Wayward kicking doesn't prove costly as Swans take first victory

It was an even battle during the opening half with the Swans able to take a 18-point lead into the first break but a strong second quarter from the Crows saw that margin close to 15 points.

The home side were wasteful in the third quarter kicking 3.8 in a period of dominance which could have seen the game killed off with Oliver Bartter, Thomas Tyson and Cooper Killpatrick kicking the three majors.

Jade Hodge had an afternoon out for the Crows with six goals, but it wasn't enough as the Swans were able to kick away in the final quarter to secure a 13.18 (96) to 7.4 (46).

For the Swans, Kahlan Spencer had a strong game in the forward fifty with four goals while Bartter, Thomas Baxter, James Girdler and Tyson kicked two each.

For Swans, coach Greg Dreyer was pleased to see his side be able to take a step forward after a disappointing start to the season against Mangoplah CUE last weekend.

"It was another game together and we were still a bit scrappy but if was a vast improvement from the first week," he said.

"We talked a lot about our defence and how we wanted to communicate and then again about how we move and deliver into the forward line."

It was the defensive effort in the second half which kept the Crows to just two goals in the second half which stood out for the Swans coach alongside the improvement movement of the ball going forward.

"In the forwards the movement, especially in the last quarter, but our movement and decision making took a step forward," he said.

"We second-guessed ourselves a little bit last week and that was just about finding the new combinations."

Four of the new recruits, Riley Lucas, Kilpatrick, Baxter and Tyson, were in the Swan's bests for the derby, and Dreyer said they fit into the club well.

"They are going really well," he said.

"All are playing well, and they are all good blokes, so they have fitted in quite nicely."

The Swans will head into the bye with a clean bill of health, which will allow them to make the changes needed to take the step forward for their round four clash, where they will head to Narrandera to take on the Eagles.

In the lower grades, after a first-round defeat, the reserve graders came away with a 131-point win over the Crows, while in the under 17.5, it was another tough game for the Swans as they fell to a 53-point defeat.