The Swans will welcome back club junior Alex Overs, while also bringing in Yea defender James Ryan.

In a further boost, Ben King has also recommitted for the Swans’ 2019 campaign.

Overs was assistant coach at Murray League club Congupna last year and played at Shepparton Swans in the Goulburn Valley League before that.

Griffith coach Will Griggs is happy to have Overs on board.

“You can pretty much play him anywhere. He’s one of those tough, mid-sized blokes,” Griggs said.

“He’ll add a bit of pace and he’s another hard body to help with some of those young blokes, which is good.

“Obviously being an assistant coach last year, he’s got a fair footy head as well.”

Overs and Griggs are no strangers, having played together at Queanbeyan in the North Eastern Australian Football League (NEAFL).

It was there that Overs’ career was momentarily halted when he picked up a 15-month ban from ASADA for testing positive to Oxycodone from taking a painkiller in the 2012 NEAFL grand final.

Overs, 27, is based in Shepparton and will travel for a number of games with the Swans.

King is another who will not be available for every game after moving away due to employment. He is likely to feature for the Swans late in the season.

“Obviously we would like to have him all year but you get to an age when work takes over as priority,” Griggs said.

“If you were going to have him any time of year it would be coming into finals so that will be good.”

Ryan has more than 50 first grade games experience to his name at Yea, in division two of AFL Yarra Ranges.

He played full-back last year and Griggs believes he will be a welcome addition to the Swans’ backline.

“He looks pretty handy so we’ll find somewhere in the backline for him and see how he goes,” he said.

Griffith had already welcomed back promising young ruckman Nathan Richards, but lose Riley Irvin, Heath Northey and Sam Foley from last year’s squad.

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