Swans embrace the underdog fight

SOUTH Barwon has quickly proved it belongs in senior football’s top division, with captain Ruby Cook believing the Swans’ best football is still to come.

After winning last year’s division two premiership and earning promotion, the Swans sit fifth with a 5–6 record and three rounds remaining.

The Swans’ run to finals includes matches against second-placed Geelong Amateur and third-placed St Joseph’s, but Cook said the group had embraced the step up in class.

“Obviously, it’s been challenging,” Cook said. “It’s a different level of skills and footy; that’s just been a whole different adjustment for us.

“But I think it’s been really good. We’ve been really competitive and it’s been a fun season and good for everyone to really develop and play at a higher level as well.

“I feel like we’re in a really good place and feeling very positive about the years to come and the potential future for the club.”

The Swans remain firmly in the finals race despite last weekend’s loss to ladder leaders Grovedale, a performance Cook believes highlighted how far the group has come.

“As much as the scoreline didn’t show it, we were competing all game, and I think it showed that we are definitely heading in that direction,” she said.

“We’re not ruled out of it until we are.

“We were the underdogs last year, we’ve been the underdogs for a while and I think it’s just something we need to embrace. There’s still as much a chance for us to get in there as any other team and we have the skills and we have the mindset for it.

“It’s just about getting out there and getting it done, working hard for what we’ve trained for.”

Cook said reaching the finals would be a remarkable reward for a group that won just one game in division two in 2024.

South Barwon host St Joseph’s at McDonald Reserve on Saturday.