Shane Yarran will be available to play for Subiaco against West Perth at Medibank Stadium on Saturday after escaping suspension on Tuesday night.
Yarran was found guilty of striking Perth's Joel Leeson but received a reprimand. A striking charge against Demon Cale Morton was withdrawn. A striking charge against Claremont tagger Mathew Aitchison was also dismissed. East Perth's Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls accepted an early reprimand for striking Tigers defender Tom Willett.
