Griffith assistant coach Tom Groves believes last week’s backs-to-the-wall victory over Narrandera will have positive after-effects for the rest of the Riverina League season.
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The Swans played a man down for more than three quarters against the Eagles after Josh Hamilton was sent from the field but still won by 18 points.
Hamilton will miss this week’s away match against Turvey Park through suspension, but Groves said the Swans showed they could battle through adversity.
“The win gave the boys a lot of confidence,” he said.
“We’ve set our benchmark now.
“We know what we can do, especially with a man down
“He (Hamilton) was our best player against Leeton in round one.
“But if we keep on improving and keep working hard, we should be all right.”
The Swans will likely start favourites against the Bulldogs, who suffered a 134-point thrashing at the hands of the Wagga Tigers in round one before drawing the bye.
Turvey Park had a tumultuous off-season and lost the services of several key players from last year, including former coach Chris Cerato to Griffith.
But Groves said the Swans wouldn’t fall into the trap of underestimating the home side.
“At their home ground, they’re going to come out firing, especially after the bye,” he said. “We're expecting them to be on the money.
“But we know what our benchmark is now after the win against Narrandera. Hopefully we can expand on that.”
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