Spida ready to return for Swans - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Spida ready to return for Swans

By Adrian Warren 30/04/2008 07:02:42 PM Comments (0)

Sydney are set to recall ruckman Peter Everitt and discard out-of-form forward Nick Davis for Sunday's AFL clash with the unbeaten Western Bulldogs.

Everitt, who hasn't played a senior game this season because of knee trouble, has played in the reserves for the last two games.

Swans coach Paul Roos said Everitt would be named in the team on Thursday and would play on Sunday provided he came though training on Friday.

Everitt will replace youngster Jesse White, who made his debut last weekend against the Kangaroos when he unwittingly became the central figure in the furore over the Swans briefly fielding a 19th player late in the final term.

Roos revealed former Geelong forward Henry Playfair was in line to make his Swans debut, probably at the expense of Davis.

Playfair's Sydney debut has been delayed by a hamstring niggle, but a successful return in the reserves last weekend has him poised to make his first top-grade appearance for the Swans.

"Training for Spida (Everitt) is probably more of a formality than anything else, but Henry is in genuine contention this week," Roos said of the likely changes to his team.

"A big boy (Playfair), he feels pretty fit and he played pretty well on the weekend, so he's one that we will watch closely on Thursday."

Roos felt premiership winner Davis was down on confidence after a couple of lacklustre displays and some missed opportunities early in the game against the Kangaroos.

"He normally kicks those goals, it could have been a different story, but he's probably got a little bit down on himself," Roos said of Davis.

"That probably had a spiralling affect on his game.

"He's got to get his confidence back and build himself up as the really quality player that we know he is."

Roos said suspended forward Barry Hall would be involved with the club's forward set-up and commended the Swans leadership group's desire to keep him in their ranks despite their disappointment with his punch to West Coast's Brent Staker, which earned him a seven game suspension.

"They had a pretty frank discussion with him, they are very keen for him to stay in the leadership group," Roos said.

"They made that pretty clear, which I thought was a brave and a good decision from them.

"Obviously they told him they were disappointed and really asked him to do everything he possibly can over the next six weeks to come back a better player and work out why he did it."

Roos said midfielder Nic Fosdike was probably around four weeks away from being considered for senior selection after returning from injury in the reserves last week.

He said defender Nick Malceski was still on track to return about round eight or nine after undergoing revolutionary surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament knee injury and that he was expected to join in training on Friday.

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