The Swifts sit fourth on the HDFNL ladder with four wins and two losses, but they will face a tough fortnight when the season resumes with clashes against finals fancies Kalkee and Jeparit-Rainbow looming.

In their last two matches, an undermanned Swifts ground out gritty wins against Laharum and Taylors Lake, with senior coach Brett Hargreaves hoping a few weeks break will help his side.

"I think myself and the playing group weren't sure what to expect in the preseason," he said.

"Sitting four and two after six rounds, I think we are very happy to take that.

"At the moment we have a lot of injuries and a lot of sore bodies, so it is an excellent opportunity for the playing group to take a break and refresh.

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"When we thought we were going to have two grueling games in a row, we get the chance to reset, refresh and have a good crack.

"The first thing was to make sure everyone was in the right mindset and understand that this could happen and it could happen again.

"We have to get the mindset right in that we will roll with the punches and we will take these breaks as we need to."

The Swifts are a young squad with internal improvement pushing them towards their goal of a 2021 finals berth.

"I was always hopeful that a lot of our improvement would come from within, which it has," Hargreaves said.

"A good example of that is Jakob Salmi, in our midfield, is starting to go to a different level each week.

"For such a young player he has a big engine, is very tough and he hasn't played much midfield before, but we are asking him to start in there each and every week."

On the netball courts, the Swifts will also face a season-defining fortnight with Jeparit-Rainbow and Kalkee a set of challenging match-ups.

There was some new players who have joined the Swifts in 2021, and this combined with some player unavailability, has tested the squads connection.

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After a tough loss to Laharum, a bye against Taylors Lake and a week of postponed matches, the Swifts will be using this break to reset and be ready to face Kalkee in round eight.

Swifts A Grade coach Kristie Dodds said her squad are still working on finding that playing connection, which she hopes will unlock a run to the finals.

"We are continuing to work on getting to know one another as a whole new team," she said.

"Some players are bouncing back from not only having a year off due to COVID-19, but also after having a baby.

"With such a versatile team we've been focusing on some court plays and structures while learning how one another plays in different positions.

"My hopes are for the players to continue to build on our momentum as team, maintain positive mindsets and enjoy netball after having the time off and ideally play finals."

In the Horsham and District Football League round eight fixtures are scheduled to take place subject to state government COVID-19 restrictions.

HDFNL Round eight fixtures

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