The Swifts 2021 HDFNL season was one which showed plenty of signs of growth, but ultimately fell short of expectations.
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The Swifts finished the year out of the top-six, sitting in seventh on six wins, six losses and with a healthy percentage of 142.94.
Despite falling short of a finals place, senior coach Brett Hargreaves said he was impressed with the growth of the club's younger brigade.
"At the end of the year, you want your team to have improved and you want individuals to have improved as well," he said.
"There was plenty of good stories throughout the year and it was really good to see our own juniors come up through the ranks.
HDFNL Your club, your season:
"Joseph Martin and Bourke Nicholls, they came out of our under-17s and played a huge chunk of senior football, so that is always the goal.
"Ben Leong is another one for instance, he had his best season ever with the club.
"He has had a bad run with injuries, but this year he was able to show everyone what he is capable of. I was extremely pleased with his progress this year."
Hargreaves said one of his highlights of the season was the way the club stayed united despite being forced to be apart at times.
HDFNL Your club, your season:
"The fact that we able to stick together and keep that close bond throughout the year was probably a highlight," he said.
"I just enjoyed the fact that we were all connected throughout the season and at times it was more about the community than the football team."
On the field, the Swifts were unable to get the jump on any of the teams who finished higher on the ladder, including a heartbreaking four-point loss to Natimuk United.
In their most pivotal match of the season the Swifts had 31 scoring shots to 20, but couldn't get the job done, ultimately costing them a top-six spot.
The Swifts other three football teams all qualified for finals, with the reserves and Under-14s sitting in fourth place.
The Under-17s were the Swifts best performed team, finished on top after going through the home and away season undefeated.
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