Harvey wants Swans to be rewarded for special season

Otis Harvey has turned himself into a League regular with Swan Districts in 2026 and is looking to build on that in 2027 but before that is focused on making sure the Reserves finish off what has been a special season for them.

Having shown encouraging signs at League level in 2025 with 12 appearances, Harvey has built on that in the back end of the 2026 season including the 20-year-old kicking three goals for the first time in his WAFL career in the final round to go with 16 possessions.

That means he is in good form now coming back to the Reserves finals series with the Swans joining in this Saturday having had last weekend off after finishing on top the ladder at the end of the home and away season.

Harvey and his Swan Districts team will take on East Perth in the second semi-final at Lathlain’s Mineral Resources Park and he can’t wait for the chance to win their way straight into the Grand Final at Optus Stadium in two weeks’ time.

“We understand that finals are a completely different game than to the regular season but we feel really confident, determined and united within the group,” Harvey said.

“I think we’ve all felt like this team has been special all year, now it’s time to release some of that energy when it really matters on Saturday and hopefully cement our chance to play in the Grand Final.”

Looking at second semi-final

Having had last weekend off, Swan Districts waited to see who they would play in this Saturday’s second semi-final and it turns out it will be East Perth after their 80-point win last Saturday in the qualifying final against Perth.

That means that nobody at Swan Districts will be taking them lightly this Saturday in a game where the winner will advance to the Grand Final while the loser will have a second chance in a preliminary final next week against either Perth or West Perth.

But having plenty of players in this Reserves team that were part of the Colts Grand Final group of 2024 is something that Harvey feels can only help.

“The feeling is very similar to that colts year. we are a very close group both on and off the field and we’ve got a lot of talent coming through. I’m sure many of us will play a lot of league footy for Swans in the future,” Harvey said.

“East Perth will be coming in with a lot of momentum and confidence. They’ve got a lot of power up forward and some good talls, so we respect that and will be prepared.”

Feeling comfortable at league level

Even going back to the 2025 season when Harvey was able to breakthrough for his League debut in Round 6 against Subiaco and then end up playing another 11 games for the season, he looked right at home at the level.

He has felt comfortable playing at League level too and it’s just been about continuing to work on his consistency to perform across four quarters which he feels continued to get better and better the more games he played in 2026.

“I’ve felt comfortable at league level since making my debut, I just need to show my ability to perform over four quarters and have a bigger impact on the game,” Harvey said.

“Yeah, my training standards and preparation has been consistent all year but i haven’t performed the way I’ve wanted to at league level, but I’m excited to keep improving and hopefully will take that big leap next year.”

Already excited for 2027

Now that Harvey has been able to put together 21 league appearances over the past two seasons and he hasn’t even turned 21 yet, he’s rightfully excited for what his future holds with Swan Districts.

There’s every reason to expect him to become a player that can be built around for the next decade at Swans and that’s certainly what he’s hoping eventuates as he already is excited to get ready for 2027 with the biggest pre-season of his life once this Reserves finals series is done.

“I’m totally determined to come back next year and take another step to being a consistent league player and play a bigger role than i have this year,” Harvey said.

“As a league team as a whole we’ve shown in the second half of the year that we aren’t far off the top teams and that’s really motivating to work really hard over pre-season.”