![Griffith key forward Henry Delves is enjoying being back at the Swans this season having made the decision to play on in 2024. Picture by Paul Rogerson Griffith key forward Henry Delves is enjoying being back at the Swans this season having made the decision to play on in 2024. Picture by Paul Rogerson](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/179282453/bf3a468f-755c-43cc-9482-dfbb77f59048_rotated_270.jpeg/r0_859_3024_3650_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Griffith key forward Henry Delves believes the Swans are fully aware of the importance of their clash this weekend against Coolamon at Exies Oval.
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The Swans will play host to the Hoppers on Saturday which is shaping up to be effectively an eight-point game given the context of where the two teams sit on the ladder.
Griffith has already lost at home to both Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes and Turvey Park and they will be eager to equal up their ledger as they currently sit at 2-3.
It's an important game for Griffith and Delves said the Swans were excited for the challenge against the Hoppers.
"They've been great this year, I've been nothing but impressed with what I've seen from afar from Coolamon," Delves said.
"We are certainly wary and it's not lost on us the significance of this game, it was spoken about at training on Tuesday and we had a fantastic night in light of that.
"We are going to come out with all guns blazing and we are certainly not going to take them for granted, not at all."
Delves played his first game of the season over the weekend in Griffith's loss to Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong.
The key forward admitted he was unsure of his plans leading into the season, but he said it was good to be back playing for his home club.
"It's always great to be back playing for the Swans, it's my home club and there's some very good people involved," he said.
"I feel lucky to be able to come back and have another year playing for my home town.
"But yeah I was very undecided, hence why I've only started featuring in round six.
"I had a few work things that I had to sort out and they could've gone either way, but fortunately from the footy side of things it's meant that I can come back and play again this year which is great.
"I think I needed a break last year after the grand final which unfortunately didn't go our way, but over the Summer that itch started to grow and I'm lucky enough to come back and have one more year which is great."
The Swans arguably had their strongest game of the year in their loss to GGGM and Delves agreed they were able to take some positives away from the defeat.
"Yeah big time," he said.
"We're a group that's maturing and I don't think any loss is a good loss just the way where we are at as a club and a team.
"So we walked away not satisfied but there's certainly positives that we dragged out of that game.
"There are serious parallels to last year where we took a bit of time to get going and get the game plan to click.
"I think what we saw in that first quarter is how we want to play and when we can roll that out for four quarters we are going to be a pretty ominous outfit hopefully."
Delves was part of the Griffith side that surged their way into the Riverina League grand final last year.
Although they lost nine players from that grand final side, Delves believed the Swans were more than capable of going on a similar run this season.
"I think so," he said.
"We certainly lost a few key players from that outfit that fronted up against Turvey, but the core group is definitely still there.
"Jack Rowston and Nathan Richards have kept that core group together and then they've brought up a few of those boys that were playing two's or on the fringe last year and helped establish them as first grade players.
"They've done a fantastic job and it's meant that continuity from last year.
"I'm not really seeing any reason why we can't certainly go deep into September, that's certainly the intent of the club.
"But the comp's gotten a lot better and as always with the RFL it's going to be pretty tight at the top come September.
"I'm certainly expecting and hoping Griffith is there or there abouts."