28-04-2025
Country Footy: Shepparton Swans start 4-0 and get approval for change rooms in Goulburn Valley league
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The Shepparton Swans are not getting ahead of themselves despite making a flying start on and off the field in the Goulburn Valley league.
The Swans have had their best start to the league since winning the 2014 premiership, winning their first four matches.
Shepparton defeated Tatura by 72 points on Anzac Day in wet conditions to move to the top of the ladder.
Ex-AFL player Nathan Hrovat starred with 49 disposals to put the Swans on track to make the finals for the first time since 2016.
The win came as a three-year battle to get new facilities at Princes Park came to an end after Greater Shepparton City Council approved contracts to build new facilities.
After floods ravaged the ground in 2022 the club has been fighting for new changerooms and facilities, allowing them to play and host events, which would allow them to bring in much needed money to the club.
Currently, the team is losing money by not hosting functions at Princes Park and have been in temporary change rooms, funded by the AFL, for the past two and a half seasons.
Swans football director and vice-president Gerald Sabri said the plan was to have the construction during 2026, giving them a grand return home with new facilities in 2027.
He added it would secure the club's future..
'It's a good injection for the club,' he said.
'It's probably the best news for the club, even better than being 4-0.'
Sabri said the start was down to a couple of years of rebuilding and getting the right people in to push the club forward.
He added the off-season was all about building from last year where the club missed finals after losing a few close games.
A new game plan and a few changes have seen the results spring to life in the right way.
'Last year it was disappointing,' he said.
'There were certain areas that needed tightening up. Things are a lot smoother than in previous years.'
Sabri said while Hrovat was one of the key players this season, along with VFL listed player Oliver Warburton, who has played three games, the internal growth from the squad was a major part of the rise.
'There's a new leadership group for starters who have grown in stature,' he said.
'(We are also) getting the most out of the group we've got. A lot of them have grown in development and mindset.'
The Swans start will be put to the test on Saturday, taking on last year's preliminary finalists Rochester.
Sabri said even if the team wins its next four matches the focus won't change.
'Our expectations are to play finals,' he said.
'Getting four wins in a row it boosts their confidence and that's been really important. If we end up being 8-0 it's not going to change our endeavour.
'We won't let the group get ahead of themselves.'
