Football
26 April, 2026
Swifts welcome Southern Roos challenge
Returning from a round two bye, the Swifts return to action against the reigning premiers, hosting Harrow Balmoral in round three of the Horsham District Football Netball League this Sunday, April 26.
The Baggies opened their season with an 87-40 loss to Noradjuha Quantong, and while disappointed with the side’s start, coach Nigel Sibson believed the side competed well.
“The round one loss to Quanny, we started poorly, and the end margin was very similar to the quarter-time margin, so we were largely competitive for three quarters,” Sibson said.
“It was very similar to our practice games, but managed to come back, and I remember telling the group, ‘If we continue to start slow, it’s going to hurt us at some stage’, and it happened in round one.”
“There were certain periods of the game where we managed to play our way, get it on our terms a bit, and we looked alright, but we just didn't do it for long enough.”
The challenge won’t get much easier this Sunday as they face a Southern Roos team that will want to put their two-point loss to the Bombers behind them.
Despite going against the top two sides of 2025 to start the season, Sibson views it as an opportunity.
“When the draw came out, we looked at it as a really good opportunity for our squad to test ourselves against probably the best two teams in the competition over the last three years,” he said.
“It lets us see where we’re at, what areas we need to work on in our new gam plan, but it’s also just another opportunity to try and play and implement our style against real quality opposition.”
Asked what it’s like to come into a new league and take on a quality side containing league-leading players like Michael Close and Jai Thompson, the Swifts coach said research on the opposition will be paramount for him in 2026.
“We do have the advantage these days of having the games filmed, and you can look at some footage,” Sibson said.
“Being new to the league, you do have to spend some more time putting some research into your opposition or doing a bit more opposition analysis, otherwise you do leave yourself vulnerable.”