The Swans have confirmed head honcho Jedd Wright will reprise his role heading into the 2025 campaign, extending him into a third year of work at Princess Park.
Wright initially signed a two-year deal prior to the 2023 season after coming across from Katamatite in the Picola District Football League.
While the red and white have yet to feature in September since Wright took charge, he has been instrumental in securing a raft of high-profile signings the likes of ex-North Melbourne trio Nathan Hrovat, Jamie Macmillan and former Katamatite local Sam Wright, as well as VFL-capped ruck Mark Kovacevic.
Forward progress was a key factor in continuing on with the job, as he explains.
“It was always a plan that if we were making progression, I’d be keen to go again,” Wright said.
“We have such an exciting list and we’re not far off becoming a very good team.
“There’s definitely growth there; I think we dropped six games by under a goal and if we nabbed two of those, we’d be playing this weekend.
“We need to work on a couple of structural things and hopefully retain the majority of our list with one or two to top up.
“We’re disappointed we didn’t play finals, but we’ll look to next year with the aim of getting back to finals footy.”
The Swans embarked on a late-season renaissance when almost all mathematical hope appeared lost, winning four straight to keep hopes of a neutral 9-9 ledger alive.
It was a tough run home, signing off with heavy defeats to prime contenders Shepparton and Echuca — but the circumstances only serve to further motivate Wright’s side.
“We’ve come a long way as a playing group,” Wright said.
“There’s unfinished business and it feels like it would be completely the wrong time for me to step aside.”
While Wright himself isn’t going anywhere, there is a change looming among his assistants.
Senior figure Mitch Bell is stepping away from his duties after his time playing was severely hampered in the past two years by knee injuries, but the Swans have pulled quite the coup in securing his replacement.
Joining Wright among the ranks is Linc Sullivan, who boasts a fair set of credentials with VFL coaching duties among his history in addition to an illustrious run at Nagambie.
“Linc will jump on next year with us and he’s got a fantastic footy brain,” Wright said.
“He’s very well-respected in country footy circles and it’s a good pick up by the club. I was mostly focused on this year, but I know the club put a lot into getting him.
“I’m looking forward to working with him next year.”
Outside of the Swans, though, it’s a big weekend in the Goulburn Valley football department as finals kick off with two games Saturday and a third final on Sunday.
Echuca and Shepparton meet in the weekend’s undisputed main event at Tatura Park to kick off proceedings at 2.30pm, with the two-time defending premier Murray Bombers having inflicted the Bears’ one and only blemish in 2024.
There is unlikely to be a greater concentration of potential Morrison Medal fancies on one park than will grace the oval of Tatura that afternoon as the likes of Jack McHale, Adam De Cicco and Ash Holland battle it out.
Mooroopna will host Kyabram in a crunch elimination final under Saturday night lights at the Cattery from 5.15pm before Rochester and Euroa each head north to collide at Echuca’s Victoria Park on Sunday afternoon.
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