But it was just as exciting for the senior players to see the passion and potential of the newest generation of Bloods, says defender Ted Richards.
“They were just so exciting,” he said. “I was down in the backline for most of the game, and to see Lewis Jetta, Gary Rohan, Trent Dennis-Lane and Byron Sumner not only earn their spot in the team, but also to have such an impact is a great achievement for them. It’s a big step up and they really played well. Lewis was the standout, but the other guys really played their part too.
“We tried to congratulate them after the game, but the media seemed to get to them before us! I could see the media flocking to the young guys to find out all about who they are and what they thought of the experience.”
The win was the Swans’ first pre-season cup victory in eight years, and caused more than a little confusion in the rooms after the game as the players asked coach Paul Roos about post-match protocol - do you sing the team song after a pre-season win, or not?
“There was a very positive atmosphere in the rooms after the game, but we didn’t really know whether we were to sing the song or not! It was a win, but at the same time, it’s not a home and away win… Even Roosy was a bit unsure as to what we should do. So after a discussion, we thought ‘Let’s enjoy this!’, and we sang the song.”
Enough time has passed that Richards can now laugh when asked about his last encounter with Carlton when he ended up in hospital with a punctured lung and broken ribs. But Richards admits that the absence of Brendan Fevola may have made his first game back since round 16, 2009, slightly easier.
“I definitely managed to get through the game a lot better this time, than against Carlton last year. I got a knock under the ribs about halfway through the game on Saturday, which gave me a bit of a scare for a split second, but it was all fine,” he said.
“I played on Lachlan Henderson, who looks set to become the new key forward for Carlton, so I was really wary of what he was going to be doing throughout the game, because I know he’s a new focal point for the Blues.
“I was pretty happy with most of my game, there was a couple of little things I’d like to fix up, but being able to play most of the game and get through was good.”
He was also impressed with the way the team is gelling together as a group, thanks to a pre-season training program that focused on “replicating game-style situations” and allowing the players to get accustomed to their new teammates’ style of play.
“I think that’s really helped. We weren’t perfect, but that was a pretty good start for us, and I’d say we should have a similar team to what we went out with on the weekend. I don’t think there’ll be too many changes, and I guess that’s all you can really hope for at this time of the year, just to try and get some consistency with the players and hopefully the performance improves as well.”
