Defenders delight as Swans WAFL captaincy is named

A new era has come upon Swan Districts, with a host of new faces set to lead the league side into the 2022 WAFL Premiership Season.

With Tony Notte looking to pass on the responsibility for the remainder of his time at the club, and the retirement of Matt Riggio, defenders Brandon Erceg and Chris Jones have been selected to co-captain the Black Ducks for the upcoming season.

Although it may be a little strange for some to not see Riggio and Notte taking the captaincy reigns, league coach Adam Pickering says it’s an exciting opportunity to see what Jones and Erceg are able to bring to the position.

“It’s a real changing of the guard in a way” Pickering said. “Tony and Matt have been leading the club since I’ve been here, and for even longer just as players and not as captains.”

“Chris is a bit more worldly than some of our guys in the sense that he’s well-travelled, he’s been in a state premiership side in the VFL and he’s worked in a couple of jobs for a long time He’s got life experience that gives him a calm demeanor which really bounces off the rest of the playing group when he’s around. He’s really embraced our footy club from both a community and playing perspective.

“Brandon leads by example, not just on game days, but by the way he goes about his training and his footy in general. In my first year here he didn’t play a game. He sat in the coaches box and helped coach the reserves defenders, and wasn’t sure if he was ever going to play again with his back injury. He’s come a long way and everyone at the club sees that he is not just a really good person, but he’s a very good player too. He might not say too much, but he doesn’t have to, because the actions he does in the way he prepares for his footy and performs on Saturday’s speak volumes.

“Brandon and Chris’s leadership qualities have always been there. They are really good people and proud to lead the club this year.”

A proud Swannies man, Erceg started at the club in 2011 through the colts program. He played 55 games in the reserves before cementing his spot as a deep defender in the league side. Although he is proud to take on the co-captaincy role, he is quick to look at what his side needs to do progress in 2022.

“With some champions of our club either retiring or wanting to take a step back this season, it’s a massive honour” he said. “We still have quite a bit of work to do this season and I look forward to helping take the team to the next level this year.”

In just his second year at the club, Jones will bring a wealth of knowledge to the role after playing in the TAC Cup and VFL systems, along with a stint in the Tiwi Islands, before making the move to WA.

“It’s very humbling and I was actually shocked when I found out” he said. “I look forward to helping the club through the transition phase between Matt and Tony no longer leading the club in this role. It’s exciting to have two defenders co-captaining the club, as Swans are renowned for breeding elite defenders, so hopefully I can uphold that end of the bargain.”

Aidan Clarke and Jesse Turner will assist in their capacity as co-vice captains, while Sam Fisher, Anthony Stephens and Jackson Beck round out the 2022 leadership group.